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Weaponized Air Tractor

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Fri Aug 30, 2013 3:24 pm

Weaponized Air Tractor

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-29/air-tractors-crop-duster-other-planes-revamped-for-military-use

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Zzz offline
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 4:29 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

It seems that war pays better than peace. I imagine we'll have weaponized ice cream trucks soon.
lesuther offline
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 4:29 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

The demonstration flight didn't work out so well :shock: This was out at Fort Hunter Liggett just over the hill from me.

bart offline
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 6:45 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

Well, that was special...

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Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:12 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

And that's why there won't be much of a market for it. Takes a pilot to land it.

Cool idea though. I want one.
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:25 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

Oh yeah... What a coyote chaser that'd make. Drool worthy!

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Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:39 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

Didn't the Thrush guys make some of those for somebody in C. America?
gbflyer offline
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 7:58 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

I was over at U.S. Aviation at Denton a couple months ago and they had one in the shop. I asked the guy there about it and he said it just came out of the factory after being totally rebuilt. It had 170 bullet holes in it when they brought it in. It was the unarmed version, they use it for spraying cocaine in Colombia. They put the best avionics money can buy including flir and synthetic vision. They fly on cloudy no moon nights and spray the valleys on instruments. He said the cartels have a million dollar bounty on one. They can't shoot them down so they have been starting to fill drums with gravel and put dynamite under them and blow them up, causing them to flame out. Bet the pilots get hazardous pay !
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:35 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

I was reading the brochure for the AT802U the other day, as it was sitting on the coffee table in our one of our crew messes. Looks like a serious bit of kit. Not sure I'd want to go fly it in locations where such requirements are necessary though but it would be fun to go target practice shooting with one!

I gather AT802's aren't the easiest of things to land with that sprung steel undercarriage. One day I might get to have a play with our fuel hauler one ;)
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:43 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor



Call it the poverty stricken poor mans A10. Ain't gonna work. well maybe in the most primitive or war theaters were they are using 22's, sling shots and bow and arrows. Far too slow to outrun Kalashnikov's and primate rpg's. Good for short term sales though. Id take the commish.
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:46 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

exodus wrote:


Call it the poverty stricken poor mans A10. Ain't gonna work. well maybe in the most primitive of war theaters were they are using 22's, sling shots and bow and arrows. Far too slow to outrun Kalashnikov's and primate rpg's. Good for short term sales though. Id take the commish.
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Fri Aug 30, 2013 10:47 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

exodus wrote:
exodus wrote:


Call it the poverty stricken poor mans A10. Ain't gonna work. well maybe in the most primitive of war theaters where they are using 22's, sling shots and bow and arrows. Far too slow to outrun Kalashnikov's and primate rpg's. Good for short term sales though. Id take the commish.
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Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:35 am

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

was anybody else yelling, "add power, add power..." after that bounce?
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Sat Aug 31, 2013 7:49 am

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

Yeah mneb1, I was was yelling add power after the bounce, but turbines take a while to spool up. I'd like to say that is the only reason I bought a piston powered Maule, but money also had something to do with it. Watching the video gave me sympathy pains in the wallet.
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Sat Aug 31, 2013 10:13 am

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

Flyhound wrote:Yeah mneb1, I was was yelling add power after the bounce, but turbines take a while to spool up. I'd like to say that is the only reason I bought a piston powered Maule, but money also had something to do with it. Watching the video gave me sympathy pains in the wallet.


"sympathy pains in the wallet"

our wallet, I'm sure we're paying for this stupidity and incompetence #-o
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Sat Aug 31, 2013 12:22 pm

Re: Weaponized Air Tractor

UAE ordered several of these.... I think development costs were on the company... They wanted to compete in the light insurgency aircraft bid that was won by the Tucano.
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