Post-WW II Aviation
In the more modern, post-WW II fixed-wing aircraft category, a gunship is an aircraft having laterally-mounted heavy armaments (i.e. firing to the side) to attack ground or sea targets. These gunships were configured to circle the target instead of performing strafing runs. Such aircraft have their armament on one side harmonized to fire at the apex of an imaginary cone formed by the aircraft and the ground when performing a pylon turn (banking turn).
As the first notable case of the now-standard use of "gunship", in 1964, during the Vietnam War, a popular C-47 Dakota transport was successfully modified with side-firing Miniguns for circling attacks. At the time the aircraft was known as "dragonship" or "Puff, the Magic Dragon" (officially designated FC-47, later corrected to AC-47). It was the later and larger AC-130 Gunship II that became the modern, post-World War II origin of the term "gunship" in military aviation. These heavily armed aircraft used a variety of weapon systems; including 7.62 mm GAU-2/A miniguns, 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan 6-barrel Gatling cannons, 25 mm (0.984 in) GAU-12/U Equalizer 5-barreled gatling cannons, 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II chain guns, 40 mm (1.58 in) L/60 Bofors cannon and 105 mm (4.13 in) M102 howitzers. The Douglas AC-47 Spooky, the Fairchild AC-119, and the AC-130 Spectre/Spooky, were vulnerable, and meant to operate only after achieving air superiority.
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