Role

A heavy gunship of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Built on the C-130J-30 Super Hercules military transport as a replacement for the ageing AC-130U Spooky and AC-130W Stinger II. It retains the side-firing philosophy of earlier gunships: the cannons and launchers are arranged along the left side of the fuselage and fire through side ports while the aircraft executes a pylon turn over the target. The core armament is the 30 mm GAU-23/A automatic cannon and the 105 mm M102 howitzer, supplemented by precision-guided munitions from the pylons: SDB GBU-39/B, AGM-176 Griffin, and AGM-114 Hellfire. The fire-control system is built around the Precision Strike Package (PSP) with multi-channel optics and inertial / satellite target designation. The first production aircraft was handed over to the 4th SOS in 2015; initial operating capability was reached in 2017. The fleet stands at 37 aircraft, all based at Hurlburt Field (Florida) and Cannon AFB (New Mexico).

Specifications

• Crew 7 pers. (2 pilots, 2 WSO, 3 special operators)
• Length 29,79 m
• Wingspan 40,41 m
• Height 11,84 m
• Wing area 162,1 m²
• Empty weight 34 686 kg
• Normal take-off weight 74 380 kg
• Max take-off weight 74 380 kg
• Engines 4 × Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3
• Power 4 × 4 637 hp (4 591 kW equiv.)
• Propeller 6-blade Dowty R391 composite
• Max speed 660 km/h
• Cruise speed 595 km/h
• Speed over target 230—370 km/h
• Service ceiling 8 500 m
• Range 5 250 km
• Ferry range with tanks 6 500 km
• Loiter time 6—8 h
• Cannon 30 mm GAU-23/A Bushmaster
• Howitzer 105 mm M102
• Precision-guided munitions GBU-39/B SDB, AGM-176 Griffin, AGM-114 Hellfire
• Hardpoints (Common Launch Tubes) 10
• Optics PSP (Precision Strike Package)

Модификации

Operators