The 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, officially retired the final US Air Force AC-130H Spectre gunship (Air Force serial number 69-6569, nicknamed Excalibur) in ceremonies on 26 May 2015. The eight-aircraft AC-130H fleet, all assigned to the 16th Special Operations Squadron, have been ceremoniously retired one-by-one over the last two years. The AC-130H first entered service in 1973. Squadron officials noted that over last twelve years, the 16th SOS has flown more than 6,500 combat sorties, 26,000 combat hours, and has been responsible for more 4,600 enemy killed in action, along with more than 5,200 enemy captures.
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