An Ideal Recce aircraft for COIN?

[Ray]

South Africa Firms Build Niche Plane

Two South African companies are attempting to elbow their way into the global defense market with an unusual new aircraft developed on home soil.

Paramount Group and Aerosud Holdings Ltd. on Tuesday will unveil the Ahrlac, a compact plane that they say merges the capabilities of a drone, an attack helicopter and surveillance aircraft.......

The Ahrlac—short for Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft—aims to fill a niche left by less-versatile and more-expensive rivals. Most countries on the continent rely on modified cargo planes or turboprop fighters for surveillance work, but the Ahrlac is a multipurpose alternative that's marketed for perform military and civilian reconnaissance. It will cater to African governments involved in combat, peacekeeping and humanitarian work, he says.

Aerosud and Paramount executives decline to reveal the Ahrlac's price but say it will be one-third to one-half the cost of Boeing Co.'s Apache attack helicopter. The Apache sells for about $20 million, according to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office......

....So Paramount aimed to create an aircraft "that would do 80% of what a helicopter did but at a fraction of the cost," Mr. Ichikowitz says.

The two-person Ahrlac has a bulbous cockpit and a simple propeller mounted at the rear, allowing an unobstructed view for reconnaissance. The plane can fly fast or slow and stay airborne for up to seven hours on a tank of fuel. It will be manufactured just outside Johannesburg at Aerosud's complex of low brick buildings in Centurion, where the company also makes wing components, seats and galleys for Boeing and the Airbus unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. Test flights are scheduled to begin in six months and production, as early as 2013.......

[video]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204010604576594510143821174.html#[/video] (watch this video)

Two South African Defense Firms Take Aim at Niche Aircraft Market - WSJ.com

This could be an excellent recce aircraft for BSF and CRPF ops against Maoists.

 

[hitesh]

so they have weaponised a guilder ,the problem is can it even survive small arms fire

 

[Ray]

Can be made as safe as a helicopter, which is the current mode for recce.

 

[Bhadra]

This could be an excellent Reece aircraft for BSF and CRPF ops against Maoists.

They do not need Reece aircraft but to carry out Reece themselves on their two lags and stay in jungles rather than in their cosy camps ?

 

[HeinzGud]

Against Maoist no combat aircraft is cable enough. Even the UAVs or UCAVs. There fore the best Practice is to train more commandos and use them to infiltrate the jungles the Maoist hide and carry out jungle combat ops in long term to eliminate them.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Can be made as safe as a helicopter, which is the current mode for recce.

The price seems very high even at 1/3 the cost of an Apache.

 

[Ray]

Against Maoist no combat aircraft is cable enough. Even the UAVs or UCAVs. There fore the best Practice is to train more commandos and use them to infiltrate the jungles the Maoist hide and carry out jungle combat ops in long term to eliminate them.

In India, terrorist or Maoist, use of heavy weapons and aircraft by Security Forces is not allowed.

If it were allowed, what could stop India doing a Sri Lanka way of elimination of the LTTE?

Aerial recce only allows pinpointing locations and movement and directing ground security forces in that direction.

 

[Ray]

The price seems very high even at 1/3 the cost of an Apache.

That is what is the inhibitor.

 

[HeinzGud]

In India, terrorist or Maoist, use of heavy weapons and aircraft by Security Forces is not allowed.

If it were allowed, what could stop India doing a Sri Lanka way of elimination of the LTTE?

LTTE acted as a conventional army! thats why heavy weapons and aircraft had be used against them. If they acted as pure guerrilla army as they acted in '80s small commando/elite forces teams would've been enough to counter them in long term.

We should also remember that even IPKF underestimated LTTE and used their conventional army and suffered a humiliating defeated.

 

[Ray]

LTTE acted as a conventional army! thats why heavy weapons and aircraft had be used against them. If they acted as pure guerrilla army as they acted in '80s small commando/elite forces teams would've been enough to counter them in long term.

We should also remember that even IPKF underestimated LTTE and used their conventional army and suffered a humiliating defeated.

LTTE was hardly a conventional force. They were as guerilla as guerillas can be.

Was Mao's Long March chaps a conventional army?

IA was not humiliated. They operated under constraints of both the Indian and the Sri Lankan Govt.

 

[HeinzGud]

LTTE was hardly a conventional force. They were as guerilla as guerillas can be.

Was Mao's Long March chaps a conventional army?

Well it's actually true but when some terrorist organization amass 1000+ cadres for raids against a well established military bases, use heavy mortars and artys, posses an elite naval arm plus aircrafts that could drop bombs it should be classified as a conventional armed force.

IA was not humiliated. They operated under constraints of both the Indian and the Sri Lankan Govt.

well maybe close to that!

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Its a extremely good solution for recce, The flare Pod will give hi res image away from small arm fire, Operational cost of M17 and Dhruv are very high compare to this, CRPF have fewer Dhruvs and need maintenance on regular basis causing them to operate for limited Periods, And not all helos are operational at one time..

This light recon aircraft will be a good advantage, I wonder why not to make one in India..

Home made aircraft with home made flair pod..

Quick and cheap so does reliable..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

LTTE and used their conventional army and suffered a humiliating defeated.

well maybe close to that!

You need to stop it..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Ideas anyone..

 

[Ray]

Well it's actually true but when some terrorist organization amass 1000+ cadres for raids against a well established military bases, use heavy mortars and artys, posses an elite naval arm plus aircrafts that could drop bombs it should be classified as a conventional armed force.{/quote]

If those were aircraft and naval ships, one wonders what are the real McCoys!



well maybe close to that!

Indeed!

Thank heavens we were not in the league of being accused of Genocide as Sri Lankans were!

 

[HeinzGud]

Its a extremely good solution for recce, The flare Pod will give hi res image away from small arm fire, Operational cost of M17 and Dhruv are very high compare to this, CRPF have fewer Dhruvs and need maintenance on regular basis causing them to operate for limited Periods, And not all helos are operational at one time..

This light recon aircraft will be a good advantage, I wonder why not to make one in India..

Home made aircraft with home made flair pod..

Quick and cheap so does reliable..

How Mr. Biswas sir you justify the fact that Maoist hidden in thick jungle??? Can the flare pod be useful then??

 

[Kunal Biswas]

NCC Rugged Glider Modifications ?

1. More power full engine
2. Closed cockpit
3. Electronics
4. Flair pod




One can try out on this one for 100% sure..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

How Mr. Biswas sir you justify the fact that Maoist hidden in thick jungle??? Can the flare pod be useful then??

I don't have to justify here, One need to see where and how they operate to come up with this idea..

In short you should know the terrain and the enemy tactics..

 

[Bhadra]

Against Maoist no combat aircraft is cable enough. Even the UAVs or UCAVs. There fore the best Practice is to train more commandos and use them to infiltrate the jungles the Maoist hide and carry out jungle combat ops in long term to eliminate them.

Good advise coming from someone who never entered jungles of Vavunia. STF was town based and SLA could only enter jungles after IPKF broke LTTE backbones in Vani after heavy casualties !!

Do not worry opportunities will come again to prove your mettle.

 

[HeinzGud]

Good advise coming from someone who never entered jungles of Vavunia. STF was town based and SLA could only enter jungles after IPKF broke LTTE backbones in Vani after heavy casualties !!

Do not worry opportunities will come again to prove your mettle.

Hahahahahahahahah.......................... hic.................. hahahahahahaha.............

I don't knw how to reply dude.... I surely don't knw!