Defenders train with gunship crews

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Trevor Tiernan
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Airmen from the 8th Security Forces Squadron now have a new weapon in their armory when conducting the first part of the Wolf Pack mission - to defend the base.

A team from Hurlburt Field, Fla. visited Kunsan Air Base Aug. 18-22 to demonstrate the capabilities of the AC-130 gunship.

"We came here to work with [the 8th] Security Forces [Squadron]," said Capt. Nicholas Mullett, an instructor with the 19th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt. "We brought the calls for fire training down here, so we can work with them, give them a capabilities brief for the gunship and get them used to doing calls for fire."

The two models of the AC-130 are based on the C-130 Hercules platform and are armed with a 105mm howitzer and a 40mm cannon; the U model also has a 25mm Gatling gun. With primary missions of close air support, air interdiction and force protection, the AC-130 has a combat history dating back to the Vietnam conflict, and according to Captain Mullett, is currently working every day.

"The AC-130 gunship is an incredible warfighting platform," said Col. Bryan "Wolf" Bearden, 8th Fighter Wing commander. "We've seen all over the world the damage it can do to our enemies."

The Wolf, along with other members of wing leadership and 8th SFS, took some time at the controls of the high-tech simulator to learn just what the AC-130 brings to the fight. Captin Mullett believes the most important training the simulator provides is getting the Airman on the ground comfortable with speaking to the aircrew loitering overhead.

"The primary goal of the simulator is to work on the verbology," he said, "to get these guys experienced with the terminology they need to accurately and quickly get fires on target from the gunship."

Set up like a video game played on large screen monitors, the system simulated the layout of the base. Displayed on screen was a ground level view with Kunsan's key structures and scenery. The instructors drop enemy targets into the scenario and then it is up to the "player." However, instead of entering commands through a keyboard or joypad, the Airmen had a live AC-130 expert answering their requests.

"I'm a gunship navigator with the 16th Special Operations Squadron and I'm currently teaching at the 19th SOS, which is the training squadron for all gunship training," said Captain Mullett. "My role here is to bring my experience to these guys and to give the realism of actually talking to the aircraft."

The hands-on training, real-time interaction and absence of "death-by-slideshow" made the training stand out to one Kunsan defender who went through the course.

"It's some of the best training I've had because we had some interaction," said Airman 1st Class Christen Peck, 8th SFS. "It was interesting to learn how to talk to the pilots over the radio and to practice how to engage the targets."

According to Capatin Mullett, the Airmen on the ground were exactly the group they wanted to reach with this training.

"Some of these [Airmen] are young--19 and up--and don't think that they'll actually be part of this," he said. "But these are the guys defending the base. The gunships are going to be working with them first and foremost, and they really are going to play a role in protecting everyone here."

For Colonel Bearden, the chance to train with the AC-130 instructors is a unique opportunity and the integration of gunships with the wing's mission is a no-brainer.

"One of the first priorities of the wolf pack mission is to defend the base," he said. "This capability brings a whole new dynamic to that."

(Army Spc. Brian Zeisler contributed to this story)