Air Force Special Operations Command dedicated an AC-130H Spectre gunship and MC-130P Combat Shadow special operations aircraft for display in the airpark at Hurlburt Field, Fla., on Tuesday. “To this day, there is no sound that strikes more fear into the hearts of our enemies than the sound of an AC-130 orbiting and firing overhead,” 4th Special Operations Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Derrick Barton said during the Feb. 2 ceremony. “Years from now, people will see ‘Wicked Wanda’ on her perch and wonder, perhaps imagine, the battles and far-off conflicts,” he said. Hurlburt retired AC-130H “Wicked Wanda” after 43 years of service in December 2014, and launched its final MC-130P sortie last May, as both fleets are being phased out under AFSOC’s ongoing C-130 recap. Both aircraft will now serve as a “reminder of who we are, who we need to be, and if they could only talk, just think of the stories they could tell,” former US Special Operations Command boss retired Gen. Charles Holland added in a rel?ease.
The Space Force’s small size has limited its capacity to consider what role it will play in future operations on and around the moon. That needs to change, according to Vice Chief of Operations Gen. Shawn Bratton.
