Early FC-47 Gunship trials over Vietnam in 1965

The Douglas AC-47 Spooky was the first notable modern gunship. In 1964, during the Vietnam War, the popular Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport was successfully modified into a gunship by the United States Air Force with three side-firing Minigun 7.62mm rotary machine guns for circling attacks. At the time the aircraft was known as a "Dragonship", "Puff, the Magic Dragon" or "Spooky", it was initially designated FC-47 but this was changed soon after to AC-47 as apparently fighter pilots objected to an antiquated former transport being placed in the same category as their jets.

0:00 The serial number isn't clear on the aircraft visible, but the nature of the gun mount seen in the next angle suggests the footage is filmed from on board FC-47 43-48579, the first aircraft to be converted as a gunship in Vietnam. The muzzle on the Minigun is also distinctive from the typical configuration indicating an early model.

0:08 The three 7.62 mm miniguns could selectively fire either 50 or 100 rounds per second. Cruising in an overhead left-hand orbit at 120 knots air speed at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the gunship could put a bullet into every square yard of a football field–sized target in potentially less than 10 seconds. Every fifth round was typically a tracer. The SUU-11 gun pods could carry up to 2000 rounds of ammunition each but once this was expended they could be reloaded in flight as illustrated in this segment. Typically a total of 24,000 round was carried on board the AC-47.

0:30 Using a floating smoke cannister as an aim point, the pilot can easily spot the fall of shot on the surface of the water. The guns were fixed so it was the pilot who aimed them by adjusting the turn rate and angle. He would have a Mark 20 Mod 4 gunsight installed at his window, lifted from an A-1 Skyraider. A loader is then seen emptying brass into the sea, with all guns firing up to 300 spent cartridges per second would accumulate.

0:41 AC-47D serial number 43-49546 painted in the typical three-tone camouflage scheme. This aircraft was on a reconnaissance mission 15 miles East of Ban Muong in Savannakhet Province in Laos on May 15th 1966 when radio contact was lost. It had been shot down by North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire, and Pilot Col. George William Jensen was killed in action along with seven other USAF crew members and two South Vietnamese volunteers. Hostile activity prevented a recovery operation at the time, however in March 1997 the remains of the crew were recovered from the crash site and officially identified in 1999.

0:58 Gunners were required to be able to count up to six at a minimum. The difference between the muzzles and those of the earlier variant can be appreciated.

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