SOFIC 2015: US Air Force looks to future gunship modernisation

[Zarvan]

The first of a planned 37 Lockheed Martin AC-130J gunships is shown here on its maiden flight. Source: Lockheed Martin
A number of enhancements are being planned or explored for Air Force Special Operations Command's (AFSOC's) Lockheed Martin AC-130J gunships now entering fixed-wing inventories, including a 105 mm cannon, an offboard sensor, and a directed energy weapon.

The command's gunship fleet has decreased from a high of 37 platforms down to 29 following the recent retirement of 1960s-era AC-130H Spectre aircraft, Lieutenant General Bradley Heithold, commander of AFSOC, noted during 20 May remarks at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in Tampa, Florida.

"That's going down as we retire them," he said. "So we'll be going 'into a bathtub' for a while as we bring on the AC-130J."

He acknowledged that the AC-130J test programme had experienced "fits and starts", but offered an overall assessment that it was currently "going along very well".

Lt Gen Heithold said that one modification to the original AC-130J design involved the addition of a 105 mm cannon.

"It has become obvious to us that precision strike is great on an AC-130, to provide danger-close precision strike," he said. "So what I need is deep magazines, 80-100 rounds of 105 mm, that I can deliver from 3 miles away."

The AFSOC commander also called for industry to help develop a "tactical offboard sensing" system that could be used when a gunship is orbiting above a heavy cloud deck. The notional system would be launched from a common launch tube and carry a gimbaled sensor into an orbit below the cloud deck, feeding target data back to the gunship.

Lt Gen Heithold also identified future plans to equip selected elements of the AC-130J fleet with a high energy laser or directed energy active denial weapon. "We want to look at advanced weaponry on a handful of our AC-130Js," he said. "It's not going to be on all 37, but it will be on 2 or 3 or 4 of them."

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SOFIC 2015: US Air Force looks to future gunship modernisation - IHS Jane's 360

 

[Indus Falcon]

@Zarvan I've noticed, that despite you becoming quite moderate, you still get a lot of heat on this forum. Appreciate your input and keep up the good work

 

[C130]

I like the new AC-130J. think it should have the 105mm howitzer and remove the 30mm Bushmaster and add the GDF-002

what a beast of a gun and round.

 

[Penguin]

The 30mm Bushmaster fires the same rounds as the GAU-8 gatling of the A-10 and the Goalkeeper CIWS.

Several AC-130s pack one or more 40mm / L60 Bofors cannon
AC-130A Surprise Package, Pave Pronto, AC-130E Pave Spectre
AC-130E Pave Aegis
AC-130H Spectre
AC-130U Spooky II

AC-130U Spooky II combines the 40mm with 25mm GAU-12U 5 barrel gatling and 105mm howitzer.
Lockheed AC-130 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The GAU-28 Bushmaster 2 30mm cannon is a good compromise between the 25mm (RoF) and the 40mm (heavy round)

The GAU-12 ammo (25x137) is much more powerful than the 20x102 of the Vulcan Gatling but not anywhere near as powerful as 30x173 of the 30mm Bushmaster / Gau-8 . Close are 25x184 KBB and 30x173. 35x228 is even more powerful but not nearly as powerful as 40x364. I suppose it is a trade of between gun weight and ammo power/rof. The 30mm Bushmaster has a comparable single rof to the 35mm GDF but weighs much less, while delivering quite some punch.

From the website of ammo and gun expert Tony Williams:
ANTI

Left to right
20x102 (APDS - Vulcan Phalanx),
20x128 (Oerlikon KAA in GAM-B01 mounting, plus Meroka),
20x139 (HS 820 / Oerlikon KAD),
23x152B (ZU),
25x137 (Oerlikon KBA, M242 Bushmaster, Nexter 25M811), << GAU12
25x180 (Oerlikon KBB, in Sea Zenith mounting for Contraves Seaguard),
25x183B (Chinese army Type 95, repA),
25x218 (Russian naval),
27x145B (Mauser BK 27 in MLG 27 naval mounting),
30x165 (current Russian naval)

Telft to right
27x145B (Mauser BK 27 in MLG 27 mounting),
30x165 (current Russian naval),
30x170 (Oerlikon KCB),
30x173 (FMPDS in GAU-8/A, in Goalkeeper mounting; also in Bushmaster II/MK44),
30x210B (Russian/Chinese NN-30 naval),
30x210 (Czech M53 any),
35x228 (Oerlikon, various),
37x240 (Chinese Type 76 naval, repA),
40x364R (Bofors L/70)

 

[C130]

35x228 has better range and aerodynamics compared to 30mm.

packs a harder punch too.

30mm HE projectile weighs 362g while 35mm weighs 550g with 122g HE content.

 

[Penguin]

35x228 has better range and aerodynamics compared to 30mm.

packs a harder punch too.

30mm HE projectile weighs 362g while 35mm weighs 550g with 122g HE content.

It is not about the projectile. It is about the gun and its weight and RoF.

30mm HE projectile weighs 362g x RoF = ?
35mm weighs 550g x RoF= ?

Versus gun weight and ammo weight.

 

[C130]

It is not about the projectile. It is about the gun and its weight and RoF.

30mm HE projectile weighs 362g x RoF = ?
35mm weighs 550g x RoF= ?

Versus gun weight and ammo weight.

GDF doesn't weigh that much.
RoF of 550 is high. thinking burst of 5 to 10 rounds per barrel would be ideal.

 

[Penguin]

In the past, the weight of the projectile was also used to measure artillery pieces, particularly in the UK. Guns were described as 'pounders' (which may be shortened to Pdr or Pr). This referred to the notional weight in pounds of the projectile fired by the gun, so the '25 pdr' gun/howitzer normally fired a shell weighing 25 pounds or 11.4 kg.
37mm > 1 pdr, 1½ pdr
40mm > 2 pdr
A

projectile = type and weight of the projectile
AMMUNITION DATA TABLES

METRIC DESIGNATION: 35 x 228
RIM DIAMETER: 54.5
NATIONALITY: CH
PROJECTILE: HE / 550 (Complete round: 1.565 kg)
VELOCITY: 1,180
NAME / WEAPONS: 1960s Oerlikon KD series AA/AFV

METRIC DESIGNATION: 30 x 173
RIM DIAMETER: 44.0
NATIONALITY: CH / USA
PROJECTILE: HE / 360
VELOCITY: 1,080
NAME / WEAPONS: 1960s (steel) Oe KCA; (alloy) GAU-8/A a/c / CIWS, MK 30, Bushmaster II/MK44 AFV
GAU-8A: The standard ammunition mixture for anti-armor use is a five-to-one mix of PGU-14/B Armor Piercing Incendiary, with a projectile weight of about 14.0 oz (395 grams or 6,096 grains) and PGU-13/B High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) rounds, with a projectile weight of about 13.3 oz (378 grams or 5,833 grains).

METRIC DESIGNATION: 25 x 174-180
RIM DIAMETER: 38.0
NATIONALITY: CH
PROJECTILE: HE / 250
VELOCITY: 1,160
NAME / WEAPONS : 1980s Oerlikon KBB, KBD AA

METRIC DESIGNATION: 25 x 137
RIM DIAMETER: 38.0
NATIONALITY: CH / USA
PROJECTILE: HE / 180
VELOCITY: 1,100
NAME / WEAPONS: 1970s Oe KBA, M242 Bushmaster, GAU-12/U, GAU-22/A, 25M811

METRIC DESIGNATION: 20 x 102
RIM DIAMETER: 29.5
NATIONALITY: USA
PROJECTILE: HEI / 102
VELOCITY: 1,030
NAME / WEAPONS: 1950s M39, M61, M197 GIAT 20M621

GDF doesn't weigh that much.
RoF of 550 is high. thinking burst of 5 to 10 rounds per barrel would be ideal.

35mm projectiles weight is 550gr. The entire rounds weighs more.
Twin 35mm is 1100 Rpm, with 2 barrels > 550 per.
RoF is always in rounds per minute, even if in practise you only fire bursts or even single shot.

See also Germany / Switzerland 35 mm/1000 Millennium
Weight of Complete Round
Projectile Types and Weights.

See also Fact file: Denel 35mm Dual Purpose Gun | defenceWeb