MULEDEER AND FABS
MD. LIKE ANY FIREARM AND BARREL THE GATLING WAS SUBJECTED TO THE SAME STRAINS. ON THE STINGER STRINGS WERE LIMITED TO 600 ROUNDS. A GOOD PILOT COULD ROLL IN ON A TRUCK AND GET THE JOB DONE WITH 25 TO 50 ROUNDS. MY PILOT COULD ALWAYS GET A 20 TO 25 ROUND BURST. HE WAS THE BEST I EVER SEEN AT IT. THAT GUY WAS COOL AS A CUCUMBER.
ANOTHER REASON FOR LIMITING LENGTH OF BURST WAS THE LITTLE WIDGET THAT HELD THE BARRELS TOGETHER. IF THE BARRELS GOT TOO HOT THEY WARPED AND THE BARREL BAND COULD DEPART THE AREA IN A HURRY. WE HAD AN INCIDENT ONE NIGHT OVER THE PLAIN DE JARS WHERE OUR ILLUSTRIOUS AIRCRAFT COMMANDER NOT OUR REGULAR PILOT, FIRED A 900 ROUND BURST AND THE BARREL BAND LEFT AND CREATED SOME HAVOC. THE GUN PROCEEDED TO FIRE AND RIPPED IT SELF FROM IT'S MOUNTS BEFORE ONE OF US GUYS COULD GET TO THE BOX AND SHUT IT OFF. THERE WERE ALSO HOT ROUNDS GOING OFF IN THE CARGO COMPARTMENT. THERE WERE 5 OF US BACK THERE, 3 GUNNERS, AN ILLUMINATOR OPERATOR, AND A NIGHT OBSERVATION SIGHT OPERATOR. NEEDLESS TO SAY WE WERE SOMEWHAT DISTRAUGHT. MY B GUNNER AND I WERE REARMING THE BACK 20, THE C GUNNER WAS SCANNING FOR AAA ALONG WITH THE ILLUMINATOR OPERATOR. SCANNERS WERE VERRRRRRRRRY IMPORTANT. ALL THE ARAMENT IN THE WORLD DON'T DO YOU ANY GOOD IF YOU GET SNUFFED OUT BY AAA. WE CALLED AN INFLIGHT EMERGENCY AND HEADED BACK TO NKP.
BEING WE ONLY FLEW AT NIGHT WE COULD NOT FULLY ACCESS THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.
WHILE TALKING ABOUT BARREL BANDS THERE WAS A SPOOKY AT PHU CAT IN 67 OR 68 THAT SAWED A BIG PORTION OF THE END OF IT'S WING OFF BECAUSE THE BARREL BAND DEPARTED THE AREA. THE SIX BARRELS JUST OPENED UP IN DIAMETER AND CHEWED IT UP. A TCTO TOOK CARE OF THE PROBLEM, SOMEWHAT. BY THE WAY THAT AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN BACK TO BASE. A GREAT PIECE OF AIRMANSHIP. IF YOU CARE TO NOTICE ALL THE GUNSHIPS THAT CAME AFTER SPOOKY HAD HIGH WINGS. LIFES A DANCE, WE LEARN AS WE GO.
OUR AIRCRAFT WAS FIXED ALSO, NEW MOUNTS AND KEVLAR IN THE FLOOR, NEW GUN AND DRUM AND NEW FLIGHT SUITS FOR THE GUNNERS, IO AND THE NOS.
OK FABS YOUR TURN.
THE SHADOW WAS THE FIRST GUNSHIP TO USE A COMPUTER FIRING DEVICE USING RADAR AND MATCHING THE TARGET.
THE STINGER WAS THE FIRST TO UTILIZE SIDELOOKING AND FORWARD LOOKING INFRARED RADAR. SLIR AND FLIR. WITH HEAT SEEKING RADAR WE COULD PICK OUT HUMANS, ELEPHANTS AND TRUCKS. PLACED ON A COMPUTER SCREEN IT WAS VERY EASY TO HIT THE TARGET WITH A SHORT BURST. WE USED HIGH EXPLOSIVE INCENDIARY AMMO HEI FOR TRUCKS BUT WE ALSO CARRIED ARMOR PIERCING INCENDIARY, API, FOR THE HEAVY STUFF. ONLY PROBLEM WAS WE ALWAYS LOADED THE GUN FIRST WITH HEI BECUASE THAT WAS OUR PRIMARY MISSION. WE COULD UNLOAD A DRUM OF 1200 ROUNDS REBELT IT AND RELOAD FOR API IF NEED BE. WHILE WE WERE DOING THIS THE PILOT WOULD PULL OFF THE TARGET AREA AND THE REST OF THE CREW WOULD SIT AROUND PICKING THEIR NOSE TILL WE GOT DONE. THATS ALL THEY COULD DO. THAT IS STRICTLY A TWO MAN JOB LIKE IT OR NOT.
I CAN NOT PERSONALLY ATTEST TO THE FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM ON THE SPECTRE, I KNOW IN SOME WAYS IT IS VASTLY SUPERIOR TO THE ONE WE HAD IN THE STINGER. BUT THE BASICS ARE THE SAME.
YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHY YOU NEEDED 80 ROUNDS A SECOND TO HIT. WELL REMEMBER LITTLE GOMER ON THE GROUND IS PEDALING A** AS FAST HE CAN YOU ARE IN AN ORBIT AT 5K AGL YOU'RE DODGING AAA THE WIND IS BLOWING YOU AROUND SO YOU'RE DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY IS QUITE HIGH. ALSO DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF AAA IN THE AREA SOMETIMES WE HAD TO FLY AT 8K AGL TO KEEP FROM GETTING HIT. ALSO REMEMBER THERE WERE 10 SOB, THATS NOT WHAT YOU THINK, IT'S SOULS ON BOARD, AND WE HAD FAMILIES TO GO BACK TO. WE TOOK OUR JOB SERIOUSLY. EVERYBODY HAD TO DEPEND ON EVERYBODY ELSE.
ONE NIGHT ON THE PLAINS DE JARS WE KILLED 26 TRUCKS WITH 1100 RDS. THATS DAMN GOOD SHOOTING PARDNER.
BY THE WAY THE NOS SIGHT IS A MODIFIED STARSCOPE THAT IS WIRED INTO THE COMPUTER FIRING SYSTEM , IT WORKED OFF A 2 MILLION CANDLEPOWER INFRARED LIGHT IN THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. THERE WAS ALSO A 2M CP WHITE LIGHT WE COULD USE FOR TIC MISSIONS ALSO. THE GUYS ON THE GROUND LOVED IT. THEY COULD FINALLY READ THEIR PLAYBOY MAGS.
SORRY TO PUT YOU ALL TO SLEEP, IT'S JUST SOMETHING I ENJOY TALKING ABOUT AND AM VEEEEEEERY PROUD OF.