Who should build our next light attack aircraft? (Brazil?)

Hot Air ^ | January 7, 2012 | Jazz Shaw

[PIF]

there can be no good reason. NONE!

—

But then BHO loves “green” companies and Embraer loves to hand green out.

[apoliticalone]

When we allow our nation to be run FTBO a special few WS financiers and bankers and foreign industrialists instead of the homeland itself, we are allowing our nation and future generations to be destroyed.

GW Bush had it right You are either with the USA or against us. Sorry free trade for China and Wall St doesn’t count.

Simply said if a US based company, corporation, bank, politician or individual is not for the USA as a nation, then they are against us, and they need expunged from our country and USA market. I put any industrialist, banker, company or politician that proposes outsources our economy to elsewhere in the realm of being against us.

It’s black and white for me. Either you are for the USA as our nation or you are against us. That’s the way Germany handles their companies and they are in much better shape than the USA in all aspects except military but they don’t roan the world looking to change regimes.

If it was up to me I would have sent Wal-Mart and their HQ to China and required them to fly a Commie flag, instead of the red white and blue.

[1rudeboy]

Your comment simply proves that there is a flavor of conservatism out there that makes your run-of-the-mill communist/fascist look like a piker.

This government department you would create in order to "expunge" the country, would you name it in English, or in North Korean?

[Kenny Bunk]

I too am having a problem with the mission of the LAS. It looks very vulnerable to AAA at low to medium altitude, even of the lightest kind. But with 350 knt speed and an 8-hour loiter time, it has to come in handy for something! Maybe they are going to revive the USAAF. What's with the 200rds of 50 cal? that's what, 10-sec?

I vote for its use as a Border Patrol aircraft. I also insist on a big, thick piece of ceramic-titanium armor to put under the seat cushion.

http://www.builtforthemission.com/las-mission.php

[raygun]

Yours is a bit of a stretch correlating the decline of the Roman Empire and the American Republic; the greatest factor to the decline of ancient Rome isn’t in play today.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

the greatest factor to the decline of ancient Rome isn’t in play today.

Faggotry?

[raygun]

Aviation ping-list...

Hmmmpf.

Dunno what to say, but crap’s goin’ on here...

[apoliticalone]

While some pols send us to war because they say some nations are against us, we forget about interests within the USA that are unmistakably against us as a prosperous democracy. Our USA didn’t go into economic decline for 50 years because of the whim of a few.

[sukhoi-30mki]

Yes and a proposed Brazilian purchase of 36 Super Hornets (could go up to 120 aircraft) would be worth at least 6-7 billion USD. Several times more than the Super Tucano contract.

The Brazilians have a political reason to strongly consider the American offer since they have purchased a truckload of European/French systems for their navy in recent years.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I’m with you.

[ME-262]

FWIW Hawker Beechcraft is rumored to be just a matter of days away from a potential bankruptcy. The AT-6 clearly did not meet the requirement for an “Off the shelf” aircraft. The fact that HBC would spend 100 million plus on this project, when they clearly weren’t the intended supplier that the procuring entity had in mind, is rather telling. But with Obama making sure that nobody bought their main product line which is business jets. There just weren’t a lot of options besides ramping up some defense business to allow a large US aircraft manufacturer with a lot of overhead to stay in business while waiting out the Obama administration. I suspect that the lawsuit will just amount to theater to console HBC’s soon to be stung investors. Sorry you Canadian HBC investors! You shouldn’t have invested in America while we’re self destructing by design of our Marxist leaders.

[cookcounty]

Obama already is financing Brazil’s “Drill here, Drill now” program:

http://stumpedagain.wordpress.com/obamas-deep-drilling/

[fallujah-nuker]

We shouldn’t give a Cessna to a nation that openly announced that they will support Pakistan in any fight against the USA.

Amen! Afghanistan should be broken up along ethnic lines, it exists within its present boundaries to function as a buffer between British India and the Russian Empire. Flushing taxpayer dollars down the toilet to prop up another failed state.

[DesScorp]

“And the A-29 / Super Tucano would be built in the US in Jacksonville, FL using parts from 70 US suppliers in 21 states:”

And that’s one of my problems with this order. If we’re going to buy less than two dozen of them, then just buy them straight from the damn production line in Brazil and be done with it. It makes no sense to scratch build 20 airplanes elsewhere. It raises the costs tremendously. If you’re going to build hundreds, then look at the AT-6 design anyway. If you’re going to just buy a few, then buy them off the shelf.

[stevie_d_64]

Ahhhhh, perfect!!! When the need for Close in Air Support goes away, or wanes for any reason, these pilots (and planes) can double as crop dusters...

Brilliant!!!

;-)

[ProtectOurFreedom]

You make a good point. I wonder Sierra will import the fuselage, wings and empennage and do final assembly here. That would seem most logical.

[A.A. Cunningham]

while the AT-6 Texan II has yet to actually drop any ordnance.

Light Attack AT-6 Successfully Deploys Precision-Guided Munitions

TUCSON (Oct. 11, 2011) – Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company (HBDC) today announced the completion of a series of successful deliveries of precision-guided munitions from the AT-6 Light Attack and Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) aircraft. During weapons tests at the Barry M. Goldwater Range in Southern Ariz., HBDC pilots in the AT-6 dropped four USAF GBU-12 500 lb Paveway II laser guided bombs and four of Raytheon’s GBU-58 250 lb Paveway II laser guided bombs. All eight weapons scored hits on their intended targets. The weapons delivery events, which were conducted between Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, were part of an ongoing operational assessment by the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center (AATC).

“The weapons deployment was a huge success thanks to the teamwork of Hawker Beechcraft, Lockheed Martin, CMC Electronics, L-3 WESCAM, Raytheon Missile Systems and, of course, the Air National Guard,” said Jim Maslowski, president, Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company. “This testing is another major step in the evolution of the AT-6 and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. The 100 percent precision weapon hit rate was no surprise to anyone who has watched the AT-6 team in action. The aircraft continues to perform as well or better than we anticipated and is ready for production.”

During the two week deployment, the AT-6 typically flew three sorties per day employing approximately 60 BDU-33, BDU-50, GBU-12, and GBU-58 general purpose and precision munitions. The AT-6 also successfully performed .50 caliber machine gun air-to-air gunnery using its integrated lead computing gun sight against a towed target. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Sensors integrated the mission capabilities into the AT-6 using only minor modifications to the combat proven A-10C mission system. The AT-6 leverages prior DoD investment by integrating proven capabilities from the T-6A/B/C, A-10C and MC-12W to achieve efficiencies in mission capability, training and logistics that no other competitor can match.

Building on its successes as a supplier to militaries around the globe, HBDC has developed the AT-6 Light Attack and Armed Reconnaissance aircraft to be purpose-built to provide advanced training, light attack and armed reconnaissance capabilities required to meet the Department of Defense’s Building Partnership Capacity needs. The AT-6 is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment such as the powerful Pratt and Whitney Canada PTA-68D turboprop engine, CMC Esterline’s mission-modified Cockpit 4000, Lockheed Martin’s A-10C-based mission system and L-3 WESCAM’s MX-15Di day/night-capable sensor pod. The aircraft is also equipped with an ALQ-213 Electronic Warfare Management System, advanced ARC-210 radios with secure voice/data and SATCOM capabilities, a variety of air and ground datalinks and the weapons capability required to excel in meeting irregular warfare mission requirements.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of business, special mission, light attack and trainer aircraft – designing, marketing and supporting aviation products and services for businesses, governments and individuals worldwide. The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Salina, Kan.; Little Rock, Ark.; Chester, England, U.K.; and Chihuahua, Mexico. The company leads the industry with a global network of more than 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers.

[ME-262]

Who Knew? "FWIW Hawker Beechcraft is rumored to be just a matter of days away from a potential bankruptcy." Oh that's right, I knew. I just didn't know how long their creditors would let them skate.

May 3, 2012 Hawker Beechcraft files for bankruptcy.

I'm sorry it happened. The dumbasses in Hawker Beechcraft management deserved it. Too bad our government(Obama) felt it necessary to kick them when they were down. Obama hurt the whole aviation industry and the entire economy, not just these guys and all their suppliers and creditors.