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 20 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 mission Death From Above and Hunted. The gunship is armed with a 105mm cannon, with a very wide blast radius and must reload after each shot. It has the widest angle view, making it good for spotting targets. The 40mm autocannon creates small explosions and is fully automatic. The 25mm gatling gun is a 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 a AC-130U Spooky, since the Spectre does not feature the 25mm gatling gun.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The AC-130 returns in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as an unlockable, optional killstreak perk. It can be used after 11 kills or 10 with the Hardline perk and lasts forty seconds, but leaves the player vulnerable as he controls the weapons 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, he can finish his run before respawning. All targets appear in black-and-white as they did in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, though with the addition of red squares showing their position (though this may be avoided with the perk Cold-Blooded). Enemy helicopters can also be shot down from above. The AC-130 can be shot down by a locked missile fired from an AT4, though it requires three missiles as the AC-130 will deploy flares to throw off the first two (teamwork is also needed to take it down, as a player can only carry one AT4 missile at a time). Alternatively, Stinger Missiles can be used as they come with two missiles, two for the flares and someone else for the kill. A missile from a Javelin can shoot down an AC-130 with one shot, evading the missiles by hitting it from the upper part of it.

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.

As compared to Chopper Gunner
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 flare and travels in a high, wide orbit making it harder to see and thus shoot down.
 * The AC-130 orbits the battlefield. Chopper Gunner has an AI pilot who moves the craft around to expose enemies.
 * The AC-130 can shoot down enemy helicopters. Chopper Gunner cannot.
 * The AC-130 can evade guided missiles using up to two bursts of angel flares. Chopper Gunner is more vulnerable with only one flare.
 * 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 require reloading and, while reloading, appear to prevent the player from switching to another shell size. Like Chopper Gunner, AC-130 rounds will travel through some thin materials. Chopper Gunner however, lacks the explosive rounds.
 * Some AC-130 round sizes zoom in, 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.
 * Many of the AC-130's shell sizes have a noticeable flight time between firing and hitting the ground therefore moving targets must be led. Chopper Gunner fires at an extremely high rate of fire with very fast rounds and given its aim assist leading is not really required.
 * The AC-130 will fly 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.
 * AC-130 remains in the air for a shorter period of time than Chopper Gunner.

Modern Warfare: Mobilized
The AC-130 will be used in a campaign level in Modern Warfare: Mobilized. In the game, enemy trucks and possibly enemy helicopters can now shoot you down with a weapon. The "weapon" the enemy use is unknown for now, since the trucks looks like convey vehicles and they don't seem to be armed with anything.

Trivia

 * Unlike the chopper gunner (which also takes the 11 kill-streak to obtain), enemies cannot auto-lock on the AC-130 with an AT4.