The 919th Special Operations Wing flew the AC-130A Spectre for 20 years, before transitioning to non-gunship aircraft, and will now operate the new AC-130J.
The 919th Special Operations Wing (919th SOW) marked its return to the aircraft gunship role on Oct. 9, 2025, after its constituent 711th Special Operations Squadron (711th SOS) flew its first AC-130J Ghostrider from Hurlburt Field, Florida. The unit previously operated the AC-130A Spectre gunship aircraft from 1975 to 1995, before it transitioned to multiple types of non-gunship aircraft for special operations.
A 919th SOW press release on Nov. 18, 2025, touched upon how the gunship role had come to be synonymous with the formation, and the first operational flight with the AC-130J Ghostrider in decades marked “a return to its storied gunship heritage.” The return to the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship also goes beyond nostalgia for the 919th SOW, since the Air Force Reserve formation “reinforces its partnership with active duty AC-130J crews,” captions said.
This was demonstrated in the fact that the AC-130J Ghostrider belonged to the 1st SOW, an Active Duty formation, but was piloted by a 711th SOS crew, displaying Total Force Integration. “The 711th Special Operations Squadron flew a 1 SOW gunship, marking the squadron’s inaugural flight since its platform transition,” another caption explained.
“The flight was both practical and symbolic: a visible demonstration that the Air Force Reserve is back flying gunships in an operational capacity and fully integrated with its Active Duty partners,” the press release noted.
AC-130J Ghostrider
The Air Force Special Operations Command has a fleet of 31 AC-130J Ghostriders, a number that was slashed from the 37 planned airframes. Beside the AC-130A/H Spectres, the AC-130J also replaced other older gunship variants like the AC-130W Stinger II and AC-130U Spooky, which also made up 37 aircraft.
The final AC-130J was delivered to AFSOC at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, in November 2022, marking the full complement of these aircraft for the command. In September 2024, the AC-130J was also assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, for initial and mission qualification training of new crews.
The 711th SOS recently moved from Duke Field to the nearby Hurlburt Field in Florida. Hurlburt Field itself was witness to the AC-130H Spectre gunships crews taking off for Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, in the U.S. military’s “Operation Just Cause.” Thirty-five years later crews gathered at Hurlburt Field to recount their memories of the operation.
As darkness creeps in, the AC-130J Ghostrider rises—unseen, unheard and unstoppable. #AC130J pic.twitter.com/xbxPpxrBFn
— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) November 1, 2024
The press release noted the 919th SOW’s AC-130A Spectres “conducted missions from Panama to the Persian Gulf” between 1975 to 1995, and the return to the gunship mission after nearly 30 years “revives a powerful legacy.” Moreover, “the return of a Reserve-led gunship squadron marks a full circle moment for the Air Force Reserve’s only special operations wing,” said the service.
The AC-130J’s primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. The Ghostrider has also found potential light attack and surveillance roles against asymmetric targets in the Indo-Pacific, within a broader high-end conventional war scenario.
Video showing a U.S. Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider launching two AGM-114 Hellfire II-series missiles during a joint exercise – held on June 17-20, 2024 – with the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Also, note the GBU-39B/B Laser Small Diameter Bombs (LSDBs) under the starboard wing. pic.twitter.com/6GCjQ2qYVB
— Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) June 20, 2024
919th SOW’s recent aircraft
The 919th SOW is the parent formation overseeing the 919th Special Operations Group (919th SOG). The 711th SOS is one of its constituent units, beside three other SOGs and an Operations Intelligence and an Operations Support Squadron. For 20 years, from 1975 to 1995, the 919th SOW, and particularly the 711th SOS, operated the AC-130A Spectre gunship, which became their core identity before the aircraft was retired.
The unit then transitioned to Lockheed MC-130E Combat Talon from 1995 to 2013 and the MC-130P Combat Shadow from 1995 to 2008, followed by the PZL C-145A Combat Coyote from 20113 to 2022 in the “foreign internal defense and special operations mobility” role, according to a Jul. 11, 2025 press release about the change of command in the 711th SOS. Presided by 919th SOG commander Col. Matthew Barry, the event saw the incumbent Lt. Col. John Duke relinquishing command to Lt. Col. Jason Fox.
Duke’s tenure saw the “final chapter” of the 711th SOS’s and the broader 919th SOW’s C-145 Combat Coyote operational mission, “which included aviation foreign internal defense and special operations mobility training.”
“Combat Aviation Advisors from the 711th SOS used the aircraft to maintain proficiency prior to instructing partner nation aircrew on a wide range of advanced aviation tactics. Although it was not used for overseas deployments, the Combat Coyote […] could make short landings and takeoffs, ideal for rural, undeveloped airfields and cargo delivery to forward operating bases,” said a Dec. 19, 2022 press release about the aircraft’s final flight with the 711th SOS.
“That legacy now sets the foundation for the unit’s return to gunship operations. The transition marks a return of the AC-130 gunship mission to the 919th SOW,” the Jul. 11 release said. “From 1975 – 1995, the 919th SOW flew the AC-130A Spectre gunship, supporting combat operations and NASA launch missions across the eastern U.S.”
Barry therefore remarked that, “although the mission ended in 1995, the spirit of the gunship never left the wing.” The AFSOC on Apr. 2, 2023 also divested the last of its final six MC-130H Combat Talon IIs, arriving at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, to retire at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), or “boneyard”.
Integrating Air Force Reserve and Active Duty crews on the AC-130J
“Our Air Commandos are once again flying one of the most capable strike platforms in the world,” said Col. Scott Hurrelbrink, 919th SOW commander. “The integration of the Reserve” aircrew and maintainers with Active Duty counterparts brings their “deep operational experience” with the platform as value-added mission partners.”
An AC-130J GHOSTRIDER assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing from Hurlburt Field takes off from Edwards Air Force Base. (📷 James West) pic.twitter.com/0pXKAEg2Ie
— J.J. (@kadonkey) June 7, 2022
Air Commandos in the 919th SOW and their active-duty maintainers will collaborate to “generate sorties, maintain proficiency, and surge when called upon.” For now, the wing’s immediate focus is “training to proficiency, building maintenance depth and participating in joint exercises with special operations ground forces.”
Hurrelbink also identified challenges like “increased training and readiness, building maintenance depth, becoming fully integrated with active duty and surpassing phased milestones.”
“The first operational training sortie was what we’ve been building toward. Every day we’re integrating Reservists, maintainers and operational crews into a single team so we can continue on the path toward Full Operational Capability for the enterprise,” said Lt. Col. Jason Fox, the Reserve’s AC-130J squadron commander.
