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A modern Folland Gnat?


Van

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Lockheed martin don't want it, BAe, Boeing Alenia etc,etc don't want it - Textron are losing a lot of contracts (rotary) to EADS and have to diversify.

It may be cost effective - that amounts for nothing.

Look at the USAF tanker competition - the best man won - than lost when bubba spat his dummy all the way across the room.

Skyfox would have probably been very successful as well as the Promavia.

Lets even look at the mustang cavalier brilliant COIN platform - ditched by the big corporations.

Textron are only at farnborough because of their rotary history

Look at the UK, no matter how cash strapped they are, they will always pay over the odds for junk that does not work from baron waste of space, because AVM x and Adm y want directorships when they retire.

BEING THE BEST NEVER MATTERS.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I like it, and to be honest it makes sense, it's so much cheaper than current multi-role fighters that are never really going to have their full potential used in anger (when was the last time an enemy aircraft was shot down?), if you're a cash strapped air force why not give it a crack?

Plus, it'll look cool in camo!

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if you're a cash strapped air force why not give it a crack?

Because you can find cheaper (& better) alternatives from China-Russia (Su-25, F-7 etc)... :rolleyes:

Although from what I've read their main objective is to sell the aircraft to the USAF as a COIN platform (replacement for the A-10). :whistle:

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Just to clarify my 'negativity'.

I think it is great that a smaller company are doing this, having a crack at something new and branching out. The jet looks nice and in my humble opinion the idea behind it is good.

However, the original article said they were looking at a market of 2000 airframes, where are they going to sell that many airframes to ? .

US Air Force, nah, I think they like big, fast, sexy jets which I understand has been one of the battles the A-10 has had to fight.

US Army, got Apaches to blat the bad guy,

USN & USMC have other new toys on the way.

With shrinking budgets, no one in Europe can afford to buy these, allowing for crews, training, Logs Chain costs when for aprox £4.50 they can buy second hand F-16s...

Middle East Countries like big fast sexy jets.

With vast tracts of Africa being brought up by China for mineral rights and coming under their sphere of influence, I would suggest Chinese Military Aircraft will be making more appearances down that way, and with the Russians desparate for cash as their economy starts to go pear shape again with global events, they will be shovelling cheap jets, with massive ILS Chain support in there.

Unless the US Military pick this up for Military Assistance Plans for various allies (ala F-84, F-104 & F-5 I believe), where are the sales coming from ?

And no, we won't have these instead of the F-35, we might as well go back to the Harrier.........(cue the wooden spoon) :wicked:

I've only gone and done it now...... :doh:

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