The small glide bomb is called “Viper Strike”. The following links give a good account of the weapon. It will be part of the AC-130 ACTD program.
The latest version of the weapon for the AC-130 is still in development, but earlier versions are in service and have bee dropped from various platforms including UAVs.
http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2005precision_strike_peo/oxford.ppt
http://www.special-operations-technology.com/article.cfm?DocID=588
http://defense-update.com/directory/viper-strike.htm
The following link covers the history of the AC-130 and has links to the earlier AC-47 & AC-119 aircraft. These links provide details of the sensor employed on these aircraft.
Interestingly the early AC-47 aircraft had no sensors at all. To aim the guns the pilot flew at a specific speed and bank angle and lined up the target with a wax crayon mark on the side of the canopy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC-130
The AC-130U aircraft are fitted with many sensors and self-protection equipment. A company that I used to work for produces much of this equipment. I did a quick calculation based on my knowledge of this equipment and estimates of the weight of the other equipment and was surprise that the total weight is well over 5,000lbs.
That is the total weight of sensors and ECM equipment carried by the AC-130, is more than twice the maximum payload for a large helicopter.
Chris
The latest version of the weapon for the AC-130 is still in development, but earlier versions are in service and have bee dropped from various platforms including UAVs.
http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2005precision_strike_peo/oxford.ppt
http://www.special-operations-technology.com/article.cfm?DocID=588
http://defense-update.com/directory/viper-strike.htm
The following link covers the history of the AC-130 and has links to the earlier AC-47 & AC-119 aircraft. These links provide details of the sensor employed on these aircraft.
Interestingly the early AC-47 aircraft had no sensors at all. To aim the guns the pilot flew at a specific speed and bank angle and lined up the target with a wax crayon mark on the side of the canopy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC-130
The AC-130U aircraft are fitted with many sensors and self-protection equipment. A company that I used to work for produces much of this equipment. I did a quick calculation based on my knowledge of this equipment and estimates of the weight of the other equipment and was surprise that the total weight is well over 5,000lbs.
That is the total weight of sensors and ECM equipment carried by the AC-130, is more than twice the maximum payload for a large helicopter.
Chris