The AC-130 Spectre Gunship is used in Afghanistan

Nicknamed "Puff The Magic Dragon" many years ago, this is one of the most fearsome planes in the US arsenal. If you've seen pictures of it, don't let the benign appearance and propeller-driven design fool you. This thing is capable of chewing up (literally) acres of ground per second, with on-board artillery, "Vulcan" chain guns and other assorted nastiness.

One of the quotes from the Afghan's war with the Soviets was, "we don't fear the Russians, but we do fear their helicopters." As good as the Soviet choppers were, they don't hold candle to Puff.

Give up, Taliban. It's all over but the shouting. :)

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2001

Answers

By the way, the chain guns generally employ tracer rounds to create the effect of a giant rope of fire reaching from the plane to the ground. It looks almost like a raygun from a "B" science fiction movie.

I wonder if they're using this thing at night, or only in the daytime?

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2001

Of course, it's pretty impressive even in daytime ...

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2001

Looks to me like anti-missile flare ejections rather than chain-gun tracers.

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2001

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2001

Yep, those are flares. But I thought it was a nice picture. :)

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2001

Welcome to Hell, Osama.

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2001

Stephen, the ‘Original’ Puff was a C-47, which is a variant of the Douglas DC-3. These fearsome ‘Gooney Birds’ carried three Gattlings, which were manned by gunners, unlike the sophisticated warbird shown in the above pictures. NOTHING put the fear in Charley like the bad ass Dragons.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

AC-130A "Spectre" gunship, named Azrael--Angel of Death, (Azrael, in the Koran, was the angel of death who severed the soul from the body.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001

Spooky bird, not Puff. Anyway, we lost that war, doncha remember?

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Happy tales.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2001