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Roll on Roll Off Gunship
Posted by Think Defence Date: May 17, 2015in: Blog(13) Comments
Cast your mind back a few months and we discussed the potential for using transport aircraft as gunships, combat ISTAR, electronic warfare and even maritime patrol by using roll on roll off palletised and pylon mounted equipment.
A couple of months before I looked at Orbital ATK and their work with Jordan on the C235/295 gunship development that made use of palletised automatic cannons.
AC 235 KADDB Video FINAL
Now it seems Oto Melara have joined the list of suppliers of palletised systems.
Oto Melara gunship
After initial flight trials they are planning final qualification for the Italian Air Force.
Instead of a 30mm Bushmaster the Oto Melara system uses a 20mm M61A1 Vulcan multi-barrel cannon coupled to a modified Selex Janus electro optical and infra red sensor pod. It is mounted on a 463L pallet making it adaptable for many transport aircraft. The retractable rail system allows it to be deployed only when in targeting mode. When loaded with 750 rounds it weighs less than 1.6 tonnes and has a battery for autonomous operation independent of the aircraft’s power system. The whole system is completely self-contained on the pallet
The whole system is completely self-contained on the pallet, even the gunners chair.
Oto Melara developed the system after receiving €2m development funding from the Italian MoD, no €2m is not a printing error!
Six are expected to come into service in 2016.
Jane’s has a good article on the system, here.
The bit that I found most interesting though was not the weapon system but this;As well, it noted that a separate Italian company was developing a second palletised command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4ISR) system that would add datalink capabilities to the Gunship system and function and allow a transport aircraft to function as both a gunship and an airborne command post for ground operations.
A European Harvest Hawk perhaps, not as mad as many people claim.
Interesting, no?
elder escribió:Los franceses quieren 2 Hércules armados como los del USMC...
Boeing Considers Upgraded A-10 Exports
Jun 15, 2015
...any such project is dependent on the Air Force retiring the aircraft and releasing its inventory.
Boeing is the lead contractor for A-10 sustainment and is fulfilling a contract for 173 sets of new wings for the fleet. The company has delivered 105 sets and does not expect that the contract will be canceled even if the Air Force retires the aircraft. The new wing is close to returning the A-10 to zero-time condition.
A new engine "is one of the items on the agenda". The current TF34 is little changed from the original 1970s design and a number of suitable engines in the same thrust class are available. Boeing is also looking at a new targeting pod and a helmet display system with more integrated functions than today's Thales Scorpion.
The modernized A-10 is billed as a "low-cost counterterrorism" system, implying that it is aimed at Middle Eastern customers, which have shown increased interest in affordable attack aircraft since the rise of the ISIS movement. Of the two largest potential customers – the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia – Boeing has the closest relationship with the latter.
http://aviationweek.com/paris-air-show- ... 10-exports
...the Scorpion, which went from the drawing board to a prototype in 24 months
...Textron AirLand expects to submit its first formal proposal to a Pacific Rim nation at the end of the month
Construction on a second conforming aircraft is underway, and the modifications to the trimmable tail will allow the twin-engine jet to increase its cruising speed to up to 400 miles per hour
..."I trust it," said Hinson, who flew the Scorpion to South America without an accompanying support team. "It's a very reliable airplane." In more than 400 hours of testing, the Scorpion has scored greater than 98 percent readiness, and can operate at a cost of under $3,000 per hour
...if orders come in, it will only take the company 18 to 24 months to deliver the aircraft, built and produced in Wichita, Kansas.
On Wednesday, Thales announced it has successfully integrated its I-Master radar system into the Scorpion, giving the pilot an array of sensors [ya contaba con sensor IR/EO] including Ground Moving Target Indication [GMTI], Synthetic Aperture Radar [SAR] and Maritime Moving Target Indication [MMTI] that help identify moving targets at distance over land and sea... Thales touts its I-Master radar as suited for ISR missions including maritime security, border protection, disaster/humanitarian relief and counter narcotics.
http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /28882757/
Una lástima que carezca de blindaje
Imaginaos, éso a principio de los 70. Imaginaos lo que se podría lograr ahora,
Pues es un lujo que no te debes permitir
Si alguien ha apostado por algo tan "revolucionario" como un modelo de observación y apoyo económico...
Por una parte, está la dependencia de los UAV respecto a las estaciones y los relays. Eso sube el costo decisivamente y, lo que es peor, hace al usuario más dependiente que nunca del proveedor de los relays.
En segundo lugar, Rusia desarrolla medios de interferencia. El más típico de los dilemas escudo-flecha.
En tercer lugar, la tasa de pérdidas sigue siendo más elevada que la aviación tripulada
Todos estos factores, y alguno más, provocan que los UAV sean una opción fuera del alcance de no pocas fuerzas
Y revolucionario? En nuestros días, 3000$/hora me lo parecen
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