Spookies, Spectres & Shadows | Wings over Vietnam

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In modern usage, the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft that have side-mounted heavy weapons (i.e., firing to the side) for attacking land or sea targets. These warships were configured to circle the target rather than bombard them. Such aircraft have weapons on one side configured to fire at the top of an imaginary cone formed by the aircraft and the ground when performing a pylon turn (roll turn).

In the more modern category of fixed-wing aircraft that emerged after World War II, a gunship is an aircraft that has side-mounted heavy weapons (i.e., firing to the side) for attacking land or sea targets. These warships were configured to circle the target rather than bombard them. Such aircraft have weapons on one side configured to fire at the top of an imaginary cone formed by the aircraft and the ground when performing a pylon turn (roll turn).

The Douglas AC-47 Spooky was the first known modern warship. In 1964, during the Vietnam War, the popular Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft was successfully modified by the US Air Force into a gunship with three side-firing miniguns for circling attacks. At the time, the aircraft was known as the "Dragonship", "Puff the Magic Dragon" or "Ghost" (official designation FC-47, later corrected to AC-47). Its three 7.62mm miniguns could selectively fire at 50 or 100 rounds per second. Orbiting leftward at 120 knots at 3,000 feet (910 m), the gunship could place a bullet or glowing red tracer (every fifth round) in every square yard of a football field-sized target. potentially in less than 10 seconds. And while his basic ammunition load of 45 flashes and 24,000 rounds lasted, he could do this intermittently, loitering over the target for hours.