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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 .
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English: A U.S. Air Force Douglas AC-47D Spooky gunship (s/n 43-49010) of the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, in June 1970. The 4th SOS had the tail code "EN" at Nha Trang Air Base, Vietnam.
Several larger aircraft were outfitted with miniguns specifically for close air support: the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly with an internal gun and with pods on wing hardpoints; and the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, also with pods on wing hardpoints. Other famous gunship airplanes are the Douglas AC-47 Spooky, the Fairchild AC-119, and the Lockheed AC-130. [8]
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 ...
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. First configured in 1965, the AC-47 was equipped with three 7.62mm miniguns could selectively fire either 50 or 100 rounds per second.
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AC-47 Spooky gunship Serial 44-76625 of the 4th Air Commando Squadron, March 1969 AC-119G Shadow gunship Serial 53-3178 17th Special Operations Squadron at Nha Trang. The 14th Air Commando Wing was activated at Nha Trang on 8 March 1966 and it would be the host unit at the base until 15 October 1969 when it moved to Phan Rang Air Base.