Fairchild AC-119

Infobox Aircraft
name= AC-119G Shadow AC-119K Stinger


caption=An AC-119 gunship on the tarmac
type=Fixed-wing gunship
manufacturer=Fairchild
designer=
first flight=
introduced=November 1968
retired=USAF: 1971 RVNAF: 1975
status=
primary user=United States Air Force
more users=South Vietnam Air Force
produced=
number built=52
unit cost=

The Fairchild AC-119G Shadow and AC-119K Stinger were twin-engine piston-powered gunships developed by the United States during the Vietnam War. They replaced the inadequate AC-47 Spooky and supplemented the newer AC-130. The AC-119 program (Project Gunship III) came after the AC-130, not before.

Design and development

By late 1967, the idea of the fixed-wing gunship had been proven so successful that the United States Air Force was having a difficult time keeping up with demand. The newer AC-130s that had been created under Project Gunship II were effective, but were being mostly used for interdiction of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Furthermore, the C-130 airframe was in active service as a transport, vital to the war effort in Southeast Asia. The Air Force desperately needed a new gunship to replace the vulnerable and underpowered AC-47 in supporting "Troops In Contact" (known as TIC), as well as, supplementing the AC-130 in attacking targets on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The C-119 Flying Boxcar presented an obvious choice, having been phased out of frontline service in favor of the C-123 and C-130, and with the stock of available airframes in U.S. Air Force Reserve being sufficient. In February 1968, under the USAF program Project Gunship III, 26 C-119Gs were converted to AC-119G standard, initially taking on the name "Creep," but later assigned the callsign "Shadow." [ [http://www.strategic-air-command.com/aircraft/attack/ac119_gunship.htm Fairchild AC-119 Gunship "Shadow"] ] These aircraft were primarily intended to replace the AC-47 in the TIC role. In addition, Fairchild-Hiller, which was contracted for all the conversions, converted 26 C-119Ks into AC-119Ks primarily for the "truck hunter" role over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. These aircraft were called "Stingers" primarily in reference to the two M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannons they carried in addition to the AC-119G's four GAU-2/A miniguns.

Project Gunship III, being a follow-on to the success of the AC-130 series, meant that the AC-119 was a more advanced aircraft in both its iterations than the AC-47. Even the TIC AC-119G featured some of the most up-to-date ECM and radar equipment, as well as more basic technology including an AVQ-8 Xenon light, a Night Observation Sight (NOS) and an LAU-74/A flare launcher.

The AC-119K, designed to hit trucks on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, was more advanced. Included in the conversion was the AN/APN-147 Doppler Navigation radar, AN/AAD-4 Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), AN/APQ-133 side-looking beacon tracking radar and AN/APQ-136 search radar.

The armament scheme for both aircraft was simpler than that of the AC-130. The AC-119G had a total of four GAU-2A/A miniguns in SUU-11A/A pods, all on mounts similar to those used on early AC-47s. Like late model AC-47s, these were soon changed to the purpose-built MXU-470/A minigun modules. The AC-119K, needing a more powerful and longer range "punch" to take out vehicles, featured two M61 20 mm cannons in addition to the four Miniguns of the AC-119G.

Operational service

By November 1968, the aircraft had deployed to Vietnam and joined the 14th Special Operations Wing at Nha Trang. The AC-119Gs were placed in the 71st Special Operations Squadron which was formed from the activated 71st Troop Carrier Squadron, of the Air Force Reserves located in Columbus, Indiana. When the 71st SOS reserves returned to the states, in 1969, the gunships were taken over by the newly formed 17th SOS. The AC-119Ks were placed in the 18th Special Operations Squadron. With the addition of the two types, the 14th SOW for a time in 1968 was flying eight different aircraft from ten different bases in South Vietnam. The 14th SOW was deactivated in 1971. Limited numbers continued to be operated out of Hurlburt Field, Florida as late as the fall of 1972, but the AC-119 was shortly after, phased out of the US Air Force. The AC-119G and -K continued to serve in extremely small numbers with the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) until the de facto reunification of the country in 1975. During the Vietnam War, only five AC-119 Gunship IIIs were lost to all causes. [ Hobson 2001]

Operators

*flag|South Vietnam: Vietnam Air Force
*USA: USAF

pecifications (AC-119G)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

crew=6 (day), 8 (night)
length main=86 ft 5¾ in
length alt=26.36 m
span main=109 ft 3¼ in
span alt=33.31 m
height main=26 ft 7¾ in
height alt=8.12 m
area main=1,400 ft²
area alt=130 m²
empty weight main=40,125 lb
empty weight alt=18,200 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main=62,000 lb
max takeoff weight alt=28,100 kg

engine (prop)=Wright R-3350-85 "Duplex Cyclone"
type of prop=radial engines
number of props=2
power main=3,500 hp
power alt=2,610 kW

max speed main=180 knots
max speed alt=210 mph, 335 km/h
cruise speed main=130 knots
cruise speed alt=150 mph, 240 km/h
range main=1,680 nm
range alt=1,930 mi, 3,100 km
ceiling main=23,300 ft
ceiling alt=7,100 m

armament=
* 4× GAU-2/A 7.62 mm (0.30 in) miniguns, 1,500 rounds/gun
* 2x M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannons (AC-119K variant)
* 60× Mk 24 flares in an LAU-74/A flare launcher

References

;Notes;Bibliography
* Hobson, Chris. "Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/USN/USMC, Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973." North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-85780-1156.
* Petrie, Bill. [http://www.ac-119gunships.com/the119s/ac119g/gunshipg.htm "AC-119G "Shadow" (USAF AC-119 Gunships)".] AC-119 Gunship Association, updated: 12 January 2006.Retrieved: 11 April 2007.
* Petrie, Bill. [http://www.ac-119gunships.com/the119s/ac119k/gunshipk.htm "AC-119K "Stinger" (USAF AC-119 Gunships)".] AC-119 Gunship Association, updated: 27 February 2006. Retrieved: 11 April 2007.

External links

* [http://www.ac-119gunships.com/the119s/gunships.htm AC-119 Gunship Association web site]
* [http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3214 AC-119 gunship page on USAF museum web site]

ee also

aircontent

related=
* C-119 Flying Boxcar

similar aircraft=
* Alenia AC-27J
* AC-47 Spooky
* Lockheed AC-130

sequence=
* Project Gunship I - II - III

list=
* List of attack aircraft
* List of military aircraft of the United States