AC-130H Spectre

"Enemy AC-130 above!"

- Multiplayer announcer

"Friendly AC-130, in the air!"

- Multiplayer announcer

"Our AC-130's in the air."

- Multiplayer announcer

The Lockheed Martin AC-130 Spectre gunship is used by the United States Air Force in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The AC-130 is powered by four Allison T56 turboprops and has an armament consisting of a GAU-12/U 25mm Gatling gun, an L60 40mm Bofors cannon, and an M102 105mm howitzer. It has a standard crew of thirteen (Spooky) or fourteen (Spectre) 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, and a loadmaster).

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) which is a component of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

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. 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 still the AC-130U Spooky, because the AC-130H Spectre does not have the 25mm cannon, only the 105mm howitzer and the 40mm Bofors cannon.

Using the AC-130

 * This video is a good example of how to use the AC-130 in multiplayer effectively.
 * 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 since it flies at a somewhat high altitude.
 * If people are ganging up to shoot down your AC-130, take them out quickly because your flares can only deflect two rockets.
 * It is possible to headshot with all armaments on the AC-130.
 * If you are playing an objective game such as Capture the Flag, launch 105mm shells at the enemy flag to kill ambushers. Be sure to watch out for teammates that are attacking the objective on Hardcore modes, as Friendly Fire you can easily kill a teammate accidentally.
 * Getting an AC-130 killstreak is quite a challenge, and the percentage of an AC-130 in a Care Package and/or Emergency Airdrop is not even 8%.
 * Its not a good idea to use an AC-130 on a map like Skidrow because of the portion of the map located indoors, where the explosion might not hit a player, taking cover in a building.
 * You will hear a warning siren when a missile is tracking you, if the missile is diverted there will be a beeping sound similar to one onboard an airplane, when flares are launched.
 * For large groups, use the 105mm or the 40mm. When dealing with lone people, it is generally better to use the 25mm Gatling gun.
 * If you see that your time in the AC-130 is almost gone (the time that you have left to control the AC-130 is displayed on the bottom right corner of your screen), be sure to fire off some 105mm and 40mm rounds if you can, just for that extra 2 or 3 kills.
 * Be very careful using the 105mm on Hardcore, it could easily kill a teammate with additional splash damage.
 * A direct hit from the 40mm Bofors inflicts enough damage to destroy any hostile killstreaks.

Against an AC-130

 * If an enemy AC-130 is in the air, switch to a class with Cold-Blooded and a Stinger Missile launcher. Team up with a friend or use Scavenger to destroy the AC-130 with 3 missiles. Sleight of Hand can also be effective for firing two missiles off quickly.
 * Walking in open ground is nothing more than suicide for those without Cold-Blooded. Try to remain under solid cover and avoid any openings.
 * 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 exploits your hiding spot.
 * A Predator Missile can destroy an AC-130, but only if the missile banks hard to the side of the map that the AC-130 is on. In other words, you'll have to be both lucky and observant.

In-game Behavior

 * The possibility of the AC-130 airdropping supplies (Emergency Airdrop) is very unlikely, as the AC-130's cargo space is taken up by it's armament and ammo for each of the 3 weapons, as well as flares. The possibility of an C-130 dropping the supplies is more likely, as it has much a larger cargo space than the AC-130.

Trivia

 * If rockets are fired at your AC-130, frantic beeping will be heard. If the Angel Flares were able to misguide the rocket you'll hear the Ding-Dong sound.AC-130_Mobilized.jpg
 * 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, this video, 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 2 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.
 * People often get confused with the variants of the AC-130. The one in Modern Warfare 2 is an AC-130U Spooky although there are several references to the other variant, the AC-130H Spectre, throughout the game. The AC-130H Spectre armament does not include the 25 mm GAU-12/U Equalizer Gatling gun that is available in the game. Prior to 2003 the Spectre armament included a 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon but no longer does.
 * 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, the Russians, Brazilian Militia, and OpFor speak 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.
 * 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.
 * One 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 gave all players infinite ammunition (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. 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.
 * The armament of the AC-130s used in Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2 is actually that of the AC-130U "Spooky". The AC-130H "Spectre" carries two 20mm M61 Vulcan cannons, not the 25mm GAU/12 Equalizer Gatling gun.
 * If a player gets a game winning killcam with an AC-130 regardless of which gun, they earn the title, Death from Above. An obvious reference to the COD 4 level.
 * To shoot an AC-130 down with a Predator Missile, the AC-130 must be lined up with the predator drone when the missile is launched. However, on a small map like Rust, a player can take out an AC-130 with a Predator Missile by pulling up on the Left Analogue stick (or equivalent) and gaining height. The user can then look for an AC-130 and dive down on the plane. NOTE: This will not work if the user applies the afterburners as the missile will not be able to turn quick enough to catch the AC-130.
 * For some reason, on Rust, Stinger missiles will not hit the AC-130, only AT-4s will (this has only been proven on split screen).
 * When the OpFor or the Militia get the hold of the AC-130, they sound as if they do not know how to actually use the plane, but keep the positive comments when a player manages to kill enemies.
 * It is possible to get head shots with all calibers on the AC-130, even the 105mm howitzer, although the difficulty increases with the size of caliber.
 * Oddly, if two or more missiles hit an AC-130 in multiplayer, all contributing players will get points and credit for destroying it.
 * The AC-130 can only release two sets of flares to protect it from lock-ons, but it releases many more sets of flares upon leaving.
 * When an emergency airdrop is used, its an AC-130 that drops the packages, not a C-130. This makes it strange, as like mentioned above, the AC-130 has no cargo space, while the C-130 is known for airdropping equipment into battle. If the player is observant, one would notice that the Emergency Airdrop plane is intended to be a C-130 with the appropriate markings, paint scheme, and cargo space. However, this "C-130" is simply a retextured AC-130.
 * If you are able to go to the AC-130 on spectate you can see that the propellers are actually not moving and that when you fire the guns the round actually comes from behind the plane rather than the gun.
 * An AC-130H costs $132,400,000. How the lesser factions like OpFor and the Militia manage the get the killstreak is unknown. Furthermore, only 43 AC-130s have ever been built, making it unlikely that the Spetsnaz faction could obtain it as it is strictly only sold to the US Air Force, meaning it should really only be avaiable to the Rangers, Navy SEALs and Task Force 141. Like the Stealth Bomber, it was added to all teams for balancing reasons, rather than creating a new, similar killstreak for each. However, as you cannot see them by normal means, it is possible the rather well funded Brazilian Militia obtained one or more retired AC-130As off the Black Market, or possibly retired a AC-130H, as the 8 in service are going to be phased out and replaced by 2015, one year before Modern Warfare 2 is set. Also OpFor could have easily obtained an old C-130 or soviet cargo plane and added old cold war artilery pieces in a crude attempt to make their own gunship. Spetsnaz could easily be using a Russian gunship that was designed as a copy of the AC-130 post-cold war. All factions use the same name and model for the sake of saving space in game.
 * The useage of this killstreak in game is incorrect. It should not be an AC-130H, but an AC-130U, as although it is much more expensive, AC-130Hs will have been phased out of the US Air Force by this time, and only AC-130Us carry out missions during the day. However, AC-130Hs may have been included as it would allow the other factions to purchase one in the black market.