I served as a Crew Chief on the AC-130 during the Gulf War. They are a hell of a weapon. Unfortunately we lost one plane to enemy fire. All 14 onboard were lost. RIP Warriors!

I served in afghanistan as a Forward Observer with the US Army and had the pleasure of being protected by an AC-130 on 2 separate occasions. Super amazing planes and truly awesome firepower! Love from across the pond!

@grilledlettuce1845

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your cervix

@mikeymike1981

Жыл бұрын

FISTER

@Prrocess

Жыл бұрын

Hey, fellow former FISTer here, thanks for your service bro

@mikehunt368

Жыл бұрын

you live in america? can i have your autograph? how many movies have you been in?

@galaxydrifter1165

Жыл бұрын

It definitely feels safer when they're circling. Although I've heard some danger close stories that'll make your butthole pucker

When I was in Viet Nam I saw the first generation of this aircraft in action twice. The first time I had been in country about two months (Sept or october 1967). I was station on a hilltop fire base. I believe we called it Puff the Magic Dragon. It only had mini-guns at that time. I do not know how many mini-guns were on the plane. It was night when I saw it fire. Oh, yes, I was told that each mini-gun fired six thousand rounds per minute. On this very dark night it looked like a flame thrower coming out of the sky. I could not see the plane itself. The fire was moving in a circular motion. The plane was moving in a circular motion. All that I could see was this solid stream of fire coming out of the dark sky. I ask the old timers what that was; was it a flame thrower on a plane? They informed me what it was, and that what made the "flame" were the tracers. Tracers were every tenth round. But it looked like a steady stream of fire. They told me that at the rapid speed of fire one bullet would hit every square inch on the ground in the size of a football field in one minute. All I could think about, how can any one survive that. But in combat you finally learn that if they are dug in they will live to fight . But if they were caught out in the open they are finished. What I learned in combat was the enemy could survive even when an ungodly amount of fire power was brought to bear. However, I am glad that I did not have to worry about that in Viet Nam.

@badguy1481

Жыл бұрын

The C-130's, used in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, DID have a field piece installed. It was used against trucks on the Ho Chi Minh trail. I was told the field piece was so accurate, North Vietnamese truck drivers would abandon their vehicles when they knew a C-130 gunship was in the area. They would just move to the side of the road and watch as their trucks were blown to pieces. (The North eventually chained those drivers to their steering wheels, so they couldn't do that!).

@rb1179

Жыл бұрын

Not every square inch, more like a bullet per square yard, at least from other sources. That's still an impressive number.

@jackhouston357

Жыл бұрын

it was a beautiful sight at night!!

@LoneWanderer101

Жыл бұрын

Jesus that is a lot of bullets....

@jackhouston357

Жыл бұрын

@@LoneWanderer101 your only seeing the tracers! There's 4/5 rounds in between

12:35 never underestimate the importance of technical, consistent maintenance, and logistical support in maintaining military superiority.

@hagnartheviking6584

Жыл бұрын

Yes but my chimp brain wants big boom.

@DannL18

Жыл бұрын

For every man on the front line there are 8 who support him, is a quote I heard some one say once

@Hmmmmmmmm320

Жыл бұрын

@@DannL18 I believe it. Even positions we don’t typically think about like kitchen staff, doctors, plumbers, engineers, and medics that keep a military base operational.

@solace6700

Жыл бұрын

@@Hmmmmmmmm320 millennial moment

@mfree80286

Жыл бұрын

@@hagnartheviking6584 If these aircraft don't get wing box maintenance, expect a BIG boom.

You can only use the AC-130 when you have total air superiority in that area . If the other side has fighter aircraft ,the AC -130 is in big trouble

@gtmafiaa

Жыл бұрын

the russians should have total air superiority but they suck so they can't maintain it

@bhseigel

Жыл бұрын

Yes, but on the flip side there is no military air force in the world that can compete with U.S./NATO controlled airspace. India is probably the next best Air force globally, followed by Israel in terms of capability. Russia and china have large numbers but the bulk of their air power comes from 3rd and 4th gen fighters. The U.S. and NATO joint strike fighter program resulted in the 5th generation J/F-35 Lightning II, the most advanced multi-role war-fighting air frame in production and utilized jointly by multiple coalition Air Forces. Western Anti-Aircraft, and Anti-Anti-Aircraft countermeasures are some of the most sophisticated systems on the modern battlefield.

@Green.P3

Жыл бұрын

@@bhseigel Oh for sure

@kokomo9764

Жыл бұрын

Well, the US has no problem gaining air superiority.

@thesmogo

Жыл бұрын

I am more concerned about SEAD than air superiority, I feel a hidden SAM might pose a big danger to c130s, flares and all

Vietnam '66 - '67, I Corps, I saw the old AC47 hosing down a large area with three 7.62 miniguns. It was both terrifying and spectacular. The aircraft slowly circled around a central point and the river of tracers (1 in 5 rounds) looked like liquid fire pouring out.

@currahee

Жыл бұрын

another guy said the same thing yesterday. must've been hell for the VC

@zacharystuits3606

Жыл бұрын

Good ole puff the magic dragon

@Lonewolfmike

Жыл бұрын

Did you ever deal with the ones that they equipped Vulcans on the AC-130?? I know they did the viability and testing at Wright-Patterson in Dayton.

Russia hasn't used its air force to support its infantry. That's not how they operate. The US does this constantly and very effectively...

He’s talking about the AC 130 from call of duty Modern Warfare 2 . I think that’s how a lot of us learned about this plane 🤣

There is a new generation of gunship that’s called the Ghostrider that not only has the advanced electronics and munitions but has replaced the Bofors 40mm canon with a 30mm unit because it was becoming impossible to find ammo for the Bofors. The guns were originally used on battleships in WWII and they may have actually been developed between WWI and WWII. It got to the point that the military was having to reload expended ammo cuz they couldn’t buy new anywhere. You can go online and find videos of the gunship strikes which are very impressive to see.

russia doesn't have air superiority so if they used something like this it would get shot down. in afghanistan us had overwhelming air superiority

@orion7326

Жыл бұрын

Overwhelming? Nah mate the US had absolute air superiority in Afghanistan. Taliban didn't have MANPADS and their Soviet-era RPGs were no match for US helicopters and the old timer A-10

@metfan85

Жыл бұрын

It kind of showed when they didn’t use much against the Ukraine

@RAL0981

Жыл бұрын

Yup I been saying Russia doesn’t have Air Superiority which is why they boast so much about there nuclear arsenal. even though they aren’t the only ones with nukes.

@bohicagaming4462

Жыл бұрын

And even then it was practically only used at night lol

@DannL18

Жыл бұрын

@@orion7326 not that they were no match per se. it’s just very difficult to hit a moving target without active targeting. Man pads have it the Soviet RPG-7 does not come standard with active targeting. A notoriously inaccurate round the helicopter will still go down if hit by the shaped charge. You just have to get lucky.

Besides the amount we spend on our military. The big thing that makes the us military the greatest in earth is just how mission ready our equipment is. The amount of maintenance is insane. Just ask Russia how important regular maintenance is

5:00 This is the main reason to support the USA over China or Russia in my opinion. Imagine if either of them had the military might of the US. Do you really think they would not use it to expand their empire? For all the power the United States has, they sure hold back alot.

Nothing says FREEDOM like a few thousand rounds a minute...lolol.

Daves comment on the gun that makes the aircraft fly backward is the big gun on the A-10 Warthog. They fire that in bursts because if they fire it too long it would slow the aircraft too much.

An hour early today, boys? I hope this is the new normal. Right when I wake up. Love it.

YEAH 👍 😎 THE LEGENDARY, "PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON 🐉". It circles the villages reigning fire 🔥 from the sky, and leaving a trail of puff smoke as it encircles to strike again. Man, I love this Vietnam War Era Battleship in the skies, oh yeah!!! Thanks for the video 📸.

The cockpit "glass" they refer to is replacing all the "old school" analog dials and gauges with digital computer screens.

When I was in Vietnam the C130 and C47 Spooky or called Puff the Magic Dragon was awesome. One burst of the mini gun covered a football field at 12" intervals

@yjwrangler7819

Жыл бұрын

You know what’s cool? The Columbian Air Force still operates 6 Puffs!!

@orlock20

Жыл бұрын

There is a modern daytime video in Colombia showing an AC-47 Fantasma in action against FARC. Several FARC members were marching up a road to attack a village and an AC-47 and some Super Tucanos took them out.

In Vietnam, my father called it “Puff the Magic Dragon” CSM Burbank 3rd,5h,7th, and 10th SFG.

Hey there Blokes, I hope the three of you are well. I believe that you all will like this video. This thing is a flying battleship.... The 130 is used widely by the U. S. military. It is a tough, versatile airplane. The Hurricane Hunters fly a version of this bird. The U.S. spends a lot of money on our military. And I have NO problem with that!!!!!!!! FYI 25 mm is about 1 inch. That is a large piece of metal...

imagine being in a tank column and 6 AC-130's show up flying down the column picking off your tanks as they fly by.

The term "glass cockpit" means they're switching from the old analog dials & gagues in the cockpit to modern multi-function, touch-screen displays, not changing the windows in the cockpits.

there was the experimental C130 program in the 80s where the US Airforce/Lockheed attached rockets to a C130 designed to give it the capability to takeoff and land from the inside of a football stadium. rockets were attched vertically so the c130 could hover in to land, downward facing aft rockets to boost lift during take off and reverse facing rockets to bring the Herc to a quick stop. but it proved to be too stressful on the airframe after repeated tests and the program was defunded, however there are aft burning rockets are on a few C130s today.

When they talk about giving it a glass cockpit, they're not talking about upgrading from analog gauges to digital screens per se...they mean giving it the technology that allows the pilots/navigator to literally see through the walls of the cockpit area via special visors on their helmet's. Some of our modern jets already use this tech and I imagine most of our air fleets will utilize this in the future. It's like having X-ray vision.

@jessespencer7029

Жыл бұрын

No. They're literally just talking about going from analog gauges to digital screens.

@steven95N

Жыл бұрын

Lmfao, that is not what a glass cockpit means at all. What you're referring to is an augmented reality viewing system. A glass cockpick is simply LED/LCD screens with more and easier to read information about performance and nav. The pilots of an AC-130 would have no need for a system like that. They aren't firing weapons. Who told you that?

Nothing like hearing that *FOOM *FOOM *FOOM way off in the distance, destroying everything in its path with 105s.

Office Bloke Dave, you are thinking of the A-10 Warthog. It is essentially a plane designed around a real powerful gun.

"they could just end that in an hour" fuckin a right we could

I never worked the AC-130U, but I did work on the AC-130H as an avionics technician during my last duty assignment. I retired from the US Air Force over 20 years ago after a 24-year career. The Gunship is a very impressive and deadly weapon system as seen in the video.

@billjividan9446

Жыл бұрын

I spent 8 years at Hurlburt Fld as avionics tech om AC-130H and MC-130E Combat Talon. Retired from USAF in 94.

@jethroniusbronloii3028

Жыл бұрын

Sensor troop @ Hurby 91-95

@billjividan9446

Жыл бұрын

@@jethroniusbronloii3028 I was INS, but ran the tool crib for 3 years.

They fly a special flightpath that keeps the rounds hitting the same spot - a turn that keeps the target the same distance away, so they don't have to lead the target.

I have got to see one when in the Air Force during a demonstration. My father saw one in action on several occasions in Nam, he said it looked like a rope of light from the gatling gun, there where so many tracers coming out so fast

These airplanes are amazing. The amount of ordinance they can put on the enemy is unreal... The first ones were called "Puff the magic dragon." People on the ground depend on these birds for fire support. The story states these things could put a shell in every square foot of a football field. No where to hide. They are kinda like an A-10.. The U.S. spends a lot of money on defense. We value having these abilities to bear on the enemy. Plus we spend a lot of money training our people and equipping them. It is worth the cost. Take care Blokes!!!!!!

I was in Afghanistan and attached to some secret squirrels and had a AC-130 provide fire during a mission…Was one of the most surreal things I’ve ever experienced.

Games definitely don't do this monster justice, thing can be your best friend, or your worst enemy.

Love the guy doing the original video he is everywhere on KZread ❤❤❤❤

The C-130 was designed in 1953, first flown 1954 entered service in 1956

Even though we have all that might, we are still grateful to be allies with Great Britain.

I find it to be a source of infinite amusement that the Army's own video on the AC-130 includes a clip that is quite clearly from the first Transformers movie (3:35).

@channonlegier9761

Жыл бұрын

This is not a US Military site.

They should have showed how these planes delivered supplies in a hot zone to fire bases in Vietnam without landing.

Lol they are not replacing the glass. They are giving it a glass cockpit. That is a system that allows you to see through the plane because of the visor on your helmet. Think Iron Man vision.

The aircraft used in this video has been replaced with the C-130J, a C-130 on steriods

Sam Eckholm's YT channel has a better in depth look at the weapons systems on board a AC-130. Sam is an US Air Force photographer, his video on board during an AC-130 training mission is great. he gets to the fire the cannons and also gets to try reloading them too.

The PROBLEM: The AC-130 is vulnerable to shoulder launched, heat seeking, missiles. So it can only be effective in battle zones where the enemy does not have access to weapons like that. In the Ukraine, that would not the case. Also C-130's are vulnerable when delivering cargo to bases under siege. I was aware of several, in Vietnam, that were damaged when flying even close to the ground for low level drops, or when landing and stopping to unload cargo. C-130 pilots and crews should be considered "unsung heroes of ALL our wars..from Vietnam to present day!

On the occasion one does land at an airport near me, their long, slow descent combined with my complex sitting atop a hill makes it appear as if it's going to fly directly into my 2nd floor bedroom.

Friendly forces whom are fighting on the ground absolutely love the JC130.

Nobody has these but us. I was gunner on the U-model. Was a blast!

@orlock20

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, but there are variants. For instance Colombia has the AC-47 Fantasma which it has used against FARC. Most countries don't have the budget for an AC-130.

C-130 and c-17s I used to jump at night from them. We used to called the c-17 "The Cadillac" because the ride was so smooth that on a jump I would fall to sleep 😂. To be fair I would fall to sleep on a c-130 too right before jumps 😂

@bocat1964

Жыл бұрын

I hate C1dirties so much. most uncomfortable ride there is LOL

@lonewiso

Жыл бұрын

@@bocat1964 make sure you have your puke bag near you 😂

@lonewiso

Жыл бұрын

@@bocat1964 by the way is the first time I ever hear anyone call a c-130 a c-1dirty... I like that ! Hehe

Funny point you all touched on that I don't think anyone ever considers is that all of the US military tech that you see is everything they allow us to see, but imagine all of the stuff they DON'T allow us to see.

You should check out the C130 of the Blue Angels called "Fat Albert". It's part of the air show and does some pretty incredible stuff that you wouldn't expect out of a prop plane of that size..

@TheTheShotfu

Жыл бұрын

look up operation eagle claw. they were actually going to use something like that to rescue hostages

That plane has no equivalent from any other country

The C-130 is the passenger airline for the military, I've been in one (on the ground) and they are huge.

USS Gerald Ford Arrived somewhere in the UK today.

I LOVE they use Transformers (2007) movie clip in the desert lol

It's not upgrading the glas in the cockpit but replacing the analog cockpit, steam gages w/ a glass cockpit or digital. It will help you navigate & give ground support w/ low visibility or in bad weather.

That is a good example of American engineering.

I did not think AC-130 were quiet. The hardest landing I ever experienced was in one of these. Ouch.

“Toff said” is said 28 times in this video

The UK operates a number of C130J out of RAF Brize Norton. I was unable to come across as to their numbers. Apparently, the RAF is moving on from the C130J to the Airbus A400M. Airbus apparently has a problem fulfilling the order of these aircraft, so the RAF is extending the life of the C130J.

I'd swear I took one of these down myself... while playing Metal Slug on PS3.

um, no, the top speed of the AC-130J isn't "300 miles per hour". It's around 415 miles per hour. Faster than most World War II fighter aircraft. Service ceiling is close to 40,000 feet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_AC-130 Look in the "Performance" section.

The original C-130 platform came out in 1954, I believe, they just keep upgrading the original because it was so stable

This robot speaker Daz my head in, "Toff says" (or whatever the hell it was trying to say)

Great video and interesting as always.

A stick and a goat! LOL

My two favorites... The A-10 and the C-130 gunship!!!

The AC-130 is the ONLY aircraft of its kind, as u said Russia doesn’t have anything remotely close. No side firing cargo size plane in any country . It’s so deadly beacause there amount of weaponry from 25mm at 6,000 rounds a minute to 40mm at 260 rounds a minute to 105mm Howitzer at 18 rounds per minute and now carrying hellfire missiles AGM laser guided bombs and being a cargo ship so it Carrie’s a ton of ammo with great loitering time, it’s like a fortified base with all sorts of munition circling out of visual range in the sky destroying targets

Just think being able to being accurate seven miles away in the sky … with a Gatling gun // during the Viet Nam era this has another more common name “ Puff the Magic Dragon “

China and Russia might have something similar but the thing is it does not have service hour and they do have one it's just sitting in the warehouse not being maintained and the US spends millions and billions of dollars of upgrade and maintaining their machine to make sure everything is well oiled and well maintenance

Related to the topic it would be interesting to see you guys reacting to this : guy in vr talks about their worst day as a soldier

The BOFORS weapon system is a great system although a bit outdated. ( difficult to find parts for) They were more prevent in WW2 and Korea, although I hear the Indian army is bringing them back.

you guys should check out operation eagle claw. they tried to use a c130 with rockets strapped to it to land inside a stadium, rescue hostages, then take off again.

They're not upgrading the cockpit glass, they're making it a glass cockpit... which means analog displays are replaced with electronic digital displays. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_cockpit

Will you guys be reacting to the USS Gerald Ford arriving in the UK??

Russia has the SU57. Its only purpose is air superiority. They don't have very many but it's not true to say they don't have any. As enemies of Russia I know it's hard to admit they are catching up with the United States in terms of airpower, but to ignore it isn't wise. The su57 is highly agile, very stealthy, and would give an f22 a good fight.

Hey guys, did you know Toph is the one who said all the things in this video? Also that's a cool plane, Toph added.

I saw a video where a guy on the ground with an ak hit a crewmember of an AC 130 before they dusted him. That's a 1 in a million.

Lol. Tell your enemies the weakness of your machinery: the wings 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

@thezx5795

Жыл бұрын

literally every birds weakness

The russians don't have a real equivelent to the AC130 but it wouldn't matter if they did. You have to note that this plane is a close air support platform, and is very slow and not particularly manueverable. While the US does posess some advanced countermeasure systems this particular plane is super vulnerable to anti aircraft weapons. The only reason the US can operate them more or less with impunity is that we have a massive airforce with completely unparalleled capability to suppress and destroy ground based anti air and annihilate any potential airborn opposition. Ultimately in any conflict the US fights we own the air, nothing gets airborn if we don't want it to, and nothing is allowed to touch airborn assets unless we let it. Neither the Ukrainians nor the Russians have such capability, the russians have the tech but not enough of it, and the Ukrainians don't have it, but they do have advanced AA capability which means that if the Russians did have an AC130 equivelent it would just get shot out of the sky as soon as it got within range of Ukrainian AA.

The reason why planes aren’t being used that much in Ukraine is because in the beginning they were getting shot down left and right on both sides so they’ve just stopped using them as much because if they didn’t neither side would have an airforce anymore so planes are being very sparingly used now over there

Please react to Triumph the insult comic dog! Thanks in advance!

No hell can hide you there is no where to run. I am the Specter I am death from above.

12:50 The exciting part is the upgraded communications.

A-10s gun has more recoil than engine thrust especially in level flight. Dive, burst, turn and burn is its tactic. The spooky has amazing firepower so find another video of it. The 105 actually yaws the aircraft when fired! Lol

Y'all need to check out the time the US Navy landed a C130 on an aircraft carrier, just because, but really it was Operation Credible Sport.

"they could finish the war in ukraine in under an hour" Yeah and everyone thought the war in iraq would be over and done with easily too...

Love you guys reactions. In in Wichita Kansas usa

If you want to see something really crazy with the C-130 platform look at the USS Forrestal C-130 carrier landing trials video.

Hey blokes, I think you need to react to the new AbramsX main battle tank. Or the M1A3 Abrams, if it so becomes. The AbramsX is a working prototype of the next generation of America's main battle tank that includes a bunch of new technologies including an all new smaller, lighter, unmanned turret w/ autoloader. The crew has been reduced from 4 to 3. Commander, Driver, and Gunner. And all three sit in the hull right next to one another much like the astronauts in SpaceX's crew dragon capsule. Like I said, this is a workable prototype that could go into production immediately if the Pentagon (and Army) gave it approval as is. But basically, it's a modernized M1A2 hull (as it had to be to accommodate the new crew positions), a brand new sleeker futuristic turret, all powered by a gas-electric hybrid engine that gets 50% better fuel mileage than the current gas turbine engine in the current M1A2s. The hybrid engine allows the tank's systems to run without having the engine on, allowing it to operate in an audible stealth mode while stationary. Ukraine would love to get its hands on some of these. Oh, speaking of which, while Russia supposedly has their T-14 Armata tanks, the company that has built the AbramsX said that the difference between the AbramsX and the Armata is that "ours works." The Armata has been plagued with numerous technical problems. It can barely run let alone operate in a combat environment. That's why they haven't deployed the few they have in Ukraine.

Most missiles are hypersonic. When the development of hypersonic missile is being discussed they're referring to the ability of the missiles to maneuver while hypersonic in order to more effectively avoid antimissile systems. There're are still questions about how effective China's missiles will be at this, and yes the US has multiple systems in development with some test fires.

@John_Redcorn_

Жыл бұрын

Yeah. We had hypersonic missiles in the 50s, we just didnt prioritize them as there was no real need. All the stuff china boasts about the US already figured out decades ago

@MKE_Mike

Жыл бұрын

Any missile that can reach speeds of Mach 5 is "hypersonic", that excludes most commonly used misses.

If there were no nukes America could do anything anywhere, but it is kind of ironic. Had that convo with my pops when this Russian war with Ukraine started.

5:55 It is called C.A.S. or Close Air Support

If you're looking for more exciting AC-130 videos, there are plenty on YT.

The highest quality semi-conductors are designed in the U.S., but the fabs for them are in Taiwan at the moment.

@a-a-rondavis9438

Жыл бұрын

Like 63% of all computer chips and boards are made in Taiwan.

@Green.P3

Жыл бұрын

@@a-a-rondavis9438 More than 63% it’s more like 80-90

@John_Redcorn_

Жыл бұрын

@@Green.P3 Intel is soon going to open a chip plant in Ohio

Nice Kit Eh? please check out the A110 Warthog.....that plane is the terror of Bagdad

Should react to a video of ac-130’s training or combat footage “guns guns guns”

I think weapons like this would not be used a lot because manpads are every were, and they fly low and slow compared to jets

Fun fact: One of the biggest bullets costs like 2.3 million dollars a round

Wow - watching this was riveting. I don't know why you guys weren't interested in the maintenance stats, but I found it fascinating. I don't think I would want to see the guns actually blowing up a car unless it was a test - otherwise - you gotta know that if it's blowing up something ....could be people in the car. Not necessarily villains - collateral damage is mostly women and children and/or non-military persons at the wrong place at the wrong time. This is an impressive gun and I think it's more sad to think we live in a world where such fire power is necessary. But if it IS necessary - I'm glad we have the manpower, technology, and the finances to afford them.

Ya'll ever visit... we will go shooting ... you pick the calibrator.... we got it all

that my friend is the USA`s can of whoop ass roflmao

Go watch the movie Lone Survivor to see this plane in action at the end.