Are the “Ganships” back?
During the Vietnam War in the United States, a unique type of specialized combat aircraft was created, the main task of which was to combat guerrilla formations, mainly at night. The concept of this armed aircraft, which received the name of "ganship" (eng. Gunship - artillery ship), implemented in 1964 year, implied the installation of one side of a powerful machine-gun armament. The fire is fought when the plane is in a bend, and the target appears to be in the center of a huge imaginary funnel.
Initially, the carrier of machine guns of caliber 7,62 mm was the aircraft AC-47, which was based on the well-known military transport C-47. The licensed version of this machine is known in the USSR under the name of Lee-2.
After a fairly successful application of the first "ganships" in the specific conditions of Indochina, the US military expressed a desire to get more high-speed and lifting machines with weapons of larger caliber. The basis for such aircraft became military transport: C-119 and C-130. The caliber of the cannon armament mounted on them was continuously increasing. Rifle-caliber machine guns replaced the 20-mm automatic cannon with the АС-119. On the four-engine turboprop AC-130 in 1972, they were supplemented with 40-mm Bofors L / 60 and 105-mm howitzer. The most advanced search and aiming-navigation systems of that time were installed on the aircraft.
The following tasks were assigned to the "ganships": direct aviation support of troops; patrolling and disruption of enemy communications; striking at pre-identified enemy targets or at targets targeting them during patrols; providing defense of their bases and important facilities at night.
As the experience of military operations showed, the “ganships” operated very successfully at night in areas where there were no air defense systems and anti-aircraft guns with radar guidance. Attempts to use "ganships" over the well-covered air defense system "Path of Ho Chi Minh" led to serious losses. Also at the final stage of the conflict was unsuccessful experience of their use against units armed with light rifle weapons in the daytime. In the 1972, even small Viet Cong units often had Soviet-made Strela-2 MANPADS. The last shot-down aircraft of the Vietnam War was the "gunship" of the AU-119 South Vietnamese air force, hit by a MANPADS missile during the day.
After the completion of the "Vietnamese epic" in the US Air Force, the AC-130H modification aircraft remained in service. The end of hostilities for a long time left them out of work, the crews spent the ammunition only during shooting at the firing range. The opportunity to shoot from airborne guns at real targets was next introduced in October 1983 of the year during the US invasion of Grenada. The Ganships suppressed several small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery batteries, and also provided fire cover for the landing of marines.
The next operation with their participation was “Just Cause” - the US invasion of Panama. In this operation, Rio Hato and Paitilla airbases, Torrijos / Tosamen airport and Balboa port, as well as a number of individual military targets, became targets of AC-130. The fighting did not last long — from December 20 1989 to January 7 1990. Aircraft acted as a landfill. The US military called this operation intended specifically for "ganshipov." The almost complete absence of air defense and a very limited conflict area made the AU-130 "kings of the air." For aircraft crews, the war turned into training flights with shooting. In Panama, the crews of the “ganships” practiced the tactics that had become classic: two aircraft went into a turn in such a way that at a certain point in time they were at two opposite points of a circle, while their whole fire converged on the ground in a circle with a diameter of 15 meters, destroying literally everything that happened in the cannon firing sector. During the fighting aircraft flew during the daytime.
AC-130Н
The conditions in Iraq during the “Desert Storm” turned out to be completely different. There acted 4 aircraft AC-130H from the 4 squadron, which performed 50 sorties, the total flight time exceeded 280 hours. The main objective of the "gunships" was the destruction of the Scud ballistic missile launchers, radar detection of air targets and Iraqi communications. But they did not cope with the tasks. During the operation, it turned out that in the desert conditions, in the heat and the air saturated with sand and dust, the infrared systems of the aircraft were completely incapacitated, they simply gave one large glare on the screens. Moreover, one AC-130H during a combat departure to support ground forces in the battle for Al-Khafi was shot down by an Iraqi air defense missile system, the entire crew of the aircraft was killed. This loss confirmed the well-known truth from the time of Vietnam - in areas saturated with air defense systems, such aircraft have nothing to do.
In 1987, a new modification of the “flying cannon” appeared - АС-130U. By order of the Special Operations Forces Command (SOCOM), the aircraft was developed by Rockwell International. It differs from previous modifications by increased combat capabilities, due to more advanced electronic equipment and weapons. In total, by the beginning of the 1993 of the year, the X-NUMX of the AC-12U aircraft was delivered, which were to be replaced in the regular AC-130H. Like the previous modifications, the AC-130U was created by retrofitting the C-130H Hercules military transport aircraft. The AC-130U armament includes a five-barreled 130-mm cannon (25 ammo ammo, 3000 firing rate / min.), 6000-mm cannon (40 projectiles) and 256-mm (105 projectiles). All guns are movable, so pilots do not have to strictly maintain the trajectory of the aircraft to ensure the required accuracy of fire. Despite the large mass of the 98-mm cannon itself (compared to the 25-mm Vulcan cannon) and its ammunition, it provides an increased initial velocity and mass of projectiles, thereby increasing the range and effectiveness of firing.
A wide range of aim-navigation and radio-electronic equipment was mounted on the plane, which was supposed to increase the impact potential of the AC-130U, including when performing combat missions in adverse weather conditions and at night. To ensure good performance of the crew in a long flight in a soundproof compartment behind the cockpit there are places for crew members.
AC 130U
The AC-130U aircraft was equipped with air refueling systems and built-in controls, as well as removable armor protection, which is installed in preparation for the implementation of particularly dangerous tasks. According to American experts, due to the use of promising high-strength composite materials based on boron and carbon fibers, as well as the use of Kevlar, the mass of armor can be reduced by about 1000 kg (compared to metal armor). Particular attention was paid to equipping the aircraft with effective systems of electronic countermeasures against air defense systems and the emission of false targets.
The updated version of the “ganship” was successfully run in the 90 in the Balkans and in Somalia. In 2000, these machines successfully operated in Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, many thought that the time of "winged battleships" ends. In the US Congress against the background of enthusiasm for "high-precision weapons" began the debate about the need to decommission existing machines and stop financing the construction of new ones.
In addition, a new "superweapon" has appeared - combat armed remotely controlled Drones, capable of patrolling for a long time, inflicting high-precision strikes on identified targets. The progress made in the field of miniaturization of electronics and the creation of new lightweight and durable composite materials has made it possible to create unmanned remotely piloted strike vehicles with acceptable characteristics. The main advantages of the UAV, of course, are remote control, which eliminates the risk of death or capture of the pilot and lower operating costs.
UAV MQ-9 Reaper
At the beginning of the XXI century, the Middle East became the main region of the combat use of American unmanned aerial vehicles. In the operations of the American armed forces in Afghanistan and then in Iraq, the UAV, in addition to intelligence, carried out target designation of means of destruction, and in some cases attacked the enemy with their airborne weapons.
The first drone of the UAV was the reconnaissance MQ-1 Predator, equipped with AGM-114C Hellfire missiles. In February, 2002, this unit first struck a SUV that allegedly belonged to Osama bin Laden's accomplice, Mullah Mohammed Omar.
With the help of the UAVs, a real hunt for al-Qaeda leaders was organized. A series of Al Qaeda commanders in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen were eliminated in the course of “targeted strikes”.
However, strikes on Pakistani territory, as a result of which "civilians" were killed, caused numerous protests. Under pressure from the Pakistani side, the Americans were forced to withdraw their MQ-9 Reaper from Pakistan, where they were based at Shamsi airfield.
During the operation of the UAV revealed the weaknesses of these weapons. Despite the predictions of many "experts", the drones were unable to fully perform most of the tasks of combat aircraft. These devices, which are absolutely necessary and useful in their niche, were demanded primarily as a means of reconnaissance and surveillance in the specific conditions of the struggle against various Islamic "terrorist groups" that do not possess modern anti-aircraft weapons and EW equipment. But in terms of their strike potential, the UAV armament remained very limited; during real combat missions, they, as a rule, carried ammunition consisting of a pair of Hellfire missiles. That was sufficient to destroy small point targets or vehicles, but did not give the possibility of prolonged "fire pressure" on the enemy in order to hinder his actions or destroy area targets.
The vulnerability of UAVs against the fire of anti-aircraft weapons and dependence on meteorological factors turned out to be higher than that of manned vehicles. Starting from the combat use of attack and reconnaissance UAVs in Afghanistan, until the end of 2013, more than 420 vehicles were lost in various incidents. The main reasons were mechanical failures, operator errors and combat losses. Of these cases, 194 was categorized as A (loss of a drone or damage to the device in the amount of more than 2 million USD), 67 accidents occurred in Afghanistan, 41 in Iraq. Predator type UAVs suffered 102 category A accidents, Reaper - 22, Hunter - 26. Moreover, as noted in the media, in relation to UAVs, taking into account losses, the same approach was used as in relation to manned aircraft. In the category of casualties did not enter the cars that came under fire and received damage, but not shot down immediately. If such an aircraft crashed due to damage when returning to base or landing, it is believed that it was broken as a result of a flight accident. The total cost of the lost UAVs was higher than the savings from lower operating costs compared with manned aircraft.
Communication lines and data transmissions of American UAVs were vulnerable to interference and interception of the transmitted information, which in some cases led to the loss of vehicles or unwanted publicity of the details of the covert operations conducted.
Accumulated experience in the use of UAVs allowed them to assess their current capabilities and nullified the initial euphoria. The views of the military on their prospects for development and application have become more balanced. In other words, real hostilities have proven that at the moment there is no alternative to combat manned aircraft. For all their merits, drones can only be considered as a very useful addition.
The global war against “Islamic terrorism” that began in the 21st century gave rise to a new surge of interest in “anti-partisan” warplanes, but now they are called “counter-terrorism”.
Against this background, the debate about the necessity of abandoning the AU-130 aircraft in the USA somehow subsided. Moreover, as the early versions of the AC-130 are written off, new ones are ordered based on the most modern version of the C-130J with an extended cargo compartment. The command of special operations of the US Air Force even plans to double the number of heavily armed C-130J aircraft, their number is planned to be increased to 37 units.
The American special forces also expressed the desire to have, in addition to heavily armed “flying cannoners”, more versatile airplanes capable of performing other than fire support and other tasks.
MC-130W Combat Spear
Earlier in the US, several modifications of special operations support aircraft MC-130 were created and put into service. They were armed with four squadrons and were used for deep raids into the depths of the enemy’s territory with the aim of delivering or receiving people and goods during special operations.
In 2010, the 12 MC-130W retrofit and retrofit program was launched to increase the combat capabilities of the aircraft. During the modernization, the aircraft were equipped with new search-reconnaissance, navigation and sighting systems, and mounted on them weapons consisting of an 30-mm GAU-23 automatic cannon with bilateral ammunition feed, developed on the basis of the XMUMX “Bushmaster II” ( Bushmaster II).
In addition to the gun, the aircraft can carry 250 pound (113,5 kg) GBU-39 or small-sized (20 kg) guided bombs GBU-44 / B Viper Strike. A suspension of AGM-176 Griffin or AGM-114 Hellfire guided missiles is provided.
Such a composition of armaments, despite the absence of large-caliber guns on board the aircraft (such as on the AU-130) makes it possible to hit field fortifications and armored vehicles. In addition to the shock functions, the aircraft, which received the designation MC-130W Combat Spear after the upgrade, can also be used as a transporter or tanker, which significantly expands the range of its application and makes it truly universal.
Cockpit MC-130J Commando II
In addition to retrofitting and upgrading previously released MC-130W aircraft, in 2009, the Lockheed Martin plant in Marietta, Georgia began production of a new MC-130J Commando II modification.
MC-130J Commando II
Due to the elongated fuselage and more powerful and efficient engines, the aircraft has a higher payload and range. In total for the special operations forces it is planned to purchase 69 aircraft MC-130J. Other countries have expressed interest in acquiring such aircraft, especially those that are located adjacent to the areas of "anti-terrorist operations" or have problems with all sorts of insurgents.
However, the multi-purpose “hunt” on the basis of the newest C-130J turned out to be too expensive for many states, and besides, the USA was not ready to supply it to all countries. In this regard, the specialists of Aleniya Aeromacchi started the development of a C-27J Spartan tactical military transport aircraft. New shock modification received the designation MC-27J. At the Paris Aerospace Salon 2013, the Italian “ganship” was already shown as a full-fledged prototype.
MC-27J
C-27J has excellent take-off and landing characteristics; the “ganship” created on its base will be able to work without problems from field airfields and airfields with limited runways. It is characterized by high fuel efficiency, ease of operation and very low operating costs for aircraft of this class.
The main difference between the “ganship” and the base machine is the presence of a modular combat system installed in the aircraft’s cargo compartment, including the GAN-30 23-mm cannon and the corresponding weapon control system.
The gun is mounted on the left side, and as the embrasure is the rear fuselage door, which is usually used to drop parachutists. Moreover, the gun on a special machine is mounted on a standard cargo pallet, which facilitates installation and disassembly.
According to the calculations of the specialists of the development company, in a typical combat scenario, the MC-27J will operate at an altitude of about 3000 m, and the slant range of the cannon in this case will be about 4500 m. It is noted that if necessary, the 40-mm Bofors L70 cannon can be installed . This gun has a great firing range.
Special attention is paid to protecting the aircraft from MANPADS. For this purpose, suspended containers electronic countermeasures ALJS system. The basis of the system is an automatic laser jamming station that generates coded multi-spectral interfering radiation in a wide infrared range. It leads to the illumination of the infrared receiver of the GOS of the rocket and the formation of a false signal that deflects the rudders of the rocket, which leads to a breakdown of the rocket pointing at the chosen target.
In the future, it is planned to place air-to-surface guided missiles and other precision-guided munitions on the aircraft. It has been announced that it will be adapted for use on the promising Italian “guandes” of an AGM-176 Griffin guided bombs, which, if used from land or ship launchers, are equipped with a rocket engine and are classified as guided missiles, and a GBU-44 / B Viper Strike guided bombs. The ammunition data will be discharged either through an open rear ramp or through launch tubes, which will be built in the rear cargo door flaps and will thus preserve the tightness of the cargo compartment.
At the same time, MC-27J retains the ability to transport and paratrooper paratroopers or cargo of various purposes, in addition, it has the ability to solve the tasks of conducting reconnaissance, observation and reconnaissance. According to the developers, the aircraft will be able to solve a wide range of tasks: providing combat support to its forces (especially special operations forces), support for "counterterrorism operations", and ensuring the evacuation of military personnel and civilian personnel from crisis areas.
Interest in this aircraft showed: Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar and Colombia. Aleniya AeroMacci predicts a significant increase in global demand for ganship-class airplanes, so the company expects to deliver at least 20 such airplanes for the next 25-50 years.
The 32 th air squadron, subordinated to the Command of Special Operations of the Armed Forces of Jordan, is armed with two multi-purpose aircraft AC-235, which were upgraded from the basic transport variant CN-235 by the American company ATK.
The planes are armed with 30-mm M230 cannon (similar to the cannon mounted on the AN-64 Apache combat helicopter), 70-mm NAR, APKWS guided missiles with semi-active laser guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. In addition, jamming systems, electro-optical and infrared aiming systems, laser designators and synthetic aperture radar stations were installed on the aircraft.
In addition to these airplanes, a similar conversion is being carried out by one of the two C-295 military transport aircraft that are part of the Jordanian air force.
According to the views of the Jordanian military, "artillery aircraft" will be a powerful and effective addition to the combat potential of the armed forces of the kingdom. Aircraft can provide direct aviation support for special forces, conduct armed reconnaissance, search and rescue in combat conditions.
Some time ago in China, the Chinese "ganship" was tested. The aircraft is based on the Shaanxi Y-8, which is a licensed copy of the Soviet military transport An-12.
Unfortunately, the composition and characteristics of the weapons of this aircraft are not known. And the very appearance of such a machine in the PRC is puzzling, there are no particular problems with insurgents in the PRC. The fight against the Uygur separatists is successfully conducted by ordinary police methods. Perhaps the plane was created with export prospects.
As can be seen from the above, the interest in "anti-terrorist aircraft" in the world has recently increased significantly. It is often suggested that “armed transport workers” are nothing more than targets over a battlefield. This is certainly true of an enemy with a medium-range air defense system or at least anti-aircraft artillery with radar guidance. As a rule, such air defense systems are absent for all kinds of “illegal armed formations” (the example of DNR and LC is an exception). The maximum that such formations have is MZA and MANPADS. The range and height reach of modern MANPADS theoretically make it possible to fight against "ganships", however, in practice, for a number of reasons, this does not occur.
Proper use of "ganshipov" allows you to successfully avoid losses. For more than 20 years, the USAF has not lost a single vehicle of this class from combat damage, having flown many thousands of hours and spent thousands of shells in “hot spots” all over the world. MANPADS and MZA calculations are unable to perform aiming, capture and shelling the target at night. At the same time, the onboard equipment AC-130 allows you to operate successfully at any time of the day. The airplanes themselves are equipped with powerful electronic countermeasures and numerous “heat traps”. Currently developed and mass-produced laser automated systems of optical-electronic suppression (AN / AAR-60 MILDS), which can effectively protect a large aircraft from missiles with thermal guidance.
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