The first test use of the ac47 gunship initially fc47 in combat occurred on 15 december 1964 with testing continued into early 1965. The uboat, the acu is the latest gunship variant that entered usaf service several years ago. This tooling was part of the family of kits that monogram developed to dominate the 148 scale market that also includes their timeless 148 b17g, b24d, b24j, b25j, b26, b. The photo above depicts the original setup of the first vietnam war ac 47 spooky gunship 19641974, with three ge gatling type. The acj is the fourth generation gunship replacing the aging fleet of acuw gunships. Ac47 combat mission was flown on december 1, 1969, by the 4th special operations squadron formerly the 4th acs.
The douglas ac 47 gunship known as puff the magic dragon had served in vietnam but was a very old aircraft by the time of the war and was starting to show its age. The acu gunships all light level television system and its infrared detection system can both scan a full 360 degrees, allowing the gunship crew to search for and find targets much faster. One early and significant success happened on the night of 2324 december 1964. The concept of a hercules gunship was applied to a test aircraft in 1965. From then until september 1969 53 ac47 d gunships were built. Douglas ac47 spooky airplane videos and airplane pictures. Book contains information and history on the ac 47, ac 119, and ac as well as other lesser known applications.
On december 1, 1969, a lone ac 47 gunship flew its final mission in vietnam under american command. The ac47 came in many versions and was used for anti guerrilla operations in laos, cambodia, the philippines and thailand. The plane as a gunship soldiered on for many more years, up until 2015. The legendary ac 47 gunship affectionately known as spooky, puff, or puff the magic dragon breathes its fire breath on the hapless enemy below. The guns mounted in the ac47s are seen on photo 2, those are the ge mini guns gau2a of 7. It briefly steps you through the ac 47, ac, ac 119 which did actually come out later than the ac, despite the fact that the c119 was a much older airframe than the c, and a few more small scale planes that were converted into some sort of gunship. The television also incorporates a laser target designator and rangefinder that allows the acu to designate targets for other aircraft armed with. Fixed wing refers to a standard airplane as opposed to a helicopter or rotary wing aircraft. Having the guns below the wings eliminated the basic problem of the ac47. The ac 47d spooky and ac 119k stinger gunships at da nang usaf gunship project i encompassed conversion of c 47 aircraft from a standard cargo to an attack cargo aircraft designation. In a similar approach as project gunship i, this kit is a modification of the old monogram c47 skytrain kit.
All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the ac47 the ac gunship has a combat history dating to vietnam. Gunships of the vietnam war history of the sea air war. Attempting to capture the 19501975 history of these airmen is an exercise in humility. The concept had been tested and the c airframe was selected, however, very few c aircraft were available for configuration to gunships and alternate airframes were used. The uboat, the ac u is the latest gunship variant that entered usaf service several years ago. Monogram released their 148 c 47 skytrain kit in 1978, 30 years ago. The ac gunship and the vietnam war warfare history. Mutzas main chapters chronicle the major types of aircraft in the gunship, gunship ii and gunship iii programs. Spooky aka puff ac47 working out at pleiku vietnam in 1969. They replaced the inadequate ac47 spooky and supplemented the newer ac. Prior to the acs, aircrews flew the latest in the family of gunships which included the famous ac47 spooky, ac119g shadow, and the ac119k stinger. Four key segments from the book provide details specific to the ac119g and k models, and are available as pdf documents below. The remaining ships were turned over to the south vietnamese and laotian air forces and continued to fight.
Build your own douglas ac47 spooky gunship dick smith revell of germany is the only manufacturer to date that has released a 148thscale kit of the douglas ac47d gunship used by the u. In seeking a replacement for the ac 47, the brass settled on the new c. The fairchild ac119g shadow and ac119k stinger were twinengine pistonpowered gunships developed by the united states during the vietnam war. The first gunship, the ac47, with low wings, reduced its field of fire. In 2015, revell of germany brought back the ac47 in 1. Puff spooks the enemy a history of the ac 47 gunship the stage is set by the time the first air commandos arrived in south vietnam in late 1961, vietcong forces operating. Gunship iii call sign shadow ks were stinger 16th sos. All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the ac 47 the ac gunship has a combat history dating to vietnam. The ach spectre gunships were fielded in 1972 and retired in 2015.
Nevertheless, the book was a good intro into the history of gunships. Ac gunships have an extensive combat history dating to back to vietnam where gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many lifesaving, close air support missions. Further gunship designs, the ac119 gunship and the ac gunship, were developed based on newer cargo airframes. Developed during the vietnam war as project gunship ii, the ac replaced the douglas ac 47 spooky, or gunship i. The photo above depicts the original setup of the first vietnam war ac47 spooky gunship 19641974, with three ge gatling type. The ac 47 gunship was withdrawn from usaf service during 1969.
Birth of the ac47 gunship douglas dc3dakota history. The ac a and ac 119gk became the direct replacements for the ac 47d. Ac47 gunship one gatling gun points out the cargo door, and one each points out of the two windows forward of the door. Mar 11, 2019 53 x c 47 united states air force usaf transports were converted for the gunship role, beginning a long, illustrious line of spooky gunships born from similar beginnings i. C 47 aircraft in vietnam marine and aircraft photos collection known variously as puff the magic dragon, dragon ships or just spooky, the gunship, with its broadside battery of ge miniguns, was a sight to behold. Home historyreferences ac 119s and gunship historical information. Includes at least a partial history of all the airframes and conversion numbers. The aircraft was vulnerable to ground fire due to the age of its airframe. Ac 119s and gunship historical information ac119 gunship.
Ac 47 combat mission was flown on december 1, 1969, by the 4th special operations squadron formerly the 4th acs. Ballard is a 326 page book that thoroughly documents the development of the ac47, ac119 and ac gunships. When the ac 47 was introduced there were no preceding designs to gauge how successful the concept would be. In this book, ballard explains the superlatives given to the fire dragons by usaf observers.
The book was published by the office of air force history in 1982, and is the eminent resource for gunship development during the 1960s. After several years of planning, submission of stories, design, editing, proofing, and layout by members of the the ac 119 gunship association, the ac 119 stinger and shadow history book is now available. The two squadrons turned their aircraft over to the vietnamese and royal laotian air forces. Format is pdf on a cd which allows larger and higher resolution photos. Spooky ac 47 gunship reunion september 9thth 2020 birmingham, al. The ac 119 gunship project was undertaken due to a shortage of cs at the time and the availability and larger cargo capacity of the c119 over the c 47. They were replaced in american service by the ac spectre and the ac119 gunship, and flew their final sortie on 30 november 1969. The two most telling arguments for the ac were its survivability and its effectiveness. Jan 20, 2016 the spooky is the third generation of c gunships.
The sole operator is the united states air force, which uses the ac u spooky and ac w stinger ii variants for close air support, air interdiction, and force protection, with the upgraded ac j ghostrider entering service. Douglas ac47 puff the magic dragon with images puff the. In 1964, during the vietnam war, 1 the popular douglas c 47 skytrain transport was successfully modified into a gunship by the united states air force with three sidefiring miniguns for circling attacks. Even before spectre was a squadron, it was utilized by special forces in vietnam. My first post, yay i have a big interest in the interesting and underrated medium bombers that the u. This is the gunship version of the dc3 3 mini guns dealing out pure hell. The first test use of the ac 47 gunship initially fc 47 in combat occurred on 15 december 1964 with testing continued into early 1965. Looking forward to hearing from members of gunship units. The ac 47 defended a small outpost at tranh yend just 37 minutes after the request was issued. It briefly steps you through the ac47, ac, ac119 which did actually come out later than the ac, despite the fact that the c119 was a much older airframe than the c, and a few more small scale planes that were converted into some sort of gunship. Developed during the vietnam war as project gunship ii, the ac replaced the douglas ac47 spooky, or gunship i.
The ac119 gunship project was undertaken due to a shortage of cs at the time and the availability and larger cargo capacity of the c119 over the c47. Mcconnell, chief of staff, continued to press for the ac, stressing it had a search and destroy capability in addition to a closesupport mission. In a similar approach as project gunship i, this kit is a modification of the old monogram c 47 skytrain kit. Gunships destroyed more than 10,000 trucks and were credited with many. From then until september 1969 53 ac 47 d gunships were built. The television also incorporates a laser target designator and rangefinder that allows the ac u to designate targets for other aircraft armed with. In rare instances, a publisher has elected to have a zero moving wall, so their current issues are available. A former south african air force pilot who saw action throughout the region from the 1970s on, neall ellis is the bestknown mercenary combat aviator alive. The ac u gunship s all light level television system and its infrared detection system can both scan a full 360 degrees, allowing the gunship crew to search for and find targets much faster. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium groundattack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support.
The sole operator is the united states air force, which uses the acu spooky and acw stinger ii variants for close air support, air. These molds were also the basis for monograms ac47 vietnamera gunship kit, first released in the 1980s. After several years of planning, submission of stories, design, editing, proofing, and layout by members of the the ac119 gunship association, the ac119. Book contains information and history on the ac47, ac119, and ac as well as other lesser known applications. They were replaced in american service by the ac spectre and the ac 119 gunship, and flew their final sortie on 30 november 1969. Air force during the vietnam wars early days and featured in log of the leper july 2017 aviation history. On 18 august 1968, a gunship flying an armed reconnaissance mission in vietnams iii corps was diverted to support a special forces base at katum.
When the ac47 was introduced there were no preceding designs to gauge how successful the concept would be. This is a soft cover book by squadronsignal publications by larry davis. Ac119 gunship association and reunion history 1 29 19. Douglas ac47 puff the magic dragon with images puff. The herculesbased platform began flying out of south vietnam in 1967, while combat flight tests of the ac 119 began in 1968.
The douglas ac 47 spooky also nicknamed puff, the magic dragon was the first in a series of fixed wing gunships developed by the united states air force during the vietnam war. All gunships evolved from the first operational gunship, the ac47, to the ac119, and then the aca which was the basis for the modern c gunship. Home page all gave some, some gave all the mission of our spooky brotherhood is to fraternally support all who remain, and to always. Want to find out lots more about ac119s and some of our sister gunships. The unit was equipped first with the acl30a gunship and later with the more advanced acl30eh model. Monograms 148 scale ac47 vietnam gunship comes molded in medium gray plastic. Apart from flying alouette helicopter gunships in angola, he has fought in the balkan war for islamic forces, tried to resuscitate. With the age of these molds, i really expected to see softer details, but the details are crisp and just about perfect. The airframe is manufactured by lockheed martin, while boeing is responsible for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support. If you have any interest in learning about these gunship platforms then this book is a must have for your collection. The ac 47 played a particularly key defensive role in the 1968 siege of khe sanh.
Jan 24, 2018 this is the gunship version of the dc3 3 mini guns dealing out pure hell. The ac47ds were replaced by the fairchild ac119g boxcar gunship, with an electronic sensor system, for fire support missions, with the search and destroy mission farmed out to the highly sophisticated and completely fearsome lockheed aca hercules spectre gunship. Prior to the ac s, aircrews flew the latest in the family of gunships which included the famous ac 47 spooky, ac 119g shadow, and the ac 119k stinger. Two original oil paintings depicting the ac 119g and ac 119k were presented to the museum at that time.
Further gunship designs, the ac 119 gunship and the ac gunship, were developed based on newer cargo airframes. The douglas ac47 gunship known as puff the magic dragon had served in vietnam but was a very old aircraft by the time of the war and was starting to show its age. The first gunships such as the ac 47 were converted cargo planes. Development and employment of fixedwing gunships by jack s. Search for spooky ac 47 gunship and make a request to join.
Gunship development a chart of the development of the gunship from 1964 1973. The douglas ac 47 spooky was the first notable modern gunship. Ac47 gunships of the vietnam war air war vietnam history. While the average american ac 47 pilot accrued 800 combat hours during his oneyear tour in vietnam, the vietnamese gunship pilots began their ac 47 duty having already accumulated 6,000 to 12,000 hours in the c 47.
With the succe ss of the ac47, the us went in search of larger aircraft as a weapons platform with the same laterally shooting techniques. Monogram 5615 148 ac47 vietnam gunship kit first look. Dec 16, 20 the ac j is the fourth generation gunship replacing the aging fleet of ac uw gunships. History of ac 47 gunships and the units that flew them in sea. Two original oil paintings depicting the ac119g and ac119k were presented to the museum at that time. Because it was so vulnerable to enemy ground fire, 28 percent or 15 aircraft were lost. The parts are almost flashfree, and the molding is just about perfect, which i found surprising. The most important special operations development which came out of the vietnam war was the gunship the ac47, the ac119, and at its best, the ac.
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