Why does this Sky Raider II have an eotech in the cockpit?

[CamoDeafie]

Cropduster cost = $100k

Cropduster for the military = $40 Million

Truth.

 

[edzz]

Eotech in the cockpit.
And USFA Zip .22's mounted to picatinny rails on the wings? Always wondered when someone would develop a platform those little buggers would work on.

 

[Cavedweller]

They've (the AF brass) have been wanting to get rid of the A-10s ever since they got them new.

I've always thought that if the AF doesn't want them, they should give them to the Army. The AF doesn't want the close air support mission, and the Army has never been happy with AF close air support. But some agreement made when the AF was created limited the Army to rotary wing aviation, for the most part. Stupid inter-service rivalry bullsh1t. But Congress could change the law if we ran a government based on common sense.

 

[CamoDeafie]

I've always thought that if the AF doesn't want them, they should give them to the Army. The AF doesn't want the close air support mission, and the Army has never been happy with AF close air support. But some agreement made when the AF was created limited the Army to rotary wing aviation, for the most part. Stupid inter-service rivalry bullsh1t. But Congress could change the law if we ran a government based on common sense.

Key West Agreement. The AF never liked the idea of the Army having their own fixed wing combat aircraft. The Army didn't like the AF having their own armed helicopters

Can you imagine the hullaboo if the Marines of all people took on the A-10s!? Heck, Congress banned the Marines from procuring the AH-64 Apaches, so the Marines been updating the AH-1 Cobras which were Army 's "interim" gunships

 

[GWS]

Cropduster cost = $100k

Cropduster for the military = $40 Million

But look at all the cool toys you get for that $39,900000.00.

 

[gmerkt]

you make it through OCS

OTS very competitive. A potential applicant practically has to start preparing for it in toddlerhood. Being so tough to get in, they might be glad to get a chance to fly anything. Then they can finish out their obligated time in the USAF and look to make the big bucks as a commercial airline pilot, maybe. Also competitive. Or transition to another type later.

I don't know about now, but in WW2 the order of placement by how well a trainee did was fighters, bombers, transports, and liaison aircraft, in that order. Some men who washed out of flight training were sent down as bombardiers and navigators. Some were downgraded to aerial gunner crewmen. Around the middle of 1944, it was realized that the need for replacement pilots was not going to be as great as anticipated, so the flight training program was throttled back. Men who started training as pilot wound up as enlisted gunners without regard to skills shown during training. Not all army pilots who graduated were commissioned as 2LT; in 1942 the rank of Flight Officer was created and many pilots came out with this rank which was similar to warrant officer. Class standing sometimes determined who would be a 2LT and who would be a FO, but sometimes it was determined by commissioned officer quota limits.

 

[Cavedweller]

Key West Agreement. The AF never liked the idea of the Army having their own fixed wing combat aircraft. The Army didn't like the AF having their own armed helicopters

Can you imagine the hullaboo if the Marines of all people took on the A-10s!? Heck, Congress banned the Marines from procuring the AH-64 Apaches, so the Marines been updating the AH-1 Cobras which were Army 's "interim" gunships

The Marines have always complained that all they get are Army hand-me-downs.

 

[CamoDeafie]

The Marines have always complained that all they get are Army hand-me-downs.

The Army didn't use twin engined Cobras though. That was the Marines requirement for the AH-1J SeaCobra series, which is now ultimately developed into the AH-1Z Zulu Cobra/Viper.

 

[Cavedweller]

The Army didn't use twin engined Cobras though. That was the Marines requirement for the AH-1J SeaCobra series, which is now ultimately developed into the AH-1Z Zulu Cobra/Viper.

Every once in a while they get a win. But they are always competing with someone for a slice of the budget. Even the Navy doesn't like spending money on the gator fleet, and does so reluctantly, because they would rather build subs or surface combatants.

 

[Stomper]

The Marines have always complained that all they get are Army hand-me-downs.

Yeah, the Marines always hated getting into their crayon rations and finding out that the Army used the best flavors in coloring books first.....

 

[Provincial]

The Skyraider II makes it easier to recruit contract pilots for unofficial operations from the ranks of cropdusters.

 

[Stomper]

The Skyraider II makes it easier to recruit contract pilots for unofficial operations from the ranks of cropdusters.

And by that, you mean CIA goons....

 

[Diamondback]

Well it's true that Rockwell aviation business is gone for the Broncos, but Grumman is still around for the Mohawks which could take off from small carriers... Fairchild Republic is also gone (A-10 Warthogs).

L3 Harris/Air Tractor is the company making the OA-1Ks; but cheaper to operate? I dunno; at least it's similar to the Bronco in performance and capability, with the Bronco having twin engine redundancy and arguably better visibility..

Boeing owns Rockwell and pitched new-build "Bronco TNG's" modernizing the old design as recently as five to ten years ago.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Boeing owns Rockwell and pitched new-build "Bronco TNG's" modernizing the old design as recently as five to ten years ago.

I thought North American Rockwell went out of business, and that's why we won't be able to get new build B-1bs?

 

[Diamondback]

I thought North American Rockwell went out of business, and that's why we won't be able to get new build B-1bs?

Nope, that was a Boeing merger - B-1, I suspect the tooling was destroyed under Obuttcheese like F-22.