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> Hearing the Brrrt of a flying gattling gun must be pretty demoralising for enemy troops though. I guess that OP's point is that the AC130 not only has two Ga

by rualca 5y ago

> Hearing the Brrrt of a flying gattling gun must be pretty demoralising for enemy troops though. I guess that OP's point is that the AC130 not only has two Gatling guns but also a 40mm canon and a 105mm Howitzer. Also, the AC130 can loiter longer, and doesn't require fly-bys to even be able to target. It just does pylon turns while showering a target with everything it has. Given the alternatives, people have to ask what does the A-10 bring to the table, and the answer is hard to come by.

nobodyandproud 5y ago
The AC-130 seems to be a low flyer as well (not like the a-10, but still), so mostly runs night missions and with other planes flying as support? I am not an expert at this stuff.
masklinn 5y ago
> Given the alternatives, people have to ask what does the A-10 bring to the table, and the answer is hard to come by. Gets on target faster, is much cheaper, doesn't need half a brigade to crew, and can take a lot more punishment (especially compared to the barely armored AC130J).
dogma1138 5y ago
The AC130 no longer has a Gatling gun, or any mutli-barrel gun for that matter as the Spooky/II and Specter variants have been retired. The Ghostrider / Stinger II variants which are in service today have 1 30mm bushmaster auto cannon, 1 howitzer and a bunch of guided munitions. The recent variants have been criticized for not being able to provide the same level of air support as the older variants or the A-10 in built up areas or for danger close missions. They lack the volume of fire needed to effectively suppress enemy infantry as the 30mm bushmaster has a rate of fire of only about 100 rpm and the next thing in line is either a 105mm howitzer or a hellfire missile/SDB which might be too high profile for many engagements. And most importantly unlike the A-10 the air force isn’t willing to employ the AC-130 in anything that even comes close to a denied air space so if the baddies have anything larger than a Dushka good luck…

by rualca 5y ago

nobodyandproud 5y ago

The AC-130 seems to be a low flyer as well (not like the a-10, but still), so mostly runs night missions and with other planes flying as support? I am not an expert at this stuff.

masklinn 5y ago

> Given the alternatives, people have to ask what does the A-10 bring to the table, and the answer is hard to come by. Gets on target faster, is much cheaper, doesn't need half a brigade to crew, and can take a lot more punishment (especially compared to the barely armored AC130J).

dogma1138 5y ago

The AC130 no longer has a Gatling gun, or any mutli-barrel gun for that matter as the Spooky/II and Specter variants have been retired. The Ghostrider / Stinger II variants which are in service today have 1 30mm bushmaster auto cannon, 1 howitzer and a bunch of guided munitions. The recent variants have been criticized for not being able to provide the same level of air support as the older variants or the A-10 in built up areas or for danger close missions. They lack the volume of fire needed to effectively suppress enemy infantry as the 30mm bushmaster has a rate of fire of only about 100 rpm and the next thing in line is either a 105mm howitzer or a hellfire missile/SDB which might be too high profile for many engagements. And most importantly unlike the A-10 the air force isn’t willing to employ the AC-130 in anything that even comes close to a denied air space so if the baddies have anything larger than a Dushka good luck…