US AC-130 Gunships Returning to Iraq

[Guy. E]

A bundle of Joy?

 

[George Wallace]

Sideways glancing Radar, Sensor Suite and Recconnaissance Pods.

 

[Blue Max]

Multi-mode Strike Radar? As George said "Sensor suit", but I can not see any optics visible on those wing pods.

 

[Journeyman]

I was kind of hoping the answer included "AN/xxx" so I could hit my handy Janes All the Worlds Electronic Geek Stuff....

 

[Blue Max]

Are those Laser designators on the inboard pod that look like they have warning Laser energy warning labels fwd & aft?

P.S. How about: AN/AAQ-26 & APQ-180 strike radar system.

 

[zipperhead_cop]

No. But if all those guns aren't enough for you, you are in the wrong gun-fight!

Oh, the guns are damn impressive, don't get me wrong.  I'm just all about the "full flavour".  Rain bullets, bombs, empty beer bottles, piss, pictures of Jean Chretien.  Whatever is going to harm the enemy. 

BTW, here is a video of the above pictured flares launching.  Pretty awesome.  If there was some religious kook on the ground they might think an angel was kicking their ass:

http://tonyrogers.com/images/weapons/Angel-Decoy.mpe

This, for no other reason, is why the US will win:  they have the coolest toys. 

 

[Good2Golf]

Sorry Journeyman, that's an H...FCS radar up front, U's FCS radar is just fwd of the main gear...also there are fairings for the 2 x 20mm (they were messing with you by taking the fwd 20mm out).  A U's 25mm is the only single fairing up front.

Wow, I'm surprized to see that big pod still on the Spectre.  It's an AN/ALQ-131(V), tri-band (bands 3,4,5) noise jammer, normally seen on A-10s and ANG F-16s.  Normally Spectre runs the internal ALQ-172 or -196.  The -131 is an older unit and had a pretty high power unit and nice coverage but it is not as supportable as the newer internal/integrated DECM systems like -172s or -196s.  The smaller pod above and slightly aft of the ALQ-131 is an AN/ALQ-87 FM barrage jammer (1-8 GHz coverage IIRC).

Cheers,
Duey 

 

[Journeyman]

OK, sometimes I can accept correction 

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Sorry Journeyman, that's an H...FCS radar up front, U's FCS radar is just fwd of the main gear...also there are fairings for the 2 x 20mm (they were messing with you by taking the fwd 20mm out).  A U's 25mm is the only single fairing up front.

Wow, I'm surprized to see that big pod still on the Spectre.  It's an AN/ALQ-131(V), tri-band (bands 3,4,5) noise jammer, normally seen on A-10s and ANG F-16s.  Normally Spectre runs the internal ALQ-172 or -196.  The -131 is an older unit and had a pretty high power unit and nice coverage but it is not as supportable as the newer internal/integrated DECM systems like -172s or -196s.  The smaller pod above and slightly aft of the ALQ-131 is an AN/ALQ-87 FM barrage jammer (1-8 GHz coverage IIRC).

Cheers,
Duey 

Charlie Brown teacher voice.  That is some job knowledge.

 

[Good2Golf]

Well, ZC, believe it or not, I got a lot of talking down to by the "siezed-rotor" guys because I was "just a helicopter pilot", electrical and computer engineering degrees, operational evaluation test pilot qual, aerospace systems graduate and a bit of time "in the saddle" as an EWO notwithstanding...  :  Their loss -- fortunately my brain is still pretty full of lots of useless bar trivia!  If it has a number in it, odds are I may know it... ;D

Cheers,
Duey

 

[zipperhead_cop]

Well, ZC, believe it or not, I got a lot of talking down to by the "siezed-rotor" guys because I was "just a helicopter pilot", electrical and computer engineering degrees, operational evaluation test pilot qual, aerospace systems graduate and a bit of time "in the saddle" as an EWO notwithstanding...  :  Their loss -- fortunately my brain is still pretty full of lots of useless bar trivia!  If it has a number in it, odds are I may know it... ;D

Cheers,
Duey

We have a few guys like that at work.  They can remember a licence plate or telephone number they dialed once a year ago.  Always a great resource. 
I don't suppose Canada has the ability to trick out any of it's Herc's as such? 

 

[Good2Golf]

We used to have AN/ALQ-87, -126, and -131 pods on Falcon and Challengers IIRC, but not sure if we have those pods anymore.  Technically, nothing stopping us form using them if we still had them...

Cheers,
Duey