Quote:
Originally Posted by stormlion1
Very true, for Fourth Edition we have much more in the way of options for air assets. But there all also much more fragile-tech wise and expensive. So I think that older gear is better. Aircraft like the Huey or the Little Bird for Helicopters. Tried and true designs and C-130's for aircraft. Does the Project need anything more than those? Not really.
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I don't see any particular inherent virtue in "older" - certainly something that is brand new is going to be a risk, but (for example) the H-60 and C-23 have been around plenty long enough to be "safe". I would say that, for aircraft, a decade of use is an adequate buffer to ensure that (a) the kinks have been worked out, (b) there is an adequate supply chain, and (c) there is a supply of trained, experienced pilots. And that's a soft decade - the C-27 should certainly be in consideration! There is a tendency in this country to underestimate how long our military aircraft have been flying, and while the Project could make do with pre-Vietnam War aircraft like the C-130 or UH-1, there is not really any benefit in doing so.
The Little Bird bugs me for a different reason - it is too little. It is fine for observation and even light attack, but if it cannot transport a typical MARS or Recon team, along with standard crew including a door gunner or two, then it is going to be too limited in the missions it can handle. It would be fine as part of an assortment of helicopters, but an assortment of helicopters is what the Project should
avoid.