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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Since the mid-1960s, <keyword id="11624322" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ac-130">AC-130</keyword> gunships have provided <keyword id="2853046" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="close-air-support">close air support</keyword> for troops all over the world.</li><li>The AC-130's utility and effectiveness created a dynasty that's now on its sixth version.</li><li>"The sheer number of weapons options it brought to the battlefield was wild," a former Air Force combat controller told Insider.</li></ul><p>If you were to ask special operators about their favorite close-air-support aircraft, you would get two answers: the A-10 Thunderbolt and the AC-130 <keyword id="1248558" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="gunship">gunship</keyword>.</p><p>Both platforms are beloved by commandos and conventional ground troops alike for their effective firepower, but the AC-130 gunship has the edge over the A-10 because of its unique ability to fire continually against a target.</p><p>Essentially an aerial artillery platform, the AC-130 attacks using the "pylon turn" technique - flying in a wide circle above the target area, allowing for a steady volume of fire, as opposed to having to turn and come back like the A-10.</p><p>The AC-130 is so effective that it has been supporting conventional and special-operations troops for close to 60 years, seeing action in Asia, South America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.</p><p>The latest version of the gunship, the <keyword id="11624321" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ac-130j">AC-130J</keyword>, continues to be well traveled. In March, an AC-130J operated <a href="https://www.hurlburt.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2557014/ac-130j-ghostrider-visits-japan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in Japan</a> for the first time, and in May, an AC-130J trained in Romania for <a href="https://www.352sow.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2629245/nato-allies-increase-joint-interoperability-during-trojan-footprint-21/" target="_top">the first time</a>.</p><p>But everything began in the jungles of Vietnam.</p><h2>'Puff, the Magic Dragon'</h2><div type="image" title="Air Force Douglas AC-47 Dragon gunship" height="1584" width="2000" msid="84348477" hostid="261"></div><p>The AC-130 was introduced in the 1960s and first saw action during the Vietnam War.</p><p>It was an upgrade to the AC-47 Spooky, nicknamed "Puff, the Magic Dragon," that had been supporting conventional and special-operations troops. The nickname was inspired by the otherworldly effect the AC-47's miniguns produced when firing at night.</p><p>Even the first versions of the aircraft, with their primitive nighttime capabilities, made the difference, saving infantry companies and special-operations recon teams from getting wiped out by the numerically superior North Vietnamese or Viet Cong.</p><p>Firing 40 mm and 105 mm rounds, the AC-130 and AC-47 gunships were also credited with destroying more than 10,000 enemy vehicles.</p><p>The aircraft's utility and effectiveness pushed the Air Force to invest more in the platform, beginning a dynasty that has gone through six versions: the AC-130A, -E, -H, -U, -W, and -J. Only the -W and -J models remain in service.</p><h2>Death from above</h2><div type="image" title="AC-130 firing cannons" height="1317" width="2000" msid="84348483" hostid="261"></div><p>The AC-130 gunship's primary mission sets are close air support, air interdiction, and armed reconnaissance, but it can also participate in combat search and rescue and forward air control if needed.</p><p>The AC-130 gunship is beloved because of its arsenal, loiter time, and diverse uses.</p><p>The latest iteration of the aircraft, the AC-130J Ghostrider, packs quite a punch, with 30 mm and 105 mm cannons and the ability to launch "smart munitions," such as the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and the AGM-114 Hellfire and AGM-176 Griffin missiles.</p><p>With an operational range of 3,000 miles and the ability to do aerial refueling, the AC-130 can stay over a target for an extended period.</p><p>Sensors aboard the AC-130 can also provide real-time intelligence to troops on the ground and commanders back in headquarters. This intelligence-gathering capability can be as important, if not more important, than its superb firepower.</p><div type="image" title="Aircrew load cannon aboard AC-130" height="1303" width="2000" msid="84348485" hostid="261"></div><p>"What makes the AC-130 unique is the ability to provide close air support with multi-caliber weapons, engaging two targets simultaneously, and the ability to use ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] to support a wide range of missions," BA, a former AC-130 gunner, told Insider.</p><p>Special-operations units will often send individuals on board the AC-130s as liaisons.</p><p>During the opening days of the invasion in Afghanistan, the "Night Stalkers" of the Army's 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and the Navy's SEAL Team 6 both had people aboard the AC-130s that were supporting their operations in order to coordinate fire.</p><p>Such liaisons provide important perspective to the AC-130 crews, helping them understand what troops on the ground are seeing and the resistance they're facing.</p><p>"I had an <keyword id="11624320" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ac-130w">AC-130W</keyword> overhead a few times, and the sheer number of weapons options it brought to the battlefield was wild," a former Air Force combat controller, who was responsible for coordinating close air support, told Insider.</p><p>"The payload included cannons, glide bombs and Griffin missiles. They also had a pretty solid on-station time and the crews stayed longer than they were supposed to because they wanted to work and CAS [close air support] is their dedicated mission," the former combat controller said.</p><div type="image" title="Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider gunship" height="925" width="1233" msid="84348491" hostid="261"></div><p>AC-130 crews are often unsung heroes, saving the day with their precise and overwhelming firepower. They don't get enough credit or public recognition, but that's not why they do it.</p><p>"Supporting SOF [special-operations forces] was a very rewarding mission. To work with the best in the world, from other counties, was truly an honor," BA said. "These men trusted us with their lives when it truly mattered. The time of day and the distance from home was never considered. We knew our mission was to support the ground guys and to get them back 'home.'"</p><p>The US military's air superiority has ensured that AC-130s have had very few casualties. For all its capabilities, the aircraft is restricted by its relatively slow speed and low maneuverability, making it an easy target for enemy fighters or anti-aircraft defenses.</p><p>The Air Force lost its only AC-130 to enemy action in 1991, during Operation Desert Storm.</p><p>Designated "Spirit 03," the AC-130H Spectre was supporting US and coalition troops as they advanced through Kuwait when it was shot down by an Iraqi portable surface-to-air missile, killing all 14 Air Commandos aboard in the largest single loss of life in Air Force Special Operations Command's history.</p><p><em>Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.</em></p>

The AC-130 gunship has been backing up special operators for 55 years, and it's still popping up in new countries

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US Air Force special operators took their AC-130J to Australia for an exercise in July.</li><li>It's the first time the AC-130 has been to Australia since the gunship was introduced in the 1960s.</li></ul><p>In late July and early August, the Australian military held a record-setting military exercise with troops from 13 countries, including the US.</p><p>But before the start of this year's <a href="https://www.defence.gov.au/exercises/talisman-sabre" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Talisman Sabre</a> exercise — the largest edition ever — US special operators arrived Down Under with some of their most capable and valuable aircraft.</p><p>As part of <a href="https://www.airforce.gov.au/news-and-events/events/exercise-teak-action-23" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Exercise Teak Action</a>, held in southeastern Australia in early July, US Air Force special operators flew their AC-130 gunship in Australia for the first time <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ac130-gunship-has-supported-special-operations-for-55-years-2021-7" target="_top">since it entered service in 1960s</a>.</p><h2>The thunder of guns</h2><div type="image" title="AC-130J cannon" height="1333" width="2000" msid="103025400" hostid="261" sizebytes="245572"></div><p>While in Australia, Air Commandos from US Air Force Special Operations Command's 23rd Special Tactics Squadron and their AC-130Js took part in dry-fire rehearsals in coordination with US and Australian Combat Control teams on the ground.</p><p>US <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-considering-plan-to-reduce-number-of-tacp-airmen-2023-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joint Terminal Attack Controllers</a>, or JTACs, and Australian Forward Air Control-Airborne, or FAC-A, specialists guided the <a href="https://www.19fortyfive.com/2021/12/why-us-special-forces-commandos-and-ac-130-gunships-are-training-for-war/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AC-130 gunships</a> in training scenarios that tested their marksmanship and coordination.</p><p>During the exercise, US and Australian troops also expanded their interoperability and worked on their ability to conduct short-notice operations in the Indo-Pacific area of operations.</p><p>The exercise was a chance for the two air forces "to conduct formation flying, landing zone survey, and close air support training that maintains our interoperability," said Wing Commander Steven Duffy, commander of the Australian air force's 4 Squadron.</p><div type="image" title="AC-130J cannon" height="1333" width="2000" msid="103025405" hostid="261" sizebytes="312006"></div><p>"We've learnt about the capability of the aircraft and the support framework required for the aircraft to base in Australia and project throughout the region," Duffy said in <a href="https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2023-07-14/training-special-operations-readiness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a press release</a>.</p><p>Since entering service in the late 1960s, the different versions of the AC-130 — the AC-130J "Ghostrider" is the latest and <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/467756/ac-130j-ghostrider/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first deployed</a> in 2019 — have seen action in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, and the Middle East, but the gunship continues to cover new ground: In a three-month span in 2021, it operated <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ac130-gunship-has-supported-special-operations-for-55-years-2021-7" target="_top">for the first time in both Japan and Romania</a>.</p><p>Although this was the first time the AC-130 operated in Australia, the aircraft could be based in the area if tensions with China continue to grow.</p><p>The AC-130's primary mission sets are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-retiring-a10-amid-dobuts-about-close-air-support-2023-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">close air support</a>, air interdiction, and armed reconnaissance. Essentially, the AC-130 is an aerial artillery platform that flies over a target slowly and fires cannons and precision munitions <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ac130-gunship-crews-use-their-green-beam-lasers-2022-11" target="_top">with deadly accuracy</a>.</p><p>But the AC-130 is really only suited for operations in areas where the US and its allies have established air superiority, as its bulky size and relatively slow speed leave it vulnerable to attack.</p><h2>A beloved aircraft</h2><div type="image" title="AC-130J Australia" height="1331" width="2000" msid="103025409" hostid="261" sizebytes="133394"></div><p>Alongside a few other aircraft that specialize in close air support, like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-retiring-a10-amid-dobuts-about-close-air-support-2023-2" target="_top">the venerable A-10 Warthog</a>, the AC-130 gunship is widely beloved by ground troops. Its ability to linger over a target, its arsenal, and its proven accuracy have made it a must-have in combat operations.</p><p>"When it's two o'clock in the morning, and you're in some field in the middle of nowhere going after some bad guy, and you hear that low humming from the [AC-130] gunship above you, you feel a sense of security that it's hard to convey in words," a former Army Green Beret officer, granted anonymity because of their current work with the US government, told Insider.</p><p>The US Air Force has operated six versions of the gunship — AC-130A, AC-130E, AC-130H, AC-130U, AC130W, and AC-130J — during its five decades in service. The AC-130J is armed with 30 mm and 105 mm cannons and can fire a plethora of smart munitions, including the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, GBU-69 Small Glide Munition, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, and AGM-176 Griffin missiles.</p><div type="image" title="AC-130J Australia" height="1331" width="2000" msid="103025413" hostid="261" sizebytes="94748"></div><p>However, the AC-130 will face new challenges in a conflict against a capable adversary. The complete air superiority the US military enjoyed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fighter-jets-unable-to-provide-close-air-support-over-ukraine-2023-3" target="_top">won't be there in a war with Russia or China</a>.</p><p>As a result, the Air Force will have to find ways to keep the AC-130 relevant in non-permissive or semi-permissive operating environments.</p><p>Air Force Special Operations Command is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-socom-is-upgrading-biggest-planes-to-compete-with-china-2021-10" target="_top">upgrading its fleet of AC-130s</a> with additional countermeasures and sensors to increase its survivability and its ability to contribute to operations on a modern battlefield. The command has also started testing <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ac-130-gunship-laser-weapon-programs-future-is-looking-blurry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">airborne lasers</a>, cruise missiles, and other stand-off munitions to equip the AC-130 for future conflicts where <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-blended-wing-body-design-tankers-cargo-planes-2023-8" target="_top">long-range operations are expected to be the norm</a>.</p><p>More than 60 years after the AC-130's first combat sorties over the jungles of Southeast Asia, the US Air Force is making sure the gunship will remain part of its special-operations arsenal.</p><p><em>Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.</em></p>

After nearly 60 years in flight, US Air Force special operators took their AC-130 gunship to Australia for the first time

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An <keyword id="9485621" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ac-130u">AC-130U</keyword> Spooky <keyword id="1248558" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="gunship">gunship</keyword> named "Big Daddy" made history by being the first Spooky to ever receive a black letter initial on its status page before a flight.</li><li>A black letter means the aircraft has no maintenance discrepancies and is a rare feat for any Air Force plane.</li><li>The Air Force is phasing out the AC-130U. Big Daddy will be the last to retire and will be placed in the Hurlburt Field Air Park.</li></ul><p>HURLBURT FIELD, Florida — An AC-130U Spooky gunship named "Big Daddy" made history by being the first Spooky to ever receive a black letter initial on its status page before a flight, June 18, 2020.</p><p>This was a momentous accomplishment for Air Commandos in the 4th Special Operations Squadron and the 4th AMU.</p><p><div type="image" title="Air Force AC-130U Spooky gunship" height="1628" width="2500" msid="76693087" hostid="261"></div></p><p>"A black letter is significant because it means there are absolutely no discrepancies whatsoever on the plane," said <keyword id="6404246" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="us-air-force">US Air Force</keyword> Tech. Sgt. Mark Lennon, a section chief with the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Unit. "A black letter is when there's no discrepancies on the status page. The crew chief's last name and first initial goes in that place. It shows that aircraft has really been maintained with excellence."</p><p>This standard of excellence is only achieved through teamwork.</p><p>"It's a huge teamwork effort and accomplishment for everyone," said Lennon. "It takes a lot of hard work and pride to make this happen."</p><p><div type="image" title="Air Force AC-130U Spooky gunship" height="1610" width="2500" msid="76693090" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The last Spooky, named "Gunslinger," retired to the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, June 26, 2020. However, Big Daddy will be the last to retire and will be placed in the Hurlburt Field Air Park.</p><p>Any time an aircraft flies, it could come back with any number of discrepancies or those discrepancies which can be found when maintainers do their inspections.</p><p>"Aircraft across the Air Force usually fly with discrepancies, so it's really rare to see a black letter initial," said Lennon. "In my 11 years in service, I've only seen it one other time."</p><p><div type="image" title="Air Force AC-130U Spooky gunship" height="1603" width="2500" msid="76693094" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The Spookys have been operational since 1995, providing combat overwatch for 18 of those years. The heavily armed aircraft incorporates side-firing weapons integrated with sophisticated sensor, navigation, and fire-control systems to provide surgical firepower or area saturation during extended loiter periods, at night and in adverse weather.</p><p>The mission down range has been taken over by the AC-130J Ghostrider gunships since July 2019. The same aircraft the 4th SOS and AMU will now be working with.</p><p>"After 25 years of service, we're closing one chapter and starting another with the AC-130Js," said US Air Force Capt. Hannah Boeman, officer in charge with the 4th AMU. "Talking to a lot of the maintainers at the 4th AMU, it's kind of a bittersweet moment for them. Since most of them have spent a majority of their career working with these aircraft, I know it's sad to see them go."</p>

The Air Force's last AC-130U gunship, named 'Big Daddy,' made history before a flight this month

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US Army recently upgraded dozens of awards given for valor during the October 3, 1993, special-operations mission in <keyword id="80263" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="MOGADISHU">Mogadishu</keyword>.</li><li>The operation, recounted in the 2001 film "<keyword id="229219" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Black-Hawk-Down">Black Hawk Down</keyword>," is widely remembered for how it went awry.</li><li>Thirty years on, former <keyword id="621779" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Delta-Force">Delta Force</keyword> members remember it with frustration about the limitations they faced and pride for the odds they overcame.</li></ul><p>Almost 30 years ago, members of the special-operations unit Task Force Ranger fought for their lives in one of the toughest battles since the Vietnam War.</p><p>The battle in Mogadishu, <keyword id="42718" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Somalia">Somalia</keyword> - popularized by the movie "Black Hawk Down" - was so fierce that it resulted in two Medal of Honors and dozens of lesser awards.</p><p>Now the US Army has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/army-upgrades-awards-special-operators-in-black-hawk-down-incident-2021-7" target="_top">upgraded 58 </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/army-upgrades-awards-special-operators-in-black-hawk-down-incident-2021-7" target="_top">of those</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/army-upgrades-awards-special-operators-in-black-hawk-down-incident-2021-7" target="_top"> awards</a> to the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for valor under fire, and two others to the Distinguished Flying Cross, which recognizes heroism in aerial combat.</p><h2>Task Force Ranger</h2><div type="image" title="US Army Black Hawk helicopter over Mogadishu Somalia" height="1498" width="1998" msid="85416392" hostid="261"></div><p>Task Force Ranger was the best the US military had to offer.</p><p>A few hundred strong, the task force comprised Delta Force's C Squadron, Bravo Company from the 3rd Ranger Battalion, small elements of Air Commandos, a four-man reconnaissance and sniper team from SEAL Team 6, and helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, also known as the "Night Stalkers."</p><p>Operation Gothic Serpent, their mission in Somalia, was a US-led effort to stop the civil war in the East African country by capturing warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid, a key player in the conflict, and his lieutenants.</p><p>The task force had been operating in Somalia for some time before the fatal battle on October 3, 1993. On that day, Delta Force operators, Rangers, and Night Stalkers conducted a daytime raid to capture Aidid's lieutenants, who were meeting in downtown Mogadishu.</p><p>Although the mission started smoothly, it was upended by a series of mistakes and bad luck - most notably, the shoot-down of two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.</p><div type="image" title="Black Hawk helicopter shot down in Mogadishu Somalia" height="1331" width="2000" msid="85416393" hostid="261"></div><p>What was meant to be a quick in-and-out direct-action raid ended up being an hours-long personnel recovery mission conducted under fire in an urban environment.</p><p>Somali militiamen shot down the first Black Hawk, call sign Super 61, using a rocket-propelled grenade, killing the two pilots and gravely injuring the rest of the crew. As Delta Force operators and Rangers rushed to the downed Black Hawk, Somali fighters shot down Super 64, again with an RPG.</p><p>At the first crash site, US troops' efforts to extricate the two dead pilots were frustrated by intense Somali resistance.</p><p>At the second site, two Delta Force snipers, Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart, volunteered to be inserted and hold off the Somalis until a rescue operation could be mounted. They died defending Super 64, and both received the Medal of Honor.</p><p>In the end, 19 American soldiers were killed, including six Delta Force operators, and 73 were wounded. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Durant, one of the Black Hawk pilots, was captured.</p><div type="image" title="Somalis with US soldiers camouflage in Mogadishu" height="1336" width="2000" msid="85416394" hostid="261"></div><p>"I was there in Somalia the day after the battle of the Black Sea," retired Delta Force operator George Hand told Insider, using another name for the battle.</p><p>"Coming in from Egypt, there was much to ponder about the mental state of our comrades. How would they be, what would they be like - aloof, angry, frightened?" Hand added.</p><p>"To my utter surprise, there was none of that from any of the men. The only thing I would say was that they played an inordinate rate of very rigorous volleyball. I had never seen a combat team ever fare so well through such trauma."</p><p>"I credit the maturity of the operators and the Unit's selection process," Hand said. "These men went through sheer horror for many hours on end but managed to complete the day with comparatively light casualties."</p><p>Hand, author of "<a href="https://georgehand.org/" target="_top">Brothers of the Cloth</a>," a brilliant account of Delta Force missions and men, spent 10 years in Delta Force, completing deployments to Latin America, the Balkans, and Somalia, among other places.</p><h2>The aftermath</h2><div type="image" title="US Army Rangers withdrawal from Mogadishu Somalia" height="707" width="1009" msid="85416395" hostid="261"></div><p>Only hours after the battle ended, reinforcements arrived in the form of Delta Force's A Squadron and additional Rangers. Their initial mission had three components: rescue Durant, recover the bodies Gordon and Shughart, and continue the hunt for Aidid.</p><p>In the end, political backlash at home over the operation and its casualties forced Task Force Ranger to stand down. Delta Force's A squadron conducted a few missions, but the Somalis ultimately handed Durant over after diplomatic negotiations.</p><p>"It's not a secret that we did a lot of things wrong in Somalia. We didn't fully utilize the assets we had at our disposal for honestly bullshit reasons," a retired Delta Force operator said, referring to the Clinton administration denying the use of AC-130 gunships and M-1 Abrams tanks in Mogadishu.</p><p>"But that didn't stop us from taking it to them. People say that we lost in Somalia because we suffered too many KIAs [killed in action]. But we did degrade Aidid's ability to operate while devastating his militiamen," the retired operator added.</p><div type="image" title="US Army soldier in Mogadishu Somalia" height="809" width="1240" msid="85416396" hostid="261"></div><p>The few hundred US commandos fought thousands of Somali militiamen, killing hundreds - some reports claim thousands - and wounding many more.</p><p>That the US forces accomplished the objective of capturing Aidid's lieutenants is often forgotten, the retired operator said, "so I guess it's something that the task force's fighting spirit is universally recognized after so many years."</p><p>Delta operators in Somalia wanted to get back into the fight "as quickly as possible," and volleyball was their outlet, Hand said. "When they saw that there would be no more city combat, they played constant, rigorous volleyball to ease off the kettle."</p><p>That three soldiers from Delta Force's Special Unit received grave injuries during and after the battle and recovered is also often overlooked, Hand added.</p><p>"They returned to the US to be fitted with prosthetic limbs and returned to the front line of battle to join their crew. That's the American fighting man, and as long as he is held to the same rigorous standards as always, we will field the same deadly fighting machine," Hand said.</p><p><em>Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.</em></p>

With new medals 30 years after 'Black Hawk Down,' members of Army's secretive Delta Force say they're the 'same deadly fighting machine'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The US Air Force's AC-130 gunship has a reputation for delivering firepower to the battlefield.</li><li>Two AC-130Js used a more subtle tool to aid US forces on the ground during the evacuation of Kabul.</li></ul><p>The AC-130 is one of the US military's most capable aircraft. Ground troops love the gunship and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ac130-gunship-has-supported-special-operations-for-55-years-2021-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the capabilities it brings to the fight</a>, but it can be effective even without deploying its large arsenal.</p><p>During the chaotic <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-planes-crews-recovering-after-afghanistan-evacuation-2021-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evacuation of Kabul in August 2021</a>, two AC-130J Ghostrider crews used a little-known laser sensor on their planes to help control the chaotic situation around the airport and keep enemy forces at bay as friendly troops carried out the evacuation.</p><p>The crews, both from the 73rd Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, distinguished themselves during the operation and received the <a href="https://www.airandspaceforces.com/ac-130j-crews-awarded-2021-mackay-trophy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mackay Trophy</a> for the year's most meritorious flight, Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, said in September.</p><h2>The green beam</h2><div type="image" title="AC-130J Ghostrider gunship green laser beam light" height="1239" width="1652" msid="95942887" hostid="261" sizebytes="9058"></div><p>While discussing the performance of Air Force special-operations crews during the Kabul evacuation, Slife referred to a targeting technology that Air Commandos use and affectionally call "the green beam."</p><p>AC-130 crews use the green beam — which Slife called a "giant green laser pointer" — both to point things out to friendly forces and to deter adversaries by letting them know that they're in the gunship's sights. AFSOC started putting the laser on several of its aircraft around 2010.</p><p>The heavily armed AC-130 usually operates at night because its bulky size and need to fly relatively low and slow to fire accurately make it more vulnerable than other aircraft.</p><p>Using the laser has some downsides — mainly that it reveals the gunship's position, making it easier to target from the ground.</p><p>The laser is meant "to let the adversaries know that you see him," Slife said at an event hosted by the Air and Space Forces Association. "So it's not a particularly popular capability among the crews, because the other end of that green beam is connected to me and I don't necessarily want to highlight my position like that."</p><div type="image" title="AC-130J Ghostrider gunship green laser beam" height="1331" width="1774" msid="95942888" hostid="261" sizebytes="159824"></div><p>During the chaotic evacuation, AC-130 gunships and AH-64 attack helicopters provided air cover for troops on the ground, who had the challenging mission of evacuating tens of thousands of people who crowded the airport to escape the Taliban.</p><p>During the evacuation, AC-130J crews used their green lasers, which are visible to the naked eye, <a href="https://www.coffeeordie.com/gunships-ac-130j-kabul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to illuminate people</a> who breached the Kabul airport compound, allowing ground forces intercept them or drive them off.</p><p>The green beam proved extremely useful for "managing a very chaotic situation on the ground," Slife said, adding that gunship crews used it to communicate with ground forces about potential threats, thereby "building the situational awareness for the force on the ground and keeping the adversaries kind of pushed back while the evacuation was underway."</p><p>While flying at night, it's very useful to have aids to see where exactly you are aiming, and the AC-130 has other laser-targeting and range-finding sensors to aid in the crew's marksmanship.</p><p>Hitting something is not as simple as seeing it, since gravity, elevation, speed, and atmospheric conditions affect the trajectory of the AC-130's artillery and cannon fire, but having those aids is still invaluable for gunship crews.</p><h2>The AC-130 gunship</h2><div type="image" title="US Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider gunship howitzer" height="1331" width="2000" msid="95942892" hostid="261" sizebytes="152760"></div><p>In addition to being heavily armed, the AC-130 can remain over the battlefield for long periods, though its dwell time is limited by the cover of darkness and other conditions. Those features have made the gunship one of the most celebrated and highly valued aircraft by among ground troops.</p><p>The AC-130 is essentially a precision artillery gun on wings. It carries deadly 105 mm and 30 mm cannons, AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, GBU-39/53 small diameter bombs, AGM-176 Griffin precision-guided glide bombs.</p><p>Air Force Special Operations Command has been experimenting with other weapons for the gunship, including <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/socom-working-on-new-laser-weapons-for-ac130j-ghostrider-gunship-2022-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a high-energy laser</a> that could allow it to carry out stealthier ground attacks and to defeat incoming missiles.</p><p>To engage its targets, the AC-130 employs the "pylon turn" technique in which it flies in a wide, steady turn, allowing its gun crews to fire away while aiming at a fixed point on the ground.</p><p>The AC-130 has been around since <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/before-the-ac130-the-air-force-had-another-fearsome-gunship-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Vietnam War</a> and has been so successful that the Air Force continues to upgrade it. Since the AC-130A was introduced in 1968, US crews have flown the -E, -H, -U, -W, and -J versions. The latest version, called Ghostrider, was introduced in 2017 and saw <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-ac-130j-ghostrider-gunship-working-overtime-in-afghanistan-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extensive combat in Afghanistan</a>.</p><p><em>Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at the Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.</em></p>

Caught in 'the green beam': How US Air Force gunship crews let a target know they have it in their sights

<keyword id="12668431" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="wireless-handheld-microphones" source="Orion">Wireless handheld microphones</keyword> are great as you don’t need to deal with wires coming in your way and getting entangled. Sure there are some limitations like running out of charge but wireless microphones offer more flexibility and a clean stage setup. The <keyword id="12668430" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="best-wireless-mics" source="Orion">best wireless mics</keyword> come with a long operating range, have built-in mixers, and offer separate volume controls. If you’re looking for wireless microphones for your next party, event or any occasion, we’ve narrowed some options. <br /><br />Here’s a list of the best wireless handheld microphones.<br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B01N6448Q4" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B01N6448Q4_head"><div type="image" title="Recommended" msid="87777891" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B01N6448Q4</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B01N6448Q4_body"><bulletContentRow name="B01N6448Q4_7389731649382808"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">FIFINE K036 UHF Dual Channel Wireless Handheld Microphones</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This is a dual set of wireless handheld microphones from FIFINE. The wireless microphone has an operating range of 80 feet, and it’s said to offer an uninterrupted sound. There’s a separate volume control for each wireless microphone. It also features an adjustable echo effect, and you can mix the microphone signal with music signal without using a mixer. It also has a compact metal receiver which provides stronger anti-interference ability than the plastic ones.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B01N6448Q4_1462994653421709"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The FIFINE K036 wireless microphones are recommended for karaoke, parties, school functions and events.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07G8Z8Z5H" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07G8Z8Z5H_head"><div type="image" title="Value for money" msid="87777908" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07G8Z8Z5H</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07G8Z8Z5H_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07G8Z8Z5H_0405507855273926"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Alvoxcon Dual UHF Dynamic Handheld Wireless Microphone System</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Alvoxcon dual UHF dynamic wireless microphone system has a distance range of 130 feet, and is designed to offer 0 ms latency. It has a large diaphragm dynamic capsule, and also an LED display on the microphone. The wireless microphone is designed to offer a stable performance, and it also has 20 selectable channels.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B07G8Z8Z5H_5766424083843908"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">It’s a good-looking wireless microphone that is recommended for parties, vocal recordings, singing, karaoke, and stage performances.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07TPC1R9J" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07TPC1R9J_head"><div type="image" title="Good design" msid="87777927" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07TPC1R9J</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07TPC1R9J_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07TPC1R9J_5774543075701171"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Studiomaster XR 40HH Dual Hand Wireless Microphone</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This is another pair of wireless handheld microphones that you can go for. It’s from the brand Studiomaster, and the microphones come in black colour. The wireless microphones feature an individual channel output with level control and mix output. There’s also a display on the Transmitter and Receiver for frequency indication.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B07TPC1R9J_1431600444172472"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Studiomaster XR 40HH wireless microphones are designed to offer superior vocals and speech reproduction.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07NNWBV68" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07NNWBV68_head"><div type="image" title="Budget friendly" msid="87777961" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07NNWBV68</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07NNWBV68_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07NNWBV68_6884462785843588"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Ahuja Wireless Microphone AWM-700U2</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This is another dual set of wireless microphones from the brand Ahuja that you can go for. It is a high performance dual channel wireless microphone with eight pairs of frequencies. There are separate volume controls for each microphone on the front panel of the receiver. You also get two handheld dynamic transmitters with each operating on AA pencil batteries. The wireless microphones also provide a separate balanced audio output from each channel, and an unbalanced mixed output from the receiver.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B07NNWBV68_6365450330220916"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Ahuja AWM-700U2 wireless microphone set is recommended for parties, school functions and events.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B00LMZXB0S" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B00LMZXB0S_head"><div type="image" title="Pocket friendly" msid="87778005" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B00LMZXB0S</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B00LMZXB0S_body"><bulletContentRow name="B00LMZXB0S_4931619803551009"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Ahuja Cordless Handheld Microphone AWM520VH</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This is a single wireless handheld microphone from Ahuja. It comes with a power on/off switch and output volume control on the front panel. The microphone features a 6.3mm phone jack for audio output on the rear panel. It’s a dynamic unidirectional microphone with a three position slide switch and low battery LED indicator. The wireless microphone operates on 1 9V battery while the receiver operates on 9V DC through an AC adapter. You get a table-top receiver with a telescopic antenna and noise squelch circuitry.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B00LMZXB0S_9157373421183000"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The Ahuja AWM520VH is recommended if you’re looking for a single wireless microphone.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br />

Best wireless handheld microphones for parties and events

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In mid-October 2001, just a few weeks after the September 11 attacks, US special-operations forces went deep behind enemy lines in <keyword id="6354541" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="afghanistan">Afghanistan</keyword>.</li><li>But the operation — conducted by Delta Force, Army Rangers, and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment — didn't go without complexities, danger, and its fair share of controversy.</li></ul><p>On October 19, 2001, only a few weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, American commandos struck back in Afghanistan.</p><p>A task force composed of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-army-delta-force-operators-are-selected-trained-and-armed-2020-11" target="_top">Delta Force</a> operators, Rangers, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-armys-160-soar-night-stalkers-special-operations-pilots-2020-10" target="_top">Night Stalkers</a> conducted two simultaneous raids deep inside the territory of the <keyword id="16945" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Taliban">Taliban</keyword>, which had hosted Al Qaeda, the terrorist group behind the attacks.</p><p>For Objective Rhino, two Ranger companies assaulted an airfield, conducting their first combat jump since the invasion of Panama in 1989. Their goal was to destroy any Taliban or Al Qaeda forces and set up an aircraft refueling point.</p><p>Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away, Delta operators were flown in by the Night Stalkers to hit Objective Gecko, the residence of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.</p><p>The operation, however, encountered complexities, danger, and its fair share of controversy.</p><h2>'Put me in, Coach'</h2><div type="image" title="Greg Coker Night Stalkers helicopter" height="917" width="1223" msid="79286030" hostid="261"></div><p>What was supposed to be a small operation kept growing as more units wanted to get in on the action. To complicate matters, Delta wasn't too keen on Gecko because of the high risk and low rewards.</p><p>Gecko was more than 1,000 miles from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, from which the assault force would launch. It would be the longest air-assault operation in history, requiring over 10 hours of flight just to get to the target.</p><p>The rest of the task force would launch from Masirah, an island off the coast of Oman that American commandos used to launch <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-failed-iran-hostage-rescue-raid-influenced-us-special-forces-2020-9" target="_top">Operation Desert One</a> in 1980.</p><p>Also, US intelligence was fairly sure that Mullah Omar wouldn't be at his residence but did estimate that large numbers of enemy fighters would be in the area, as it was the Taliban's heartland. Reports also indicated that Rhino was abandoned.</p><p>In the end, however, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/legendary-leaders-who-transformed-us-military-special-operations-units-2020-11" target="_top">Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) leadership</a> prevailed and green-lit the mission.</p><p>Chief Warrant Officer 4 Greg Coker, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-armys-160-soar-night-stalkers-special-operations-pilots-2020-10" target="_top">Night Stalker AH-6 Little Bird pilot</a>, was assigned as the fire support officer for the task force. He flew with an AC-130U Spooky gunship and coordinated close air support for the troops on the ground.</p><p>All in all, he was responsible for over 100 aircraft that night and gave Insider some unique insight on the mission.</p><h2>Near disaster in Gecko</h2><div type="image" title="Afghanistan Rhino Gecko special operations" height="990" width="800" msid="79286031" hostid="261"></div><p>The four MH-47 Chinooks carrying Delta operators from B and A Squadrons took off from Kitty Hawk. On their way to the target, they encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire.</p><p>Flying overhead, Coker's gunship opened up and destroyed several anti-aircraft batteries, a T-55 tank, and some armed vehicles heading toward Gecko.</p><p>A few minutes before the helicopters reached the target, the air armada began hitting their pre-designated targets around the target.</p><p>"It was a sight to behold, my goodness," Coker remembers. "We dropped three-quarters of a million tons of bombs in 15 minutes."</p><p>Three of the MH-47s touched down safely, but the last one struck a wall with its rotor, landing hard and destroying part of its landing gear. The Delta operators had to squeeze through the Chinook's damaged ramp to get out, all while under fire and with dust clouds created by the helicopters obstructing their vision.</p><p>Once on the ground, the Delta operators shot toward the compound. They breached the damaged wall and began clearing the target. They encountered no resistance and found little of use. Mullah Omar was long gone.</p><p>As they departed, the Delta operators left behind NYPD and FYPD hats and patches and American flags, a reminder of the US military's long reach.</p><p>As they were getting ready to exfiltrate, a Navy F/A-18 Hornet almost bombed their position when SEAL Team 6's air liaison officer, a Navy pilot riding alongside Coker, misidentified the American commandos as Taliban fighters.</p><p>That disaster was avoided, but the mission still ended with some drama for Delta Force.</p><p>"When the assault force returned, Falcon, the senior noncommissioned operator on the ground, flew back to Bragg and had the ground force commander fired because of the guy's actions on target," a former Delta Force operator with intimate knowledge of the operation told Insider. "He was a fairly new officer to the Unit, and the black Chinook came and got him the next day. An unusual case of an NCO 'firing' a field-grade officer — only in Delta!"</p><h2>Business as usual in Rhino</h2><div type="image" title="Army Rangers Rhino Afghanistan" height="600" width="800" msid="79286033" hostid="261"></div><p>The jump in Rhino was a more straightforward. A Ranger reconnaissance team <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seal-team-6-parachute-skills-distinct-among-special-operations-units-2020-11" target="_top">free-f</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seal-team-6-parachute-skills-distinct-among-special-operations-units-2020-11" target="_top">ell</a> on the target a few days before to ensure that the runway could bear the heavy load of the MC-130 Combat Talons that would land after dropping the Rangers.</p><p>The Rangers encountered no serious opposition; only two were slightly injured in the jump. At some point, aircraft had to destroy some approaching enemy vehicles, but that was the extent of resistance on Rhino.</p><p>A team of Air Commandos surveyed the airfield to see if it could be used in the future. Then, the helicopters from Gecko arrived to refuel and rearm before flying back to the aircraft carrier.</p><p>The Rangers gradually collapsed their security perimeter and boarded the MC-130s. The task force flew away before dawn.</p><p>"It was just another difficult mission for us, a historic one for sure," Coker told Insider. "We were extremely proud of doing the impossible and getting everyone out. The Night Stalkers train hard and do things that would curl your toes. It was a was long one for sure; 18 hours in the saddle is a long time."</p><p>However, the task force suffered two fatalities during the operation, after two Rangers with the quick reaction force in Pakistan were killed when an MH-60 Black Hawk rolled over them.</p><p>Coker, who has written about <a href="https://www.deathwaitsinthedark.com/?fbclid=IwAR39YcigxcKgCEQjxHLkCwmSrpZVzg67f6XCgBxDQYJlbvbyeah-sHT9Lrk" target="_top">his special-operation</a><a href="https://www.deathwaitsinthedark.com/?fbclid=IwAR39YcigxcKgCEQjxHLkCwmSrpZVzg67f6XCgBxDQYJlbvbyeah-sHT9Lrk" target="_top">s experiences</a>, went on to deploy eight times in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p><p>The operations were mainly meant as psychological warfare. By hitting Omar's compound in Taliban central, the US military showed it could strike anywhere. Rhino had a similar aim, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTWg2oQGGNw" target="_top">footage of the combat jump</a> was broadcast on national television.</p><p>A few weeks afterward, Gen. James Mattis' Marines recaptured Rhino and set up a base, and the CIA took Gecko for itself.</p><p lang="en-GB"><em>Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (National Service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.</em></p>

The story of the first special-ops mission deep inside Afghanistan just weeks after 9/11, from troops who were there

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="672652" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="US-Special-Operations-Command">US Special Operations Command</keyword> is seeking its own light aircraft to back up operators on the ground.</li><li>Congress and the Air Force remain wary, but SOCOM has moved ahead, narrowing the competition to five potential aircraft.</li></ul><p>For the past few years, a low-intensity conflict has raged inside the Pentagon over how US special-operations forces are going to counter terrorist and extremist organizations in an era of great-power competition against China and Russia.</p><p>The US <keyword id="637658" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="special-operations">Special Operations</keyword> Command's desire for its own small special-operations aircraft to support its units is at the heart of the debate. Commandos want to have their own cheap aircraft and not have to depend on fighter jets, such as the F-22 or the F-35, that cost between $30,000 to $70,000 an hour to operate.</p><p>SOCOM wants a "multi-role capability that could provide both intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance overhead but also is prepared to fire munitions in support of a team that could be in harm's way," Gen. Richard Clarke, SOCOM's commanding general, told lawmakers at a recent House Armed Services subcommittee hearing.</p><p>The <keyword id="11783367" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="armed-overwatch">Armed Overwatch</keyword> Program, as the latest effort is known, has faced backlash from the Air Force, which had been pursuing its own <keyword id="10707764" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="light-attack-aircraft">light attack aircraft</keyword>, and from Congress, which wants to ensure it doesn't end up funding two similar programs.</p><p>Despite these obstacles, SOCOM has been moving forward, and the competition has reached its final stages with five aircraft battling to become the next special-operations plane.</p><h2>A special-operations aircraft</h2><div type="image" title="Beechcraft AT-6 Light Attack Experiment" height="666" width="1000" msid="85006769" hostid="261"></div><p>The five finalists are the Bronco II, MC-208 Guardian, AT-6E Wolverine, AT-802U Sky Warden, and MC-145B Wily Coyote.</p><p>The Air Force's A-10 Thunderbolt II and AC-130 gunship and the Army's AH-64 Apache helicopter are not part of the competition, but they are highly regarded among troops, so an Armed Overwatch competitor that could provide similar capabilities would likely have an edge.</p><p>Each aircraft has its strengths and weaknesses, and although it will fall to SOCOM to determine which is more suitable for the mission, special-operators on the ground desire three things: loiter time; a potent and diverse arsenal; and strong intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.</p><p>A good loiter time will ensure that the aircraft can stay on target for long periods and continuously support the team on the ground. With plans to buy a limited number of aircraft, SOCOM needs to get as much as possible from each of them.</p><p>Further, a potent and diverse arsenal - such as effective guns for strafing as well as rockets, bombs, and missiles - is a must, as the aircraft will be operating far from major conventional units that can reinforce it, as was the case in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.</p><div type="image" title="A U-28 Draco assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command" height="1243" width="2000" msid="85006773" hostid="261"></div><p>Finally, the aircraft will need sensors that can feed intelligence to ground troops and to commanders well behind the front lines.</p><p>"Sensors aren't discussed enough, but the ability to have a platform with advanced sensors that can alert a team of anything out of place or a threat before it approaches is invaluable," a former Air Force combat controller told Insider.</p><p>The desire for ISR capabilities isn't incidental.</p><p>The MQ-9 and other unmanned aircraft that can provide <keyword id="2853046" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="close-air-support">close air support</keyword>, precision strike, and ISR capabilities are some of the most requested assets by US military commanders.</p><p>During Operation Inherent Resolve, the counterterrorism fight against ISIS, demand for those unmanned aircraft was so high that there <a href="https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/shock-and-awe-the-air-war-against-the-islamic-state/" target="_top">simply weren't enough</a> of them to meet it.</p><p>"I think ISR aircraft, the MQ-9 for example, that had a lighter weapon load were more useful [in Iraq and Syria] because the bad guys knew not to gather in open areas and be an easy target for air attacks. Instead, they did more sneaky stuff, such as planting IEDs," said the former combat controller, who was tasked with coordinating air support for ground troops.</p><div type="image" title="MQ-9 Reaper" height="1976" width="3000" msid="85006776" hostid="261"></div><p>"We didn't always need fast movers [fighter jets] overhead, and if there was a need for one, let's say we got into a firefight, more formidable aircraft would arrive on target very fast," the former combat controller added, speaking anonymously to discuss operations.</p><p>However, in the future, special-operations troops in more distant regions where there are terrorist threats such as Africa will not be able to rely on the speedy arrival of more formidable aircraft.</p><p>"It's really a policy [issue] whether or not fires are required. It's policy and it's the conditions on the ground that could dictate whether or not you needed fires, so it is a multi-role platform," Clarke told lawmakers of the requirements for Armed Overwatch aircraft.</p><p>In addition to those three main capabilities, the new aircraft should have the ability to operate from austere environments with little maintenance.</p><p>An ability to repeatedly land on and launch from dirt strips in Africa or impromptu airfields in Southeast Asia will be as important as effectiveness over the target - if the aircraft can't fly, it doesn't matter what else it can do.</p><h2>Counterterrorism in an era of national competition</h2><div type="image" title="US Air Force Special Tactics operators" height="1331" width="2000" msid="85006778" hostid="261"></div><p>SOCOM plans to buy a total of 60 to 75 planes: four squadrons of 15 aircraft each, with another 10 to 15 aircraft in reserve for training and support. One squadron will be forward-deployed while the rest go through maintenance and training.</p><p>Historically, the US has been engaged in low-intensity and counterinsurgency conflicts at least once every decade since the end World War II.</p><p>Special-operations forces have also become the go-to choice for US policymakers in almost every contingency since the September 11 attacks, as they can conduct valuable missions with relatively little political or military exposure.</p><p>Terrorist and extremist organizations will remain active as the US military refocuses its major conventional units on more pressing threats. So it's safe to assume that SOCOM's Armed Overwatch aircraft will see more action supporting US special-operations units and their partners than the aircraft's fifth-generation fighter cousins.</p><p><em>Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.</em></p>

US Special Operations Command has big plans for its new fleet of small attack planes

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Air Force/Master Sgt. Jeffrey Allen</span></p><p class="caption">F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Wing during an air-to-air training mission, April 8, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The Air Force was 1,555 pilots short of its mandated 20,300 fliers as of April 2017 and is expected to be lacking 1,000 fighter pilots by the end of the current fiscal year in September.</p><p>The pilot shortage has been a problem for some time - the Air Force chief of staff and Air Force secretary called it a "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-quiet-crisis-creating-pilot-and-manpower-shortage-2017-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quiet crisis</a>" in summer 2016 - and the service is now looking to rapidly train new ones.</p><p>After training 1,100 pilots in 2016, the Air Force is set to turn out 1,200 this year and should hit 1,400 pilots annually in the near future.</p><p>But that would be the maximum the service could train at a time when it could need even more, Air Force Lt. Gen. Daryl Roberson, head of Air Education and Training Command, <a href="https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/09/20/the-air-force-is-working-to-max-out-pilot-production-but-it-wont-be-nearly-enough" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> Air Force Times this week.</p><p><span>Hitting the 1,600-pilots-a-year level that may be needed would require more training personnel, training aircraft, and trainees.</span></p><p><span>"We are going to have to figure out a way to produce pilots that is outside the resource capacity of the United States Air Force," Roberson <a href="https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/09/20/the-air-force-is-working-to-max-out-pilot-production-but-it-wont-be-nearly-enough" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>. "</span>We're maximizing the use of our air frames to the fullest extent that we can right now. We can only produce so many flying training sorties per day, and that's going to be exceeded."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/airmanmagazine/sets/72157638517123276/with/11340384865/">via U.S. Air Force</a></span></p><p class="caption">Aircrew members observe the MC-130E Combat Talon I during its final flight before retirement, April 15, 2013.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Air Force officials have singled out lucrative and less demanding jobs in commercial aviation as a main reason for pilots leaving the service. To keep fliers in uniform, the Air Force has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-is-looking-personnel-and-administrative-policy-changes-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">proposed a number of new policies</a>, including reduced administrative duties, higher pay and bonuses, and more flexible assignments.</p><p>The Air Force has also asked retired pilots to return and take on administrative jobs that require pilot training so active-duty pilots can focus on operations. It is also looking to outsource the "red air" component of training, in which pilots play the role of opposition aircraft.</p><p>But the strain on the people who keep the Air Force in the air is still evident, and it appears to be having ripple effect on the introduction of at least one major new platform.</p><p>The Air Force declared initial operating capability for its newest gunship, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-newest-gunship-the-ghostrider-almost-ready-for-combat-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the AC-130J Ghostrider</a>, this week, but the plane is still about two years from seeing actual combat - in part because there aren't pilots to train on it.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Air Force photo/Chrissy Cuttita</span></p><p class="caption">Dave King, of Lockheed Martin, marshals the AC-130J Ghostrider on the runway for its first official sortie, January 31, 2017, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>"This is a fully configured gunship," Air Force Special Operations chief Lt. Gen. Marshall Webb <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-forces-newest-gunship-the-ghostrider-almost-ready-for-combat-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> Military.com. "The challenge that we have, it's my problem, is how do we fight the current fight - we have gunships deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria - and use those same people to convert into a new weapon system?"</span></p><p><span>"So that draws out the timeline from IOC of airframes to train the guys who come back from combat into a new weapon system, have them have a deployed-dwell time to make sure that they're going to have families at the end of their 20-year career, then bring them back on the battlefield in the Js," Webb added.</span></p><p><span>Roberson said the Air Force has asked Congress for more funding to train pilots, but it's also looking for a "<a href="https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/09/20/the-air-force-is-working-to-max-out-pilot-production-but-it-wont-be-nearly-enough" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">comprehensive approach</a>" involving nationwide effort to get pilot production up to the needed level.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Air Force/Osakabe Yasuo</span></p><p class="caption">Capt. Thomas Bernard, a 36th Airlift Squadron C-130 Hercules pilot, during a training mission over Japan, October 14, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p>"That could be a national pilot-training academy that is partially funded by airlines and industry and the military," and others groups, he <a href="https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/09/20/the-air-force-is-working-to-max-out-pilot-production-but-it-wont-be-nearly-enough" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> Air Force Times.</p><p>"We produce pilots to a certain standard, and then some go into the military first with a guaranteed follow-on, perhaps, to the airlines," he added. "We have to build a construct, as a nation, on how we're going to get at producing the number of pilots we need long-term."</p><p>While the pilot shortage is perhaps the Air Force's most high-profile challenge, the service is looking at a number of changes to its administrative operations and strategic focus to ease the burden on personnel and better use resources.</p><p>As part of an effort to push decision-making responsibility down the chain of command, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein <a href="https://federalnewsradio.com/air-force/2017/09/air-force-loosening-headquarters-reins-in-effort-to-purge-stupid-regulations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said this week</a> he would issue a memo giving wing and squadron commands the power to determine how much rest time pilots and other airmen get between missions.</p><p>Goldfein called the squadron the "<a href="https://federalnewsradio.com/air-force/2017/09/air-force-loosening-headquarters-reins-in-effort-to-purge-stupid-regulations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">heartbeat</a>" of the Air Force and said delegating authority to commanders at that level would grow increasingly important in future military engagements, where lines of communication between headquarters and field commanders are more vulnerable.</p><p>The Air Force is also looking for shake-ups elsewhere to ease the stress put on its people and planes by roughly 20 years of more-or-less continuous operations, as well as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-is-looking-personnel-and-administrative-policy-changes-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">growing demand</a> for it in Europe, Asia, and Afghanistan.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Justyn M. Freeman)</span></p><p class="caption">The 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and volunteers from various units level a concrete mixture using an aluminum screed at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, September 19, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>During a panel discussion at the <span>Air Force Association's Air, Space &amp; Cyber conference, Pacific Air Forces commander </span>Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy <a href="http://www.defensenews.com/news/your-air-force/2017/09/20/air-force-commanders-in-the-pacific-europe-turn-to-deterrence-amid-threats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">underscored</a> the need to revamp Air Force operations to project power in the face of future opponents with advanced capabilities.</p><p>To adapt to opponents with the ability to deny freedom of movement, O'Shaughnessy said the US military needed to find ways to fight from bases both inside and outside of contested areas. <span>"We need kind of a hybrid in the Pacific," he said.</span></p><p><span>Gen. Tod Wolters, who leads US Air Forces in Europe, <a href="http://www.defensenews.com/news/your-air-force/2017/09/20/air-force-commanders-in-the-pacific-europe-turn-to-deterrence-amid-threats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a> during the same event that deterring potential foes and properly using available weapons systems was vital in his area of operations. As a part of that, NATO air forces have recently assumed missions in the Baltic states and Poland.</span></p><p><span>"We're in the process of taking all 29 [NATO] nations and contributing on a voluntary basis to the deterrent capabilities that exist in those four countries," he said.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/f-22-most-dangerous-jet-fighter-20-years-united-states-air-force-2017-9">Watch the F-22 in action - the most dangerous jet fighter in the US Air Force for the last 20 years</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

The Air Force is scrambling to train more pilots as new aircraft languish on the runway

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>The failed U.S. mission to rescue a number of hostages being held by the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria earlier this summer <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/secret-mission-rescue-us-hostages-flawless-rescue/story?id=25077207">was a much larger operation</a> than previously realized, according to new reporting by James Gordon Meek and Lee Ferran at ABC News.</p>
<p>The mission, carried out by U.S. Special Operations soldiers <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/160th-soar-2014-8">flown to the target location near Raqqah, Syria by the 160th Special Operations Air Regiment</a> (SOAR), involved at least 24 soldiers and was supported by helicopters and an Air Force AC-130 gunship - <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ac-130-spectre-gunship-owns-night-with-close-air-support-2013-2">a modified cargo plane with sophisticated electronics and weaponry</a> - providing close air support.</p>
<p>"This operation was a flawless operation," <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Secretary Chuck Hagel said at a Thursday press conference of the mission, which had only one U.S. soldier being wounded. "But the hostages were not there."</p>
<p>According to ABC News, U.S. forces on the ground kicked over a hornet's nest in Raqqah - an IS stronghold - and engaged in a heavy battle with more than 100 militants, approximately 15 of which were killed in the engagement. The special ops left the scene soon after realizing the hostages they were looking for were not there.</p>
<p>"Was it a failure of intelligence? No. Intelligence doesn't come wrapped in a package with a bow," Hagel said. "It's a mosaic of many pictures, of many factors, and the enemy always has a say. The underlying objective was to do everything we could to rescue these hostages, knowing that their lives were in danger, clearly in danger."</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/james-foley-rescue-operation-murder-isis-special-forces-2014-8"></a></div><p></p></div></div>James Foley, a reporter for GlobalPost who was murdered by ISIS militants earlier this week, was not the only American citizen held by the terror group that U.S. forces were looking for. At least <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/21/world/middleeast/isis-pressed-for-ransom-before-killing-james-foley.html">three other Americans</a>, to include another reporter - Steven Sotloff - are being held, bringing the total count of foreign hostages <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/20/islamic-state-isis-foreign-hostages-syria-aleppo">to around 20</a>, according to The Guardian.</p>
<p>While the Pentagon declined to comment exactly on where and when the operation took place, a social media post by a Syrian activist seemed to reveal a commando raid in the same area the evening of July 3, carried out by soldiers riding in "silent helicopters" who spoke a foreign language, BuzzFeed <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/miriamberger/a-syrian-activist-might-have-witnessed-the-failed-us-attack#1ypgdy2">reported</a>. A <a href="http://aranews.net/2014/07/foreign-forces-target-isil-stronghold-syrias-raqqa-activists/">Syrian news agency</a> later reported this operation on July 6.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>The allusion to "silent helicopters" suggests the possibility that highly-modified Blackhawk helicopters, similar to those used in the Bin Laden raid, were used in the mission, although the exact helicopter type was unknown. The Washington Post <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/08/20/specialized-black-hawk-helicopters-used-in-another-sensitive-special-operations-raid/">reported</a> Wednesday that special helicopters were used in the raid, which were outfitted with an "advanced suite of aircraft survivability equipment."</p>
<p>The mission failed to rescue the hostages but did uncover <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/james-foley-rescue-operation-murder-isis-special-forces-2014-8">"unspecified materials"</a> from the militant group.</p>

The Operation To Rescue American Hostages In Syria Was Much Larger Than We Realized

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>The Russian Ministry of <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> posted on social media on Monday "irrefutable evidence" that the US was aiding ISIS in Syria.</strong></li><li><strong>The pictures turned out to be screenshots from a video game and old videos shot in Iraq.</strong></li><li><strong>The Russian Ministry of Defense has since deleted the posts.</strong></li></ul><p><br>Moscow has for months been <a href="http://tass.com/defense/950769" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">accusing</a> the US of aiding ISIS in Syria, and on Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense finally tweeted out "irrefutible evidence" of the collusion.</br></p><p>But it turns out the evidence was just screenshots of a video game and old videos from Iraq, <a href="https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2017/11/14/russian-ministry-defence-publishes-screenshots-computer-games-evidence-us-collusion-isis/">according to Bellingcat</a>.</p><p>"#Russian_Mod shows irrefutable evidence that #US are actually covering ISIS combat units to recover their combat capabilities, redeploy, and use them to promote American interests in Middle East," the Russian Ministry of Defense <a href="https://017qndpynh-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/russian-mod-tweet-1.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a>, in a now-deleted tweet.</p><p>One of the pictures in the tweet of the US supposedly covering an ISIS convoy leaving the Abu Kamal region was actually a screenshot from an AC-130 gunship simulator <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clL9yZSbcE0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video game</a>, Bellingcat reported.</p><p>Below is a <a href="https://017qndpynh-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Cropped.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">side by side</a> screenshot provided by Bellingcat of the Russian screenshot and the video game screenshot:</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>The other three images were also not what Russia claimed, but instead from videos shot in Iraq in 2016.</p><p>Russian citizens themselves even called out their Ministry of Defense for the mistake, <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/russias-evidence-us-helping-isis-comes-2015-computer-game-710474" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to Newsweek.</p><p>"Do not humiliate yourselves and do not humiliate Russia," one Russian <a href="https://twitter.com/Saferprim/status/930413266790121472" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a> at the Ministry of Defense.</p><p>"Won't you comment on how a screenshot from a game appeared in your evidence file connecting the U.S. with ISIS," another Russian <a href="https://twitter.com/trayhardplay/status/930403544607404033" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tweeted</a>.</p><p>On Tuesday, Russian state-owned media outlet TASS <a href="http://tass.com/defense/975642" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blamed</a> the ordeal on a "civil service employee."</p><p>"The Russian Defense Ministry is investigating its civil service employee who erroneously attached wrong photo illustrations to its statement on interaction between the US-led international coalition and Islamic State militants near Abu Kamal, Syria," the ministry said, according to TASS.</p><p>The Russian Ministry of Defense has since deleted the tweets of the false images. However, some images are still up, including the one below, which is actually pinned to their page.</p><p>But Michael Kofman, a senior research analyst at CNA, told Business Insider that while the images still up are not from the video game or old videos from Iraq, "they are really blurry and incredibly difficult to verify."</p><p>"It's impossible to tell, but I suspect none of this footage is real," Kofman said, adding that even if they were images of ISIS convoys in Syria, it doesn't prove that the US is aiding the terrorist group in any way.</p><p>"The claim itself is actually ridiculous," Kofman said, with a laugh.</p><p class="tagline"></p><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-el-chapo-joaquin-guzman-really-like-cartel-wives-2017-10">What El Chapo is really like - according to the wife of one his closest henchman</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div></hr>

It turns out Russia's 'evidence' of the US helping ISIS was just video game screenshots

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>The White House is <a href="http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/focus/article1450512.ece">pushing back on a report in the Sunday Times</a> earlier this week that said Obama "took too long" to authorize the mission to rescue James Foley and other American hostages held by ISIS militants, a decision that journalist Toby Harnden reported made the mission impossible.</p>
<p>The report, which offers a broad overview of the failed July 4 mission to rescue Foley, had two paragraphs which were very interesting:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Pentagon sources said Foley and the others might well have been rescued but Obama, concerned about the ramifications of US troops being killed or captured in Syria, took too long to authorise the mission.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Anthony Shaffer, a former lieutenant-colonel in US military intelligence who worked on covert operations, said: "I'm told it was almost a 30-day delay from when they said they wanted to go to when he finally gave the green light. They were ready to go in June to grab the guy [Foley] and they weren't permitted."</p>
<p>For what it's worth, Harnden, who has been a journalist for 20 years, uses the word sources - so while they are anonymous we know there are at least two - and his follow-up statement from Anthony Shaffer lends some credibility, as it comes from an ex-Army officer with the <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Intelligence Agency. (He also wrote a book which the Pentagon bought up just so it could destroy all the copies because it reportedly contained intelligence secrets, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/us/10books.html?_r=1">according</a> to The New York Times).</p>
<p>In a later <a href="https://twitter.com/tobyharnden/status/505388234000859138">tweet</a> that was widely circulated, Harnden said a senior Pentagon official confirmed to him "that 'hesitation' by President Obama" delayed the mission. The account of the National Security Council immediately pushed back:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en" data-conversation="none">
<p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/tobyharnden">@tobyharnden</a> Not true. US forces conducted op as soon as the President &amp; nat sec team were confident it could be carried out successfully.</p>
- @NSCPress (@NSCPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSCPress/statuses/505395072608002049">August 29, 2014</a></blockquote>

<p>That didn't exactly satisfy Harnden, who called it a "non-denial denial," which NSC also pushed back on:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/tobyharnden">@tobyharnden</a> No, it's an actual denial. Your unnamed source is wrong. Welcome to use on record from Caitlin Hayden, NSC Spokesperson.</p>
- @NSCPress (@NSCPress) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSCPress/statuses/505485326107021312">August 29, 2014</a></blockquote>

<p> Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby also jumped in:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>.<a href="https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec">@PentagonPresSec</a> No one I have spoken to forgets courage of those who conducted the mission - quite the opposite.</p>
- Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) <a href="https://twitter.com/tobyharnden/statuses/505427676749107201">August 29, 2014</a></blockquote>

<p>So it seems the timeline of the rescue mission is in dispute, but the Times is holding firm.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/216256-wh-pushes-back-on-report-obama-hesitated-to-rescue-foley">statement</a> to The Hill, Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco said: "The President authorized action at this time because it was the national security team's assessment that these hostages were in danger with each passing day in [ISIS] custody."</p>
<p>What is not really in dispute is that the operation was large, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/syria-rescue-mission-2014-8">involving "several dozen" U.S. special operations troops</a> in helicopters that were supported by an AC-130 gunship near Raqqah, Syria. The troops landed and found a prison with no hostages, but around 100 ISIS militants fighting them. Roughly 15 militants were killed before special ops left the scene.</p>

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