The AC-130U Gunship Program Explores Viper Strike Capability

Attack Fighter Aircraft AC-130

USAF is working on a new weapon system that has the potential to make a great bit of difference in both the war on terror and the Iraqi Insurgency.

The Aeronautical Systems Center's public affairs folks are reporting progress on a hot new piece of hardware for the AC-130 Gunship (seen below). The weapon -dubbed 'Viper Strike'- is a small, precision guided attack munition. The advantages such a weapon would provide in both range and accuracy are innummerable.

Okay now what I'm reading here in my inbox is a little tricky to decipher, but from what I can tell, Viper Strike consists of a 4-5 pound warhead attached to an army-style anti-tank HEAT round. It will be fired out of the Spooky version of the AC-130 (not to be confused with its sister ship, the Spectre gunship). We've used these gunships for several decades now, and they are absolutely priceless weapons in the GWOT.

Dave Shrum, a VP with Northrup Grumman said that Viper Strike "can add to AC-130 capability by providing a light-weight, low-collateral damage precision weapon at longer range."

My thoughts can't help but to dwell on the sometimes difficult-to-hit Iraqi insurgent, and the terrorist driving across the desert in a mercedes. We've always had the capability to engage these folks with an admirable degree of precision, though having this Viper-Strike capability will certainly boost our proficiency in the task.