The Air Force's legendary AC 130 gunship just got even more firepower

PLEASE LEAVE A LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE LIKE US ON FACEBOOK ******************************************************************* The U.S. Air Force promised its next generation of the beloved AC-130 gunship would basically be the equivalent of a flying Howitzer. It appears the service is making good on its promise. The Air Force Special Operations Command showed off one of its newly upgraded AC-130W Stinger II gunships during a special ceremony at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia to thank engineers and mechanics, the War Zone reports . The particular AC-130W in question, Spectre 67, is one of the first outfitted with a massive 105mm cannon designed to bolster the gunship’s existing arsenal.In 2012, AFSOC announced its intent to field the 105mm cannon on the AC-130W, and while AFSOC has vacillated in recent years over the efficacy of the giant gun, former AFSOC chief Bradley Heithold personally pushed the 105 as an integral addition to the W and the AC-103J, the replacement for the branch’s existing fleet of AC-130H Spectres, AC-130W Stinger IIs, and AC-130U Spooky gunships. An AC-130 is a precision strike platform in itself, Heithold explained in an interview with Breaking Defense. It precisely delivers very low yield munitions with a 30 [mm gun] and a 105… and they’re very inexpensive to deliver. The addition of the 105mm cannon is a deadly supplement the aircraft’s existing 30mm Vulcan gun, guided AGM-176A Griffin missiles, and GBU-30 bombs, among other destructive...