When the AC-47 was introduced there were no preceding designs to gauge how successful the concept would be. Further gunship designs, the AC-119 gunship and the AC-130 gunship, were developed based on newer cargo airframes. AC-47The aircraft was vulnerable to ground fire due to the age of its airframe. The aircraft also carried flares, which it could drop to illuminate the battleground. Coverage given by a Spooky was over an elliptical area approximately 52 yd (47.5 m) in diameter, placing a round every 2.4 yd (2.2 m) during a 3-second burst. It could orbit the target for hours providing suppressing fire. Its primary function was close air support for ground troops. The guns were actuated by a control on the pilot's yoke, where he could control the guns either individually or together, though gunners were also among the crew to assist with gun failures and similar issues. Other armament configurations could also be found on similar C-47 based aircraft around the world. The AC-47 was a United States Air Force C-47 Skytrain (the military version of the DC-3) that had been modified by mounting three 7.62mm General Electric miniguns to fire through two rear window openings and the side cargo door, all on the left (pilot's) side of the aircraft. ![]() It was felt that more firepower than could be provided by light and medium ground-attack aircraft was needed in some situations when ground forces called for close air support. The Douglas AC-47 Spooky (also nicknamed "Puff, the Magic Dragon") was the first in a series of gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. Welcome to the AC-47 Spooky Wiki Douglas AC-47 Spooky
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