No Lasers: The AC-130J Ghostrider is Keeping its Guns For Now

Last month, the United States Air Force transferred the training of the AC-130J Ghostrider from Hurlburt Field, Florida, to Kirtland Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico. It will see the full training on the aircraft to be completed at a single facility, streamlining the process.

"This relocation facilitates the Air Force Special Operations Command's efforts to realign AC-130J training under the Air Education and Training Command, consolidating both initial and mission qualification training at Kirtland," the base announced earlier this month, and added, "The relocation to Kirtland is expected to reduce training and travel costs while accelerating training timelines."

Crews will receive six months of academic and simulator training at the New Mexico base. Pilots will learn to fly the four-engine transport variant, the C-130J, before transitioning to the gunship model – which can be employed in a ground attack role. It is equipped with two cannons on the left side of the fuselage, but can also deploy a range of bombs and missiles.

Keeping the Guns for AC-130

Crews will be trained to use the aircraft's big guns at Kirtland, as the Air Force has announced this month that plans to remove the cannons have been put on hold – at least for now.

It was almost a year ago that reports circulated that the Air Force was considering ditching the 105mm cannon in favor of standoff weapons, though the Ghostrider would retain its smaller 30mm GAU-23/A Bushmaster II autocannon.

Even at the time, there was speculation this wouldn't come to pass.

The U.S. Air Force Special Forces Command – which operates around 30 of the Ghostriders – hasn't budgeted the procurement funds to remove the cannon and patch up the hole or replace the weapon. Another issue is that removing the massive cannon from the left side of the aircraft could greatly imbalance its center of gravity as the AC-130J was with the gun in mind. The price tag to remove the 105mm gun and address the airframe across the fleet could reach into the millions of dollars.

Critics of the move argued it would limit the capabilities of the Ghostrider, and it appears that after some serious consideration, Air Force officials are in complete agreement. The air service has long touted the aircraft's capabilities, including the 105mm guns that can strike ground targets.

"The AC-130J provides ground forces an expeditionary, direct-fire platform that is persistent, ideally suited for urban operations and delivers precision low-yield munitions against ground targets," the service suggested.

Lieutenant General Michael Conley, head of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), confirmed that the guns are staying put during the 2024 Air, Space, and Cyber Conference held just outside Washington, D.C. earlier this month.

"The 105[mm howitzer] will continue to be relevant," Conley told The War Zone during a press round table. "The plan is to keep using that in the years to come."

The main cannon, a modified version of the U.S. Army's towed 105mm M102 Howitzer, has been employed on variants of the Ghostrider since the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. Other plans that called for the gunship to swap out the gun for lasers or direct energy weapons (DEW) have also been scrapped.

And while some of the guns have been replaced with a "GAU-XX," The War Zone also reported; it would seem that the remaining aircraft could retain the 105mm guns – ensuring it remains the Air Force's current-day flying fortress.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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