Small, slow and inexpensive propeller-driven planes are starting to replace jets

[roguerower]

Bring back the OV-10 and the A-1 but update the shit out of them. I bet that for a fraction of a fraction of the cost of the F-35 or F-22 programs we could have several different aircraft platforms capable of performing task-specific missions.

Food for thought: http://www.military.com/forums/0,15240,86755,00.html

I see Cessna Caravans everyday (civilian) and its pretty amusing to think of them as some kind of combat aircraft. They are huge planes relatively speaking and make big targets.

I jump out of one every once in a while and I agree, that's a pretty big & slow airframe and to imagine it dropping bombs is pretty humorous.

 

[Blitzvogel]

Too much focus on multi-role these days. It ironically adds extra costs by forcing an airframe to be adapted to a role it wasn't intended to.

 

[Lemon law]

I am no military expert, but what is being described here is our now retired warthogs.

That share the basic low and slow disadvantages of helicopters.

But point granted, against a primitive guerrilla based insurgency, such low and slow helicopters and planes can be very effective as they absorb many random hits from bullets, until that few lucky hits kill the pilots, crew members, or hit vital engine and transmission parts.

But still the good ole USA made the Russian occupation of Afghanistan untenable when it made available to the mujaheddin weapons like stinger missiles and rocket propelled grenades.

So my partial thesis is the concept of low and slow air vehicles died 25 years ago. But its simply raised the ante for people like drug traffickers, they will simply start buying the missiles and rocket propelled grenades on the open arms market to prevent their crops from being sprayed with herbicides. And insurgent political movements will do the same.

 

[Blitzvogel]

I am no military expert, but what is being described here is our now retired warthogs.

That share the basic low and slow disadvantages of helicopters.

But point granted, against a primitive guerrilla based insurgency, such low and slow helicopters and planes can be very effective as they absorb many random hits from bullets, until that few lucky hits kill the pilots, crew members, or hit vital engine and transmission parts.

But still the good ole USA made the Russian occupation of Afghanistan untenable when it made available to the mujaheddin weapons like stinger missiles and rocket propelled grenades.

So my partial thesis is the concept of low and slow air vehicles died 25 years ago. But its simply raised the ante for people like drug traffickers, they will simply start buying the missiles and rocket propelled grenades on the open arms market to prevent their crops from being sprayed with herbicides. And insurgent political movements will do the same.

Portable SAMs are a threat to all aircraft within a specific radius, regardless of their speed of travel. Key here is keeping your IR signature low, and staying out of sight which means staying low to the ground and having lots of IR countermeasures. I don't think portable SAMs are as widespread across rebel/terrorist groups as the media loves to dictate though.

 

[Eos]

I'd be curious to see the actual profit margins.

Are you saying planes built for the armed forces are not built at cost? Well, those companies have no pride in their country then. >_>

 

[wischeez]

A-1H Skyraider

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 38 ft 10 in (11.84 m)
* Wingspan: 50 ft 0¼ in (15.25 m)
* Height: 15 ft 8¼ in (4.78 m)
* Wing area: 400.3 ft² (37.19 m&#178
* Empty weight: 11,968 lb (5,429 kg)
* Loaded weight: 18,106 lb (8,213 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 25,000 lb (11,340 kg)
* Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-3350-26WA radial engine, 2,700 hp (2,000 kW)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 322 mph (280 kn, 518 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
* Cruise speed: 198 mph (172 kn, 319 km/h)
* Range: 1,316 mi (1,144 nm, 2,115 km)
* Service ceiling: 28,500 ft (8,685 m)
* Rate of climb: 2,850 ft/min (14.5 m/s)
* Wing loading: 45 lb/ft² (220 kg/m&#178
* Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (250 W/kg)

Armament

* Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) M2 cannon
* Other: Up to 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) of ordinance on 15 external hard-points including bombs, torpedoes, mine dispensers, unguided rockets, or gun pods

 

[Blitzvogel]

I'd much rather have the Rutan ARES than the A-1H to be completely honest. Time to combat area is still important on the battlefield, it's much faster. The ARES is smaller than the A-1, but could be scaled up with a larger engine, larger airframe to contain more fuel (it has alot of expansion room already), stronger wings for more ordinance.

 

[H54]

A-1H Skyraider

General characteristics

* Crew: One
* Length: 38 ft 10 in (11.84 m)
* Wingspan: 50 ft 0¼ in (15.25 m)
* Height: 15 ft 8¼ in (4.78 m)
* Wing area: 400.3 ft² (37.19 m²)
* Empty weight: 11,968 lb (5,429 kg)
* Loaded weight: 18,106 lb (8,213 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 25,000 lb (11,340 kg)
* Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-3350-26WA radial engine, 2,700 hp (2,000 kW)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 322 mph (280 kn, 518 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
* Cruise speed: 198 mph (172 kn, 319 km/h)
* Range: 1,316 mi (1,144 nm, 2,115 km)
* Service ceiling: 28,500 ft (8,685 m)
* Rate of climb: 2,850 ft/min (14.5 m/s)
* Wing loading: 45 lb/ft² (220 kg/m²)
* Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (250 W/kg)

Armament

* Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) M2 cannon
* Other: Up to 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) of ordinance on 15 external hard-points including bombs, torpedoes, mine dispensers, unguided rockets, or gun pods

If only it were a turboprop.

 

[Blitzvogel]

If only it were a turboprop.

A2D Skyshark wants to say hi....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A2D_Skyshark

 

[Pocatello]

As soon as the U.S pulls out of Afghanistan, the Air Force generals want nothing to do with cheap turbo props, they want stealthy fast movers to compete with Chinese or Russian next generation of stealth fighters. Top brasses don't want to fight or thinking about fighting low-intensity conflicts, most of them are still thinking about big-set battles (conventional warfare) which involve tanks, ships, and airplanes.

 

[skyking]

If only it were a turboprop.

Then kiss that range goodbye.

 

[wischeez]

A2D Skyshark wants to say hi....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A2D_Skyshark

Due largely to the failure of the T40 program to produce a reliable engine, the Skyshark never entered operational service. Twelve Skysharks were built. Most were scrapped or destroyed in accidents, and only one is believed to have survived.