T2K Air Support

[Raellus]

This kind of blew my mind.

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the...0-a65e39df1085

But in a T2K U.S.A.? Perhaps...

[Damocles]

What Congress should have been pushing...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG9LlHcX8lg

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Originally Posted by Damocles

What Congress should have been pushing...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG9LlHcX8lg

Holy crap, Dammy did you really just link a Mike Sparks vid. x-(

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Raellus

This kind of blew my mind.

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the...0-a65e39df1085

But in a T2K U.S.A.? Perhaps...

I'd love the see the Mustang brought back. I don't think it would be hard to redesign its airframe and allow it to carry the GPU-5gun pod and tons of ordnance on its wings. A more powerful engine would be needed, but stretching the airframe and reinforcing its protection to the level of the A-10 would not be that hard. It would be cheap too, how many upgraded mustangs could you get for the price of an F-35?

[raketenjagdpanzer]

A GPU-5A would shake that plane apart.

Anyway, if we're talking about T2k prop-driven late war air support it would be OV-10Ds plus whatever A1 Skyraiders they could pull out of Davis-Monthan.

[Matt Wiser]

All the A-1s flyable in the U.S. were in warbird collectors' hands. No known A-1s in AMARC since the late '70s.

[Apache6]

According to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...A-1_Skyraiders
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...t_F4U_Corsairs


There are 14 airworthy A-1 skyraiders and 26 F4U Corsairs in tbe US. Since the Naval Aviation community is tight knit, and retired pilots remain closely tied to the active force, I'd suggest that a squadron of Skyraiders and a Squadron or two of Corsairs could be available to US Navy and USMC in T2K to support counterattacks.

Here is how it could have gone down. When the Mexican forces crossed the border, the Commander of 2nd Fleet, the Aviator Admiral Hank Jones reached out to his friend and former mentor, retired Navy Captain Tom Gracion and asked him what the Naval Avaition Association could provide. The Assocaition, consisting of Navy and Marine Corps pilots had access to a extensive collections of aircraft but no weapons. The call went out and the Association was able to scrounge together from numerous sources 10 A-1 skyraiders and 20 Corsairs. Over a period of a year, these aircraft were flown into Naval Air Station Pensacola where they were rearmed mostly with .50 cal machine guns and modernized bomb racks.

The Graybeards of the Naval Aviation Association served as trainers to help convert active pilots to the older aircraft and sometimes flew them operationally. Eventually, after many delays and a huge amount of improvisation the Navy was able to field a squadron of 10 Skyraiders (assigned to reconstituted Navy Attack Squadron (VA -2) the Beasts) and 20 Corsairs. 10 Corsairs were assigned to VA-6 (Fist of the Fleet) and 10 Assigned to Marine Attack Squadron VMA242 (the famous Black Sheep).

Though operations were extremely limited by fuel supplies the aircraft though obsolete were relatively easy to maintain and provided effective close air support.

Similarly a wide range of commercial aircraft operated (and often owned by) members of the Naval Aviaition Association were used for recon, scouting, light cargo and liaison duties.

VA

[raketenjagdpanzer]

Throw in some skilled techs, and you could see Corsairs (and Sandys) dropping LGBs and firing Hellfire missiles.

Also the cargo hauling abilities of the Skyraider aren't to be ignored. I think there was one variant that could carry up to five troops in a pinch.