The 30 mm General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger rotary canon first entered into service in 1977. The 619 pound monster Gatling gun measured just shy of 2 feet wide and 20 feet long when completed, but more than compensating for its gargantuan size by boasting a terrifying fire rate of 3,900 rounds per minute, fired from […]
Close Air Support
This new technology may be the future of close air support
U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party Airmen with the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 227th Air Support Operations Squadron coordinate close air support with U.S. Marine Corps aircraft during joint training on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Dec. 6, 2018. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht). DVIDS. Could small, loitering munitions […]
Watch: AC-130 Spectre | The Ranger God in the sky
When I was a member of 2/75 Ranger, we trained with several forms of close air support. A-10’s, AH-64 Apache’s and MH-60 DAP’s. But one particular airframe rained supreme. The AC-130 Spectre Gunship or Ranger God in the sky. Built upon the reliable C-130 aircraft, this gunship has a wide variety of weapon systems and […]
Watch: Kiowa pilots supporting ground forces
This raw video shows how air assets can support ground forces in a dynamic environment. It appears that the Kiowa pilots try to initially slow down a pair of fleeing Taliban fighters on a motorcycle with warning shots. Maybe to allow the US forces in pursuit to catch up. Maybe because they don’t have clearance […]
Advanced Close Air Support Technology
Video games have often depicted the task of coordinating and calling in close air support as something that only takes a few button presses and simply illuminating a target or placing a marker on a virtual map. In reality the task for a JTAC is much more tediously and complex, it involves the use of […]