US Military Buys New Coin Aircraft For 'Only" $18 Million Dollars a Pop

[unhappycamper]

http://defensetech.org/2011/12/31/embraer-wins-usafs-light-attack-contest/

Super Tucano Wins USAF’s Light Attack Contest

~snip~

The air service is buying 20 Super Ts from Embraer and its U.S. partner, Sierra Nevada Corporation, for $355 million, according to an announcement that Embraer released last night. Remember, a couple of years ago the Air Force planned to buy dozens of cheap, turboprop-driven COIN aircraft that could be used to provide light air support and ISR for troops fighting insurgents in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The planes were supposed to take the burden for such unglamorous missions off of jet fighters like the F-16, which cost far more to operate. However, the draw-down from Iraq combined with shrinking defense budgets forced the air service to dramatically reduce the program. Now, the service will use the small fleet of turboprop planes to help build up the nascent Afghan air force, and “other nations.” Those last two words leave the possibility open for more Super T sales beyond those to the U.S. Air Force and Afghan air force.

[xchrom]

1. Damn. Somebody is finding money laying around someplace. Nt

[Cooley Hurd]

2. Years ago, Piper Aircraft was refurbing P-51 Mustangs...

...and replacing the old Merlin engines with turboprops. THAT was a helluva combo!

[unhappycamper]

3. Thanks! I didn't know that. n/t

[sofa king]

6. Interesting.

The propeller driven ground attack aircraft has never gone out of style. The Pucara was an ever-present danger in the Falklands War, and since any air power is air supremacy when your opponent has no way to stop it, dirt cheap adaptations of passenger aircraft, crop dusters, and antique warplanes abound. At one point, the French were using captured Japanese Ki-43 "Oscars" in Indo-China. In 1949, British Spitfires were fighting Israeli Spitfires.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

4. "with shrinking defense budgets" But I thought they just got a raise!

[rgbecker]

5. SICK, SICK, SICK.

The paranoids in the US see the world as US against Them! So we need to have enough military to defeat them all should they suddenly team up to invade us. The only explanation....unless its about money for the 1%ers. Ah, but that Couldn't be.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. That's OK. The cuts in Heating Oil for the poor will cover the cost of more killing machines.

[TheMightyFavog]

8. Those planes will also pull double duty as trainers.

Every F-16 or F-18 pilot has got to start somewhere...