Reconstituted and consolidated 1936 with 115th observation squadron which, having been allotted to ng, was activated on 16 jun 1924. United states air force usaf air force one af1 sam fox. Project gunship iii, being a followon to the success of the ac series, meant that the ac 119 was a more advanced aircraft in both its iterations than the ac 47. The year in special operations 202014 by faircount. The fairchild ac119 fixedwing gunship platform proved to be a successful conversion of the original fairchild c119 transport aircraft. Box 17416, baltimore, md 21297 by phone1800namvets 18006268387 9 am 4 pm et by fax. Aero was formed in culver city, california in 1944 to design and manufacture a light twinengined transport aircraft. Following these successes, a few more ac as were constructed using similar equipment and manufactured versions of the analog computer. Ac 119 pictures ac 119 references the us air force developed the ac 119g shadow as a suitable replacement for the ac 47d for providing close air support to troops in contact. Fletcher ex usaf captain, used his personal experience to write a novel about the c119 gunship in vietnam. The twin booms that ran back to the tail plane from the engines carried bulk fuel.
Trained south vietnamese air force vnaf personnel in ac119 operations and maintenance, febaug 1971, and transferred some of its ac119s to the vnaf, augsep 1971 as. The usaf ac119k stinger was an improved version of the ac119g shadow and was the built as the second phase of the gunship iii program. The ac47d spooky and ac119k stinger gunships at da nang. The first prototype took flight on april 23, 1948, and was certified by the civil. Puff the magic dragonac47 or ac119 aircraft armed with computercontrolled miniguns that rendered massive support to fixed friendly camps and infantry units under enemy attack. Ted smith, a former project engineer at douglas aircraft company, assembled a team of 14 engineers to design what would be the aero commander. The ac119g gunship, a modified gmodel, carried four 7. Michael nardo, gunship requirements officer and ac instructor pilot at. The first ac119 in use was credited with destroying more than 400 enemy supply trucks within its first two years of service. Conversion from tactical airlift to gunship operations in the ac 119 brought significant changes. Douglas a1h skyraider link a1 skyraiders association t he principal mission of the a1hj is the destruction of ground targets in support of ground forces.
Attack aircraft a1h skyraider ac119 gunship ac spectre a10 thunderbolt fairchild ac119 gunship shadow during the vietnam war, specially equipped ac47 spooky were used as gunships. A1 a10 a37 ac27 ac47 ac119 ac acc acs aetc afmc afosi afrc afrotc afspc afsoc agm aim amc ang ars arrs afghanistan air force airlift airman alcm army attack awacs b1 b2 b52 ball badge beret blind bat bomber cbu cct compass call cwt c2 c3cm c5 c17 c47 c123 c c141 cv22 coast guard cargo challenge coin combat command. Fairchild ac 119 gunship shadow during the vietnam war, specially equipped ac 47 spooky were used as gunships. The k model of the ac119 gunship was modified from the g with the addition of two j85 jet engines and two 20mm gatling guns, complementing the four 7. Testors 0678 172 ac119k stinger gunship kit first look. Ac119 pictures ac119 references the us air force developed the ac119g shadow as a suitable replacement for the ac47d for providing close air support to troops in contact. Activated again in may 1952, the squadron did not receive its first aircraft until 1 jul 1953, when it immediately began familiarization training, followed by inflight refueling training in feb 1954. The stinger version was developed from the ac119g shadow, a more basic version made for the electronic countermeasures. It carries a wide array of ground attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, navigation, and firecontrol systems.
Check out our extensive collection of unique aircraft patches. Ac119 shadow hurlburt field hurlburt field fact sheets. Gunships expended more than 1,500,000 rounds in support of ground operations while more than 8,200 flares were dropped. Page 3 veterans collectiblessee page 44 for our order formorder by mailveterans collectiblesp.
Feb 24, 2014 the ac 119 was a big brute of an aircraft, high wing, big fuselage, two very powerful radial engines, and a couple of extra jet engines slung under the wings for added power when it counted. Project gunship iii, being a followon to the success of the ac series, meant that the ac119 was a more advanced aircraft in both its iterations than the ac47. The first ac 119 in use was credited with destroying more than 400 enemy supply trucks within its first two years of service. Mar 12, 2020 fairchild ac119 shadow stinger gunship closeair support cas aircraft the fairchild ac119 fixedwing gunship platform proved to be a successful conversion of the original fairchild c119 transport aircraft. Aero commander piston twin aircraft for sale 8 listings. Hardy went on to fly combat missions as a fighter pilot in world war ii, as a b29 pilot in korea, and as a ac 119 gunship pilot in vietnam. All of these designs are ready to go, and you can even change the colors to match your squadron at no additional charge. Full text of the rise and fall of an american army u. Special operations 202014 edition editors foreword u.
Link a1 skyraiders association the principal mission of the a1hj is the destruction of ground targets in support of ground forces. The air force chief of staff rejected the tac commanders position. The ac119 was a big brute of an aircraft, high wing, big fuselage, two very powerful radial engines, and a couple of extra jet engines slung under the wings for added power when it counted. It was namedstinger in addition to the armament, and some radar equipment, the old fourbladed aeroproduct propellers were replaced with the hamilton standard threebladed props. Conversion from tactical airlift to gunship operations in the ac119 brought significant changes. Browse our inventory of new and used aero commander piston twin aircraft for sale near you at. The 44th combat crew training squadron received its first ac119 gunship on 8 november 1968. Usaf gunship project i encompassed conversion of c47 aircraft from a standard cargo to an. Even the tic ac 119g featured some of the most uptodate electronic countermeasures and radar equipment, as well as more basic technology, including an avq8 xenon light, a night. Night support of cambodian operations was provided by ac 119 gunships and c123 and c flare ships under control of the 14th special operations wing. Jul 10, 2017 need 172 italeritestors ac119k instruction sheet sign in to follow this. The k model of the ac 119 gunship was modified from the g with the addition of two j85 jet engines and two 20mm gatling guns, complementing the four 7. Tactics and weapons used in vietnam artillery vietnam war.
The fairchild ac119g shadow and ac119k stinger were twinengine piston powered gunships developed by the united states during the vietnam war. The fairchild ac119g shadow and ac119k stinger were twinengine. The original 541626 gunship is displayed at the usaf museum. There is only one way for a commander to get information by reconnaissance and that is by the use of cavalry. Tactics and weapons used in vietnam free ebook download as pdf file. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Although not the equal of the ac, the c119 gunships were used with. The aircrafts middle compartment can be readily equipped with passenger seats, facilities for litters or provisions for carrying heavy cargo. It received rb47e aircraft in mar 1954, and conducted its first longrange mission 6 planes to alaska for 10 days in may 1954. Punji stakessharpened bamboo stakes, embedded in the ground at an angle designed to penetrate into the foot or leg of anyone walking into one. The ac119 gunship guys were in the same hanger with us at the time. This squadron had been organized at lockbourne air force base, ohio on 1 march 1968, and assigned to. The year in special operations 202014 by faircount media. A1 a10 a37 ac 27 ac 47 ac 119 ac acc acs aetc afmc afosi afrc afrotc afspc afsoc agm aim amc ang ars arrs afghanistan air force airlift airman alcm army attack awacs b1 b2 b52 ball badge beret blind bat bomber cbu cct compass call cwt c2 c3cm c5 c17 c47 c123 c c141 cv22 coast guard cargo challenge coin combat command.
The ac 119k had several major improvements incorporated into the design. Puff the magic dragon ac 47 or ac 119 aircraft armed with computercontrolled miniguns that rendered massive support to fixed friendly camps and infantry units under enemy attack. The lockheed ac gunship is a heavily armed, longendurance, groundattack variant of the c hercules transport, fixedwing aircraft. The company recommended a highwing, twinboom design with a large. The ac was supplemented by the ac119 shadow gunship iii, which later proved underpowered with a wartime payload, during the vietnam war. The usaf ac 119k stinger was an improved version of the ac 119g shadow and was the built as the second phase of the gunship iii program. On that same date, the 71st was redesignated as the 71st air commando squadron, a name that lasted less than a month, as the unit became the 71st special operations squadron on 8 july. Following these successes, a few more acas were constructed using similar equipment and manufactured versions of the analog computer. Need 172 italeritestors ac119k instruction sheet props. I already have ac119 aircraft, which one would u suggest. Air force reservist and aviation artist darby perrin. Stinger airmen soon created their squadron patch with the motto of. And us ground commanders of the future, no less than those of today, will.
Fairchild ac119 shadow stinger gunship closeair support cas aircraft. Night support of cambodian operations was provided by ac119 gunships and c123 and c flare ships under control of the 14th special operations wing. Ac119k stinger the ac47 and ac119g were primarily tasked with coinfire support missions, the aca and ac119k had greater firepower which was used to interdict the supply lines along the socalled ho chi mihn trail. Even the tic ac119g featured some of the most uptodate electronic countermeasures and radar equipment, as well as more basic technology, including an avq8 xenon light, a night. The ac119k had several major improvements incorporated into the design. The fairchild hiller plant in florida converted 26 of them to the ac119 stinger version, intentionally designed as a truck hunter. Designing a brand new aircraft patch is fast and easy, just send us your ideas. Easily share your publications and get them in front of issuus. Hardy went on to fly combat missions as a fighter pilot in world war ii, as a b29 pilot in korea, and as a ac119 gunship pilot in vietnam. Combat evaluation of the ac 119k 3 nov 69 28 feb 70.
Ac 119k stinger the ac 47 and ac 119g were primarily tasked with coinfire support missions, the ac a and ac 119k had greater firepower which was used to interdict the supply lines along the socalled ho chi mihn trail. Although the resulting ac 47d from gunship i was a success, it was clear that that the aircraft was of limited capability. A circling ac119 gunship refused cavaianis final request to fire into friendly positions. The ready availability of c119s in air force reserve units finally decided the issue in favor of the boxcars, at least as an interim. Gunship closeair support cas aircraft the fairchild ac119 fixedwing gunship platform proved to be a successful conversion of the original fairchild c119 transport aircraft. Trained south vietnamese air force vnaf personnel in ac 119 operations and maintenance, febaug 1971, and transferred some of its ac 119s to the vnaf, augsep 1971 as part of a phasedown for inactivation. Armynavyair forcemarines and allies compared with those of the north vietnamese army and viet cong. The ac was supplemented by the ac 119 shadow gunship iii, which later proved underpowered with a wartime payload, during the vietnam war. Ac119 gunship ac spectre a10 thunderbolt fairchild ac119 gunship shadow during the vietnam war, specially equipped ac47 spooky were used as gunships. Need 172 italeritestors ac119k instruction sheet sign in to follow this.