Editing Lockheed AC-130 (section)

===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.