ALEX QUADE: SPEC OPS AC130 GUNSHIP

War reporter Alex Quade has embedded with US Special Operations Forces on combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, during which AC-130s provided close air support and cover fire - for more reports go to www.alexquade.com



In this video, Quade brings you along for a ride on board a Spectre gunship live-fire mission; it is the gunship and air crew which took care of the teams Alex Quade was with during the fatal downing of a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan in 2007, by a Taliban surface to air missile. The AC-130 mission, that night in Helmand Province between Kajaki and Sangin, is cited as one of the most challenging and dangerous combat search and rescue missions in Operation Enduring Freedom history. The 9-hour mission began with the AC-130 crew assuming tactical control of 17 combat aircraft while clearing a pathway for SOF troops pinned down by small arms and RPG fire to secure the crash site. The AC-130 crew stayed in position to silence both anti-aircraft artillery and enemy forces engaging the SOF rescue team within meters of each other. For their actions, the crew received the Jolly Green Rescue Mission of the Year award in 2007. For more of the story, go to www.alexquade.com