A Lockheed AC-130U Spooky (87-0128) named Big Daddy on display at the Memorial Air Park on Hurlburt Field, Florida.
From the information plaque at the aircraft:
On 19 May 1997, AC-130U (87-0128) Spooky gunship arrived at Hurlburt Field. The aircraft earned the sobriquet "Big Daddy" because it was the father of the AC-130U gunship fleet. Known originally as "Mr. Ed" or "Big Ed," for the letters ED painted on its tail, "Big Daddy" reached Edwards AFB during the summer of 1987. Edwards AFB Test Wing took ownership of "Big Daddy" painting it in the European paint scheme and adding a large "Spectre" emblem on the forward left side, both unique to the AC-130 model. On 21 December 1990, "Big Daddy" flew for the first time as an AC-130U gunship. Nearly a year later, "Big Daddy" fired for the first time the AC-130U-unique 25mm GAU-12. Similar to the AC-130H, the AC-130U also contained the 40mm Bofors and the 105mm Howitzer. In addition, this gunship possessed the ability to pressurize and attack two targets simultaneously. Although the original plans were to keep "Big Daddy" as a test and development platform for future modifications, Air Force Special Operations Command added the aircraft to its operational AC-130U inventory. The conversion process from test to operational aircraft took longer than expected, which resulted in "Big Daddy" being the last AC-130U to enter the operational fleet. Over the course of 23 years, the 4th Special Operations Squadron flew 7,236 combat hours and 1,392 sorties in "Big Daddy." During their lifetime, AC-130U gunships performed missions in Kosovo, Iraq, Somalia, South America, Libya, and Afghanistan.
