The most important special operations development which came out of the Vietnam War was the gunship - the AC-47, the AC-119, and at its best, the AC-130. Air commando units performed psychological operations, unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, forward air control, close air support, and interdiction. Whatever it might be, the jobs got done as the air commandos met the expanded requirements and tasks of air operations in Vietnam. However, as one air commando commented, "Our planes may be obsolete and unsophisticated, but they can do our kind of job." That might be a C-47 dropping flares to illuminate the target a B-26 making repeated strafing, rocket, and bombing passes or a forward air controller (FAC) identifying a target for strike aircraft. Propeller aircraft such as the T-28, B-26, C-47, and A-1 appeared strangely out of place in a jet-age air force. As the Vietnam War expanded in scope and intensity, the Air Force increased its counterinsurgency capability and most of its special operations resources were dedicated to the war in Southeast Asia.
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