Editing Lockheed AC-130 (section)

==Operational history==
===Vietnam War===
[[File:AC-130 Laos.jpg|thumb|An AC-130 in Southern Laos ''circa'' 1970]]
The AC-130 gunship first arrived in South Vietnam on 21 September 1967 under the Gunship II program and began combat operations over Laos and South Vietnam that same year. In June 1968, AC-130s were deployed to [[Tan Son Nhut]] AB near Saigon for support against the [[Tet Offensive]]. By 30 October 1968, enough AC-130 Gunship IIs arrived to form a squadron, the [[16th Special Operations Squadron]] of the [[8th Tactical Fighter Wing]], at [[Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base]], Thailand. At this time, the C-130A gunship was designated the AC-130A.

On 18 August 1968, an AC-130 gunship flying an armed reconnaissance mission in Vietnam's III Corps was diverted to support the [[Katum Camp|Katum Special Forces Camp]]. The ground commander quickly assessed the accurate fire and capabilities of this weapons system and called for fire on his own perimeter when the Viet Cong attempted to bridge the wire on the west side of his position.

By December 1968, most AC-130s flew under [[F-4 Phantom II]] escort (to protect the gunship against heavy and concentrated antiaircraft fire) from the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, normally three Phantoms per gunship. On 24 May 1969, the first Spectre gunship was lost to enemy fire.{{Sfn | Hobson | 2001 | p = 268}}

In late 1969, under code name "Surprise Package", 56-0490 arrived with solid-state, laser-illuminated, low light-level TV with a companion YAG [[laser designator]], an improved forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, video recording for TV and FLIR, an [[inertial navigation system]], and a prototype digital fire-control computer. The remaining AC-130s were refitted with upgraded similar equipment in the summer of 1970, and then redeployed to Ubon RTAFB. On 25 October 1971, the first "Cadillac" gunship, the AC-130E, arrived in Vietnam. On 17 February 1972, the first [[M102 howitzer|105mm cannon]] arrived for service with Spectre and was installed on Gunship 570. It was used from mid-February until the aircraft received battle damage to its right flap. The cannon was switched to Gunship 571 and was used until 30 March when the aircraft was shot down.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Summary of AC-130 Spectre gunships lost in the Vietnam War 1969–1972
!Date!!Gunship model!!Unit!!Cause of loss / remarks
|-
|24 May 1969
|AC-130A
|16th Special Operations Squadron
|Downed by [[37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)|37&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft artillery]] (AA) at {{cvt|6,500|ft|m}} while on [[reconnaissance]] for enemy trucks{{Sfn | Hobson | 2001 | p = 182}}
|-
|22 April 1970
|AC-130A
|16th SOS
|Downed while truck hunting by 37&nbsp;mm AA{{Sfn | Hobson | 2001 | p = 202}}
|-
|28 March 1972
|AC-130A
|16th SOS
|Downed while truck hunting along the Ho Chi Minh trail by a [[SA-2]] [[surface-to-air missile]] (SAM), [[nose art]] named ''Prometheus''{{Sfn | Hobson | 2001 | p = 219}}
|-
|30 March 1972
|AC-130E
|16th SOS
|Downed while truck hunting by [[AZP S-60|57&nbsp;mm AA]] at {{cvt|7,500|ft|m}}: The "E" model was armed with a 105&nbsp;mm [[howitzer]]. This [[search and rescue]] mission was "overshadowed by the ''[[Rescue of Bat 21 Bravo|Bat-21]]'' rescue mission."{{Sfn | Hobson | 2001 | p = 220}}
|-
|18 June 1972
|AC-130A
|16th SOS
|Downed by a [[SA-7]] shoulder-fired SAM which struck the number-three engine and blew off the wing{{Sfn | Hobson | 2001 | pp = 228–29}}
|-
|21–22 December 1972
|AC-130A
|16th SOS
|Downed while truck hunting along the Ho Chi Minh trail at {{cvt|7,800|ft|m}} by 37&nbsp;mm AA{{Sfn | Hobson | 2001 | p = 244}}
|}

On 28 January 1973, the [[Paris Peace Accords|Vietnam peace accord]] went into effect, marking the end of Spectre operations in Vietnam. Spectre was still needed and active in the region, supporting operations in Laos and Cambodia. On 22 February 1973, American offensive operations in Laos ended and the gunships became totally committed to operations in the Cambodian conflict.

On 12 April 1975, the [[Khmer Rouge]] was threatening the capital of [[Phnom Penh]] and AC-130s were called on to help in [[Operation Eagle Pull]], the final evacuation of American and allied officials from Phnom Penh before it was conquered by the communists. The AC-130 was also over Saigon on 30 April 1975 to protect the final evacuation in [[Operation Frequent Wind]]. Spectres were also called in when the [[Mayaguez incident|USS ''Mayaguez'']] was seized, on the open sea, by Khmer Rouge soldiers and sailors on 15 May 1975.

Six AC-130s and 52 air crew members were lost during the war.{{Sfn | Hobson | 2001 | p = 268}}  AC-130s reportedly destroyed more than 10,000 trucks<ref>{{Cite web |title= The AC-130 gunship and its variants, Research from 10/2010 |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/abbottabad-compound/3A/3AC462D933EE22F4D8B4D32E19DDCF11_AC%20130%20research.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.cia.gov/library/abbottabad-compound/3A/3AC462D933EE22F4D8B4D32E19DDCF11_AC%20130%20research.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> and participated in many crucial close-air-support missions in Vietnam.

===Cold War and later action===
[[File:AC-130A pylon turn.jpg|thumb|An AC-130A performs a left-hand pylon turn.]]

With the conclusion of hostilities in Southeast Asia in the mid-1970s, the AC-130H became the sole gunship in the regular Air Force, home based at Hurlburt Field, Florida, while the AC-130A fleet was transferred to the Air Force Reserve's 919th Tactical Airlift Group (919 TAG) at [[Eglin AFB]] Auxiliary Field #3/[[Duke Field]], Florida. With the transition to the AC-130A, the 919 TAG was then redesignated as the [[919th Special Operations Wing |919th Special Operations Group]].

In the late 1970s, when the AC-130H fleet was first being modified for in-flight refueling capability, a demonstration mission was planned and flown from Hurlburt Field, Florida, nonstop, to conduct a 2-hour live-fire mission over Empire Firing Range in the Republic of Panama, then return home. This 13-hour mission with two in-flight refuelings from [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135]] tankers proved the validity of flying long-range missions outside the [[contiguous United States]] to attack targets then return to home base without intermediate stops.

AC-130s from both the [[4th Special Operations Squadron|4th]] and [[16th Special Operations Squadron|16th]] Special Operations Squadrons have been deployed in nearly every conflict in which the United States has been involved, officially and unofficially, since the end of the Vietnam War.

In July 1979, AC-130H crews deployed to [[Howard Air Force Base]], Panama, as a precaution against possible hostile actions against American personnel during the [[Nicaraguan Revolution]]. New time aloft and nonstop distance records were subsequently set by a 16th SOS two-ship AC-130H formation flight that departed Hurlburt Field on 13 November 1979 and landed on 15 November at [[Andersen Air Force Base]], [[Guam]], a distance of {{convert |7200|nmi|km}} and 29 hours 43 minutes nonstop, refueling four times in-flight.<ref>Lockheed records.</ref>{{Page needed |date=December 2023}}<ref>{{Citation |type= news |first= Pilot Lt Col Jim |last= Lawrence |date=June 1995 |title= ?? |newspaper= Night Flyer|publisher= AFSOC}}</ref> Refueling support for the Guam deployment was provided by KC-135 crews from the 305th Air Refueling Wing from [[Grissom AFB]], Indiana.

In November 1979, four AC-130H gunships flew nonstop from Hurlburt Field to Anderson AFB, Guam, because of the [[Iran hostage crisis|hostage situation at the US Embassy in Iran]]. On Guam, AC-130H crews developed communications-out/lights-out refueling procedures for later employment by trial-and-error. This deployment with the 1 SOW/CC as task force commander was directed from the office of the CJCS for fear that Iranian militants could begin executing American Embassy personnel who had been [[Iran hostage crisis|taken hostage on 4 November]]. One early option considered AC-130H retaliatory punitive strikes deep within Iran. Later gunship flights exceeded the 1979 Hurlburt-to-Guam flight. Upon return in March 1980, the four planes soon found themselves in Egypt to support the [[Operation Eagle Claw|ill-fated hostage rescue attempt]].

[[File:AC-130 gunship firing broadside at dusk.jpg|thumb|left|Smoke visible from [[rotary cannon]] during twilight operations in 1988]]
During [[Invasion of Grenada|Operation Urgent Fury]] in Grenada in 1983, AC-130s suppressed enemy air-defense systems and attacked ground forces enabling the assault of the [[Point Salines International Airport|Point Salines Airfield]] via [[airdrop]] and air-land of friendly forces. The AC-130 aircrew earned the [[William H. Tunner |Lieutenant General William H. Tunner]] Award for the mission.

The AC-130Hs of the [[16th Special Operations Squadron]] unit maintained an ongoing rotation to Howard AB, Panama, monitoring activities in El Salvador and other Central American points of interest, with rules of engagement eventually permitting attacks on [[FMLN]] targets. This commitment of maintainers and crews started in 1983 and lasted until 1990.<ref>{{cite web|last= Cooper|first= Tom |title= El Salvador, 1980–1992|url= http://www.acig.info/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=47|publisher= ACIG|access-date= 30 January 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140116083135/http://www.acig.info/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=47|archive-date= 16 January 2014|url-status= live}}</ref> The AC-130 is considered to have hastened the end of the [[Salvadoran Civil War]] in the 1980s. Crews flew undercover missions from Honduras and attacked guerrilla camps and concentrations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=C-130 versions |url=https://www.c-130.net/c-130-versions-article3.html |access-date= 2023-04-12 |website= C-130.net}}</ref>

AC-130s also had a primary role during the [[United States invasion of Panama]] (named Operation Just Cause) in 1989, when they destroyed [[Military of Panama |Panama Defense Force]] headquarters and numerous command-and-control facilities, and provided close air support for US ground troops. Aircrews earned the [[Mackay Trophy]] for the most meritorious flight of the year, and the Tunner Award.

===Gulf War and the 1990s===
[[File:USAF_AC130_Operation.ogv|thumb|right|A USAF AC-130 in combat operation]]

During the [[Gulf War]] of 1990–1991 (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm), Regular Air Force and Air Force Reserve AC-130s provided close air support and force protection (air base defense) for ground forces, and battlefield interdiction. The primary interdiction targets were early-warning/[[Ground-controlled interception|ground-control intercept]] sites along the southern border of [[Iraq]]. At its standard altitude of {{convert|12,000|ft|abbr=on}}, the aircraft had a proven ability to engage moving ground targets.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles2005/200563005819.asp |title= Why the AC-130 Fears Daylight |access-date=7 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422213958/http://strategypage.com/dls/articles2005/200563005819.asp |archive-date=22 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The first gunship to enter the [[Battle of Khafji]] helped stop a southbound Iraqi armored column on 29 January 1991. One day later, three more gunships provided further aid to [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] participating in the operation. The gunships attacked Iraqi positions and columns moving south to reinforce their positions north of the city.

Despite the threat of SAMs and increasing visibility during the early morning hours of 31 January 1991, one AC-130H, AF Serial No. 69-6567, call-sign Spirit 03, opted to stay to continue to protect the Marines. A lone Iraqi with a [[Strela-2]] [[MANPADS]] shot Spirit 03 down, and all 14 crew members were killed.<ref>{{Citation|url=http://www.specialoperations.com/Memorial/spirit.html |type=memorial |contribution=Spirit 03 and the Battle for Khafji |title=Special operations |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025094548/http://www.specialoperations.com/Memorial/spirit.html |archive-date=25 October 2008}}</ref> The loss of Spirit 03 did however result in the US DoD joining the development of the AN/AAQ-24 Directed Infrared Countermeasures System which, in its updated laser-based form, is now a common fit across large US military aircraft.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

The military has used AC-130 gunships during the humanitarian operations in [[Somalia]] ([[Unified Task Force|Operation Restore Hope]] and [[Operation United Shield]]) in 1992–93 and [[Operation Uphold Democracy]] in Haiti in 1994. AC-130s took part in [[Timeline of United States military operations#1991–1999|Operation Assured Response]] in Liberia in 1996 and in [[Operation Silver Wake]] in 1997, the evacuation of American [[non-combatants]] from [[Albania]].

AC-130s took part in the [[NATO]] missions in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Kosovo]] during the 1990s.

The AC-130U gunship set a new record for the longest sustained flight by any C-130 on 22 and 23 October 1997, when two AC-130U gunships flew 36 hours nonstop from Hurlburt Field to [[Taegu Air Base]] (Daegu), South Korea, being refueled seven times in the air by KC-135 tankers. The two gunships took on 410,000&nbsp;lb (186,000&nbsp;kg) of fuel. Gunships also were part of the buildup of US forces in 1998 to compel Iraq to allow [[UNSCOM]] weapons inspections.

===War on Terror===
[[File:AC-130 Training.jpg|thumb|An AC-130U releasing [[Flare (countermeasure)|flares]]]]

The US has used gunships with deployments to the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]] ([[Operation Enduring Freedom#Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan|Operation Enduring Freedom]], [[Operation Freedom's Sentinel]], 2001–21), and [[Iraq War]] (Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003–11). AC-130 strikes were directed by special forces on known Taliban locations during the early days of the war in Afghanistan. US Special Operations Forces used the AC-130 to support its operations. The day after arriving in Afghanistan, the AC-130s attacked Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces near the city of Kunduz and were directly responsible for the city's surrender the next day. On 26 November 2001, Spectres were called in to put down [[Battle of Qala-i-Jangi|a rebellion]] at the prison fort of [[Qala-i-Jangi]]. The 16 SOS flew missions over Mazar-i-Sharif, [[History of Kunduz|Kunduz]], Kandahar, Shkin, Asadabad, Bagram, Baghran, Tora Bora, and virtually every other part of Afghanistan. The Spectre participated in countless operations within Afghanistan, performing on-call close air support and armed reconnaissance. In March 2002, three AC-130 Spectres provided 39 crucial combat missions in support of [[Operation Anaconda]] in Afghanistan. During the intense fighting, the planes fired more than 1,300x 40mm and 1,200x 105mm rounds.

Close air support was the main mission of the AC-130 in Iraq. Night after night, at least one AC-130 was in the air to fulfill one or more air-support requests (ASRs). A typical mission had the AC–130 supporting a single brigade's ASRs followed by aerial refueling and another two hours with another brigade or SOF team. The use of AC-130s in places like Fallujah, urban settings where insurgents were among crowded populations of non-combatants, was criticized by human rights groups. AC-130s were also used for intelligence gathering with their sophisticated long-range video, infrared and radar sensors. In 2007, US Special Operations forces also used the AC-130 in attacks on suspected [[Al-Qaeda]] militants in Somalia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/01/08/somalia.strike/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070813055357/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/01/08/somalia.strike/ |url-status=dead |archive-date= 13 August 2007 |title=Pentagon official: US attacks al Qaeda suspects in Somalia |publisher=CNN |date=8 January 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6296971.stm |title=US plane 'bombed Somalia targets' |work=Africa News |publisher=BBC |access-date=25 January 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070306171925/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6296971.stm |archive-date=6 March 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Eight AC-130H and 17 AC-130U aircraft were in active-duty service as of July 2010.<ref name="AC-130HU_factsht 2009" /> In March 2011, the Air Force deployed two AC-130U gunships to take part in [[Operation Odyssey Dawn]], the [[2011 military intervention in Libya|US military intervention in Libya]],<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-28/coalition-isn-t-coordinating-strikes-with-rebels-u-s-says-1-.html |title=Coalition Isn't Coordinating Strikes With Rebels, US Says |first=Brendan |last=McGarry |publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |date=28 March 2011 |access-date=8 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141009190819/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-28/coalition-isn-t-coordinating-strikes-with-rebels-u-s-says-1-.html |archive-date=9 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> which eventually came under NATO as [[Operation Unified Protector]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/us/29military.html |title=US Gives Its Air Power Expansive Role in Libya |last=Schmitt |first=Eric |date=29 March 2011 |work= The New York Times |page=A13 |access-date=29 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401145709/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/us/29military.html |archive-date=1 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<!--American Heroes Channel is part of Military Channel, part of Discovery-->
By September 2013, 14 MC-130W Dragon Spear aircraft have been converted to AC-130W Stinger II gunships. The Stinger gunships have been deployed to Afghanistan to replace the aging AC-130H aircraft and provide an example for the new AC-130J Ghostrider. Modifications began by cutting holes in the plane to make room for weapons and adding kits and bomb bases for laser-guided munitions. Crews added a 105&nbsp;mm cannon, 20-inch infrared and electro-optical sensors, and the ability to carry 250-lb bombs on the wings.<ref>{{Citation |url= http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20130917/NEWS04/309170016/AFSOC-s-new-weapon-Portable-unmanned-aircraft-bases |title= AFSOC's new weapon: Portable unmanned aircraft bases |newspaper= The Military Times |date= 17 September 2013 |access-date= 17 September 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131017235843/http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20130917/NEWS04/309170016/AFSOC-s-new-weapon-Portable-unmanned-aircraft-bases |archive-date= 17 October 2013 |url-status= live}}</ref>

The final AC-130H Spectre gunship, tail number 69-6569 "Excalibur" was retired on 26 May 2015 at [[Cannon Air Force Base]], New Mexico.<ref name= "af26may15"/>

On 15 November 2015, two days after the [[November 2015 Paris attacks|attacks in Paris]] by [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]], AC-130s and [[A-10 Thunderbolt II]] attack aircraft destroyed a convoy of over 100 ISIL-operated oil tanker trucks in Syria. The attacks were part of an intensification of the US-led [[military intervention against ISIL]] called [[Operation Tidal Wave II]] (named after the original [[Operation Tidal Wave]] during [[World War II]], a failed attempt to raid German oil fields that resulted in heavy aircraft and aircrew loss) in an attempt to cut off oil smuggling as a source of funding for the group.<ref>[http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/11/16/us-a10-attack-planes-hit-isis-oil-convoy-crimp-terror-funding.html US A-10 Attack Planes Hit ISIS Oil Convoy to Crimp Terror Funding] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117162257/http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/11/16/us-a10-attack-planes-hit-isis-oil-convoy-crimp-terror-funding.html |date=17 November 2015}} – Military.com, 16 November 2015</ref>

On 3 October 2015, an AC-130 mistakenly [[Kunduz hospital airstrike|attacked]] the [[Doctors Without Borders]] hospital in [[Kunduz, Afghanistan]], killing 42 people and injuring over 30. In five separate runs, the gunship struck the hospital, which had been erroneously identified as the source of attacks on coalition members. Subsequent inquiries led to punishment of 16 military personnel and cited "human error" as the root cause.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/01/07/congressman-questions-if-army-special-forces-denied-rescue-force-fire-support |title=Congressman questions if Army Special Forces denied rescue force, fire support|newspaper=The Washington post |date=7 January 2016 |access-date=11 January 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160111193304/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/01/07/congressman-questions-if-army-special-forces-denied-rescue-force-fire-support/ |archive-date=11 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stripes.com/news/centcom-ac-130-absolutely-did-fire-in-marjah-battle-against-taliban-1.387814 |title=CENTCOM: AC-130 'absolutely did fire' in Marjah battle against Taliban |work=Stars and Stripes |date=8 January 2016 |access-date=11 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111024901/http://www.stripes.com/news/centcom-ac-130-absolutely-did-fire-in-marjah-battle-against-taliban-1.387814 |archive-date=11 January 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/world/asia/doctors-without-borders-hospital-kunduz-afghanistan.html |title= Death Toll in Airstrike on Doctors Without Borders Hospital May Rise, Group Says |work= The New York Times |date= 8 October 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170519125116/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/world/asia/doctors-without-borders-hospital-kunduz-afghanistan.html |archive-date= 19 May 2017 |url-status= live|last1= Nordland |first1= Rod }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/09/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-kunduz-doctors-without-borders-airstrike.html|title=U.S. Role in Afghanistan Turns to Combat Again, With a Tragic Error |newspaper=The New York Times |date=8 May 2016 |access-date=25 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227144947/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/09/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-kunduz-doctors-without-borders-airstrike.html?_r=0 |archive-date=27 February 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/30/world/asia/afghanistan-doctors-without-borders-hospital-strike.html |title=Pentagon Details Chain of Errors in Strike on Afghan Hospital |newspaper= The New York Times |date=29 April 2016 |access-date=12 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012214633/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/30/world/asia/afghanistan-doctors-without-borders-hospital-strike.html |archive-date=12 October 2018 |url-status=live |last1= Rosenberg |first1=Matthew}}</ref>

On 30 September 2017, the Air Force declared the AC-130J Ghostrider had achieved initial operational capability, with six gunships having been delivered; the aircraft is planned to reach full operational capability by 2023 with 37 gunships delivered. The J-variant is lighter and more fuel efficient than previous versions, able to fly at {{convert|416|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} with a range of {{convert|3000|mi|km|abbr=on}} and service ceiling of {{convert |28000|ft|m|abbr= on}}.<ref name="militarytimes10oct17"/> The AC-130U returned from its final combat deployment on 8 July 2019;<ref>[https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/07/10/ac-130u-spooky-gunship-completes-its-final-combat-deployment.html AC-130U 'Spooky' Gunship Completes its Final Combat Deployment] {{Webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190714194852/https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/07/10/ac-130u-spooky-gunship-completes-its-final-combat-deployment.html |date= 14 July 2019}}. ''Military.com'', 10 July 2019.</ref> the final AC-130U was retired in June 2020.<ref name=AC-130U_Fact_Sheet>[https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104486/ac-130u/ "AC-130U Fact Sheet"]. U.S. Air Force</ref> AFSOC started taking delivery of the AC-130J in spring 2019, and the aircraft began deploying to Afghanistan by the summer.<ref>[https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/09/16/ghostrider-gunship-ultimate-battle-plane-afsoc-commander-says.html "AFSOC's 'Ultimate Battle Plane' Now Operating in Afghanistan"]. ''Military.com'', 16 September 2019.</ref>

On 21 November 2023, the Air Force released a statement that an AC-130J had performed a retaliatory strike on Iranian-backed militia group in central Iraq. The strike happened near [[Al-Asad Airbase]] after the militia members reportedly launched a ballistic missile against Al-Asad airbase. The Deputy Press Secretary of [[The Pentagon]], [[Sabrina Singh]] stated "This self-defense strike resulted in some hostile fatalities." Notably the AC-130J's transponder remained on during the strike, and the remainder of its sortie.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schogol |first1=Jeff |title=AC-130 destroys truck after watching it launch ballistic missile at US troops in Iraq |url=https://taskandpurpose.com/news/us-military-ac-130-iraq/ |work=Task & Purpose |date=21 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dress |first1=Brad |title=US forces respond after attack at Iraq base, officials say |url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4321260-us-forces-respond-after-attack-at-iraq-base-officials-say/ |work=The Hill |date=21 November 2023}}</ref>