 Editor in Chief Bill   | 02 Aug 2022 4:15 a.m. PST |
U.S. Special Operations Command has chosen L3Harris Technologies to supply up to 75 attack planes based on a cropduster aircraft in a deal that could be worth $3 USD billion… Defense One: link This is a weaponized Air Tractor AT-802, a turboprop agricultural aircraft that typically flies around 150 mph. |
| Mr Elmo | 02 Aug 2022 5:08 a.m. PST |
Military must have found some surplus Agent Orange |
| Striker | 02 Aug 2022 5:19 a.m. PST |
Didn't some PMC, Blackwater maybe, get in trouble using them for Yemen a few years back? Just remember the planes not what the problem was. |
| microgeorge | 02 Aug 2022 5:25 a.m. PST |
Some common sense finally snuck its way into the procurement process. This is a rarity. |
| Editor in Chief Bill | 02 Aug 2022 5:53 a.m. PST |
Some common sense finally snuck its way into the procurement process. This is a rarity. Looks like they did an end-run around the Air Force. |
| Choctaw | 02 Aug 2022 6:43 a.m. PST |
Air Tractor is greatness. |
 The Virtual Armchair General  | 02 Aug 2022 7:16 a.m. PST |
The last "Crop Duster" used in attack mode was against Cary Grant in "North By Northwest"--and it didn't turn out too well for the pilot! TVAG |
 Legion 4   | 02 Aug 2022 9:24 a.m. PST |
Military must have found some surplus Agent Orange No there are better "things" out there now than Agent Orange. Even though that continues to kill many Vets to this day. However, any chemical attack is considered a use of WMDs. Save for CS, and those types of non-lethal chemicals. If you ever have been hit with a big dose of CS, you'd think you are going to die ! These may be used to "crop-dust" plants to make lethal drugs ? "Crop dusting" people … I don't think so … But … maybe hit'm with CS … like prepping with FA/HE. Will make a ground attack much easier. Hard for your enemy to shoot at you when they are gagging, gasping for air, skin burning, etc. |
| Striker | 02 Aug 2022 3:07 p.m. PST |
It'll just carry regular munitions. It's rugged and cheap. There was talk early in Astan of getting something like this, train Afghan pilots on it, then leave them there for their air force since they would know how to fly and maintain them. Don't think that ever went anywhere but we weren't going to give them big $$ jets. |
| HMS Exeter | 03 Aug 2022 1:55 p.m. PST |
Why do I suspect there is a companion procurement request for drone control systems for these birds? |
