AC-130H Spectre

The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is used by the United States Air Force in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The AC-130 is powered by four turboprops and has an armament ranging from 25 mm Gatling guns to 105 mm howitzers. It has a standard crew of twelve or thirteen Airmen, including five officers (two pilots, a navigator, an electronic warfare officer and a fire control officer) and enlisted personnel (flight engineer, electronics operators and aerial gunners).

The US Air Force uses the AC-130 gunships for close air support, air interdiction, and force protection. Close air support roles include supporting ground troops, escorting convoys, and flying urban operations. Air interdiction missions are conducted against planned targets and targets of opportunity. Force protection missions include defending air bases and other facilities. Stationed at Hurlburt Field in Northwest Florida, the gunship squadrons are part of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), a component of United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
On the DS, it is in the level "Spectre". On the PC and consoles, the AC-130 only appears in the missions Death From Above and Hunted. The gunship is armed with a 105mm cannon, with a very wide blast radius, but it must reload after each shot. It has the widest angle view, making it good for spotting targets. The 40mm Bofors autocannon 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 in-game plane is actually an AC-130U Spooky, since the Spectre does not feature the 25mm Gatling gun. The AC-130 contains a crew of a TV operator, a fire control operator or FCO, a navigator, a gunner, and a pilot

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The AC-130 returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as an unlockable, optional killstreak perk. It is an 11 (10 with the hardline perk) kill streak reward and lasts forty seconds, but leaves the player vulnerable while they control the aircraft remotely with a laptop computer. The main 105mm cannon can be switched to the 40mm and 25mm weapons by using the change weapon button. If the player is killed while in control of the AC-130, they still get to finish using the AC-130 before respawning (unless the player suicides due to incurring a Friendly Fire penalty in Hardcore Team Deathmatch). The entire field will appear in black-and-white as in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, though with the addition of red squares showing enemy positions (though this may be avoided with the perk Cold-Blooded). Enemy helicopters can also be shot down from above.

The AC-130 has two flare countermeasures to disrupt homing missiles. The Stinger missile has only 2 missiles, so one person cannot shoot it down (Unless said player resupplies using Scavenger or has Sleight of Hand to reload the stinger quick enough to shoot it down before the AC-130 can shoot flares again), so you usually need more than one person trying to shoot it down. Although a Javelin missile will also miss due to the countermeasures, the missile will hit a location on the ground near the gunship.

In Spec Ops, the AC-130 is in the level Overwatch. The second player controls the AC-130 and can see targets marked by the player on the ground. All three weapons are available to the AC-130. That same gun is fully automatic in Spec Ops.

However, unlike in Call of Duty 4 (though not entirely accurate, as you have no other allies on the ground at the same time) the rounds fired from the cannon and the Bofors make a distinctive whistling sound as they near impact, giving the enemy a small window of escape, though very hard to utilize.

Shooting down an AC-130 will give you 400 XP



As compared to Chopper Gunner

 * The AC-130 orbits the battlefield, providing a clear view of most of the map; however when circling some large portions of the map cannot be aimed at, most apparent on the Derail map. Chopper Gunner's has an AI pilot who moves the craft around to expose enemies, but does not have a complete overview of the map.
 * The AC-130 can shoot down other killstreaks. Chopper gunner can destroy harriers, although with extreme difficulty.
 * Chopper Gunner can be shot down by a Harrier unless it is quickly destroyed. The AC-130 is impervious to all killstreaks except an incredibly lucky hit from the Predator Missile.
 * The AC-130 can evade guided missiles using up to two bursts of Angel Flares, though they reload every ten seconds with another two Angel Flares. Chopper Gunner is more vulnerable with only one flare.
 * The AC-130 is invulnerable to gunfire from players. Chopper Gunners can be shot down by sustained gunfire.
 * The AC-130 can fire explosive shells thus giving it the limited ability to hit enemies in cover if the explosion can reach them. However, these rounds have a rather long reload time, making it necessary to switch weapons when one needs reloading. Like Chopper Gunner, AC-130 rounds will travel through some thin materials. Chopper Gunner however, lacks the 105mm and 40mm and only uses 25mm rounds which have a small explosive radius.
 * The AC-130's 105mm and 40mm rounds are far more powerful than Chopper Gunner's 25mm gun, almost always insuring 1 hit kills to anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the blast radius. Chopper Gunner takes a few seconds to kill, allowing its targets a small amount of time to get to safety.
 * The Chopper Gunner has the pilot avoiding gunfire, causing bumpy movements making it difficult for the player to aim while this happens. The AC-130 never wavers giving the player a steady aim.
 * The three different weapons on the AC-130 have different zoom effects, while Chopper Gunner has a fixed zoom.
 * The AC-130 appears to actually fire where ever the user aims. Chopper Gunner has some limited aim assist.
 * The AC-130's weapons have a noticeable flight time between firing and hitting the ground therefore moving targets must be led. AC-130 operators must also cycle through weapons to maintain a continuous barrage. The Chopper Gunner's gun has a high rate of fire, and given its aim assist leading is not really required.
 * The AC-130 can be called in as long as no other AC-130 is aloft. Chopper Gunner requires the airspace to be clear of all other attack helicopters (Care Package Little Birds don't matter) before launching.
 * The AC-130 remains in the air for a shorter period of time. While both last for 40 seconds, the Chopper Gunner's timer doesn't start until it reaches the airspace above the battlefield. The AC-130's timer starts immediately after being called in.
 * The AC-130 is usually considered to be better in large, open maps such as Wasteland due to the fact that there is little cover for ground forces while the Chopper Gunner is better in maps with a lot of streets and buildings such as Karachi because the helicopter can fly above the streets, exposing enemies.

Because of all the assistance the Chopper Gunner provides, it is generally considered easier to use than the AC-130, which requires some finesse. The AC-130, however, is slightly more durable as it is equipped with more flares and travels in a high, wide orbit making it harder to see and thus shoot down.

Using the AC 130

 * Don't rely on just the 105mm, it takes a while to reload and ticks off precious seconds that could be used to score another kill.
 * The AC 130 can easily destroy other killstreaks including UAVs.
 * Cycle through your weapons so that you don't have to wait for a weapon to be functional again.
 * The AC 130 launches flares when a rocket is locked on, it can have up to 2 flares and gets new flares every ten seconds, making you virtually impervious to locked on missiles unless three people launch missiles at the gunship at once.
 * If you are playing an objective game such as CTF, launch heavy shells at the enemy flag to kill ambushers, be sure to watch a teammate who takes the flag.
 * You can use the AC 130 as long as there is no other AC 130 in the air, enemy or friendly. So there is rarely a time you can't call in your platform of death, as getting an AC 130 in a killstreak is quite a task and the AC 130 percentage in a crate is not even 8%.

Against an AC 130

 * If an enemy AC 130 is in the air, there is little you can do to stop it. The best strategy is to just wait it out.
 * Walking in open ground is nothing more than suicide. You may have to stay indoors for the minute it is around.
 * Avoid calling in helicopters or harriers because the AC 130 gunner can and probably will destroy them. Airstrikes and Stealth Bombers can be called in as the enemy gunner will likely not be ready when the aircraft arrives.
 * If you are watching your minimap when the AC 130 is aloft, you may notice a small airplane icon on the outside, that is where the gunship is facing the map. It can give you hints on where to hide and when to move if the gunship exposes your hiding spot.
 * If from a care package or used after dying, it doesn't count toward a Nuke or Emp.

Challenges

 * AC130 Veteran I: Call in 3 AC130's rewards 1000 xp and Godhand title
 * AC130 Veteran II: Call in 10 AC130's rewards 5000 xp and Angel of Death title
 * AC130 Veteran III: Call in 25 AC130's rewards 10000 xp and AC130 emblem
 * Death From Above: Get the winning killcam with an AC130 rewards 2500 xp, Death From Above title and AC130 flares emblem
 * Spectre I (prestige only): Get 50 kills with an AC130 rewards 2500 xp and Spectre title
 * Spectre II (prestige only): Get 250 kills with an AC130 rewards 5000 xp
 * Spectre III (prestige only): Get 500 kills with an AC130 rewards 10000 xp
 * Spectre IV (prestige only): Get 1000 kills with an AC130 rewards 10000 xp, golden "AC130" title and the rotating emblem of the 1st/10th prestige from CoD:MW2/CoD:MW, respectively.

Trivia

 * In multiplayer, when an enemy AC-130 is called in, the multiplayer announcer will announce this with a terrified voice. This is easier to hear on the Spetsnaz team. Only the Task Force 141 announcer (Ghost) will remain calm, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1m7u4WU2hs, shows all the factions reactions to an enemy AC-130 Spectre.
 * In multiplayer, the AC-130 has a countdown to when you're back on the ground. However, it takes you out of AC-130 mode 3 seconds early.
 * After getting the ability to call in an AC-130 it is recommend, to switch to another class, which has Danger Close Pro enabled.
 * Occasionally in multiplayer, firing at an enemy AC-130 with a normal weapon will cause it to deploy one of its flare payloads. This is very rare and is likely a bug, but it will help you or your team take it down as one less rocket will be required.
 * In Multiplayer, regardless of whether you play as the U.S. Army Rangers/Navy SEALs, or the International TF141, the crew of the AC-130 will always speak in an American accent. However, Russian, Brazillian Militia, and OpFor crew talks in their native languages.
 * When the AC-130 is leaving the battlefield it is still visible but cannot be locked-on or destroyed by any of the launchers. This is signaled by the gunship repeatedly launching flares until it leaves.
 * It is possible to shoot down your own killstreak rewards with the AC-130 if you aren't careful, as they are hard to distinguish on its thermal.
 * You can shoot the AC-130 with a primary weapon and hear a metal "cling" sound, but it will not damage it.
 * It is possible to destroy an AC-130 with a Predator Missile yet almost nearly impossible.
 * The AC-130 in MW2 should not have the 25mm, or 40mm Bofors cannon. Due to the fact the game takes place in 2016 and the Air Force plans on refitting their AC-130's with twin 30mm Bushmaster automatic cannons starting in 2010. (however, the Air Force has canceled these plans due to accuracy problems with the bushmaster guns)
 * While inside the AC-130, the American/TF141 crew uses the same comments as in Call of Duty 4 - Death From Above: e.g: "We got a runner...there he is!", "Yup, there's a lot of little pieces down there." etc.
 * Possibly the most popular way of getting an AC130 is to have the killstreak loadout Predator Missile, Harrier Strike, and then the AC130.
 * Though a rare glitch, there was a glitch that renders all players with infinite ammo (The glitch was fixed by patch 1.07). Should someone be lucky enough to get the AC130 then the 105mm round is infinite and does not need to reload, making it like its 25mm and 40mm counterparts. Amusingly this means that one could pepper the whole map continuously leaving no room for any player to escape the AC130's attack while out in the open, making the infinite 105mm round one of the most devastating attacks within the game.