Clay_Allison
Staff Sergeant
- 1,154
- Dec 24, 2008
The AD-1 Skyraider was a beast and I have no doubt it would be just as effective now as it was in VN and Korea.
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Agree about the power plant choice, timshatz. IIRC that P-51 revamp was also powered by turbo-prop. And the fuel is cheaper, less flamable and widely available, contrary to AvGas
It's no use. You'll never get the flyaway cost low enough considering that our acquisition system would subject any new design to so much bureaucratic oversight that the benefits of a cheaper platform would be lost. We will probably never have a COIN aircraft.I think something like the Piper Enforcer could work and would be an asset. I assume it would be a lot cheaper and easier to maintain compared to the A-10. It'd be a lot lighter and more economic, especially if you need to loiter a lot. For todays conflict scenarios it'd be great, back in the 80's they only looked at things that would fit a conventional full-out war scenario so it didn't have a real niche in the air force.
But casting aside nostalgia, you probably will go better with a purpose built airframe (a two seater) or by converting the Texan.
I gave up on the Enforcer when you pointed that out.That tractor is actually a good idea, but you'd have to run a lot of today's pilots through a good tail wheel training course. If I'd have to guess I'd bet less then 10% of current military pilots ever flew a tail dragger
That tractor is actually a good idea, but you'd have to run a lot of today's pilots through a good tail wheel training course. If I'd have to guess I'd bet less then 10% of current military pilots ever flew a tail dragger