USAF and EMBRAER LIGHT prop plane to replace A-10 in Afghanistan.

It is SUCH A joke really how little they think of front line troops isn't it?
www.defenseindustrydaily.com...
Then we come back.

a reply to: cavtrooper7

A COIN platform is perfect for the region. The A-10 is great, but so is a COIN platform.

You should do a little more research though. These are going to the Afghan military for their use.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Time will tell, but then we will have to content with "differences" between all of the various factors between their style and ours as the reason for different results.

a reply to: Aliensun

And they're not going to be flying CAS for our forces. The only American forces they'll be flying CAS for would be trainers embedded with Afghan units.

a reply to: Zaphod58

This, COIN aircraft are perfect for this and the only thing that would have topped the A-10 for Afghanistan would have been OV-10's with hellfires and the Gatling gun turret that they tested.

a reply to: Zaphod58www.nationaldefensemagazine.org... ame.aspx
They are looking at it.

a reply to: cavtrooper7

It's one option yes. They're looking at a number of options for an A-10 replacement. A smaller platform would do the same mission, and do it well. The A-10 is for a lower threat environment, as would this. The main role for this however is for cheap JTAC training. The A-10 costs over $17,000 an hour to operate, regardless of what it's doing. A Texan II, if they go with that one, runs less than $2,500 an hour.

It takes time to train a JTAC, and using a platform that runs incredibly cheap to do it just makes sense.

originally posted by: cavtrooper7
It is SUCH A joke really how little they think of front line troops isn't it?
www.defenseindustrydaily.com...
Then we come back.

You're regarding information on the internet as if it were fact.

Sorry. That's not real life.

In one universe maybe. Maybe even in yours.

But in my universe, we are forging ahead with things that would quite likely blow your mind.

www.foxnews.com... es-parallel-universes/

Read up on modern science that even conservative news sources like Fox News is accepting before positing this drama queen horsepucky.

a reply to: universalbri

Sorry but speaking as a former Cav Scout and verified pessimist,pie in the sky promises and OMNIPOTENT BEINGS just don't stop the DUJ from going boom,now do they?
Did you remember the Rockwell P51 upgrade?
medium.com... the Super Tacano is a lighter aircraft.
Oh joy.

a reply to: cavtrooper7

It's also not replacing the A-10. It may be lighter than the P-51 (barely), but it's far more capable than any P-51 could ever dream of being. They're years away from naming an A-10 replacement. They haven't even named the T-38 replacement, and that is far more necessary.

a reply to: cavtrooper7

The USAF was set to pick these up as a COIN platform a few years back but the program was shelved after complaints by Hawker Beechcraft led to questions about how the bid was awarded..

In December 2011, the USAF announced a winner in the LAS competition and awarded a contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation for purchase of a number of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. In January 2012, Hawker Beechcraft, which had submitted its AT-6B Texan II aircraft to the LAS competition, filed an official complaint against the contract award. This resulted in a stop-work order on the awarded contract, and a sudden decision in February 2012 to terminate the contract altogether. In February 2012, the USAF also announced that its FY13 budget proposal would end funding for both the Light Attack / Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) and the Light Mobility Aircraft (LIMA) programs. The USAF had announced as part of its FY13 budget proposal, that it would be moving away from missions related to support ground forces after a decade of major conflict to refocus on service priorities. No mention of the OA-X concept or its future was made.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I bet that Northrup Grumman bird gets it the onone that looks like the YAK 130
defencenews.in...
They are the same company that makes the F-18 and all the other "Clean Sheets"are linked to European companies

a reply to: cavtrooper7If you are referring to the image in the story you sourced, you are confused. That is the T100 which is based on the Alenia/Aermacchi M-346, itself essentially a close sibling of the Yak-130 as both came from a collaboration between Yak and Alenia/Aermacchi in the 90's and are derivatives of the same design. As far as I know there are currently no images of NG's new design out yet.

Whats wrong with the other clean sheets being linked with European manufacturers such as Boeing's entry being a collaboration with SAAB? Last I checked SAAB was one of the only viable airframe contenders producing designs that actually worked as designed and for a reasonable price and operating cost, plus well designed for maintenance.

LEE.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: cavtrooper7

It's also not replacing the A-10. It may be lighter than the P-51 (barely), but it's far more capable than any P-51 could ever dream of being. They're years away from naming an A-10 replacement. They haven't even named the T-38 replacement, and that is far more necessary.

When I was in flight school there were two P-51s there which were used as chase planes for the AH-56 Cheyenne. According to the crew chiefs they were remanufactured by a company in Florida called Cavalier. They had a larger engine than a standard P-51 and had wing tip tanks. From the pilots who flew it, they said it was very loud and uncomfortable to fly for long period of time. I would think, this would be a NO-GO for a CAS platform today. It also had no escape systems for the pilots.

a reply to: buddah6

The T-6 and the Super Tucano are both nice platforms to fly.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I have heard that they were! I would love to be able to get a ride in either one. When I was on annual training many years ago, I was able to get a look at a Shorts made version of the Toucano.

I have been told that there's one in civilian hands in the L.A. area. Have you any info on this bird?

a reply to: buddah6

There are a bunch of T1s flying around the US in private hands actually.

What are the thoughts on mounting an auto cannon on a long loiter drone to augment the a10 replacement? With new guided .50 cal rounds (if .50 works then 25-35mm should work fine) I could see raining down lead from 20,000 no problem.

Idk if any one platform can do exactly what the a10 can but a couple more specialized platforms could prolly do the different jobs better. (Hellfire from predators for example)

If its works and can do the job? Why not?

Big price tags dont always mean better for the job.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: buddah6

There are a bunch of T1s flying around the US in private hands actually.

I saw one flying on Radar24 website north of L.A.