As a gunship with a relatively single purpose, the ac119 gunship is naturally not as famous as its descendant ac130, and even its predecessor, ac47, may not be comparable.
But in terms of praise rate, the reputation of ac119 in the military is quite good, because the main purpose of aerial gunships is to attack downwards. Therefore, the ac47 gunships modified from c47 have the opportunity to face downward shooting due to the low-wing layout. The C119 Sky Car and C130 Hercules will not encounter such problems.
On the battlefield in Vietnam, the increasingly serious ground fire support needs of the soldiers could not be met. Therefore, the military carried out improvement work on the C119 transport aircraft and the C130 transport aircraft at the same time. In fact, the military wanted to directly modify the C130 at the beginning. , but the C119 is cheap and easy to maintain, and the number of C130s is insufficient, so the C119 has become a member of the gunship program.
The military has modified two versions of AC119 gunboats, one AC119G Shadow and the other AC119K Stinger. The difference between the two is not big. The Stinger model has two more 61 Vulcan cannons and some other equipment than the Shadow model.
On the battlefield in Vietnam, the AC119 generally performed tasks such as border blockade and ground support. During the operation, the gunboat destroyed a large number of ground vehicles and ships. It can be said to be a very cost-effective weapon.
After the war, because the demand gap became smaller and the production of ac130 gunboats had been met, some of these ac119 gunboats were decommissioned and the other part was handed over to the South Vietnamese government.
What Shepard got from the military warehouse was an AC119k Stinger gunship that had been retired from the Vietnam battlefield.
Because it was a retired product, he didn't spend much money. However, due to various restrictions, this AC119 also underwent some modifications before being handed over to him. For example, the two 61 Vulcan cannons were dismantled. Four 7.62mm Gatling guns were left behind.
This actually doesn't matter to Shepard. After all, the firepower of four Gatling guns is enough for Shadow Company. You must know that the rate of fire of this thing is only about 3,000 rounds per minute, but the gunship can carry a full 30,000 rounds. Fifteen hundred rounds of ammunition are enough for the shooter to have fun!
The original radar, thermal decoys, and searchlights on the aircraft were not dismantled in any way. They were even overhauled and the aging parts were replaced. In addition, a new black-and-white thermal imaging device was installed in the fire control system. The farthest observation distance can even reach 1,500 meters, which has exceeded the effective range of airborne weapons.
The maximum effective killing distance of the four 7.62mm airborne Gatling guns is one thousand meters. When performing missions, the US military generally uses this distance to fire on the ground. After all, the opponent's anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft missiles are not toys, and even if A distance of one thousand meters is not necessarily safe. In Vietnam, many gunships were shot down. Even the last plane shot down before the end of the war was this unlucky thing.
This AC119 requires a total of six crew members. Of course, if you want to cram a few more in, it's not impossible, but the cabin will be very crowded. However, the gunship's self-sustaining power is still good. After being filled with fuel, it can fly 3100 meters. kilometers, the effective airborne time can even reach nine hours.
After nearly an hour of inspection and other work, the AC119 finally completed all procedures, and then slowly entered the runway under the control of the captain.
"Everyone, we are going to rescue our allies here. They are the vanguard against drug traffickers, warriors who are not afraid of life and death, and are indispensable preparations for our operations in this area. This is why you join Shadow Company This is the first operation, so I hope you will use your superb skills to tell our enemies that it is not their turn to act wild in this place!"
When the plane was preparing to take off, Shepard did not forget to give a speech to a group of new members from his command seat, mainly the pilots and radar operators. As for the gunners and loaders, they were He is an old man. Gunship weapon control is not a high-tech position, so it only takes a period of training before he can take up the job. Therefore, Shepard did not recruit new people.
"Understood, boss! I'll let those guys take a good look at what we do!"
"That's good, I'll leave it to you, Fire Dragon One!"
The captain nodded and turned on the in-flight radio.
"This is Fire Dragon One, everyone, please fasten your seat belts! We are about to take off!"
As the two R4360 air-cooled piston engines began to operate at full power, the AC119K Stinger gunship, Shadow Company's internal code name Fire Dragon, accelerated little by little. Then, Shepard, who was sitting in the middle of the cabin, only felt the fuselage tremble. Then, the Fire Dragon takes off into the sky. Next, it will climb to an altitude of 2,000 meters at a climbing speed of 1.5 meters per second, and then fly for another 40 minutes to reach the branch office 271 kilometers away. town.
There are several low-visibility original red emergency lights installed inside the cabin, but the light source is not very bright, so there are two small desk lamps on the command seat and navigation seat. In addition, an additional one is installed in the aisle of the aircraft. A small refrigerator is used to store drinks. The C119 is an old aircraft after all, so some improvements are still necessary. Not to mention the cost, it is much cheaper than buying a brand new AC130 gunship. Of course, the firepower of both Naturally, there is no comparison. The latter is equipped with a 105mm cannon and other machine guns.
But Shepard is already very satisfied. After all, when his team first opened, they only had a few 16-60 machine guns and borrowed helicopter rocket launchers. Now, in less than ten years, they have armored vehicles, attack aircraft, and We already have gunships and aircraft, but these days are becoming more and more promising as time goes by!
"Hey, hey, Carrillo, can you hear me?"
After flying for forty minutes, the Fire Dragon arrived at the location on time. Shepard could even see the fire caused by the explosion on the ground, as well as the trajectory of the tracer bullet when it was launched, but before giving the order to fire, he still felt like confirming it first. It's best to make sure the friendly troops on the ground are still alive. After all, if you fire directly like this, it will be very embarrassing if you don't kill them all and leave some alive!
But there was no answer on the radio, only fierce gunshots could be heard. Shepard called twice. Just when he was about to give up, Carrillo's voice finally came over the radio.
"Thank you for your generous gift, you lazy dogs have finally arrived. Come and help, my men can no longer hold it anymore!"
"Wait a minute, I'm in the sky. I need to confirm your position first. You don't want to be knocked down by one of your own, right?"
"Wait, I'll set a fire for you!"
