@ Marietta, GA
November 2021
While on travel in Georgia recently, I paid a visit to The Aviation History & Technology Center located next door to the Lockheed Martin aircraft plant. This aircraft is the tenth production C-130A and flew test missions for NASA in addition to serving in the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Uphold Democracy. It was built in Marietta in 1954, converted at an AC-130A gunship in 1969, and retired from active service in 1995. Armed with two 20mm Vulcan cannons, two 7.62mm miniguns and two 40mm Bofors cannons all firing from the port side of the aircraft, the AC-130 was a devastating weapon against enemy ground forces. During an attack, the gunship performs a pylon turn, flying in a large circle around the target, therefore being able to fire at it for far longer than in a conventional strafing attack. AC-130 gunships have been providing close air support for our warfighters for 50 years. iPhone 12 Pro photo.