AMR-June-July-2013
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
A I R P O W E R<br />
C O U N T E R<br />
I N S U R G E N C Y<br />
Hawker Beechcraft’s T-6 Texan-II has been acquired by the Iraqi Air Force. The country has<br />
purchased a total of 15 of the machines. The Texan-II is available in its trainer (T-6) and armed<br />
(AT-6) configurations, the latter version being ideal for COIN operations © US DoD<br />
shifting to reflect Defense Secretary Gates’<br />
view that platforms and missions must be<br />
relevant to conflicts like those in Iraq and<br />
Afghanistan. Furthermore, it had to be<br />
something that was readily transferable to<br />
partner nations. It was to be an affordable,<br />
modular, open-architecture aircraft and<br />
equipment. Some of these requirements,<br />
including those for high-altitude capability<br />
and for an on-board oxygen generation<br />
system, seem tailored to the war in<br />
Afghanistan.<br />
To many in the Pentagon, it seemed<br />
timely to bring back Vietnam War era<br />
CAS/COIN tactics and to merge them<br />
with 21st century weapons and technology.<br />
You could see their point. The LAAR<br />
platform was to fly at altitudes up to<br />
30,000ft with a range up to 900nm. The<br />
aircraft was to be fitted with fuel tanks,<br />
The projected LAAR<br />
COIN aircraft might<br />
not have the cachet of<br />
the F-16C/D or<br />
F/A18E/F, but it would<br />
do much of what they<br />
did for around $1,000<br />
per flight hour<br />
multi-function display (MFD) and fully<br />
compatible head up display (HUD) with<br />
night vision goggle (NVG) for a six-hour<br />
mission. It would be expected to perform<br />
missions such as streaming video, forwarding<br />
air control, escort, CAS, intelligence<br />
surveillance and reconnaissance<br />
(ISR). Using a wide-range of equipped<br />
such as electro-optical, infrared and laser<br />
sensors, LAAR would be armed with .50<br />
calibre machine guns pods, 2.75 inch rocket<br />
pods, air-to-ground Hellfire or<br />
Maverick, AIM-9 air-to-air missiles, laser<br />
guided bombs including Paveway II and<br />
Paveway IV, joint direct attack munitions<br />
(JDAM) and small diameter bombs. The<br />
projected LAAR COIN aircraft might not<br />
have the cachet of the F-16C/D or F/A-<br />
18E/F, but it would do much of what they<br />
did for around $1,000 per flight hour.<br />
l JUNE/JULY <strong>2013</strong> l 11
Change language