US Douglas AC47 Gunship

By Crusader1307

The more appropriately known “Gunship” designed by The Douglas Aircraft Company in 1965, The AC47 was originally envisioned as a multi-purpose Cargo and Transport Plane. It was learned very quickly in The early days of The Vietnam War, that there was a need for effective ground support combat airpower. The Douglas Company redesigned The AC47. Removing most of it’s Cargo configuration, it’s wide dual side fusilage Cargo doors were fixed open. A series of Dual or Quad 7.62mm Machine Gun mounts (M134), were set. It practice, The AC47 could fly at roughly 10,000-feet and fire all Guns simultaneously  (electrically activated). Due to aerodynamic placement each round would fall at angle, striking the ground below at a distance in 1-inch in diameter from the next round. In short, The AC47 could completely cover a standard American Football Stadium from end to end in “holes”. Seen and used as a psychological warfare weapon, The AC47 was 65-feet long with a 95-foot wingspan. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Prop Engines, it maintenance and average airspeed of 230-mph. This slow airspeed was crucial to The AC47s aerial runs. It’s operational ceiling was 25,000 feet with a 2,000 mile operating range. So unexpected and quick, Soldiers nicknamed the two most active “Spooky” and “Puff, The Magic Dragon”. The NVA and VC called them “Death From Above”. So effective were The Gunships, that they became a fixture in many Countries Air Forces, with some variants still in existence even today.