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Douglas AC-47 Spooky

1965 COLD WAR VIETNAM WAR

The Haunted History of the Douglas AC-47

Despite serving in 1941 and a U.S. military career spanning World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953), the Douglas C-47 "Light Rail" transport aircraft has experienced a period of During the Vietnam War (1955-1975) as a converted attack helicopter AC-47 "Phantom". The AC-47 is an interim solution to provide close air support (CAS) to friendly ground forces and is armed with 3 x 7.62mm General Electric SUU-11A miniature machine guns for this mission. 53 U.S. Air Force (USAF) C-47 transports turned into gunship roles, beginning a long and distinguished family of "Ghost" attack helicopters that originated from similar beginnings (such as the Lockheed C-130 Hercules). "Transport aircraft reincarnated as AC-130 attack helicopter "Ghost").

AC-47 Spookies were introduced in 1965 before the US increased its involvement in Southeast Asia. The C-47 itself is a militarized version of the Douglas DC-3 airliner.

The AC-47 is derived from the C-47D production brand (hence the official name "AC-47D") and was originally recognized under the "Fighter Cargo" designation of the FC-47D. However, fighter pilots became popular and the "F" in the name was changed to an "A" for "attack".

Fixed-wing attack helicopters have proven to be a viable CAS platform during a conflict, allowing them to loiter around space stations and deliver relatively accurate firepower to enemy forces close to combat allies - this is achieved through a tilted stance of the gun from the port side down. Fixed-wing strike jets offered war planners a different type of strike element, one that could carry fast-moving and mixed ammunition loads, but lacked the low-altitude, slow-speed of propeller-powered types like the AC-47 Flight characteristics.

With the outbreak of the Vietnam War, the use of gunboats greatly increased, and attack helicopters further cemented the aircraft's role in the US Air Force inventory - a role that continues to this day (2014). Converting an existing C-47 into a temporary attack helicopter platform marks the first time the U.S. military has chosen this type of aircraft.

It is worth noting that C-47 base transports began arriving in theaters in early February 1962, although these transports were used exclusively for torch flights - these aircraft were known as "torch ships".

Of the 53 AC-47s delivered, approximately 41 were used in the Vietnam War. About 12 were lost to combat failures, for a total of 19 airframes - proving that the aircraft was not immune to various battlefield hazards. It was slow and poorly protected, which in some cases led to disastrous results. The AC-47 - forgotten by many in today's tech-heavy world of military equipment - is a formidable platform - a lifesaver to some and a killer to their enemies. Despite their age, some Air Forces continue to operate from ex-US Air Force inventories, these are Colombia and El Salvador for counterinsurgency.

They are equipped to carry conventional throwing weapons and are equipped with modern equipment such as FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared).

Former operators outside the US have become Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Rhodesia, South Africa, South Vietnam and Thailand.

The AC-47 was used by U.S. troops in Vietnam through 3rd Air Assault Squadron (1968-1969), 4th Air Assault Squadron (1964-1969), and 5th Air Assault Squadron of 14th Special Operations Wing. From August 1968, their name was changed from "Air Commandos" to "Special Operations".

The operational reports of these early American gunships proved crucial in the upcoming C-130 ("Gunship II") and subsequent Fairchild C-119 ("Gunship III") conversion programs.