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  History of the 16 SOS   The Birth of Spectre   SOS/CC
The Birth of Spectre, "The Gunship Saga" 1   2   3 Go to next page

Spectre had its beginning when operational testing of a C-130 as a gunship was conducted at Eglin AFB FL from June through September of 1967. The bird saw its first combat when a C-130A Task Force was deployed to Nha Trang, Republic of Vietnam, on 20 September 1967. The first combat mission was flown shortly thereafter on 27 September 1967. The first AC-130 gunship was known as "Super Spook" during those first few days of operation. The first truck busting mission was flown on 9 November 1967. This task force became Detachment 2, 14th Air Commando Wing. In June 1968, Spectre was deployed to Tan Son Nhut AB near Saigon for support against the TET Offensive. While there, Detachment 2, 14th Air Commando Wing, was assigned to the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing and became the 16th Special Operations Squadron. It was at this time that the C-130A gunship was designated the AC-130A.

On 30 October 1968, the 16 SOS "Spectre" was activated at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), Thailand. The unit was equipped first with the AC-l30A gunship and later with the more advanced AC-l30E/H model. Even before Spectre was a squadron, it was utilized by Special Forces in Vietnam. On 18 August 1968, a gunship flying an armed reconnaissance mission in Vietnam's III Corps was diverted to support a Special Forces base at Katum. The ground commander quickly assessed the accurate fire and capabilities of this weapon 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. So began the close working relationship with Special Forces that Spectre enjoys to this day.

The early years of Spectre yielded many firsts. On 26 September 1968, Spectre took its first hit from an antiaircraft artillery (AAA) emplacement near a Special Forces camp--Spectre had a new patch and was now battle damaged qualified. December 1968 saw Spectre fly its first mission with F-4 escorts, a tactic implemented to protect the gunship against heavy and concentrated AAA. The first escort was flown by the "Night Owls" of the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) also stationed at Ubon. Thus began another working relationship that is still in existence.

On 24 May 1969, Spectre lost its first gunship and two crew members. At the very moment the aircraft was hit, the 16 SOS sustained its first KIA--the illuminator operator, who died from exploding AAA rounds, but not before he had warned the pilot and crew of the approaching deadly rounds. Most of the crew bailed out over Thailand and were recovered. A skeleton crew brought the aircraft back to Ubon where it crash landed. All escaped the aircraft before it was consumed in flames except the engineer, who became Spectre's second combat fatality. On the brighter side, Spectre accomplished a spectacular first on 8 May 1969, when a gunship shot down an enemy helicopter, to the chagrin of the local fighter squadron, who were getting nothing in the way of air-to-air kills at the time.

When one thinks of special operations gunships, the AC-130 aircraft immediately comes to mind; but not all gunships were AC-130s. Prior to the AC-130s, aircrews flew the latest in the family of gunships which included the famous AC-47 Spooky, AC-119G Shadow, and the AC-119K Stinger. The concept had been tested and the C-130 airframe was selected, however, very few C-130 aircraft were available for configuration to gunships and alternate airframes were used. In December 1969, the AC-123K (Blind Bat) began operations with the 16 SOS. The big difference between the AC-130 and the AC-123 was that the AC-123K did not have guns. This Spectre aircraft flew over its targets and dropped bombs! This weapon system proved less effective than its counterpart, the AC-130, and operations with it were discontinued in June 1970. December 1970 saw the arrival of the Pave Pronto AC-130As. As the squadron continued to grow, new events took place.

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