Imminent Fury Needed (from Inside the Ring)

The Washington Times ^ | June 9, 2010 | Bill Gertz

[Travis T. OJustice]

Awesome looking little bird, badass and ugly like the a-10.

[Moose4]

I’ve seen the Super Tucano flown by the Brazilian precision flight team, the “Smoke Squadron”...it’s a very capable airplane indeed. Nothing fancy, nothing spectacular. Just a solid, maneuverable, simple turboprop that can carry a reasonable amount of boom-boom and get it on target. Sometimes, simple is good, but it can be very hard to convince the USAF brass of that, it seems.

}:-)4

[TLI]

Wow, that’s a lot of hard points.

Why yes, it is, isn’t it!

Muwhahaha!

It got a lot of “go” as well.

Specifications

Crew: one, pilot
Length: 34 ft 2 in (10.40 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 4 in (12.60 m)
Height: 13 ft 1 in (4.00 m)
Wing area: 408 ft² (37.9 m²)
Empty: lb ( kg)
Loaded: 14,000 lb (6,350 kg)
Maximum take-off: lb ( kg)
Powerplant: 1× Avco-Lycoming T55-L-9 turboshaft, 2,455 shp (1,831 kW)


Performance

Maximum speed: 405 mph (650 km/h)
Range: 920 miles (1,480 km)
Service ceiling: 37,600 ft (11,465 m)
Rate of climb: 5000ft/min
Wing loading: 34 lb/ft² (167 kg/m²)
Power/Mass: 0.18 hp/lb (0.29 kW/kg)


Armament

ten underwing hardpoints for a variety of stores

.

[roaddog727]

I’m a firm believer in the “Simple is good” addage.

[FreedomPoster]

250# smartbombs seem to be a preferred loadout these days, from what I can tell, due to lessened chance of collateral damage. 10 of those would still leave capacity for over 10,000# of fuel. Though I guess in Afghanistan, there would likely be some serious altitude capacity deratings.

[paddles]

Where’s the FLIR?

[colonialhk]

Pop small diameter bombs on it and you have a great way to supply cover without the issues of rpv and human control on site. Clearly they won’t buy burgers when they prefer to pay more for steak

[TLI]

(bolts right on)

Sniper XR (Pantera) Targeting pod
Manufacturer: Lockheed Martin

The new targeting pod selected by the US Air Force is designated "Sniper". It was developed by Lockheed martin, together with an export version is called "Pantera." The design is based on a mid-1990s candidate for the US Navy advanced targeting pod system.

The wedge-nosed, long-range targeting pod design features a third-generation mid-wave Flir system, diode-pumped laser operating up to 40,000 feet altitude, enhanced stabilization, a laser spot-tracker, laser marker, CCD television camera and a combat-identification capability. Its modular design has half the parts count of the company's Lantirn targeting pod, is self-boresighting, requires two-level maintenance (flight line and depot) and can be disassembled quickly with common hand tools.

Slightly shorter than its Lantirn predecessor, the 440lb Sniper pod has a 30cm diameter. The pod's wedge-shaped nose is made of highly durable sapphire which is transparent to visible and infrared wavelengths, and presents extreme durability to impact and damage. The unique design gives Sniper a semi-low-observable characteristic, but also makes it compatible with fighters carrying the system on an engine inlet. At supersonic speeds, an oblique shock surface forming on the pod reduces disturbances in air entering the inlet.

[paddles]

Great. Is that aircraft in production and has it been certified by the USAF to drop munitions?

[VOA]

Thanks for posting the photos of the Super Tucano and P-48.
The P-48 came immediately to mind when I started reading the thread.
And I get some grief from relatives when I try to explain that Brazil
makes some pretty dang good machines...especially when I tell the
gun fanciers that I might buy Taurus if I ever get a revolver/pistol.

[TLI]

Great. Is that aircraft in production and has it been certified by the USAF to drop munitions?

Of course it is not in production. COIN testing was completed twice. Once in 1971 and again in 1984.

The two PA-48s were tested during 1983 and 1984 at Eglin AFB, Florida, and Edwards AFB, California. As in the PAVE COIN tests of 1971, the PA-48s were found to perform well in their intended role, but the USAF again decided not to purchase any.
http://www.aviastar.org/air/usa/piper_pa-48.php

It is a proven basic design. NO fancy testing needed, just follow the existing prints

The worth of such aircraft in a "modern" environment has been proven over and over in Vietnam.

All proposed weapons and electronics are fully available OTS.

It could be manufactured in any unused automobile plant.

We could have 10 in the air for less than one F-35.

It would work.

It makes sense.

What makes you thing the u.S. government would do something like that?

.

[VOA]

“
It would work.

It makes sense.
“

And would be a serious rush for pilots that join the US Military
because they had fanatsies of flying a P-51 (or this later variant).

[VOA]

“
The Skyraider, as I recall, was a P-47 on steroids. It was the ground
attack aircraft most feared by the NVA.
“

I saw a Skyraider at the Columbia MO “Salute To Veterans” airshow a
couple of years ago.

The thing is darned big.
IIRC, it could carry something like a B-17 payload.
No wonder the NVA feared that bird.

[TLI]

And would be a serious rush for pilots that join the US Military because they had fanatsies of flying a P-51 (or this later variant).

Yes Sir!

[paddles]

They won't. The USAF pre-solicitation announcement for the LAAR/LAS procurement specified a "production aircraft."

I'm told if the reprogramming to lease the A-29s (Super Tucano) isn't fixed they might pull a couple of OV-10s out of the boneyard to do the job (but only in CONUS, which was what Imminent Fury 1 already accomplished). My guess is some contractor will gold-plate the modifications well in excess of the $44 million to lease the four A-29s.

We wisely got out of the OV-10 business when one was shot down and the crew imprisoned in Desert Storm.

[MNDude]

Unfortunately, that weaponry is currently being reserved for Isreal or tea parties.

[Chode]

yup, Spads forever...

[GOPJ]

You, 444flyer - are to be commended for upfront honesty. Thanks.