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The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the participants, not of Reuters News. They fly in the dead of night with all their lights off and then suddenly, you know, just all

hell breaks loose. The United States keeps some very old, very strange looking planes in the arsenal,

but each serves a purpose.

The A10 Wardhog provides close air support to ground troops.

The B52, which we've talked about on this show, drops bombs, but is so large and easy to spot that it also sends a message.

The AC 130 is also a plane with a specific purpose.

It's propeller driven and has guns mounted on only one side. This week on War College we look at this

anachronism and the damage you can still do. Of course any weapon system is

only as good as its guidance.

Matt's taking on the hosting duties this week, so enjoy.

You're listening to War College, a weekly discussion of a world in conflict focusing

on the stories behind the front lines. Hello and welcome to War College. I'm your host Matthew Galt. With me today is Joseph Trevithic. Trevithic is a contributor to Wars Boring and a fellow with

global security. He's also a master of the Freedom of Information Act request, that magic journalistic

maneuver that allows American citizens to delve into the government's paperwork.

As of this recording, Joe has filed 154 FOIA requests in 2016 alone.

He's here today to tell us about a piece of American military

hardware that's gotten a lot of negative press lately, the AC 130 gun ship.

Joe, thank you as always for joining us.

...