OA-1K SKYRAIDER II

[Gunz]

OA-1K Skyraider II. The first mission-ready aircraft was delivered to Hurlburt Field last month. Mostly a SOCOM overwatch aircraft but with attack capabilities and a long loiter time.

US special ops gets first Skyraider II close-support planes, eyes bespoke mission sets - Breaking Defense

 

[TLDR20]

View attachment 47665

OA-1K Skyraider II. The first mission-ready aircraft was delivered to Hurlburt Field last month. Mostly a SOCOM overwatch aircraft but with attack capabilities and a long loiter time.

US special ops gets first Skyraider II close-support planes, eyes bespoke mission sets - Breaking Defense

Dusty Crophopper really grew up.

 

[amlove21]

Ah yes, the light attack fighter project. 20 years in the making, giving us a capability we already had on an airframe that already existed for a mission set it can't possibly accomplish- from the folks that brought you the Osprey.

Fantastic work, AFSOC!

 

[Gunz]

Well...it ain't exactly an A-1H, is it? So the whole Skyraider thing--the implication--is kind of a misnomer. Any similarity ends with the name. Still, it looks like a nifty little aircraft. For something. I mean if you want nape or willie pete, this is not how you get nape or willie pete

 

[AWP]

Well...it ain't exactly an A-1H, is it? So the whole Skyraider thing--the implication--is kind of a misnomer. Any similarity ends with the name. Still, it looks like a nifty little aircraft. For something. I mean if you want nape or willie pete, this is not how you get nape or willie pete

It goes back years though when we started recycling names. A-7 Corsair II, F-35 Lightning II, A-10 Thunderbolt II, Eurofighter Typhoon ()original was by Hawker in WWII), F-4 Phantom II, and probably others I've forgotten.

Personally, I think it's stupid.

 

[amlove21]

It goes back years though when we started recycling names. A-7 Corsair II, F-35 Lightning II, A-10 Thunderbolt II, Eurofighter Typhoon ()original was by Hawker in WWII), F-4 Phantom II, and probably others I've forgotten.

Personally, I think it's stupid.

Samesies.

 

[Devildoc]

Oh, I miss the OV-10...

 

[Gunz]

Oh, I miss the OV-10...

Yes, me too. They were invaluable spotter planes for us--when we could get them. When I humped the radio I commed with them, usually during daylight ops, and they would direct us.

If we can upgrade Buffs and Herkies for 60 years--not to mention extending the lifespans of AH-1s, 46's, 47's and 53's, maybe we could've kept upgraded OV-10 variants around a few more years.

 

[Devildoc]

Yes, me too. They were invaluable spotter planes for us--when we could get them. When I humped the radio I commed with them, usually during daylight ops, and they would direct us.

If we can upgrade Buffs and Herkies for 60 years--not to mention extending the lifespans of AH-1s, 46's, 47's and 53's, maybe we could've kept upgraded OV-10 variants around a few more years.

The US Forest Service and NASA still use the OV-10, as does several countries. It is a great aircraft.

 

[AWP]

Yes, me too. They were invaluable spotter planes for us--when we could get them. When I humped the radio I commed with them, usually during daylight ops, and they would direct us.

If we can upgrade Buffs and Herkies for 60 years--not to mention extending the lifespans of AH-1s, 46's, 47's and 53's, maybe we could've kept upgraded OV-10 variants around a few more years.

It's not a jet and jets are cool. I think the AF transferred the "spotting for CAS" mission to A-10's or just said "fuck 'em" to the folks on the ground. Now that seemingly every future conflict will be "near peer" (because we have such a great history at predicting wars and future needs), we need stealth and we need it en masse.

Hilariously, the A-10 was designed for peer-to-peer warfare, but the AF wants to cut it and any future version out because the A-10 lacks survivability.

 

[Devildoc]

It's not a jet and jets are cool. I think the AF transferred the "spotting for CAS" mission to A-10's or just said "fuck 'em" to the folks on the ground. Now that seemingly every future conflict will be "near peer" (because we have such a great history at predicting wars and future needs), we need stealth and we need it en masse.

Hilariously, the A-10 was designed for peer-to-peer warfare, but the AF wants to cut it and any future version out because the A-10 lacks survivability.

To be fair, the peer that the A-10 was built to battle was the 1970s and 80s Soviet Union who had tanks dating back to the 50s. I'm not sure THIS iteration of the A-10 is the one we need for today's peer, but I certainly see value in a future version.