![]() The Ghostrider FTU is not the only Air Force training unit slated for relocation from Northwest Florida. More: Last 'Spooky' gunship returns to Hurlburt Field 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. The aircraft also was involved in "hit night," the first night of attacks on Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. Retired in 2018 after almost 30 years of service, that particular "Spooky," tail number 89-0511, had a number of claims on aviation history, including the highest altitude - 31,000 feet - ever flown by an AC-130U. ![]() It is the fourth generation of the AC-130 gunship, and replaces the AC-130U "Spooky" gunship, the last of which was retired in June of this year.Īmong the retired AC-130U gunships was a history-making "Spooky" that had been assigned to Hurlburt's 4th Special Operations Squadron. Its armament includes 30mm and 105mm cannons as well as precision-guided bombs and missiles. ![]() ![]() The AC-130J Ghostrider's primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. More: Hurlburt Field retires special AC-130U 'Spooky' gunshipĪccording to the Air Force, the move "allows for Air Force Special Operations Command to realign its training mission under Air Education and Training Command and consolidate AC-130 initial and mission qualification training at Kirtland AFB."Īir Force Special Operations Command is headquartered at Hurlburt, where the first AC-130J Ghostrider arrived in July of 2015, after testing at nearby Eglin Air Force Base. Under the current timetable, the Ghostrider training unit is scheduled to begin moving from Northwest Florida to New Mexico in the summer of 2022. As with all such relocations, the move is subject to the results of an assessment of the environmental impact of moving the training unit to Kirtland. If - or more likely, when - it comes, the move will affect 372 positions and seven aircraft currently at Hurlburt. More (2015): PHOTO GALLERY - Seen on Scene: AC-130J gunship arrives at Hurlburt ![]() FTUs provide training for an aircraft's pilots and maintenance personnel. Late last week, the Air Force announced that Kirtland is its preferred site for the relocation of the Ghostrider Formal Training Unit (FTU). HURLBURT FIELD - The Air Force training unit for the AC-130J "Ghostrider" gunship is slated to be relocated from Hurlburt Field to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico within the next couple of years. ![]()
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