'The silence of the inky black night is broken by the distant rumble of turboprop engines droning even closer. Out of the darkness comes the unmistakable sound of weapons being brought to bear. Tracer rounds arc downwards lighting up the sky and a seemingly endless stream of shell-fire tears at the ground, as an unseen night hunter plies its trade. This sort of power and precision can mean only one thing, a US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) AC-130 'Spectre' Gunship is on station'.