Air power on the cheap

Kunal Biswas

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Combat Dragon II Demonstrates OV-10G+ Bronco Capabilities


A close-up shot of the cockpit of one of the two OV-10G+ Bronco aircraft being used in the Combat Dragon II program. The "Black Pony" insignia on the nose is taken from the Vietnam-era VAL-4 light attack squadron, which also flew Broncos. this insignia was also seen on the A-29 flown for the Imminent Fury program. Photo by Gary Schenauer/High Sierra Spotters
In recent months, the U.S. special operations community has been quietly evaluating two North American OV-10G+ Bronco light combat aircraft at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., and at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

The Combat Dragon II program is aimed at demonstrating that a small, turboprop-powered warplane can be effective in "high end/special aviation" missions of the kind encountered in Afghanistan. The program is a follow-on to an earlier demonstration program called Imminent Fury, which used a leased A-29B Super Tucano. The current effort is also called Phase Two of Imminent Fury.

The Combat Dragon requirement for a light armed warplane for use in Afghanistan originated with the combatant commander there – at the time, Gen. Stanley McChrystal – and has been through on-again, off-again incarnations. The program enjoyed strong support from Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, who headed U.S. Central Command from 2010 to 2013. Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2010 that using a robust, complex aircraft like an F-15E Strike Eagle to support troops patrolling rural villages "amounts to overkill." According to a source, the current Combat Dragon II effort is purposely kept low-profile, but basic facts about it are not classified.

Congress tried to kill Combat Dragon II 18 months ago. The Navy's special operations community – specifically, its Irregular Warfare Office headquartered in the Pentagon – was able to resurrect the effort with help from Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

Combatant Commander Support


The Combat Dragon requirement for a light armed warplane for use in Afghanistan originated with the combatant commander there – at the time, Gen. Stanley McChrystal – and has been through on-again, off-again incarnations. The program enjoyed strong support from Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, who headed U.S. Central Command from 2010 to 2013. Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2010 that using a robust, complex aircraft like an F-15E Strike Eagle to support troops patrolling rural villages "amounts to overkill." According to a source, the current Combat Dragon II effort is purposely kept low-profile, but basic facts about it are not classified.

The key to the concept is an inexpensive, simple, nimble combat aircraft capable of long loiter and on-call reconnaissance and attack duty, able to deliver precision ordnance and employ state-of-the-art technology including electro-optical and infrared sensors, laser- and satellite-guided munitions, and encrypted radios and night-vision gear.


Another view of the two OV-10G+ Broncos being tested as part of the Combat Dragon II program. Photo by Gary Mailander/High Sierra Spotters
This requirement may have its origins in the March 2002 Battle of Takur Ghar, also called the Battle of Roberts Ridge – a part of the larger Operation Anaconda – in which eight U.S. service members were killed and many wounded. Observers say that if an Air Force AC-130 Specter gunship on the scene had been able to stay on target and relay sensor intelligence and deliver precision munitions, the outcome of the battle might have been more favorable for the U.S. side.

Phase One of Imminent Fury used an A-29B (now an official Pentagon designation for the Embraer EMB-314B Super Tucano) borrowed from the company then named Blackwater Worldwide. The same aircraft, now operated by Sierra Nevada Corp., has also been used as the demonstrator for the Air Force's separate Light Air Support program, aimed at equipping the fledgling Afghan air force.

Under the original scheme for Phase Two, also called Combat Dragon II as early as 2010, four airframes – presumably Tucanos, although the Air Tractor AT-802U modified agricultural aircraft and the Beechcraft AT-6 Texan II were also considered as possibilities – would have deployed to Afghanistan to demonstrate their capabilities in real-world operations supporting Navy SEALs with air strikes against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.


Congress killed the original scheme, in part because it appeared unlikely to favor the Wichita-built AT-6 Texan II supported by the Kansas legislative delegation and in part because lawmakers felt the Pentagon was attempting to slip the program past them without full notice or explanation.

The key to the concept is an inexpensive, simple, nimble combat aircraft capable of long loiter and on-call reconnaissance and attack duty, able to deliver precision ordnance and employ state-of-the-art technology including electro-optical and infrared sensors, laser- and satellite-guided munitions, and encrypted radios and night-vision gear.


Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), a naval aviator, summed up the view of critics on Dec. 16, 2011, when he referred to a spending bill then under consideration: " Of the approximately 100 unrequested and unauthorized additions above the president's budget request found in the Defense Appropriations bill," said McCain, "one of the more concerning is a $20 million allocation for an obscure aircraft program called 'Combat Dragon II.' Although the name is interesting and sounds threatening enough, you won't find it in the President's Defense Budget request, nor did it appear in the Defense Authorization bill. So, again, I asked staff to pull the string on it and see what unraveled."

McCain continued: "The purpose of the program is to lease up to four crop-duster-type aircraft [an apparent reference to the AT-802U] and to outfit them with machine gun pods, laser-guided bombs, rockets and air-to-air missiles. So, I directed my staff to see if this alleged requirement was justified and properly vetted and approved within the Pentagon by a Joint Urgent Operational Needs Statement, since it was not in the administration[s budget request. Once again the answer was a resounding 'No' – there is NO urgent operational requirement for this type of aircraft." The capital letters appear in the transcript as provided by McCain's office.

"After turning over the right rocks, we found that this aircraft lease will not be competitively awarded – shades of the infamous tanker lease program – and as such is effectively earmarked for a particular aircraft manufacturer who has the corner on this particularly obscure part of the aviation market." This could be a reference to either the A-29B or the AT-6.

A different kind of criticism came in an interview for this article with former Pentagon analyst Pierre Sprey, widely credited as the force behind the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

Sprey doesn't think a program aimed explicitly at Afghanistan will get funded when "we're leaving that country and getting out of that war." Sprey believes present-day technology would enable a vastly improved, cheaper A-10 type of aircraft that would be suitable for all intensities of warfare.

"Piddling around with light attack is not the way to help out our troops," Sprey told Defense Media Network. "In any case, a 'light attack aircraft' isn't going to happen in part because we're leaving Afghanistan next year and mostly because the Air Force despises the mission. We could do much better today if we developed a smaller, hotter, more lethal and survivable version of the A-10 and put the emphasis on 'close support' rather than on 'light attack.' Our troops need and deserve a true close support aircraft more than ever."

Revived and Re-funded

After Congress deleted $17 million from the plan to send four aircraft to Afghanistan, Pentagon officials obtained permission to re-channel funds from other programs and revived Combat Dragon II – not in the combat zone but stateside, at Fallon and Nellis – with a pair of OV-10G+ Broncos. The effort is now dubbed a Limited Objective Evaluation (LOE) and the current funds apparently come from Air Force Special Operations Command, although the OV-10G+ aircraft are reportedly being flown by Navy aircrews.

After Congress deleted $17 million from the plan to send four aircraft to Afghanistan, Pentagon officials obtained permission to re-channel funds from other programs and revived Combat Dragon II – not in the combat zone but stateside, at Fallon and Nellis – with a pair of OV-10G+ Broncos. The effort is now dubbed a Limited Objective Evaluation (LOE) and the current funds apparently come from Air Force Special Operations Command, although the OV-10G+ aircraft are reportedly being flown by Navy aircrews.

The OV-10G+ represents the latest incarnation of a Vietnam-era aircraft design that was meant from the outset for forward air control and counter-insurgency.

The two aircraft in the Combat Dragon II program (bureau numbers 155481 and 155492) are among about a dozen former Marine Corps OV-10D+ models that were previously operated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The author of this article flew in one of them and found the observers' back-seat position to be quite noisy and to have poor visibility. When the ATF scaled down its plans for an air arm in the late 1990s, its OV-10D+ aircraft were turned over to the Department of State Air Wing, which uses them for counter-narcotics operations in Latin America. The unit is also known as the INL Air Wing, named for State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. The two aircraft then went to NASA and eventually became part of the Combat Dragon II program.

In recent years, this batch of about a dozen Broncos underwent various upgrades, with three modified to OV-10G+ standard (reprising a letter suffix that was used earlier for a very different OV-10G version intended for South Korean forces). The upgrade was accomplished by Marsh Aviation in at Falcon Field in Mesa, Ariz., and was done initially for the Colombian Air Force.

The OV-10G+ version now being evaluated has the same Garrett T76G-420/421 turboprops used on the OV-10D, but with four-bladed Hartzell propellers. The OV-10G+ also has an off-the-shelf sensor turret.

Closeted Combat Dragon II

Apart from the basics, no details are available on how the Combat Dragon II program is proceeding or what officials expect when current, AFSOC-generated funding expires on September 30. The two Broncos were recently observed on the East Ramp, also called the Atlantic Aviation Ramp, at Reno/Tahoe International Airport, returning from participation in an exercise called Jaded Thunder at Pahrump, Nev. Jaded Thunder is a joint effort that simulates engaging an enemy in an urban environment. It has been held periodically using a variety of special-purpose military aircraft, including the Pilatus PC-12 and the AC-130.

So why is the seemingly routine Combat Dragon II program kept so low-key? It's easy to speculate that the program would encounter problems with the Kansas congressional delegation (On June 13, Kansas's Beechcraft announced that it would exhibit the AT-6 and "defense, special mission and mission support capabilities" at this summer's Paris Air Show). A source told Defense Media Network the low-key approach is happening because those on the Navy side of the joint effort feel it's best to "keep a low profile, quietly go about doing good work, and keep the bosses informed."

Source : Combat Dragon II Demonstrates OV-10G+ Bronco Capabilities | Defense Media Network
 

TrueSpirit

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That's the need of the hour for our forces as well:

a smaller, hotter, more lethal and survivable version of the A-10 and put the emphasis on 'close support' rather than on 'light attack.' Our troops need and deserve a true close support aircraft more than ever.
 

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" Changing face of Military Basic Trainers".
AGM of the Aeronautical Society of India(AeSI), Bangalore Branch, was held on June 15, 2013 and a technical session assigned to HAL was delivered by Shri Prashantsingh Bhadoria, Deputy Project Manager (HTT 40), and Senior Manager (D) from ARDC, on " Changing face of Military Basic Trainers".
Shri Bhadoria bought out the changed philosophy in the design and utility of basic trainers. The trainers of today can not only be deployed for basic training to ab initio pilots but have also been systems and weapons upgraded to include functionality of fourth generation fighter aircraft. This enables them to double up as light attack and reconnaissance aircraft. A significant amount of systems training to be provided at the intermediate and advanced phase of training can be covered by the basic trainer itself, leading to enormous reduction of cost and platform fatigue.Further, he elucidated maintainability comparison, endurance, fuel consumption, per hour training cost and unit price between the light attack trainer, light attack helicopters, UCAVs and fourth generation fighter jets of HTT 40.
Shri Bhadoria also gave glimpses of changing winds sweeping across the Company and projected HAL as the aerospace hub which shall nurture the aerospace ecosystem in the country.
Director ADE, Director NAL, distinguished scientists and the Air Force members were present on the occasion.
Prior to him Dr. Kota Harinarayanan (DRDO- Dr D S Kothari Chair) delivered the Dr. V. M. Ghatge memorial lecture.
http://www.hal-india.com/HAL-CONNECT/HAL-CONNECT-ISSUE-75.pdf

===========================================================================================
Is Light Attack role being envisioned for HTT 40?
 

Kunal Biswas

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Serbia reveals light-attack aircraft Kobac




Serbia has revealed Kobac ("Sparrowhawk") light attack/counter-insurgency version of its Utva Lasta primary trainer.

Shown for the first time in public during an air show to mark 100 years of the Serbian air force on 2 September, the concept has been developed by Utva, the Serbian Military Technical Insitute and national arms trading company Yugoimport.

The main changes from the Lasta include the introduction of a turboprop engine and wingtip fuel tanks, which will enable a projected increase in maximum take-off weight to 1,650kg (3,640lb) and a top speed of 270kt (500km/h) in level flight and 298kt in a dive.

The Kobac concept was first shown to senior military officials in April, when it was described as intended mainly to attract export customers. Chief designer Vojislav Devic said it was "designed for advanced training in all weather conditions, day and night, but also to be capable for border patrol tasks and strikes against targets on the ground".

In common with the Lasta, the Kobac will feature glass cockpit avionics, but have light ejection seats and more sophisticated navigation and targeting systems. With four under-wing hardpoints plus one on the centerline, the aircraft should be capable of carrying a variety of ordnance, including gun and cannon pods, bombs and unguided rocket launchers, as well as guided weapons.

While the mock-up appears to be based on an early series Lasta airframe with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine, computer-generated images presented by Yugoimport show a design more similar to the aircraft that have already been delivered to Iraqi and Serbian air forces, with a redesigned and strengthened wing, turboprop engine and a four-blade propeller.
PICTURE: Serbia reveals light-attack Kobac
 

Dinesh_Kumar

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Serbia reveals light-attack aircraft Kobac






PICTURE: Serbia reveals light-attack Kobac
Dada,

we should have been making sum thing like this..

Failed here because of Technical problems, also bureaucratic culture in PSU , not listening to customer (IAF), all kinds of screw ups...

Wonder how can other countries make indigenous product without economies of scale? Many time news comes as "15 ordered for Air Force of that country", 30 ordered, etc.like in case of South African and Polish helos.

In India, minimum 50 + orders required for economic feasibility. Hawk was 66 nos. in the first phase, Pilatus was 75.
 

Kunal Biswas

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In India we have, HTT-40 project and even before HTT-35 and even before and before..

IAF is never was towards National products nor they intend to have even better, there are many issues, though its not worth talking in this thread..

Dada,

we should have been making sum thing like this..

Failed here because of Technical problems, also bureaucratic culture in PSU , not listening to customer (IAF), all kinds of screw ups...
 

Kunal Biswas

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Air Tractor AT-802U Air Truck





General characteristics

* Crew: 2 (tandem)
* Length: 35 ft 8 in (10.87 m)
* Wingspan: 59 ft 1 in (18 m)
* Height: 11 ft 6 in (3.5 m)
* Wing area: 401 sq ft (37.3 m2)
* Empty weight: 6,400 lb (2,903 kg)
* Gross weight: 16,000 lb (7,257 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 16,000 lb (7,257 kg)
* Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67F turboprop, 1,600 shp (1,200 kW)
* Propellers: 5-bladed Hartzell HC-B3TN

Performance

* Maximum speed: 230 mph; 370 km/h (200 kn)
* Cruising speed: 180 mph; 300 km/h (160 kn)
* Range: 1,841 mi; 2,963 km (1,600 nmi)
* Endurance: 10 hours
* Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)

Armament

* 8 hardpoints for up to 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) payload, including but not limited to:

* 2 500lb or 1000 pound smart bombs
* 8 AGM-114 Hellfire laser guided missiles
* 38 2.75-in folding fin aerial rockets
* 2 GAU-19 .50-calibre gunpods
 

W.G.Ewald

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The Air Tractor AT-802 is an agricultural aircraft that may also be adapted into fire-fighting or armed versions. It first flew in the United States in October 1990 and is manufactured by Air Tractor Inc. The AT-802 carries a chemical hopper between the engine firewall and the cockpit and another one under the belly. In the U.S., it is considered a Type III SEAT, or Single Engine Air Tanker.[1
]

In response to the United States Air Force's LAAR program and the growing requirement for light counter-insurgency aircraft,[5] Air Tractor developed an armed model, the AT-802U, in 2008, with engine and cockpit armor, a bulletproof windscreen, self-sealing fuel tanks, and structural reinforcements for the carriage of 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) of payload. A reinforced wing spar was certified for 12,000 hours of flight time,[6] and the AT-802U was displayed in 2008 at the Paris Air Show.[7]

The AT-802U was purchased by the United Arab Emirates Air Force, with deliveries starting in January 2011.[8][9]

The AT-802 has also been used in counter-drug operations in the USSOUTHCOM AOR by the U.S. Department of State as a delivery vehicle for herbicides and defoliants over narcotics production facilities.
Air Tractor AT-802 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Syria could use them to deploy chemical weapons... :-(
 

Kunal Biswas

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Exercise MAPLE FLAG 2013

Colombian Air Force who recently take a whole A-29B Super Tucano Squadron to the Maple Flag Exercises in Cold Lake, Canada.


A Colombian Air Force Super Tucano aircraft participating in Exercise MAPLE FLAG 2013 (JOINTEX) at Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake runway in Cold Lake, Alberta on May 30, 2013.

Colombian Air Force pilots participating in Exercise MAPLE FLAG 2013 (JOINTEX), walk towards the Super Tucanos aircraft in Cold Lake, Alberta on May 30, 2013.

A Colombian Air Force Super Tucanos aircraft participating in Exercise MAPLE FLAG 2013 (JOINTEX) prepares to taxi the Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake runway in Cold Lake, Alberta on May 30, 2013.

Colombian Air Force pilots and technicians participating in Exercise MAPLE FLAG 2013 (JOINTEX) proceed with the pre-flight checks on a Super Tucano aircraft in Cold Lake, Alberta on May 30, 2013.

A Colombian Air Force Super Tucanos aircraft participating in Exercise MAPLE FLAG 2013 (JOINTEX 13) prepares to taxi to the Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake runway in Cold Lake, Alberta on May 30, 2013.
 

ersakthivel

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So we can now understand why IAF wants to close down the HTT-40 so badly.
 

SamwiseTheBrave

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In India we have, HTT-40 project and even before HTT-35 and even before and before..

IAF is never was towards National products nor they intend to have even better, there are many issues, though its not worth talking in this thread..
@Kunal Biswas please do elaborate on these issues - like they say, sunlight is the best disinfectant !
 
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W.G.Ewald

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Another article on Air Tractor 802

Air Tractor's Crop-Duster, Other Planes Revamped for Military Use - Businessweek



Air Tractor President Jim Hirsch isn't in the business of making pretty airplanes. His crop-dusters are big, slow, and sturdy—perfect for flying low over cornfields and landing on dirt airstrips. He's betting that means they're pretty well suited to blowing up terrorists, too. The company is affixing armor plating, sensors, and weapons ranging from .50 caliber machine guns to air-to-ground missiles onto planes originally designed to douse cropland with chemicals and spray water on brush fires. It's sold 24 of the aircraft to the United Arab Emirates air force and last year hired a marketing executive to travel the world in search of additional sales.

Air Tractor, based in Olney, Tex., seeks to join a growing group of aerospace companies that are adapting commercial aircraft they already make to meet military needs. The goal: expand sales to cash-pinched governments looking for alternatives to the costly—and often lengthy—process of developing warplanes from scratch. "It's not an expensive, fast, high-flying, shiny fighter plane," Hirsch explains. Nonetheless, "there are a lot of folks in a lot of places where this does fit as a very economical solution."
 

Kunal Biswas

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Uploaded on Jul 25, 2010
After a hard day spraying the crops, this crop duster can quickly be weaponised, if the DEA spot any illegal crops.
 
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Kunal Biswas

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Published on Sep 16, 2012

Embraer Defense and Security's VP for business development, retired Marine Col. William Buckey compares the A-29 Super Tucano to the AT-6.
 
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Kunal Biswas

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Published on Apr 8, 2013

This is an A29 Super Tucano made by Embraer. Like and subscribe.
 
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Kunal Biswas

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Uploaded on Sep 13, 2009

Advanced training/ lightweight attack aircraft

A-29 Super Tucano ''the guerrilla destroyer''

Users:

Brazil-100+units
Colombia-25units
Equador-24units
Chile-12units
Dominican Republic-8units
USA-1unit(blackwater project)
Indonisia-12units
 
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