AC-130

The AC-130 is a gunship used by the United States Air Force in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
On the PC and consoles, the AC-130 only appears in the missions "Death From Above" and "Hunted". On the DS, it is in the level "Spectre". The gunship is armed with a 105mm cannon, with a very wide blast radius, but it must reload after each shot and has a long reload phase. It has the widest view in the Gunship, making it good for spotting ground targets. The 40mm Bofors auto-cannon creates small explosions and is fully automatic, though the firing rate is comparably slower to what some players consider "fully automatic". The 25mm Gatling gun is an automatic rapid-fire weapon with the highest zoom and least splash damage, making it very useful when friendlies and enemies are close to each other. The 40mm Bofors and 25mm Gatling gun have unlimited ammunition and do not reload like the 105mm cannon. This ability is lost in Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3.

Multiplayer
The AC-130 was originally going to be in Modern Warfare's multiplayer, but was however cut from the final release. Several files can be found (ac130_25mm_mp, ac130_40mm_mp, ac130_105mm_mp).

Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish
An AC-130, callsign Spectre 6-4, was seen in Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish providing close air support for the Task Force 141. It is later shot down by an RPG-7.

Campaign
In campaign, there is one landed on the airfield in "S.S.D.D.".

Multiplayer
The AC-130 returns as an obtainable killstreak in Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer. It takes eleven kills without dying to get the killstreak. It has three different mounted guns (105 mm, 40 mm and 20 mm) and lasts 40 seconds.

Spec Ops
The AC-130 appears in the Spec Ops mission "Overwatch" being gunned by one of the players. Before the mission starts the host is asked to select the AC-130 gunner. Just like in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare campaign and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer the AC-130 features three guns, all being the same, but like in Call of Duty 4 the 40 mm and 25 mm guns do not need to be reloaded.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
The AC-130 returns in Modern Warfare: Mobilized as one of the three usable vehicles, the others being the M1 Abrams and the Humvee. The AC-130 has also gotten an increase in damage for most weapons, as the 20mm Vulcan cannon is capable of taking out enemy T-72s, as well as an increase in bullet speed and rate of fire; the 105mm Howitzer is capable of taking out large buildings in around two shots. Unlike previous games, where the player could only fail by attacking friendlies and no-fire zones, the AC-130 can now be shot down by enemy anti-air vehicles, supposedly BM-21s.

The AC-130 is only used in the level Clearing the Way, though seen giving the player air support in Winter Assault and guiding the player in Last Chance. The main use of the AC-130 is not to protect allies, but to take out enemy vehicles (BM-21s, T-72s, Hinds), and destroy enemy structures.

Campaign
The AC-130 makes an appearance in the missions "Bag and Drag" and "Iron Lady" in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. In "Bag and Drag, Frost uses air support markers to designate targets for an AC-130, callsign "Warhammer". In "Iron Lady", "Warhammer's" AC-130 Gunner continues to provide fire support for Delta Force operators, and Frost continues to designate targets with air support markers. The imaging camera can be toggled for thermal as well as dynamically controlled for zoom.

Special Ops
The AC-130 is available for both Survival and Mission modes.

Mission Mode
The AC-130 appears in the Mission Mode missions "Toxic Paradise" and "Fire Mission". In Toxic Paradise, the player can throw an Air Support Marker that produces purple smoke on the ground to designate targets for an AC-130. In Fire Mission, much like the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Special Ops mission "Overwatch", one player controls an AC-130, while another player on the ground must disable anti-air defenses to protect the AC-130, and reach the entrance to an enemy base. It also appears in mission "Light Em Up", at the end of the mission, where the player throws Air Support Marker to mark the target.

Survival Mode
The AC-130 also appears in the Survival Mode as an upgrade called Air Strike, that can be purchased from an Air Support Armory for $2500. Like in Mission Mode, the player can throw down an air support marker to designate fire for the vehicle.

Tips: Before attempting to throw the air support marker, it is always recommended to look up into the sky (if time permits) to know which direction the AC-130 is currently hovering. This is to prevent the waste of an airstrike when the air support marker is being thrown at a location where the AC-130 is unable to hit the designated area (eg. due to tall buildings blocking).

Multiplayer
It also returns in multiplayer, as a 12 Pointstreak in the Assault Package. The only changes are an ammo counter for each weapon as well as the ability to switch between Thermal and Enhanced Optics.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II
AC-130 is briefly seen in mission "Suffer with Me", where it can be called to provide support if the player manages to find flares using the Access Kit.

Videos
AC-130 AC-130