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The AC-47 Spooky was the first in a series of gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was felt that more firepower than could be provided by light and medium attack aircraft was needed in some situations when ground forces called for close support. This needed eventuated the development of converted cargo aircraft with side-firing weapons of various sizes and types, up to and including 75mm howitzers.
The earliest iteration of the gunship concept was developed from the World War II stalwart transport aircraft the C-47 Skytrain. The AC-47's main weapons were three 7.62mm miniguns. It also carried very powerful flares. The AC-47 did sterling service during the Vietnam War, with 53 being converted. However, due to the age of its base airframe, the aircraft was very vulnerable to ground fire. Consequently, further gunship designs were developed, based around newer cargo airframes.
