AC-119K Gunship

The Fairchild AC-119K Stinger, updated version of the previous AC-119G Shadow, has been used as gunships during the Vietnam War. The AC-119 replaced the obsolete Douglas AC-47 and it was used for close support missions and offensive recognition duties. .The AC-119K could be easily recognized thanks to its two additional General Electric J85 turbojet engines in under wing pods. This allowed the availability of a heavier armament, consisting of two M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannons in addition to the AC-119G's four “miniguns”, and the possibility to have more modern and updated navigation and electronic countermeasures systems on board. The “Stinger” played its role as gunship very effectively alongside the early version of the bigger AC-130 Spectre carrying out several war missions.