U.S. deploys AC-130J Ghostrider gunship in El Salvador as pressure increases on Venezuela
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Satellite imagery revealed that U.S. military aircraft, including an AC-130J Ghostrider, began operating from Comalapa in El Salvador in mid-October during an ongoing regional buildup. The deployment expands U.S. activity near Venezuela and supports broader counternarcotics and contingency operations across the Caribbean and Central America.
On November 6, 2025, the New York Times revealed that U.S. military aircraft began operating from El Salvador’s main international airport, marking the first verified deployment of American strike-capable planes to the country since the Cold War. Three military aircraft, including an AC-130J gunship, a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, and a C-40 jet, were identified based on satellite imagery and flight data. This deployment is part of a wider regional buildup initiated in August 2025 and comes at a time of tightening pressure by the U.S. on both narcotics traffickers and the government of Venezuela.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The AC-130J’s weaponry includes a 30 mm GAU-23/A chain gun mounted to the port side of the fuselage, a 105 mm M102 howitzer cannon (also side-firing), wing-mounted GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, GBU-53/B SDB II, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, AGM-176 Griffin missiles (and possibly others via Common Launch Tubes). (Picture source: US Air Force)
Satellite imagery, air traffic control recordings, and flight-tracking data confirmed that at least three aircraft, an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship, a Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance plane, and an unmarked U.S. Air Force C-40 Clipper jet, had been active from the Cooperative Security Location Comalapa, situated within El Salvador International Airport. The aircraft began missions in mid-October as part of a wider buildup of U.S. forces across the Caribbean and Central America initiated in August 2025 under an expanded counternarcotics and contingency operation. This regional mobilization includes approximately 10,000 troops, multiple drones and bombers, and nearly a dozen Navy warships, with the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford expected to join soon. The deployment aligns with a U.S. strategy emphasizing regional readiness and operational deterrence capabilities across the Caribbean basin.
The AC-130J Ghostrider, operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), is a multi-role attack aircraft designed for close air support, interdiction, and armed reconnaissance missions. It carries an array of precision and direct-fire weapons and can engage targets on land or at sea using its onboard cannons and guided munitions. This represents the first time that a U.S. strike-capable aircraft has been stationed in El Salvador for potential combat operations, reflecting increased cooperation between Washington and San Salvador. El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele has worked closely with the Trump administration on immigration control and counternarcotics cooperation, including the detention of deportees in maximum-security facilities. Two U.S. defense officials confirmed that the aircraft presence was related to enhanced anti-smuggling operations. Analysts note that the AC-130J deployment fits a broader operational framework within U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and signals an expanded American aerial footprint in Central America’s Pacific corridor.
The Cooperative Security Location at Comalapa was originally established in 2000 to support counternarcotics missions throughout the eastern Pacific. For two decades, it primarily hosted Navy surveillance aircraft such as the P-3 Orion and P-8A Poseidon, used for intelligence gathering and maritime patrols. The facility saw reduced activity after 2022, with limited Department of Homeland Security aircraft movements until a sharp increase in operations was observed beginning in October 2025. Satellite imagery captured on November 5 showed the AC-130J, P-8A, and C-40 on the tarmac, confirming renewed activity at the base. Flight-tracking records indicated that the Poseidon had completed at least six reconnaissance missions, while both the Ghostrider and the unmarked Air Force jet had flown at least one mission each before cutting communications in line with “due regard” procedures. These sorties coincided with an increased number of U.S. maritime strikes targeting suspected narcotics vessels in the eastern Pacific, underscoring an operational shift from surveillance-only missions to potential precision engagement capabilities.
U.S. military forces have initiated a substantial regional buildup since August 2025, encompassing the Caribbean Sea and adjacent waters. The deployment includes the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, along with numerous escort vessels, unmanned systems, surveillance platforms, and advanced combat aircraft assigned to augment maritime and aerial task force reach. Analysts describe this concentration of assets as the largest U.S. military presence in the Latin American theatre in decades, incorporating over 15,000 personnel in the Western Hemisphere area of operations. The assets in place span guided-missile destroyers, submarine-support elements, reconnaissance aircraft, and advanced strike fighters such as the F-35B, all contributing to a new joint task force oriented toward transnational threat disruption. U.S. officials attribute the objective to disrupting narcotics trafficking and organised crime networks, though several analysts note that the strategic objective extends beyond counternarcotics interception to potential pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The redeployment of assets to El Salvador forms part of a larger SOUTHCOM strategic adjustment, involving the reassignment of personnel and equipment from European and Middle Eastern commands to the Western Hemisphere. The shift is intended to strengthen U.S. operational readiness against asymmetric threats, including transnational crime, illicit trafficking, and the activities of external state actors. Admiral James Stavridis, former commander of U.S. Southern Command, observed that Comalapa had long been associated with humanitarian and disaster relief operations, but it now functions as a forward site for armed deterrence missions. The expansion of U.S. military presence also complements recent joint task force initiatives and multinational exercises, such as Tradewinds 2025, which brought together over 1,000 troops from 26 nations, including European participants. These efforts are consistent with Washington’s objective to reinforce cooperative security structures and maintain persistent aerial surveillance and interdiction capabilities across Latin America.
The AC-130J Ghostrider represents the fifth generation of the C-130-based gunship lineage. Developed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, it entered service in 2017 and achieved initial operational capability the same year, with full operational capacity expected in fiscal year 2025. The aircraft’s production cost is estimated at $165 million per unit, and a total of 37 are in active-duty service distributed between Hurlburt Field, Florida, and Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. It is powered by four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines rated at 4,700 shaft horsepower each, enabling a range of about 4,800 kilometers and a maximum takeoff weight of 74,400 kilograms. The standard crew includes two pilots, two combat systems officers, and four special mission aviators. Its avionics suite features dual-pilot digital flight controls, integrated navigation systems, and advanced mission management software that allows accurate targeting and data coordination during extended operations.
The aircraft’s Precision Strike Package integrates electro-optical and infrared sensors, fire control systems, and precision-guided munitions management. The Ghostrider’s armament includes a 30 mm GAU-23/A Bushmaster autocannon, a 105 mm M102 howitzer, and several classes of guided weapons such as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, AGM-176 Griffin missiles, GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, and GBU-69 Small Glide Munitions. The aircraft’s design enables extended loiter time over operational zones and precise strikes with low-yield munitions. It is suited for both urban and maritime environments, capable of supporting ground troops, escorting convoys, and conducting surveillance or interdiction operations. The avionics and targeting architecture allow real-time data exchange with command networks and other aircraft, giving it high operational accuracy under variable conditions. The Ghostrider is also configured to operate from austere or forward-deployed airfields, extending its tactical reach in limited-access environments.
The AC-130J traces its origins to the Vietnam War-era AC-130A Spectre program, known as Project Gunship II, which introduced side-firing weapons for sustained ground attack. Subsequent variants such as the AC-130H Spectre, AC-130U Spooky, and AC-130W Stinger II were deployed in conflicts from Southeast Asia and Central America to the Middle East and Africa. These aircraft provided long-duration support to both special operations and conventional units, performing roles that included precision engagement, convoy protection, and base defense. Over time, the gunship family integrated improved communications, countermeasures, and advanced targeting systems to maintain relevance across changing combat environments. Although the AC-130J’s low speed and radar profile limit its survivability in heavily defended zones, it continues to serve as a central asset for AFSOC operations requiring persistent airborne firepower. It remains deployed globally for missions involving close air support, interdiction, and reconnaissance in limited-access or contested airspace.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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Satellite imagery revealed that U.S. military aircraft, including an AC-130J Ghostrider, began operating from Comalapa in El Salvador in mid-October during an ongoing regional buildup. The deployment expands U.S. activity near Venezuela and supports broader counternarcotics and contingency operations across the Caribbean and Central America.
On November 6, 2025, the New York Times revealed that U.S. military aircraft began operating from El Salvador’s main international airport, marking the first verified deployment of American strike-capable planes to the country since the Cold War. Three military aircraft, including an AC-130J gunship, a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, and a C-40 jet, were identified based on satellite imagery and flight data. This deployment is part of a wider regional buildup initiated in August 2025 and comes at a time of tightening pressure by the U.S. on both narcotics traffickers and the government of Venezuela.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The AC-130J’s weaponry includes a 30 mm GAU-23/A chain gun mounted to the port side of the fuselage, a 105 mm M102 howitzer cannon (also side-firing), wing-mounted GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, GBU-53/B SDB II, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, AGM-176 Griffin missiles (and possibly others via Common Launch Tubes). (Picture source: US Air Force)
Satellite imagery, air traffic control recordings, and flight-tracking data confirmed that at least three aircraft, an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship, a Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance plane, and an unmarked U.S. Air Force C-40 Clipper jet, had been active from the Cooperative Security Location Comalapa, situated within El Salvador International Airport. The aircraft began missions in mid-October as part of a wider buildup of U.S. forces across the Caribbean and Central America initiated in August 2025 under an expanded counternarcotics and contingency operation. This regional mobilization includes approximately 10,000 troops, multiple drones and bombers, and nearly a dozen Navy warships, with the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford expected to join soon. The deployment aligns with a U.S. strategy emphasizing regional readiness and operational deterrence capabilities across the Caribbean basin.
The AC-130J Ghostrider, operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), is a multi-role attack aircraft designed for close air support, interdiction, and armed reconnaissance missions. It carries an array of precision and direct-fire weapons and can engage targets on land or at sea using its onboard cannons and guided munitions. This represents the first time that a U.S. strike-capable aircraft has been stationed in El Salvador for potential combat operations, reflecting increased cooperation between Washington and San Salvador. El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele has worked closely with the Trump administration on immigration control and counternarcotics cooperation, including the detention of deportees in maximum-security facilities. Two U.S. defense officials confirmed that the aircraft presence was related to enhanced anti-smuggling operations. Analysts note that the AC-130J deployment fits a broader operational framework within U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and signals an expanded American aerial footprint in Central America’s Pacific corridor.
The Cooperative Security Location at Comalapa was originally established in 2000 to support counternarcotics missions throughout the eastern Pacific. For two decades, it primarily hosted Navy surveillance aircraft such as the P-3 Orion and P-8A Poseidon, used for intelligence gathering and maritime patrols. The facility saw reduced activity after 2022, with limited Department of Homeland Security aircraft movements until a sharp increase in operations was observed beginning in October 2025. Satellite imagery captured on November 5 showed the AC-130J, P-8A, and C-40 on the tarmac, confirming renewed activity at the base. Flight-tracking records indicated that the Poseidon had completed at least six reconnaissance missions, while both the Ghostrider and the unmarked Air Force jet had flown at least one mission each before cutting communications in line with “due regard” procedures. These sorties coincided with an increased number of U.S. maritime strikes targeting suspected narcotics vessels in the eastern Pacific, underscoring an operational shift from surveillance-only missions to potential precision engagement capabilities.
U.S. military forces have initiated a substantial regional buildup since August 2025, encompassing the Caribbean Sea and adjacent waters. The deployment includes the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, along with numerous escort vessels, unmanned systems, surveillance platforms, and advanced combat aircraft assigned to augment maritime and aerial task force reach. Analysts describe this concentration of assets as the largest U.S. military presence in the Latin American theatre in decades, incorporating over 15,000 personnel in the Western Hemisphere area of operations. The assets in place span guided-missile destroyers, submarine-support elements, reconnaissance aircraft, and advanced strike fighters such as the F-35B, all contributing to a new joint task force oriented toward transnational threat disruption. U.S. officials attribute the objective to disrupting narcotics trafficking and organised crime networks, though several analysts note that the strategic objective extends beyond counternarcotics interception to potential pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The redeployment of assets to El Salvador forms part of a larger SOUTHCOM strategic adjustment, involving the reassignment of personnel and equipment from European and Middle Eastern commands to the Western Hemisphere. The shift is intended to strengthen U.S. operational readiness against asymmetric threats, including transnational crime, illicit trafficking, and the activities of external state actors. Admiral James Stavridis, former commander of U.S. Southern Command, observed that Comalapa had long been associated with humanitarian and disaster relief operations, but it now functions as a forward site for armed deterrence missions. The expansion of U.S. military presence also complements recent joint task force initiatives and multinational exercises, such as Tradewinds 2025, which brought together over 1,000 troops from 26 nations, including European participants. These efforts are consistent with Washington’s objective to reinforce cooperative security structures and maintain persistent aerial surveillance and interdiction capabilities across Latin America.
The AC-130J Ghostrider represents the fifth generation of the C-130-based gunship lineage. Developed by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, it entered service in 2017 and achieved initial operational capability the same year, with full operational capacity expected in fiscal year 2025. The aircraft’s production cost is estimated at $165 million per unit, and a total of 37 are in active-duty service distributed between Hurlburt Field, Florida, and Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. It is powered by four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines rated at 4,700 shaft horsepower each, enabling a range of about 4,800 kilometers and a maximum takeoff weight of 74,400 kilograms. The standard crew includes two pilots, two combat systems officers, and four special mission aviators. Its avionics suite features dual-pilot digital flight controls, integrated navigation systems, and advanced mission management software that allows accurate targeting and data coordination during extended operations.
The aircraft’s Precision Strike Package integrates electro-optical and infrared sensors, fire control systems, and precision-guided munitions management. The Ghostrider’s armament includes a 30 mm GAU-23/A Bushmaster autocannon, a 105 mm M102 howitzer, and several classes of guided weapons such as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, AGM-176 Griffin missiles, GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs, and GBU-69 Small Glide Munitions. The aircraft’s design enables extended loiter time over operational zones and precise strikes with low-yield munitions. It is suited for both urban and maritime environments, capable of supporting ground troops, escorting convoys, and conducting surveillance or interdiction operations. The avionics and targeting architecture allow real-time data exchange with command networks and other aircraft, giving it high operational accuracy under variable conditions. The Ghostrider is also configured to operate from austere or forward-deployed airfields, extending its tactical reach in limited-access environments.
The AC-130J traces its origins to the Vietnam War-era AC-130A Spectre program, known as Project Gunship II, which introduced side-firing weapons for sustained ground attack. Subsequent variants such as the AC-130H Spectre, AC-130U Spooky, and AC-130W Stinger II were deployed in conflicts from Southeast Asia and Central America to the Middle East and Africa. These aircraft provided long-duration support to both special operations and conventional units, performing roles that included precision engagement, convoy protection, and base defense. Over time, the gunship family integrated improved communications, countermeasures, and advanced targeting systems to maintain relevance across changing combat environments. Although the AC-130J’s low speed and radar profile limit its survivability in heavily defended zones, it continues to serve as a central asset for AFSOC operations requiring persistent airborne firepower. It remains deployed globally for missions involving close air support, interdiction, and reconnaissance in limited-access or contested airspace.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
