
Florida is experiencing unusually cold temperature. High winds and freezing rain, brought by a winter storm coated aircraft in a layer of ice.
These images, taken on Jan. 29, 2014, say it all.
Since quite unusual freezing rain and cold temperature have layered Hurlburt Field, Florida, in a thin sheet of ice, icicles formed on a U.S. Air Force AC-130U Spooky gunship’s 25 mm Gatling gun.
If you believe that using the rotary guns (facing down and aft along the plane’s left side) in Northern Europe, or Siberia, might not be a good idea, take a look at how these systems work: a few bursts of rounds through those barrels would take care of the icicles (and of the bad guys on the ground).
Flight operations at the base are temporarily suspended because of the bad weather.
Image credit: U.S. Air Force
Spooky? Spooky? I thought AC130’s were Spectre’s? Wasn’t the AC-47 referred to as “Spooky”?
This is an AC-130U from the 4th SOS. AC-130H models are in the 16th SOS and are called Spectre. There are new J models coming online soon and it is known as the Ghostrider. The squadron will continue to be Spectre.
Hi from Florida David. Hurlburt is just down the road and we did get a little ice this morning, but nothing to worry about. The AC-130 is actually known as the “Spectre”. The “Spooky” was a Viet Nam era gunship based on the C-47.