Credit
MSgt Christopher Boitz · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified
FORCETALLY
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At a glance
Measured figures
AC-130 · Length
Single source97 ft 9 in (29.79 m)[source]
Length
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | Lockheed AC-130 | Shenyang J-16 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ground-attack aircraft and close air support gunship for SOF teams[source] | — |
| National origin | United States[source] | People's Republic of China[source] |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Boeing[source] | Shenyang Aircraft Corporation[source] |
| Status | In service (AC-130J)[source] | In service[source] |
21.9 m (71 ft 10 in)[source]
AC-130 · 4 × Allison T56 -A-15 turboprop engine, 4,300 shp ( ) each (AC-130U
Single source4 × Allison T56 -A-15 turboprop engine, 4,300 shp (3,200 kW) each (AC-130U)[source]
2 × Shenyang WS-10B afterburning turbofans with afterburner
Single source2 × Shenyang WS-10B afterburning turbofans , 135 kN (30,000 lbf) with afterburner[source]
45,000 ft/min
Single source230 m/s (45,000 ft/min)[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
| Primary user | United States Air Force[source] | People's Liberation Army Air Force[source] |
|---|
| Introduction date | AC-130A: 1968 AC-130H: 1969 AC-130U: 1995 AC-130W: 2012 AC-130J: 2017[source] | 2015–16[source] |
|---|
| First flight | AC-130A: 1967[source] | — |
|---|
| Retired | AC-130A: 1995 AC-130H: 2015 AC-130U: 2020 AC-130W: 2022[source] | — |
|---|
| Developed from | Lockheed C-130 Hercules Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules[source] | Shenyang J-11 Su-30MKK[source] |
|---|
| Officers | 4 (Two Pilots, Two Combat Systems Officers)[source] | — |
|---|
| Enlisted | 3 (Special Mission Aviators)[source] | — |
|---|
| Propellers | 6-bladed Dowty R391 featuring ARA-D/A airfoils[source] | — |
|---|
| Navigation systems | Teledyne Ryan (now part of Northrop Grumman ) AN/APN-218 radar – doppler navigation radar[source] | — |
|---|
| Previously installed systems | AN/APN-59 radar – search and weather radar[source] | — |
|---|
| Mission systems | Raytheon AN/APQ-180 multimode attack radar – enhanced version of AN/APG-70 radar (used on F-15E Strike Eagle ) incorporating several enhanced air-to-ground modes such as fixed target track, ground moving target indication and track, projectile impact point position, beacon track, and a weather detection Raytheon AN/AAQ-26 IDS – LWIR FLIR (mounted on port side of the nose landing gear door) Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-39 Gunship Multispectral Sensor System (GMS2) – EO/IR fire control system consists of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) FLIR, two Image-Intensified Television (I2TV) cameras ( CCD-TV ), laser target designator/rangefinder with eyesafe mode (1064 and 1570 nm dual mode laser emitter), and near-infrared (NIR) laser pointer/marker (860 nm laser emitter) (mounted under the nose of port landing gear sponson)[source] | — |
|---|
| Countermeasures | Raytheon AN/ALR-69 – digital Radar warning receiver (RWR) L-3 Communications AN/AAR-44 – UV-based Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) ITT Exelis AN/ALQ-172 – Digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammer-based Electronic countermeasure (ECM) incorporating integrated Electronic Warfare (EW) self-protection function of detection, processing, warning, prioritization, jamming, and threat display BAE Systems AN/ALQ-196 Low-Band Jammer (LBJ) – low frequency DRFM jammer-based ECM Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ-24 Nemesis – laser-based Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) (mounted on the port and starboard rear fuselage) BAE Systems AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispensing System (CMDS) – chaff/flare dispenser[source] | — |
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| Role | — | Multirole strike fighter[source] |
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| Number built | — | ~ 470 - ~ 500 (As of 2026 )[source] |
|---|
| Manufactured | — | 2017–present[source] |
|---|
| g limits | — | +9[source] |
|---|
| Hardpoints | — | Munitions on 12 external hardpoints, including:[source] |
|---|