United States Air Force Spooky Patrols Night Skies Over I Corps, South Vietnam

Description

OF DEPARTMENT NEWSFILM RELEASE D OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PUBLIC AFFAIRS) UNITED WASHINGTON, D.C. - 20301 STATES OF PLEASE NOTE DATE April 1, 1968 IMMEDIATE RELEASE Footage: 741 Time: 2:03 OX 7-5111 Number: V-104-68 16mm color composite print Room 2E 771 U.S. AIR FORCE "SPOOKY" PATROLS NIGHT SKIES OVER I CORPS IN SOUTH VIETNAM (Official Department of Defense motion picture film by the U.S. Air Force under the direction of the MAC V Office of Information) Tactics demanded by the jungle warfare in Vietnam have brought some unique combina- tions of machines and ordnance into use. One of the more flamboyant in its firepower is the old AC-47 "Gooney Bird", of World War II fame, armed with miniguns and flares for night missions. In her present warrior capacity, the Old Lady of the Sky is nicknamed "Spooky", and her presence is often called for in the night skies over I Corps. Spooky is armed with three 7.62 miniguns, each capable of firing 6000 rounds per minute, mounted on the left side of the aircraft, Called in to unleash streams of firepower on the enemy, Spooky is brought in under very careful control from either a forward air controller or friendly troops on the ground. Flares with two million candle power light the terrain. Once over the target, the navigator controls the limits of the target area. The pilot controls the mini-guns, firing them singly, in pairs, or all three together. Maneuvering the aircraft in a slow left turn, the pilot holds the guns on the target area while continuing to fly in a tight circle. One burst from one weapon can put a bullet into each square foot of a circle 37 feet in diameter. Spooky may be an old lady, but her ground crews, from the fourth Air Commando squadron at Da Nang Air Base, keep her acting like a young one. And, when she's on the prowl at night, she's a fearsome female indeed. SEQUENCES SCENE FOOTAGE VIDEO AUDIO 10 (a) Flares loaded on plane Wild track 14 (b) Miniguns loaded 11 5 (c) Plane taxis out 11 5 (d) Plane takes off 11 4 (e) Navigator checks charts " 1 (f) Man with flare 11 3 (g) Terrain lit by flare 11 11 (h) Miniguns firing = 2 (i) Area lit by flare 11 7 (j) Miniguns firing 11 2 (k) Flare 11 10 (1) Miniguns firing 11 NOTE TO EDITOR: 741 16mm color composite print released to NBC-TV, CBS-TV, ABC-TV, UPI-Newsfilm, Telenews, Fox Movietone, and a master and optical track to Deluxe Laboratory. EDITORS: PLEASE CREDIT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IN TITLE OR COMMENTARY. This is a "I" series color composite print released to each individual DOD pool member and is available commercially to non-pool members and other authorized agencies from Deluxe Laboratories, 850 Tenth Avenue, New York City, telephpone CIrcle 7-3220.

Collection

Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Series

Filmed News Releases