Thread: Modified Cropduster COIN Aircraft

Originally Posted by Magic_Mushroom

PS. B_S, is that a very polite way of calling me a sad spotter?!!

No. Just a pure, unadulterated, genuine compliment to someone with encyclopaedic knowledge of a range of Defence issues

Frame and print this page - this may be last one

Gosh!!

The Sea King stuff was on Janes

UK deploys ASAC Sea Kings to Afghanistan to intercept insurgents
The UK will deploy Westland Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Area Control (ASAC) Mk 7 helicopters from 854 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) to Afghanistan by late May to "detect, follow and intercept insurgents before they can lay improvised explosive devices [IEDs] or threaten local people," a Royal Navy (RN) spokesperson has told Jane's . The RN Sea Kings, which are usually used as fleet airborne early warning assets, have been modified for service in Afghanistan with the fitting of a defensive aids suite

[first posted to http://jdw.janes.com - 28 May 2009]

Incidentally, so was the announcement about the MoD scrapping the AWACS upgrade

Now I'm clued up on the subject, thanks once again to our "air genius" Magic Mushroom. Cheers a bunch, mucker. I knew you'd come up with the goods. Another piece of proof that ARRSE has a whizz for just about every subject.

MsG

Puccara, would suit the job nicely - sure we must have a couple we can re-furb for next to nowt compliments of our Argie friends:

Originally Posted by Bugsy

Now I'm clued up on the subject, thanks once again to our "air genius" Magic Mushroom. Cheers a bunch, mucker. I knew you'd come up with the goods. Another piece of proof that ARRSE has a whizz for just about every subject.

MsG

Now you can translate that into some obscure German dialect and sell the story to a Russian.
So much talent, including meridian's ability to find tasteful porn!!

Don't assume I'm correct chaps!! I may just be talking out of my arrse!! I don't have the copyright on good gouge anymore than the next person but I try to add to a debate by providing comments with the benefit of my own experience eating high quality galley food at FL350!!

Talking of which...

Originally Posted by Hoochie

Puccara, would suit the job nicely

No it wouldn't!

Regards,
MM

Why?
Do tell?
Your admirers await ...

Originally Posted by blue-sophist

Why?
Do tell?
Your admirers await ...

We broke them during the Falklands Campaign:D

Pros:

1. Twin engine reliability.

2. Martin Baker recovery option.

Cons:

1. A big target so pretty vulnerable to SMARMs/AAA/MANPADS as the Pucara proved so well on the few occasions it got anywhere near British troops in the Falklands! Just as well it has the Martin Baker recovery option!

2. Would need addition of defensive aids, modern weapons and sensors (and therefore probably a 1760 databus avionics refit) and Mk12 IFF to be credible.

3. Not as manoeuvrable as a STuc type but lacks the performance, payload and versatility of a larger type such as a King Air. In other words it’s neither one thing nor another.

4. No aircon. A tongue in cheek point from the Boscombe Down evaluation of captured examples in 1982. Joking apart however, imagine standing GCAS cockpit alert for an hour or so at KAF then sitting under a large Perspex canopy in flying kit whilst working hard at low level for a further hour or 2 all without AC!!! Sri Lankan Pucara operators have found this to be a real limitation for crews in hot and humid conditions.

5. 1970s technology.

If you wanted a twin engine type in the mould of the Pucara, I’d go for an OV-10.

Regards,
MM

Heat sink noted - our Canberras in Singapore had to be airborne within 10 minutes of start-up, otherwise the sortie had to be aborted.

M_M, in the spirit of enquiry (and a willingness to be ridiculed) along with the traditional playground/had a few pints argument what about an upgraded Hornet, poss. fitted with turbo probs, (DHAHC still have the airframe moulds, as does some chap in NZ)?





*(and I do mean playground/pub what if/about argument)

The Hornet is far too beautiful an aircraft to be associated with Afghanistan!!

Joking apart, the Hornet performed well in Malaysia although ground attack ops always favour a radial engined type.

A Turbo-Hornet would be an interesting prospect. However, I suspect that the cockpit location would limit downward vis a little for CAS in particular and require lots of manoeuvring from the pilot. It would be interesting to hear what pilots thought of it in this respect during the Malaysian emergency.

Regards,
MM

M_M, since you're clearly the man with regards to airpowerr, would a modernised OV-10 be of any use?

A very interesting concept. Rutan did a prototype turboprop COIN design in the early 1980s, a pusher, with a tail-first layout. A similar idea.
I think there's a lot to be said for something like this in a low-intensity conflict - just look how useful the Grumman A-1 Skyraider was in Vietnam - long time on station, huge payload, and a pilot travelling slowly enough to actually see what he's hitting. And it won't cost 40 million a pop.