Boeing is in the midst of flight testing the new 30 mm cannons on the AC-130U Gunship at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Currently, Air Force Special Operations Command has asked Boeing to modify four AC-130Us with the new Bushmaster 30 mm cannons to give the Spookys greater standoff range and first-shot accuracy. (USAF announced the changeout of Bushmasters for the current 40 mm cannon and 25 mm gun earlier this year.)
The Air Force is seeking funding to let its pilots fly a little more than 1.1 million hours in fiscal 2027, which would be the most in about four years. But even if Airmen actually do fly all 1.1 million hours, it would still be short of the 1.3 million…