Orbital ATK AC-235

Light-class Fixed-Wing Gunship

United States | 2019

"The Orbital ATK AC-235 is a gunship variant of the CASA-Airbus Military C-235 tactical transport platform."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/12/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from official Orbital ATK marketing material.

Due to the rise in "irregular warfare" there has been a growing interest by air services of the world in procuring affordable light-attack / Close-Air support (CAS) and ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) platforms. The Orbital ATK AC-235 fulfills this role and is being touted for its robust qualities and over-battlefield flexibility. Orbital ATK is the 2015 offshoot of the merger between Orbital Sciences Corporation and Alliant Techsystems centering on the aerospace and defense sector.

The AC-235 was a joint-development between Orbital ATK and the nation of Jordan. The company also holds experience in development of the MC-27J Praetorian, a gunship based off of the Italian Alenia C-27J tactical transport.

The AC-235 is categorized as a "light gunship" (the AC-295 being the medium-sized derivative) and is similar in battlefield form and function to the Lockheed AC-130. Like the AC-130, the AC-235 is built upon the framework of an existing fixed-wing platform, namely the Spanish CASA (Airbus Military) CN-235 transport. Orbital ATK offers its mission system (dual-color displays, Fire Control System) coupled with an EO/IR sensor with laser designation capability, synthetic aperture radar and a complete countermeasures fit. The cockpit sports a complete tactical display arrangement, protected data links, night vision equipment support, and armor protection (the latter for low altitude survivability). Weapons pylons are added to the sides of the fuselage and are cleared to carry AGM-114 "Hellfire" surface-to-air missiles as well as 70mm multi-shot rocket pods. A 30mm M230LF automatic cannon is seated within the fuselage to fire out of the side at ground targets below. The gun is fully trainable atop its mounting for added tactical flexibility.

The AC-235 retains the basic design arrangement of the C-235 hauler: It showcases a high-mounted monoplane wing arrangement with the wings set at midships. This provides the aircraft with good short-field qualities and clears the prop from damage and endangering ground personnel. Each wing has a single engine nacelle driving a four-bladed propeller unit. The cockpit is set overlooking the nose in the usual way and the tail is elevated. Within the fuselage are crew stations and processing systems while offering some customizing. Atop the aft section is a single, high-reaching vertical fin with low-mounted tailplanes. The undercarriage is a tricycle arrangement.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Orbital ATK AC-235 Light-class Fixed-Wing Gunship.

2 x General Electric CT7-9C3 turboprop engines developing 1,750 shaft horsepower each.
Propulsion

280 mph
450 kph | 243 kts
Max Speed

24,606 ft
7,500 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling

3,107 miles
5,000 km | 2,700 nm
Operational Range

1,750 ft/min
533 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Orbital ATK AC-235 Light-class Fixed-Wing Gunship.

8
(MANNED)
Crew

70.5 ft
21.50 m
O/A Length

84.6 ft
(25.80 m)
O/A Width

17.0 ft
(5.18 m)
O/A Height

22,046 lb
(10,000 kg)
Empty Weight

35,274 lb
(16,000 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Orbital ATK AC-235 Light-class Fixed-Wing Gunship .

1 x 30mm M230LF autocannon in side-firing trainable mounting.

OPTIONAL:
AGM-114 "Hellfire" air-to-surface missiles and 70mm multi-shot rocket pods supported on side-mounted wing stubs.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Orbital ATK AC-235 family line.

AC-235 - Base Series Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Orbital ATK AC-235. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 0 Units
Contractor(s): Orbital ATK - United States / Jordan

[ Jordan ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (280mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

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❮ ❯

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

GROUND ATTACK

CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT

RECONNAISSANCE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The Orbital ATK AC-235 Light-class Fixed-Wing Gunship appears in the following collections:

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