The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily-armed ground-attack aircraft variant of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. the basic airframe is manufactured by Lockheed, while Boeing is liable for the conversion into a gunship and for aircraft support.
These heavily armed aircraft incorporate side-firing weapons integrated with sophisticated sensor, navigation and fire control systems to supply surgical firepower or area saturation throughout extended periods, at nighttime and in adverse weather. The AC-130 series has been used effectively for over 30 years to require out ground defenses and targets. One disadvantage to using the AC-130 series is that it's generally only employed in night assaults due to its poor maneuverability and limited orientations relative to the target during attack.
