National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Visit: Airpark in Winter - Lockheed AC-130A Gunship II (Spectre)

By Fred Harl

A recent whirlwind tour of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on a snowy Midwestern winter day produced some interesting views of the aircraft in the Airpark outside of the main museum.  The Lockheed AC-130A Gunship II (originally dubbed Gunboat) was JC-130A 54-1626, the first one of a series of early airframes converted to gunships at Wright-Patterson AFB, and was tested in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968.  The aircraft, armed with 20mm cannon, performed reasonably well, and further modifications to the fire control system combined with heavier armament produced a very effective platform for use in the remainder of the Vietnam War and later conflicts.  Here are some views of the aircraft during the winter visit: