The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Dirty Little Secrets
Cheap Alternatives To Expensive Jets
by James Dunnigan
November 18, 2007
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
While the U.S. Air Force is cutting
personnel in order to pay for new F-22 and F-35 fighters, many jet
fighters are in danger of being replaced, in part, by equally new
warplanes that look like something out of World War II. Case in point
is the A-67 counter-insurgency aircraft (PHOTO).
Initially designed as a private venture in the United States, it is now
being developed for production next year. The propeller driven, single
engine aircraft has one engine, a crew of two and can carry 1.5 tons of
sensors and weapons. It can stay in the air for ten hours per sortie.
The A-67 will cost about $8 million each, and is built to be easily,
and cheaply maintained by small ground crews. With modern sensors and
smart bombs, such an aircraft could do what an F-16 does over most of
the world's battlefields, but at a fraction of the cost. Sales efforts
are being directed at nations that need air power, but can't afford jet
fighters. Afghanistan is a good example, as is any nation with islamic
terrorists, or rebels of any kind, to deal with.
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