AC-130 participates in maritime patrol trial

Results are just as spectacular as expected...

What do you get when you combine a Special Operations AC-130W Stinger II gunship with the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon recon plane and a patrol coastal ship?

A big boom and a spray of debris.

A joint exercise launched March 8 and 9 in the Persian Gulf involving the Cyclone-class Monsoon and the two aircraft was designed to see how well a surface patrol ship and a long-range spy plane could select targets in the Persian Gulf for a Special Operations Command Central gunship to blast to bits.
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A nice little reminder against closing the Strait of Hormuz, as some of you may remember in the 80's, as well as the shenanigans last year.

a reply to: RadioRobert

Thats a pretty bad assed combo IMHO.

The P-8 has the long range sensors and Harpoon and can cue the AC

The AC is well an AC and could nicely handle those boat swarms

a reply to: FredT

I know they've talked about it supporting maritime roles for some time, but this is the first time I'm aware of a demo.

it kinda stings at first to think about a Death From The Sky.......stingy feeling on the back of my shoulders. Props to the pilots holdin the airspeed circle, altitude and bank.....young mans game

For when an Exocet,Harpoon or Torpedo is considered overkill?

a reply to: Blackfinger

If you're lugging four Harpoons over the Gulf and eight FACS (or even something smaller) come out to play, you've got problems, even ignoring the whole overkill aspect.

a reply to: RadioRobert

most smugglers know US air power and the sound of our aircraft.

if i saw or heard a P-8 orbiting or got forbid an AC-130 i would stop the boat and start swimming

I once watched A-10 Warthogs practicing for iranian boat swarms.

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originally posted by: Blackfinger
For when an Exocet,Harpoon or Torpedo is considered overkill?

Given that the USN tends to have the biggest ships in the Gulf, a Harpoon as dated as it is should handle MOST gulf navies surface combatants. The P-8 will also carry the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) which is a whole different beastie

Apaches apparently engaging in similar exercises. One might think the Navy is beginning to take the small-boat threat seriously...

a reply to: RadioRobert

Nah. That would mean the Navy leadership put their collective brain cells together and thought really really hard. I'm not sure they'd risk the headache.

But the future is in drones dont ya know....

More on the Apaches

The combination sure sounds lethal, however I do not know how well a AC-130W handles ditching at sea vs a P-8.
I know that ditching at sea in the older P-3 Orions was certainly not a cakewalk either. Bet Zaph has some statistics...

a reply to: charlyv

I don't know. You can get a C-130 safely down at 75 kn... Not sure you're getting the P-8 that slow. And the P-8 probably weighs as much empty as the AC-130 at max gross weight.

Since KE=1/2mv^2, I'd much rather take my chances there (assuming I'm strapped in tight).

And now that I am mulling it, a high-mounted wing and engines probably lets the fuselage better settle in and squeeze between the troughs (but wouldn't do as much to keep her afloat)

a reply to: charlyv

Actually quite well. That's one interesting aspect of high wing aircraft. They will immediately settle to the wings, and put the fuselage underwater, but they're more likely for the fuselage to remain intact as they enter the water. So you're more likely to get out, unless you hit hard.

I thought they had navalised Apaches years ago??

a reply to: Zaphod58

a reply to: RadioRobert

Thanks, that make a lot of sense about the high wing aspect. I am sure that they considered ditching safety as part of the selection process for that platform. Now... on with the prototype... That will be some mean bastard! Wonder when we might get a look at it...

a reply to: charlyv

There's no real "good" solution for ditching unless you have a flying boat. I would think of it like a car crash. I'd rather not crash at all, but if I do, I don't want there to be lots of speed and mass involved in the process.

a reply to: RadioRobert

There is a lot of Naval Aviation in my family. My father flew in PB-Y's in WWII out of Banana river, FL.
Ditching at sea in one of those birds was like a regular landing for any of us.