>The Scaled Composites 401 was unveiled in October 2017. Scaled Composites claimed the aircraft were built on behalf of a “proprietary customer” (cough the Feds cough) as an “aircraft for research flight services to industry partners and the United States government.”
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nah
《Machines are not replacing humans》
What kind of payload can it carry?
Where is the gun?
No BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT, no deal
The pilot carries a 1911 in .45 ACP. More than enough gun to provide fire support.
o shit I didn't know it was packing that kind of heat.
>muh guns
Go back to Satan's lair, John McCain. Take your tumor with you
>with an endurance of up to three hours
that is not a A-10 replacement
The A-10 has proven to be pretty effective at using its cannon against infantry. It's a whole lot cheaper than a Hellfire or JDAM, and it is apparently pretty intimidating for enemies on the ground.
While the A10's gun isn't enough for modern MBTs, it is more than enough for APCs, IFVs, artillery, and infantry. It's cheaper than missiles too.
Looks like a copy of a Chinese project. As expected of America. No originality.
You can strafe shit without strapping four thousand pounds of dick compensator to your aircraft.
>and it is apparently pretty intimidating for enemies on the ground.
Whereas dropping bombs on them apparently isn't. Yeah, sure.
Allegedly, the sound of the BRRRT has a significant effect on enemy morale. It's not just a meme.
So do fucking bombs.
You hear where a bomb explodes. You don't know where the BRRRRRRRRRRT is pointing when you hear it, though
Bombs cost more money than BRRRRRRRRRT ammo.
Yay another multi billion dollar plane to drop million dollar bombs on goat herders with 50$ AKs
That's great as long as the enemy has no AA heavier than a manually-aimed HMG or cannon.
Right, but the only effect of a bomb to an observer is the explosion itself. With a gun run, you have the sound of an aircraft flying low, a rapid series of explosions, and then the distant buzz of the cannon firing. That shit's unnerving. I'm not claiming that the GAU-8 is some sort of super weapon and that we should use it instead of JDAMs whenever possible, but the psychological effects of different weapons are often under-emphasized.
Put speakers on bombs (the bombs that use parachutes to slow their fall)
Then play sounds of deaf guys having sex.
Greater morale destroyer than any GAU-8.
Which, in COIN ops, is always the case.
BRRRT as a morale breaker is as fuddlore as racking a shotgun to scare intruders.
The primary value of using the A-10's cannon for CAS is the lower cost of 30mm ammunition compared to other munitions. The potential morale effects are just a bonus.
>Potential A-10 replacement precursor, the Model 401
ahahahah... are you fucking retarded? that piece of shit couldn't replace the tail section of an A-10.
>Which, in COIN ops, is always the case.
First, that's no longer true. MANPADS have proliferated. Sunni militias all over Africa and Asia have them.
Second and more importantly, now you are justifying keeping an entire manned airframe fleet operational just to have a bit more edge in low-intensity ops. And keeping the training pipeline for the pilots. And the training pipeline for the maintainers, who probably come in a dozen different specialties(I admit to not knowing in detail here). And the supply system for parts. The supply system for A-10 specific accessory gear and A-10 specific munitions. Having to certify your ammo bunnies on another type of cannon ammo. This is a lot of expense for not a lot of gain, when compared to just sending the A-10s to DM and using the saved money on something else.
Im glad our military is shifting away from fighting wars to never ending COIN ops
Are aircraft like the A-10 heavily threatened by MANPADS? I guess there was that Su-25 that went down over Syria, but that seemed to be a more of a fluke than a trend.
I'm not. I keep hoping for Pacific War 2: Chinese Boogaloo to happen in the near future.
Fuck yes they are. Low and slow is a good way to get your ass lit up. Even if you're in a titanium bathtub you would still prefer to never have the shithead take a shot at you
Thats oddly specific - good job sir
>Are aircraft like the A-10 heavily threatened by MANPADS?
Not if they stay up high. Which eliminates the supposed BRRRRT advantage.
This has to be a warcime.
I am so sick of A-10 fuddlore anything can carry mavericks to take out tanks. And anything can do CAS. Only a turboprop can do it cheaper than any jet. Including the A-10
We lost a couple over Iraq to Saddam's MANPADs back in '91.
yeah but then you don't have an aircraft for your 4000 pounds of dick compensation.
And just to mix things things up, drop a few that play ominous Latin chanting.
Something else with its own training and supply chain?
Something else that is just as vulnerable to rocket totin' Joes?
You don't like the A-10, fine, but come up with an argument.
So 2.
Out of how many flights?
Based Burt does it again!
>Americans build flying scooter
I, for one, welcome this new development.
Frankly the 30mm that the A10 carries is completely pointless. A high velocity lead slinger that weighs far too much.
I think guns aren't overrated, but it's futile to have one of the "mission requirements" to be trying to pen a friggin' MBT. Let the new gun be something in the 20mm range, or maybe a lower velocity 30mm autocannon. Not a minigun.
Pointless I meant, because it could only pen T64's from 30degree dive within 700m from the rear of the turret.
Let this new gun be a infantry and APC meatgrinder.
>Not using 10mm for air support
Ishygddt
Can't put a 2 ton gun on that fragile carbon fiber kite.