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Category: Air Force

Spectre 17 crew reunited with AC-130A 50 years after it was hit by 57mm round over Vietnam

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The crew of Spectre 17 was reunited with their aircraft to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its combat damage by a 57mm round during Operation Commando Hunt in Vietnam.

Aircrew from the AC-130A Gunship, call sign “Spectre 17,” assigned to the 16th Special Operations Squadron, pose for a photo next to the retired aircraft inside the Hurlburt Field Memorial Air Park March 3, 2022, at Hurlburt Field, Florida. On March 4, 1972, Spectre 17 was hit by a 57 mm round as the crew supported Operation Commando Hunt, a campaign of the Vietnam War. To commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the event, the crew reunited to revisit the aircraft and share stories from the famed flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jonathan Valdes Montijo)

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The LC-130 will no longer require RATO after engine upgrades

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The Lockheed LC-130 is a ski-equipped aircraft that supports U.S. missions in the Arctic and Antarctic. The aircraft requires rocket-assisted-takeoff (RATO) rockets for take-off when carrying heavy loads over snow or ice. Recently, the LC-130 was upgraded with T56-8-15A 3.5 engines that negate the need for RATO rockets.

Lockheed LC-130H Hercules (L-382), USA - Air Force AN0633004
Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation (GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons
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