Source: analogue of the American flying AC-130 battery being developed in Russia
The An-12 with two 57-mm guns will be used as a flying laboratory.
KUBINKA / Moscow Region /, June 26. / Tass /.An analogue of an American aircraft directly supporting ground forces on the AC-130 battlefield is being developed in Russia; an advance design has already been developed based on the An-12 transporter with 57-mm guns. This was reported to TASS on Wednesday by a source in the military-industrial complex at the Army-2019 forum.
"The OCD [experimental design work] has been opened to develop a flying battery - an aircraft directly supporting troops on the battlefield, similar to the American AC-130 ganships." The An-12 military transport aircraft with two 57-mm guns will be used as a flying laboratory. ", - said the agency interlocutor, adding that the aircraft is also planned to equip with smaller caliber guns and automatic grenade launchers.
At the Mileks-2019 exhibition, the general director of Uralvagonzavod, Alexander Potapov, reported that the corporation was working on the issue of using combat modules with 57-mm caliber guns not only in the ground forces, but also in the fleet and in the VKS, but he did not specify which 57-mm caliber will be used in this manner.
The aircraft directly supporting the ground forces on the AC-130 battlefield is an armed modification of the C-130 Hercules transporter. The most modern modification is the AC-130W Stinger II, which is armed with one 30-mm GAU-23 / A 30-mm caliber cannon and one 105-mm M102 cannon, which are located on one of the sides of the aircraft. The basic modification of the ganship, the AC-130 Specter, did not have a 105-mm caliber gun.
Traditionally, single attack aircraft, armed with cannons up to 30 mm in size, guided and unguided rockets, are used to support troops on the battlefield.
A distinctive feature of the "gunship" or a flying AC-130 battery is the presence of large-caliber artillery, which can not be installed on ordinary attack aircraft. The crew of this aircraft is 12 people. Today, AC-130 aircraft are used by the command of special operations of the US Air Force.
Forum "Army-2019"
The international military-technical forum "Army-2019" takes place from June 25 to June 30, 2019 on the basis of the Patriot congress and exhibition center of the Armed Forces of Russia in Kubinka near Moscow. More than 100 foreign delegations will take part in the event.
Changes were made to the news (08:08 Moscow time) - details were added.