Posted on 12/06/2007 11:16:57 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
US Air National Guard to trial Beechcraft AT-6 for counter-insurgency
By Stephen Trimble
The US Air National Guard has received special funds to stage a demonstration of the turboprop-powered Hawker Beechcraft AT-6 for the domestic security and counter-insurgency mission.
Kansas-based Senator Sam Brownback earmarked $3 million for the ANG to demonstrate the capabilities of the AT-6, which is assembled in Wichita, Kansas.
The AT-6 is among at least four contenders to fill an emerging role in US and foreign airborne inventories for a dedicated counter-insurgency aircraft. The US Air Force is conducting a competition for such an aircraft on behalf of the Iraqi air force, with contenders including the AT-6, Embraer's EMB-314 Super Tucano, Korea Aerospace Industries' KA-1 and the Pilatus PC-9. Ohio-based US Aircraft is also seeking to offer the developmental A-67, but is not expected to be ready in time for the Iraqi contract.
Meanwhile, the ANG's rising interest in the COIN mission comes as the USAF continues to debate the need to acquire a turboprop-powered combat fleet in a time of tightening acquisition budgets. The US Special Operations Command released a White Paper in mid-2007 calling for a new Irregular Warfare wing comprised of one squadron of turboprops with a light strike capability.
Meanwhile, the National Guard Association of the United States adopted a resolution in August that urges Congress to set aside funding for the turboprop-powered fleet dedicated to the COIN mission.
Dust off the Skyraider?
I kinda liked the Argie Pucara, myself.
The Super Tucano is a nice aircraft with a proven record. But the AT-6 looks good, too. It will be an interesting competition.
We should have these ourselves, too, of course. For a lot of missions, greater speed is not an asset, particularly when going Air-to-Mud.
Of course, we should have diesel/electric submarines, as well. Try to talk the Navy into that...
According to Wiki, less than a year ago, the administration scotched a sale of 36 EMB-314 Super Tucanos to Hugo (it has an american engine).
my dream was the old P-47 or Corsair
Production of the Skyraider ended in 1957 and all in U.S. inventory were handed over to the South Vietnamese (VNAF) in November of 1972. Replaced by the A-37 Dragonfly.
No, this is by Beechcraft. A narrow crankwing aircraft with big double canopy and narrow empenage. sort of ugly looking.
Mustang’s were good, but being liquid cooled it is/was easy to fatally damage the engine by taking out the cooling system, just like the old Spitfire.
The A-10 is sort of ugly looking also, but it turned out to be a great plane for close air support.
True, but now we would use an aluminum block. Add some ribbing on there and then allow for the pilot to blow the cowling off, I bet I could design an engine easy that would still make it home with a lost coolant system if I was to design it for that situation.
It would need to be re-engined as a turboprop.
I sat in an AT-34 in Argentina. It had rocket pods and guns, but its still hard to feel mean in a Turbo-wheenie, even with the uprated hot section.
The AT-6 has a bit more hoopla though.
Not a great ground-attack aircraft given its cooling plumbing.
Sadly the AF had retired all of its P-47s before Korea. The Jug would have brought back a lot more pilots. If you look at the late model Ms and Ns you'll find they were 470mph with the same range as the Mustang.
Oh yeah, Marine pilots flew them in Korea with dive brakes extended, 15 feet off the ground. What the .50 calibers didn’t get, the prop did. Lots of them crashed due to mud-caked windshields or telephone wire fouling the control surfaces.
A most versatile aircraft; I’m sure that some could be put back in service at a fraction of today’s aircraft. Finding pilots crazy enough to fly them might be a problem.
The Corsair and the Skyraider often flew together from carriers during Korea.
The lack of aerial refuling during Korea hampered the “Sandy” role unfortunately (re: the last scene of “The Bridges at Toko-ri” when the Skyraiders have to depart and William Holden and Mickey Rooney are then killed by the baddies).
That fact keeps cropping up. I read far more Mustang pilots were lost to this fact than to enemy fighters.
After a “hit in the glycol” as the brits put it, the Merlin would seize almost instantaneously and the pilot would be left hurtling along with no time to look for a landing spot and far too low to bail out.
In contrast, the P-47 could lose a few cylinders and the P-38 had two engines.
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