A C-131B modified with gunsights and a minigun was successful in early tests and the experiment was repeated with a C-47. It was 1963 before the idea of a side-firing aircraft got another serious test. 30-cal machine gun and destroyed a target on the ground.īut the Army Air Corps and the Army Air Forces never came around to the idea. In fact, the technique had been tested successfully in 1927 when 1st Lt. ![]() ![]() The idea for a side-firing gunship had been floating around military circles since at least 1926. This time-lapse photo shows the tracer round trajectories. Air Force Douglas AC-47D Spooky gunship over the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) Team 21 compound at Pleiku in May 1969. It was a supply plane, a plane for dropping paratroopers, and a tow for gliders.īut it was in the Vietnam War that the “ Gooney Bird” would get its greatest mission - flying three 7.62mm miniguns through the night to devastate North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces. ![]() The C-47 fulfilled a number of roles in World War II and Korea.
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