Royal Marine Reacts To The Unbelievable Power of The AC-130

Rolls-Royce Merlin engines was on P-51 Mustangs during WWII

I was project lead at Lockheed Martin. Obviously, I can't speak on much, due to NDA's. But, if u do some research and look up Lockheed Skunk Works, which has documented knowledge out on the web and yt. Then, you would be mindblowned as to what they produce. Back engineered craft not from this world , craft that negate gravity and physics, also other worldy technology that can suspend things weighing 10's of tons , is all believed to be there.

The C-130 platform isn't going to be replaced anytime soon because the US Military hasn't developed anything quite as versatile and rugged as it. You'd think using a bigger cargo plane would make sense, but the C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy both move too fast with their multiple jet engines to stay in a pylon turn as long as the AC-130 can. The C-5 and C-17 both demand paved runways, where the C-130 can go anywhere there's a clear flat straight line. But to also point out how rugged it is, there's really only one aircraft being sent into hurricanes while still being manned. That's the WC-130, now upgraded to the WC-130J Weatherbird. And I'm not saying like flying around the outer part of a hurricane getting bits of data. I mean they flight straight through the thing into the eye and back out collecting data the whole way through. The C-130 platform can do that, they haven't tried that with any other cargo platforms. To also add to that, there's only been 1 loss of a WC-130 back in the 1970's. Since then, we've never had a WC-130 go down from a mission.

There's just a very deep niche the C-130 has carved that the US Military can't cut their dependence on yet. That's for a slower cargo airplane that's able to function off of any kind of runway and also loiter if needed and take the brunt force of the recoil of several 105 mm howitzer shots from inside. That just hasn't been something the US Military has sent an ad out for or have been in the market for in.....well about 50 years or so.

There are videos of them in Afghanistan, in case you want to see the real power.

Its also basically toxically deadly inside from the weaponry firing. Everyone inside should be in full respirators

I love the cool name is it goes by “Specter “

I really like and respect this guy. My grandson, too, has joint American and British citizenship.

In regards to Rolls-Royce, the Merlin engine was used by the Lancaster, Spitfire, Halifax, Hurricane, Battle, Defiant, Whitley, Mosquito, Hornet, York, Lincoln and North American Mustang.

The Merlin made the Mustang what it was.

spooky is in the air .." i feel much safer now. " grunt in veit. and every close quarter ground support " long hang time ....

The first gunship was the AC-47 Skytrain in WW2 equipped with 4x .50cal M-2 Brownings firing from the left side of the aircraft.

I thought you lived in America. Well if you ever wanna move to the US im sure you will love it. I have many British born friends who live here in PA and they love it so much more than England

the first spooky that was the inspiration for the ac130 had a crew member named willy who always had a knife on him just in case.... i could be wrong but that culd be why there is a dagger on the emblem

The pilot had a square on his window that he kept his position in his tight port yawning the aircraft in his turn to keep the weapons on target during veitnum.

Why did they show the C17 when they gave the measurements of the AC130? The Lancaster had piston powered Rolls Royce engines, the AC130 has turbo props

you could probably get it across the pond as a historical item or as a collectible item. being ex-military, you can probably find a friend with some more friends that can make favors happen.

The WWII, Roll-Royce, Merlin, 12-cylinder engine equipped the Spitfire, Lancaster, Mosquito & other models to include P-51 Mustang. One or more versions of that engine were built under license by Packard Motor Company in the US. 50,000 US engines were manufactured by the end of the war.

Aerial gunships are nothing new in the US Military. The AC-47 "Spooky" and the Fairchild AC-119G/K gunships were used to great effect in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Army/Vietcong were terrified of them, and that was over 50 years ago. The AC-47 was armed with three 7.62mm miniguns while the AC-119 combined miniguns with a 20mm rapid fire cannon. They had a devastating effect on the battlefields.😉

You stop the video way to much to talk

The video is suspect, as the metric measurements shown were of a C 17 Globemaster. The USAF is replacing the older C130 airframes with new airframes purpose built. Additionally, as mentioned in another comment, Big USAF is testing Griffin missiles ejected and launched via the ramp. The USMC mounted Griffin missiles during deployments to Iraq/Afghanistan. The reason for the Commando Dagger in the badge is that when USAF Spec Ops started, they were called Air Commandos.

So unbelievable 😒😒😒😊

It’s a great platform for whatever you wanna do with it

Thing that goes through my mind is if we are going to replace the AC-130 entirely, what will replace it? The AC-130 line is legendary and a group of absolute beasts.

I remember hearing guys talk about this in a battle on a documentary show on History Channel and they watched as the rounds walked in closer to where they were until they reached the point where they wanted them to be hitting and even the guys on the ground thought that was just crazy but it kept the enemy at Bay plus I also have heard that Justice plane flying over without firing a round has kept the enemy at Bay as well because I know the fire power it can rain down

If the AC comes looking for ya😮😮😮 your in DEEP DEEP POOP 😅😅

Broooo you keep talking UAPs/ UFOs!!! Loving the content! Keep up the good work brotha..working with marine recruiters for the last few months..going Army tho!!

Missile is the catch all term for an object propelled by mechanical force so bullets are also technically missiles so you're still right.

It is the USA archangel sent to protect the troops on the ground

YOU CAN"T BRING YOUR KNIFE INTO THE COUNTRY? Sorry for your loss (of freedom). TFB

You should take a look, if you haven't already at the "Boneyard" here in Tucson AZ. quite a large collection of damn near every air platform stored here. And an A10 Warthog base. But the boneyard is pretty impressive collection of tax dollars.

The low clearance is probably to help the gear resist shear (hitting a hole at takeoff ripping the gear off)

Rolls Royce Merlin V12 powered many British and US planes as well as British tsnks. This engine was made under license by Allison for the P-51 Mustang. Which propelled the Mustang to be even greater. The RR Merlin was a very significant factor in the allied victory of WW2.

The Army Air Force worked extensively with the Royal Air Force during WW2. It wouldn't surprise me, if there was a bit of give and take with the English(Is it British?). I'm fairly confident both Air Forces flew some OG SpecOps on some missions. And I could be completely wrong. 😂

Like the A10, F22, B2, B1, it isn't obsolete. Defense contractors pay generals illegal fees and give them post retirement board seats and consulting packages for their lobbying congress to waste more money on something new.

I doubt it'll be replaced anytime soon. The thing about it is it is more like a ground support aircraft and in America, we don't typically throw our troops on the ground until we control the skies. If we control the skies, the AC-130 has nothing to fear from the air, so it can circle all day pounding the pudding out of the enemy.

Can't say how long it will be in service but since the latest refresh was in 2022 it is likely that it will be going nowhere. Being able to loiter over a target, provide uninterrupted support for hours, and rain hell in seconds when asked is why it keeps getting upgrades when needed.

Hmm. For some reason there is no gunship version of the C-5. Maybe because its jet engines make it less suitable for the role, despite its size and power? Or maybe they just couldn't get Congress to cough up the funding.

I was a gunner on the AC-130U. It was fun.

You should check out the US, rapid dragon

I do miss seeing the C-130 and wish I could have taking an inside look at the AC-130.

I worked on a C-130 Flight Simulator from 1984 ~ 1988 while stationed at McChord AFB in Tacoma.

It was fun to test the simulator out after some maintenance was completed ;)

love your videos. FOX Business did a report at Lockheed Martin's Georgia production plant this morning and said that they are making up to 36 brand new C-130J's this calendar year. they didn't say if any were going to be variants, but as of this morning, the US Military is definitely still using the C-130.

Spent a lot of time on an AC 130, going from place to place.

Hello, JFYI: The first use in Viet Nam was called "Puff The Magic Dragon"... Be safe and take care, "God Bless", sincerely, Randy. 😇🙏👊
P.S.: From their operating height, we were told the guns could put 1 round per 1 square meter on the ground wherever they are shooting at! The newer guns/targeting systems may have improved on that accuracy point..

“Spooky 3-2, use 105 shells. Bring the rain.” - Transformers(2007)

I love me some spokies, best friend to tacp and Intel! OEF was made easier thanks to them.

It flies on its axis....which means that the guns are always pointing at the target.

The same photo is always shown as a thumbnail. ALA-17 flares being fired out of the aircraft. These are totally defensive measures. They protect the aircraft from heat seeking missiles. Has nothing to do with the firepower of the aircraft.

I am a navy vet and a master chief I no called it the battleship of the sky and it makes sense