![]() ![]() Fifty-two C-119 transports were converted into gunships between 19. The other model, designated AC-119K "Stinger", incorporated two jet engines and had a slightly different armament and avionics setup. The first, designated AC-119G "Shadow", involved a relatively easy and quick conversion from a C-119G transport aircraft. ![]() Because of the urgent need for gunships in Vietnam, the Air Force decided to create two models of the AC-119. In 1968, Project Gunship III was initiated using the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar transport as the airframe platform. For its next program, Project Gunship II, the Air Force converted several C-130A transports into gunships, designated AC-130A, to supplement the AC-47D fleet.īy the late-1960s, the Air Force needed a replacement for the successful, but aging, AC-47D "Spooky". Although the AC-47D performed very well as a gunship during Project Gunship I, the Air Force needed a larger aircraft capable of carrying a greater weapons load, while also having a longer range. In Southeast Asia, AC-119Gs mainly flew fire support and air base defense missions, while the AC-119Ks were employed almost exclusively to destroy targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.ĭuring the mid-1960s, two highly successful gunship programs, Project Gunship I & II, were initiated by the USAF. The Fairchild AC-119G/K is a fixed-wing, side-firing aerial gunship that provides close air support in defense of ground positions, armed reconnaissance and interdiction, and forward air controlling for fighter strikes.
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