Dutch Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 (edited) I have some questions about the radar on the AC-130A's. What type radar was on the AC-130A aircraft was it in fact APN-59? And does anyone have the dates that the APN-59 type radome were added to the 53 and 54 year aircraft. I think it was at mod to AC-130A's. Thanks in advance for any help with this. Edited August 13, 2011 by Dutch Screwed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RavenFE Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Only thing I could find, was the AC-130A models were modified with the AN/ARN-92C or -92D, beacon tracking radar. Later the Black Crow system was added as an enhancement to the beacon tracking radar. Can't help you much on the radome change but if memory serves me right the change was made with the 55 year models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrkaegi Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 The C130A Blind Bat birds had the black crow system. Left parachute door, 6 foot TV antenna. As i know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry myers Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Dutch, C-130A aircraft up to tail number 54-1640 were produced with APS-42 radar. These acft. were easily identified by thier blunt or so called Roman nose. This radar was the same as installed on KC-97s. All As' from 54-1641 up came with APN-59 radar. As usual, early on there were exceptions. For example our standard acft., 54-1637 was modified early on with 59 radar. AFSC had several early As' with 59 radar. When you puruse the gallery you will notice that early As' with APS-42 show up in later photos modified with APN-59. My guess is that these acft. were modified, prior to being transfered to other air forces, most likely via FMS. I can't speak for the early A gunships but my guess is that APN-59 radar was incorporated as part of the gunship conversion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 I have some questions about the radar on the AC-130A's. What type radar was on the AC-130A aircraft was it in fact APN-59? And does anyone have the dates that the APN-59 type radome were added to the 53 and 54 year aircraft. I think it was at mod to AC-130A's. Thanks in advance for any help with this. I thank all of you that have replyed to this, but none are anwsering the questions that are in my first post. (Quote above) Again I need the dates the APN-59 type radomes were installed and what type radar was used on the AC-130A thats all. Sorry to be a pain in the arse but that is how it goes. Love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donwon Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 When I got to Sewart in Sept 63 there were 3 "A,s" with the Roman nose. I "THINK" they were 54 models. I was told they could not fly across an ocean because of the radar system. Sometime in 64 I went with 56-468 to Dyss and they did a doppler mod on it. I thought it was APN-59. Not sure of that. We sent several to Dyss for that mod and in Sept 64 those planes went to Clark TDY. I know this don't answer your question Dutch but if I don't get it out now it will be lost forever or till the next time it crosses my mind which may never happen. Clark may be able to give you moer on this or maybe Bill Estes. They were at Sewart about the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre623 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) OK Dutch here you go; A quote out of a Lockheed book called " Hercules ", " Although 'Pinocchio' noses were retrofitted to some of the first 28 aircraft and 4 bladed props were introduced from 1978, a handfull of C-130A's retained their Roman nose profile and 3 bladed props well into the 1980's". It also says the Tn. ANG had some as late as 1990's when the 118th went to C-130H and the 155th went to C-141's. As for the AC-130A's, the first ones known as "Plain Janes" had the AN/APS-42 radar if it had a Roman nose and if it had the Pinocchio nose it had a standard AN/APN-59 radar. When The AC-130A's were upgraded to the" Suprise Package" it was modded to the AN/APN-59B navigation radar with moving Target Indicator which would have the Pinocchio nose added if it didnt already have one. Dec. 1970 was when the last Plain Jane was sent to be modded to an even newer configuration called Pave Pronto which included all the Suprise Package 40MM guns and electronic mods but now included The Black Crow sensor which as we all know picked up the signal off the spark plugs and ign. system on the trucks that were on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. As for exact dates on the nose mod on each aircraft it would take a month at Maxwell AFB looking up each aircrafts history to know all the answers Dutch. This is all I got on the nose. -- P.S. As I was writing this about the 118Th out of Nashville I seem to remember meeting the maint. team at Dobbins that came with the flt crew to pick up their first H model and I THINK they came down on a Roman nose bird. It was in Jan 1990 as per Lars book. Any old 118th troops out there that can confirm this was a Roman nose....Jim Watkins maybe? Bill Edited August 18, 2011 by Spectre623 Foot note Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutch Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Thanks for the info Spectre623. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edknox Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Here is a good site with lots of stuff about C-130s: www.theaviationzone.com & www.airliners.net Both of these have some good stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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