AC-130 Gunship Simulator Game Useful Propaganda For Russia And MAGA

AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron hoped to capture the experience of an AC-130 gunner as realistically as possible. “I wanted vehicles that would use their full capabilities, both in attack and evasion. I wanted injuries and bleeding. I wanted a realistic damage model that would disable vehicle parts independently instead of ‘this tank takes 5 shots before exploding in a generic way,’” developer Byte Conveyor Studios wrote in a Facebook post back in 2015. AC-130 Gunship Simulator never saw release, but did succeed in creating a realistic simulation of an AC-130 attack, at least, realistic enough to serve as useful propaganda for both MAGA zealots and the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation.

AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron was first shorn of its video game context and presented as real footage by a Twitter account, since deleted, claiming to be based in Udhampur, India. “Live Drone Action over Mosul,” the tweet begins. “Attached video is of an ISIS convoy trying 2 re-supply fighters in Mosul and being taken out by a Predator drone.” The tweet featured a screenshot from Special Ops Squadron, complete with a mobile app-style “Fire” button in the bottom-right corner and text at the top reading, “DEVELOPMENT FOOTAGE, THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.”

Despite the obvious indicators, the tweet was spread by thousands of users claiming it as proof of Donald Trump’s effectiveness in war-making. “Hell Yeah! I love that the shackles have finally been lifted off our Military again with @realDonaldTrump at the helm. Obama-Danger 4 troops,” a typical reply reads. The tweet gained further traction thanks to a predictable backlash, with liberal and left-wing pundits mocking those duped by the fakery.

But this week AC-130 Gunship Simulator: Special Ops Squadron went from minor virality to the big leagues, thanks to a tweet from the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, which posted a selection of photos it claimed constituted “indisputable confirmation that the United States provides cover for combat-capable ISIS units for use in advancing American interests in the Middle East,” propagating a popular conspiracy theory claiming that ISIS is supported (and even created) by the United States. One of the photos, their “indisputable confirmation,” was pulled from AC-130 Gunship Simulator. The tweet has since been replaced by the identical text, this time without the video game screenshot.

The hoax was quickly exposed by British journalist and Syrian Civil War specialist Eliot Higgins.

Lockheed’s AC-130 gunship was first deployed during the United States’ invasion of Vietnam and has since fired its guns at Iraqis, Afghanis, ISIL convoys and a Doctors Without Borders hospital. Current deployment models, like the AC-130U Spooky and AC-130J Ghostrider are armed with overwhelming firepower, including anti-aircraft autocannons, 105mm howitzers and, in Spooky’s case, a 25mm gatling gun capable of firing 1800 rounds a minute. But even with its long history of carnage, it’s never flown support missions for ISIS, despite what Russian propaganda efforts would claim.