AC-130U gunship loadmaster Senior Airman Oleksandr Slidenko from the 4th Special Operations Squadron pre-flights the plane before take off, Jan. 27, 2011 before a local training mission at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The AC-130U "Spooky" gunship is the primary weapon of Air Force Special Operations Command. Its primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. The U model is an upgraded version of the H and is equipped with side firing, trainable 25 mm, 40 mm, and 105 mm guns.