Terror War's Workhorse Falling Apart

Exclusive: Crucial AC-130 Gunship May Be Most Overworked Part Of The American Arsenal

(CBS)  It's a prop plane in a jet age and an ungainly one at that. But the AC-130 gunship may well be the single-most overworked piece of equipment in the American arsenal, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

When it takes on a full load of ammunition, it becomes a flying tank, and every time special operations forces conduct a mission in Iraq and Afghanistan, an AC-130 covers them from air.

"We are the No. 1 aircraft for percentage of combat time and total time over the course of the year," Lt. Col. Mark Clawson said.

The gunship Clawson flew for a training mission has been in service for 17 years, but the war is making the gunship old before its time.

"We've been flying at a rate four times what they ever anticipated. So effectively, this is a 40-year-old C-130 in the way it reacts," he said.

The back of the plane is filled with crew members, instruments, computers, guns and ammo - so full it's at maximum gross weight.

"That basically means I'm at max throttles, max gross weight and it's max wear and tear on the aircraft on a daily basis," Clawson said.

You rarely see an AC-130 gunship in action, because they operate in secret and at night. But they are seeing so much action in Iraq and Afghanistan that it is getting harder and harder to keep them flying.

"We're flying the wings off them, literally," Captain James May said.

May said cracks are already starting to show in the wings, which will have to be replaced five years ahead of schedule. And that's just the wings. For every hour of flying, it takes 14 hours of maintenance.

"These air frames are getting so old that we've got stuff breaking on them that has never broken before," May said.

But on one flight, it was the guns that broke down. First the 40-millimeter canon jams.

"This is horrible," one crewmember said.

Then, the big 105-millimeter horowitzer refused to fire on automatic. A few love taps with a wrench, but still, no go.

"They're just old and tired," another crewmember said. Another: "It's all right, old girl."

There's one way that it does work - the old fashioned way.

Even firing manually the AC-130 is a fearsome weapon.

The one gun that does work flawlessly, the 23-millimeter gatling gun, fires at the rate of 1,800 rounds per minute.

If special operations forces ever get a chance to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, an AC-130 gunship will almost certainly be part of the operation. That is, if it's still flying by then.

[danstarcher]

So I have been working on the AC130U model gunship for the last six years. Your article is a bit off. There is no 23 mm gatling gun. There is only a 25mm

[petesis]

Bonehead. The Nazis were a ultra conservative movement. They were called National Socialists which is apparently all it takes to fool you and alot of Germany.

[prcdr]

I just love how you libs go on about how Neocons, Republicans, and Conservatives are all Nazis, blah blah blah.

Get a clue!
Nazis = National Socialists in German Language.
Socialists = Left Wing Political Party.
Democratic Party = Left Wing Political Party.
Republicans = Right Wing Political Party.

[hillaryin08]

Mr. President, we''''re wearing our our equipment faster than it can be replaced.

Just keep doing what you''''re doing.

Mr. President, we''''ve been here 5 years and are still where we were 5 years ago.

Just keep doing what you''''re doing.

Mr. President, we''''ve now spent a trillion borrowed dollars on this.

Just keep doing what you''''re doing.


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Posted by formrusmcsgt at 08:18 AM : Mar 13, 2008

Dont worry, when Obamma or Hillary gets in there, all the cool equipment will become "Hanger Queens" once again like the 90''s. If you dont use it you dont have to replace it right?

[formrusmcsgt]

Mr. President, we''re wearing our our equipment faster than it can be replaced.

Just keep doing what you''re doing.

Mr. President, we''ve been here 5 years and are still where we were 5 years ago.

Just keep doing what you''re doing.

Mr. President, we''ve now spent a trillion borrowed dollars on this.

Just keep doing what you''re doing.

[hillaryin08]

You all are so pathetic. Always harping on the President. What the fvck scares you so much?
-------

He''''s an idiot with power. Very Scary.


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Posted by FloydZepp at 05:30 AM : Mar 13, 2008

Your an idiot with a computer. Thats even more scary

[colvinatch]

Necons = neonazis... PERIOD

[watcher269-2009]

This is downright error - these planes are a REAL workhorse in protecting the troops and an amazing peace of military equipment - I LOVE these planes!

[mcvet]

Oh, right, like Afghanistan has tons of oil for us to ''''steal''''

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik
i/List_of_oil-producing_states

It doesn''''t produce one single drop of oil, so quantify your lying a$$ statement now.


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Posted by TheGateway1 at 05:23 AM : Mar 13, 2008
+ report abuse

I don''t think he was talking about Afganistan Swastika Breath. You Nazi''s are so ready to pounce on anyone who, you think, has made even the slightest mistake in evaluating the performance of the Worst President in US History, you are getting rediculous. How about addressing the 935 lies told by the Bush Administration in the two years leading up to Iraq. THAT''s something you can devote time too. Sieg Heil Bush.

[mcvet]

Can you honestly say Clinton or Obama would have the guts to go against popularity polls to do what is right for the US? Never in a million years, that''''s not the way Democrats are taught to act. Polls are everything to them.

What is it that you Nazi''s do NOT understand about the word REPRESENTATIVE?? We ELECT them to follow OUR wishes, you know WE the PEOPLE?? If they fail to do so, if they fail to REPRESENT us then they are thrown out. It''s called DEMOCRACY, you know GOVERNMENT of the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE and FOR the PEOPLE. IF the American People find themselves LIED to 935 times to get into a War, a War that had NOTHING to do with any attack on this nation, then we should be able to get out, right? You Nazi''s do not want a REPRESENTATIVE form of Government, you want a dictator. God Nazi''s are so STUPID!! Sieg Heil Bush

[cyberus-2009]

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Posted by cyberus at 09:47 PM : Mar 12, 2008

First, Greetings to all my loyal listeners.

Second, Cyberus, enough of all the commie talk. Do these planes have lasers or will they look cool when they hit the ground in a fireball of jet fuel and high-tech explosives?
(much funny stuff snipped)
Posted by RushLimbaug4 at 10:43 PM : Mar 12, 2008
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(GRIN)

Been a long time since I''ve seen a good sarcastic response .. well done!
Only reason I''m responding is so nobody (moderators) misses the message buried in it.

[andrew_693]

These poor ignorants, the demise of the plane is simply overflying it. Bush has trillions of dollars to spend every month on both stupid wars and cannot defeat a bunch of bare foot ignorants carrying ak 47s. If the taliban had all the resources and weaponry the allies have they would have defeated the entire coalition probably.

[iceman_1960]

"Terror War"s Workhorse Falling Apart"
-------

I thought the headline referred to Bush.

[brianbwb-2009]

excuse the typo, I meant anything BUT a "war on terror"

[brianbwb-2009]

The really obscene part is that the press is still calling this a "war on terror", after all events subsequent to 9/11/01 show that it is not, it is in fact anything GUT a "war on terror".

The media helps keep the few war supporters in the belief that this is anything other than what it truly is, an attempt, via genocide, to establish American hegemony over oil producing nations, and steal, through markups, the money from the US treasury, and the future assets, which Bush has borrowed against.

There is no "war on terror", Bush and the press continue to call anyone who resists the illegal military occupation of their country "terrorists", and the death mongers cheer it on, without a single shred of evidence that the people dying are in fact "terrorists".

[cbsblogger]

Remember in early 2001 when Cheney wanted to cut the regular old Army troops and replace boots on the ground them with Star Wars missile defense. He said that troops and AC130s were so out of date and old fashioned.

He wanted hundred billion dollar weapons systems instead of what the military needed.

What we should do is cut about 50% out of the military budget and remove our troops from around the world and then start defending our borders and ports.

[kissamaarse]

Is Bush''s mind the way it is from cocaine and alcohol, or from syphilis? Is McSame the way he is from his active cancer, from his manic temper, or just his old age?

[artatl]

I''m puzzled by the story... the C130 is still in production... I think the J model is the current model and it is a greatly improved version. Normally the modifications for AC130''s happen after the production line. I guess we need to fast track a J model version of the AC130... taking positive action in response to this story.

SIDENOTE... I read how the gunship came into being... Would you believe the inspiration came from remote mail delivery? Seems someone figured out that if you had an airplane at the right altitude... and a rope with a bucket on the end... you could put the airplane in a tight turn... put mail in the bucket... lower the rope... and the buket could be held at a spot in the air where a person on the ground could walk up... take out the mail... put in outgoing mail... and then hoist the bucket back into the plane. Some bright person thought... imagine replacing the rope with the firing path of bullets... concentrating fire at the "point" on the ground where the bucket would have been. I think the original airframe was the military version of the DC-3... the C47... or AC-47 for the gunship version... I think they were know as Puff the Magic Dragon.

[artatl]

I''m puzzled by the story... the C130 is still in production... I think the J model is the current model and it is a greatly improved version. Normally the modifications for AC130''s happen after the production line. I guess we need to fast track a J model version of the AC130... taking positive action in response to this story.

SIDENOTE... I read how the gunship came into being... Would you believe the inspiration came from remote mail delivery? Seems someone figured out that if you had an airplane at the right altitude... and a rope with a bucket on the end... you could put the airplane in a tight turn... put mail in the bucket... lower the rope... and the buket could be held at a spot in the air where a person on the ground could walk up... take out the mail... put in outgoing mail... and then hoist the bucket back into the plane. Some bright person thought... imagine replacing the rope with the firing path of bullets... concentrating fire at the "point" on the ground where the bucket would have been. I think the original airframe was the military version of the DC-3... the C47... or AC-47 for the gunship version... I think they were know as Puff the Magic Dragon.

[artatl]

I''m puzzled by the story... the C130 is still in production... I think the J model is the current model and it is a greatly improved version. Normally the modifications for AC130''s happen after the production line. I guess we need to fast track a J model version of the AC130... taking positive action in response to this story.

SIDENOTE... I read how the gunship came into being... Would you believe the inspiration came from remote mail delivery? Seems someone figured out that if you had an airplane at the right altitude... and a rope with a bucket on the end... you could put the airplane in a tight turn... put mail in the bucket... lower the rope... and the buket could be held at a spot in the air where a person on the ground could walk up... take out the mail... put in outgoing mail... and then hoist the bucket back into the plane. Some bright person thought... imagine replacing the rope with the firing path of bullets... concentrating fire at the "point" on the ground where the bucket would have been. I think the original airframe was the military version of the DC-3... the C47... or AC-47 for the gunship version... I think they were know as Puff the Magic Dragon.