America's long-running military struggles in Iraq and Af-ghanistan have reaffirmed a long-standing truth about airpower in irregular war: When you go into combat, never go without USAF's deadly side-firing gunships somewhere nearby.rnToday's AC-130s are upholding a stellar combat tradition extending from the early days of Vietnam in the 1960s through the operations in Grenada, Panama, Kuwait, Somalia, and the Balkans. And US ground commanders of the future, no less than those of today, will surely ask, "Where are the gunships?"rnIn the future, however, those gunships might not be there. Air Force Special Operations Command's 25 AC-130s are,rnon average, almost 30 years old. Searches for a successor have stalled. All of them will have to be retired or rebuilt within 10 years. As a result, these highly effective weapons might be fading out.
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