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The Douglas AC-47 ("Puff, the Magic Dragon") was the first in a series of fixed-wing gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War.It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium ground-attack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support.
AC-47 Gunship. The squadron was reactivated in October 1969 at England Air Force Base, Louisiana as the 548th Special Operations Training Squadron. Its mission was to train Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots and crews on the Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship, which the United States was transferring to South Vietnamese control in the conflict ...
Later, during the Vietnam era, the 14th Air Commando Squadron, flew Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunships between 1967 and 1968. The 14th flew out of Nha Trang Air Base , Phan Rang Air Base , Bien Hoa Air Base , and Binh Thuy Air Base , providing fire support in defense of US air bases, special forces camps, Republic of Vietnam Army outposts, and South ...
About 30 PAVN/VC penetrated the perimeter, and close-in fighting ensued while they were either killed or driven out of the perimeter. During the action, a USAF AC-47 Spooky gunship and helicopter gunships supported the base. PAVN/VC losses were 27 killed, 1 flamethrower and 12 individual weapons were captured, US losses were 14 killed.
The sappers penetrated the perimeter but were unable to reach the inner perimeter and tactical operations center. At 03:40 a unit from the 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) reinforced the camp and helicopter gunships and a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) AC-47 Spooky gunship provided fire support.
The defenders were supported by artillery and AC-47 Spooky gunship fire killing 78 PAVN/VC and capturing one and seven individual weapons and one light machinegun; U.S. losses were one killed. At 03:30 a firebase 6 miles southeast of Dầu Tiếng occupied by a unit of the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division received 150 rounds of mortar and ...
An AC-47 Spooky gunship responded, dropping flares and firing on Communist troops near the overrun outpost. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] Later on 17 February, a Butterfly Forward Air Controller , U.S. Air Force Captain Ramon Horinek, found a civilian pilot to fly him over the battlefield.
The Douglas AC-47 Spooky was the first notable modern gunship. In 1964, during the Vietnam War, [2] the popular Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport was successfully modified into a gunship by the United States Air Force with three side-firing Miniguns for circling attacks. At the time the aircraft was known as a "Dragonship", "Puff, the Magic ...