Comments on: A Plane For All Seasons

By: Steve W

Steve W — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:41:29 +0000

They should just restart the production line for the A1-E & A1G skyraiders. Nothing did the job better than that plane..

By: sailortom

sailortom — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:17:20 +0000

penns I agree with your concerns on Stavatti not having made a prototype yet…maybe the Army needs to expand beyond helos and buy the airframe that they need…could be the Air Force isn’t needed anymore…

By: gimletfirsttofight

gimletfirsttofight — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:30:23 +0000

chock-the usaf pencil pushers would tell someone that a F22 or F35 could open their MRE and heat it too. They are both over rated, over priced, over hyped pieces of crap that the idiots in the SAC thought they could get away with pushing down the countries throat.

Face it.…the F35 is over hyped. And as a close air support plane, a piece of crap. No loiter time, poor payload, poor climb, maneuver, and too dependent on electronics to do what a man can. But,with the airheads with the mach 1000 mentality, its a wonder that the military can support the troops on the ground any way.

COIN is close, dirty, and slow work. The A10 fits perfect. But the airframe is not getting any younger, and is already over extended in theater. Buying the Embrarer is not the way to go either.

If I was in procurement, I would buy a fleet of
sky trucks, and send them to war. Long loiter time, lots of payload, and ready right now. But, alas, the blood suckers at lock-heed martin, home of the flying piece of trash called the F35 will have to make something far less better, and far less capable.

By: Chockblock

Chockblock — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:22:53 +0000

mike j: No I am not. The USAF fighter mafia keeps trying to kill the A-10, they told the DOD’s IED taskforce that a F-22 or F-35 with ECM pods could do a better job than EOD teams at removing IEDs. This was 2005. The only reason A-10s are receiving upgrades was the war.

pennst98&sailortom: Stavatti has been around since 2004 peddling a paper airplane. They don’t even have a factory. They’re just trying to take investors money. Let companies with acutal prototypes compete.

By: pennst98

pennst98 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:14:43 +0000

Sailortom; my main concern about the Stavatti is they haven’t built one, but I agree they should get a chance to compete.

I just wonder why something so simple takes so long in the DoD. You would think propellers were TRL 3 or something. Really worries me when the acquisition system can’t do easy…

By: sailortom

sailortom — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:58:39 +0000

If the two have combined to team up on this then it will look like a Transformer when it is done and cost lots and lots of money. I also thought that the main reason to choose an existing platform vs the Stavatti concept was the speed with which it could be put in service. If it isn’t going to come on line till FY 2012 why not take another look at the Stavatti.

By: WarScientist

WarScientist — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:07:25 +0000

Compared to some of the other air force projects, this seems like a bit of a bargain. I just hope the politicians and the take-care-of-number-one USAF bigwigs (not a stab at the USAF, every company, government or army has assholes in it who only care about their own career) don’t sink this project just so they can further their own agenda.

More people need to start listening to the boots on the ground, cause they’re the ones who get in the shit and have to deal with it, not us sitting comfortably at home with our central heating and TV sets.

By: mike j

mike j — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:20:58 +0000

Chockblock–

Agreed that the COIN mission is needs to be addressed in the USAF, but you’re being harsh.

Yeah, pilots like the ‘mach 2/ hair on fire’ thing (who wouldn’t?), but given a chance to get in the fight and make a difference, they jump at it. Mid-level officers apparently pushed pretty hard for an IW/ COIN platform. Hoping those people make it into the leadership.

By: Chockblock

Chockblock — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:37:50 +0000

The real problem is the fighter jocks who run the air force. They will try to kick this airplane to the curb as soon as US troops leave Afghanistan.

COIN/CAS needs to be ingrained in the USAF or be given to the Army. Plenty of F-16 and F-15 pilots will have their egos hurt flying a prop plne in support of ground troops. They need to be told to shut up and fly.

By: Russell

Russell — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:39:52 +0000

Looks like a really neat little bird. I believe I would rather have an old A10 or even older A1 orbiting above me. The problem is, our aerospace industry could not build a paper airplane on time and under a budget of 100 million.

By: mike j

mike j — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:34:17 +0000

I get a little worried when I hear the big defense contractors are piling up on a project. Yeah, there’s money to be made.

Just keep requirements realistic and the costs down, please.