Near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Lockheed AC-130A
Spectre Gunship
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 18, 2021
1. Lockheed AC-130A Marker
The C-130 was originally designed as an assault transport capable of operating from unpaved, hastily prepared airstrips. On August 23, 1954, the Hercules made its first flight, and by 1976 more than 1,200 C-130s had been ordered, including ones equipped for radar weather mapping and reconnaissance, mid-air space capsule recovery, search and rescue, ambulance service, drone launching, and mid-air refueling of helicopters. The C-130 could transport up to 92 combat troops and their gear or 45,000 pounds of cargo. Where facilities were inadequate, the Hercules could deliver its cargo by parachute or by low altitude ground-cable extraction without landing.
Twenty-eight C-130s were converted to side-firing gunships, primarily for night attacks against ground targets. This AC-130A was modified at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, by the Aircraft Modification Division of the 4950th Test Wing as the prototype for the gunship version and was initially equipped with four 20mm and four 7.62 multi-barrel guns, a searchlight and target sensors. After testing in Southeast Asia in 1967, it was used as a test bed for additional armament,
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Technical Notes
Engines: Four Allison T-56-A-11 turboprops of 4,050 hp each.
Maximum speed: 380 mph.
Range: 2,500 miles.
Weight: 124,200 lbs maximum.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, Vietnam.
Location. 39° 47.055′ N, 84° 6.497′ W. Marker is near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is on Spaatz Street just south of Bong Street, on the left when traveling south. Located near the National Museum of the Air Force. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1100 Spaatz St, Dayton OH 45431, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro and in the Miami Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 18, 2021
2. Lockheed AC-130A
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (within shouting distance of this marker); Boeing EC-135E ARIA (within shouting distance of this marker); Conair NC-131H Total In-Flight Simulatot (TIFS) (within shouting distance of this marker); The Belly Tank (within shouting distance of this marker); American Air Forces in England, WWII (within shouting distance of this marker); 8th Air Force Control Tower (within shouting distance of this marker); White Square (within shouting distance of this marker); McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extender (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
More about this marker. A newer AC-130 is on display inside the museum.
Photographed by Craig Baker, April 18, 2021
3. Lockheed AC-130A
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 512 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 27, 2021, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
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