- Never write an article in the New York Times about the Predator that can be mercilessly ripped apart by Defense Technology International Editor and Ares blogger Bill Sweetman, and
- My frequent visitor who posts under the pseudonym "Airpower" knows more than I about the strengths and weaknesses of counter-insurgency aircraft, which he demonstrates here:
"A few thoughts on your thoughts Steve, if I may.
"The T-6 is a trainer, and attempts by Hawker Beechcraft (or whatever it's called this week) to remodel it as an armed platform are not convincing. That's not what it was designed to do.
"Remember, the T-6 is just a Pilatus PC-9 and the original Swiss design is forbidden by law from being armed...anyone with armed PC-9s has made their own, alternative, arrangements. So flying in combat is not in its genes. Attempts by Raytheon to compare the armed T-6 with the F-15 were met with an embarrassed silence at one show I remember, not so long ago.
"The Super Tucano on the other hand was designed to be a combat aircraft from Day 1 - that's why it makes a lousy trainer because it's so big and heavy. The Brazilians deploy it into Amazon dirt strips to fight drug smugglers, it has guns (not an "internal gun pod" but two 0.50-cals in the wing), it can carry air-to-air missiles and has a very sophisticated (datalinked) cockpit (thank you Elbit). In its class the Super Tucano is probably the aircraft you want to go to war in.
"Of course, the aircraft you REALLY want to go to war in is the A-10 but I know you're not seriously comparing the Texan II to the Thunderbolt II (are you ??).
"The A-67 is an amusing diversion. "
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