The most recent issue of the Air Forces Association Magazine had an article about:
The Irregular Air Battle
by John Tirpak
IN it, was a vary interesting (to me anyways) section that I thought WIXers might enjoy, and is a little relevant to this topic [starred emphasis mine]:
"For starters, the Air Force leadership ordered an analysis of alternatives to be done to look at aircraft that meet three different needs: small vertical and fixed wing lift, ***and light attack***. The idea is to evaluate aircraft that could be operated effectively by USAF, but also could be affordable and appropriate for use by a wide variety of partner nations that lack the technical sophistication—or money—to invest in higher-end platforms such as C-130s, F-15s, and F-16s."
"Finally, a new counterinsurgency airplane—performing “armed overwatch”—will be needed, with the ability to operate from forward or bare-bones areas, having ISR capabilities comparable to those on Predator and Reaper unmanned aircraft, but having crews on board with basic attack skills. Day said he’s seen ***“more than 60” proposals for such an aircraft, ranging from off-the-shelf designs to modified World War II fighters to all-new concepts.*** Key factors in reducing the field of candidates will be simplicity and affordability for less technically sophisticated allies."
"Schwartz also said he envisions the light strike aircraft as possibly a primary or advanced trainer that could be equipped with light ordnance, such as rockets and small bombs. Air Force instructor pilots would have skills in light attack and counterinsurgency, and they could pass these skills along even as they provided basic flight instruction to partner air force pilots. The instructors could also be deployed to COIN missions themselves."
Let the calls for a re-opened P-47 production line commence
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