AF Light Air Support Aircraft

[Herk Driver]

  On 4/19/2016 at 1:47 PM, Clark Griswold said:

Afghan Super-T's perform first confirmed strikes.

https://www.janes.com/article/59586/afghan-a-29s-conduct-strikes-in-northeastern-province-of-badakhshan

 

By whose pilots? The article avoids the subject.

[tac airlifter]

AFG pilots are trained to employ.  A better question is who lazed in the weapons.  Or who cleared the strike and under what ROE.  

[Clark Griswold]

  On 4/19/2016 at 4:00 PM, Herk Driver said:

By whose pilots? The article avoids the subject.

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True but some X amount is hidden behind the paywall, just a guess but the wingman could have been a US advisor crew.

  On 4/19/2016 at 4:38 PM, tac airlifter said:

AFG pilots are trained to employ.  A better question is who lazed in the weapons.  Or who cleared the strike and under what ROE.  

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Concur

Too bad the window has probably closed on the USAF getting a LAAR system.  Always thought the IA-58, modernized with PT-6's, glass, etc... built in the US under license would have been a good plane

 

[HuggyU2]

Did any of you get the AFPC letter about flying A-29s as a GS-13?

[Tank]

  On 10/26/2016 at 5:46 AM, HuggyU2 said:

Did any of you get the AFPC letter about flying A-29s as a GS-13?

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Yes and a friend of mine who recently retired from the USAF is there now flying them.  

[LookieRookie]

Here was the job application it closed yesterday.

 

https://my.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/453817600

[Guest nsplayr]

  On 4/11/2016 at 2:57 PM, Day Man said:

Lengthy (but good) article on private armed aircraft:

https://theintercept.com/2016/04/11/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-drive-to-build-private-air-force/

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From what I remember the DoD put out a memo telling people not to go to the Intercept...

Nothing wrong with the subject of Erik Prince's private AF, but the source (the Intercept) is extremely PNG for USG personnel.

[Day Man]

  On 10/27/2016 at 10:57 PM, nsplayr said:

From what I remember the DoD put out a memo telling people not to go to the Intercept...

Nothing wrong with the subject of Erik Prince's private AF, but the source (the Intercept) is extremely PNG for USG personnel.

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been out for 3 years, no clue what those mongoloids are restricting these days.

[Clark Griswold]

Logic and reason supported by data to argue for a LAAR therefore this will be ignored...

https://warontherocks.com/2016/11/logistical-fratricide-the-cost-of-fast-jet-tacair-measured-in-purple-hearts/

[di1630]

  On 11/15/2016 at 9:10 PM, Clark Griswold said:

Logic and reason supported by data to argue for a LAAR therefore this will be ignored.

Yep. Our leadership is disgustingly piss poor at adapting to the needs of the fight and could probably give 2 sh-ts about fuel use when we need to justify every jet community getting into the fight in order to build those school resumes and groom community leaders.

But I'm just jaded.


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[Clark Griswold]

  On 11/15/2016 at 9:46 PM, di1630 said:

Yep. Our leadership is disgustingly piss poor at adapting to the needs of the fight and could probably give 2 sh-ts about fuel use when we need to justify every jet community getting into the fight in order to build those school resumes and groom community leaders.

But I'm just jaded.

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Not me, I know that flying a 4 engine swing wing 475k+ GW bomber with an adhoc targeting pod added to it that will need to be air refueled at least once during a mission and probably costing around 60k+ per flight hour is the real way to deliver air power in a permissive environment where air to mud effects are sometimes called for but ISR is in really in demand.  

It's nuts to use an inexpensive turboprop that can do both of those missions at probably less than 3% of the cost per mission.

 

[Clark Griswold]

First flight in production configuration for Scorpion Jet

https://txtav.com/en/newsroom/2016/12/first-production-conforming-scorpion-jet-completes-successful-first-flight

New administration with a pro military agenda, make a play for a new MDS AF... 

[MooseAg03]

I love the ideas going around to get lower cost weapons systems into the arsenal, but damn that has the be one of the ugliest planes ever.


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[SurelySerious]

  On 12/24/2016 at 2:51 AM, MooseAg03 said:

I love the ideas going around to get lower cost weapons systems into the arsenal, but damn that has the be one of the ugliest planes ever.


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Still the reigning champion:

[Clark Griswold]

  On 12/24/2016 at 2:58 AM, SurelySerious said:

Still the reigning champion:

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I'll raise you

[Learjetter]

FTW

[HU&W]

  On 12/24/2016 at 2:51 AM, MooseAg03 said:

I love the ideas going around to get lower cost weapons systems into the arsenal, but damn that has the be one of the ugliest planes ever.


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Ugliness is required for CAS aircraft. 

Oh, wait...

[bb17]

[Blue]

  On 12/24/2016 at 2:51 AM, MooseAg03 said:

I love the ideas going around to get lower cost weapons systems into the arsenal, but damn that has the be one of the ugliest planes ever.


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Would look better in dark grey.

[Breckey]

There's always the T-46

[tac airlifter]

  On 12/24/2016 at 8:43 PM, Ho Lee Fuk said:

Ugliest part about it is that back seat, where something usable like extra fuel should go.

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Why wouldn't you want a CSO?  Or have you only flown simple missions where a single human could handle the workload?

[matmacwc]

It looks like something a third world country would build.

[Vetter]

  On 12/25/2016 at 9:55 PM, tac airlifter said:

Why wouldn't you want a CSO?  Or have you only flown simple missions where a single human could handle the workload?

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Serious?

[Guest nsplayr]

If the mission systems were setup like a Viper or a Hawg, you could fly it by yourself.  But with dual-FMV sensors that lack some of the more automatic lasing tools present on true targeting pods, other INT systems, Vortex and other datalinks that aren't exactly "pilot proof," plus flying the jet itself, you need more than one person.

Not that one or the other is better (ok...I think more than 1 is better but then again I'm a nav...), but the systems have to be designed with the crew in mind.  You can't fly a gunship with a crew of 1, it just can't be done.  Same here based on how things are currently architected.  The mission systems could be designed for a single pilot, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that in this case they are not, and flying solo with more gas would inhibit you from performing the ISR/strike mission to the full capes of the systems.

[HuggyU2]

  On 12/26/2016 at 2:05 AM, matmacwc said:

It looks like something a third world country would build.

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You mean like Iran's deadly Qaher 313?  That thing is amazing.