Bad Guys To Have More Bad Days
Some 300-400 new workers will be needed, as a major contract
begins at Crestview Aerospace Corporation (CAC) in northwest
Florida. CAC's Aircraft Modification Division has begun work on the
first of four aircraft as part of a program to produce AC-130U
gunships for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command. If the
option is exercised for all four aircraft, the total contract value
will be $45 million to Crestview Aerospace.
Late last month, Boeing received a contract, with a total
potential value of $450 million for four gunship modifications.
Crestview Aerospace is a strategic subcontractor and partner to
Boeing for special operations support programs. In addition to
special operation C-130 efforts, Crestview Aerospace also performs
aircraft modifications in support of a variety of other Department
of Defense programs.
"We are particularly appreciative of Boeing's trust in our
capabilities to get this job done," states Charles R. Shanklin, VP
of CAC's Aircraft Modification Division. "We've completed several
significant programs with Boeing over the years, but this is the
first one that will require more than 50% of our workforce
dedicated to its completion. It's a significant impact to our
business, and to the creation of new jobs in northwest
Florida."
The
AC-130U gunships, also known as "Spooky II," represent a major
advancement over previous generation gunships. Existing C-130
airframes will be modified to receive the latest sensor
technologies and fire control systems that substantially enhance
the gunships' combat effectiveness.
On February 18, 2003, Crestview Aerospace hosted dignitaries
from Boeing, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC),
and other government and military officials, in a ceremony
inducting the first aircraft (above and right), for modification.
All four gunships are expected to be complete in 2006, bringing the
inventory up to a possible 17.
Upgraded AC-130Hs (newer, more powerful engines and the
capability for in-flight refueling), the "Spectres" continued to
serve the Armed forces after the war, taking part in almost every
major military action since the Vietnam war, including Grenada,
Panama, and the Gulf War. In addition, Gunships have been deployed
with US forces to such hot spots as Somalia, haiti, and the
Balklans. In each case they have been very popular with US and NATO
forces. Late in the 1980s, however, the Air Force decided that it
needed to upgrade the capacities of the AC-130, and the AC-130U
project was begun. The weapons were changed somewhat, with the twin
20mm vulcan cannons being dropped in favor of a GAU-12 25mm
rotating cannon. At one point it was planned to add the capacity to
add hellfire missiles but this was never adopted.
However, the biggest change to the AC-130 airframe
was in its electronics and avionics. AN AN/APG-180 radar (derived
from the same ground and air radar that the Air Forces F-15E uses)
was added to allow tracking of targets and rounds for adjustment as
was an ALLTV (All Light Level TV) for operations at night or
daytime, when the crew wants to keep their radars off the avoid
alerting enemy forces or giving anti-radar missiles a target to
home in on. Over 600,000 lines of computer code was written to tie
all the weapons systems and sensors together, making the AC-130U
second only to the new F/A-22 Raptor in terms of complex airborne
weapons systems.
With these systems, the AC-130U can operate at night and in bad
weather, engaging multiple targets simultaneously. The AN/APG radar
allows the targeting crew in the control booth to follow rounds all
the way to the ground and make live corrections without having to
wait for ground troops to spot and report back. The larger 25mm gun
has a longer range and more power, allowing the AC-130U to stay
higher and farther away from ground threats, and its 1,800 rounds
per minute firing rate can decimate anything from enemy formations
to light armored vehicles.
All of the weapons are now fixed on
hydraulically-actuated, computer-trainable mounts, so that the new
AC-130U can attack two targets over half a mile apart at the same
time. With this upgrade also came a new call sign to reflect the
increased capabilities of the new gunships; the AC-130U uses the
call sign "Spooky."
These weapons and sensors are brought together an integrated in
the Battle Management Center, a box-shaped area in what would be
the cargo hold in a normal C-130. In it sit the Navigator, Fire
Control Officer, Electronics Warfare Officer, and Sensor
Operator.
Also, in times of need, the AC-130U can be fitted with the EIRS
(Engine Infrared Suppression) to make it harder for infra-red SAMs
to track. This is not standard equipment, however, as it decreases
the aircraft's range and loiter time. Recent upgrades allow
AC-130Us to receive live video feeds from unmanned reconnaissance
aircraft (UAVs).