AC-130W Static Display Unveiled
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. – The 27th Special Operations Wing unveiled the Excalibur II, an AC-130W Stinger II static display, to honor its dedication as a wartime aircraft March 21, 2024.
In July 2007, the commander of U. S. Special Operations Command declared the need to bolster the gunship fleet. Using rapid acquisition principles and combat-proven technology, USSOCOM fielded the precision strike package on the MC-130W Dragon Spear. Less than 18 months after the initial test flight, the newly modified aircraft deployed in support of Operation NEW DAWN.
The Excalibur II, or Tail No. 88-1308, was one of the first original test aircraft in 2010 and the first AC-130W to fire 30 mm rounds. Over its career, the aircraft accrued 1,204 combat hours.
In just over 10 years of service the Stinger II flew a combined 2,170 combat sorties, totaling over 15,000 hours. In this time, they expended nearly 300,000 rounds of 30 mm and 105 mm ammunition and over 2,000 precision guided munitions in support of close air support, direct fire and air interdiction missions.
During the ceremony, U.S. Air Force Col. Kaveri Crum, 1st Special Operations Wing Deputy Commander, highlighted the historical impacts of the aircraft.
“Thirteen-o-eight is the last of the whiskeys,” said Crum. “Her eleven friends have long left her to carry on the legacy, but today this aircraft gets a well-deserved retirement and a fitting resting place.”
Excalibur II had multiple significant events decorating its career. It was the first gunship to employ the M2 Laser Designator and to employ the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) and Griffin Missile from the Block 10 configuration. It was the first to flight test the Helmet Mounted Display and the first to use Tactical Systems Operator equipment on the AC-130W platform.
The Excalibur II now lives on as a display at Cannon as part of the Steadfast Line to honor the AC-130W enterprise and the Air Commandos that served with it.
