Don't forget the Gatling gun.
Posted on 07/13/2016 7:37:36 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Senior service officials are now exploring “draft requirements” concepts – and evaluating the kind of avionics, engineering, weapons, armor and technical redundancy the aircraft would need, Air Force officials told Scout Warrior.
As a result, the Air Force will be looking for the “optimal” type of close-air-support platform by weighing various considerations such as what the differences might be between existing aircraft and future developmental platforms.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalinterest.org ...
Weapon Of Mass Disruption
Hmm...I’m no stranger to the vicissitudes of military procurement so I’ll take a stab at it. What we need is a plane that is supersonic, service ceiling of 100,000 feet, armed with hypersonic air-to-air missiles with a range of 500 miles, the mere piloting of which will guarantee a spotless OER and an immediate promotion to O6. Probably have to leave the gun and the bomb hard points off, though.
It’s how the Air Force got rid of the SR-71: put out word that they had an advanced replacement in the works.
The thing about the A-10 is that it largely represents sunk costs. There are enough spares, including mothballed airframes that can be used as attrition replacements, to keep a robust force of about 350 aircraft in service for another 20-30 years.
There’s no way that the operation and maintenance costs of the current A-10 fleet isn’t less, significantly less, than the costs involved in R&D, systems integration, production, service introduction AND operations and maintenance of a completely new platform.
Including one heavily leveraging a off the shelf airframe like the T-6 or SuperTucano ....
Don't forget the Gatling gun.
All true, but at a minimum, it needs a safety warning screen!
747 is a low wing not high wing.
Also the T-tail is not on the 747.
Neither are the guns and bombs. It’s a joke.
A previous article had that exact M.O.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3446948/posts
The new gun will also be integrated with the F-35’s software so as to enable the pilot to see and destroy targets using a helmet-mounted display. The gun is slated to be operational by 2017.
That or a titanium bathtub suspended from a hot air balloon.
YES!!!
I have read that the tooling was dumped?
So the need to start from scratch?
Actually, the USAF thought satellites could accomplish the same role as the SR-71. The problem is satellites at that time couldn’t see through clouds. They had to pull them and the RF-4C out of retirement numerous times.
The drone program and IR solved this issue.
The F-35 and F-22 will be the last manned aircraft produced. The A-10 and the AC-135 will be used in spot duty as required until drones are produced to replace thier role.
Dat bacon been slow cured in ethanol.
That working from 40k thing (and much else) makes me nervous!
I have been on the ground with an ARCLIGHT strike very nearby.
Once in awhile you could see something twinkle in the sun.
A microburst, a stray breeze?????
Might be better if the pilot can get a glimpse of the target.
Apparently the tooling is stored and very well maintained. I had heard that they got rid of it but apparently not.
This information is very recent.
I’m sure someone who deals with the A-10 has a list of possible improvements. It is likely that the 80/20 rule applies to that list. You can get 80% of the improvement for 20% of the dollars.
I vote we do a cost analysis and improve the plane we have within financial reason.
About 1944, at age 9, I read a book(fiction) about fighting the war.
One story, with a drawing, was about a large plane with a large cannon that fired out the belly of the plane. Strange?
Thanks
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