Crop Duster.

This is coolbert:

From the outstanding Internet web site isegoria.net we have an extract regarding the combat crop duster warplane.

A pet project [?] of the famous/infamous [depending on your perspective] Erik Prince of Blackwater!

The combat crop duster as employed in the close-air-support [CAS] role during counter-insurgency [COIN] operations.

"Erik Prince’s Fighting Crop Duster"

"The Embraer Super Tucano is a a low-tech alternative to the usual high-tech Air Force jet, but Blackwater-founder Erik Prince is pushing an even lower-tech alternative, a fighting crop duster, the Thrush 510G"

. . . .

"To be sure, the Thrush is far from fast, or sexy. All-in-all it’s basically a flying tractor … that is easy to work on and can land anywhere. It’s cheaper, simpler, requires less training to fly and maintain, needs fewer consumable parts and has a significantly smaller logistics requirement than the Super Tucano"

LITERALLY ALMOST SO A FLYING TRACTOR. A CROP DUSTER THE FLY-ABILITY OF WHICH UNQUESTIONED! THAT COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SUPER TUCANO AND THRUSH MOST INTERESTING.

"Smaller logistic requirements to include but not limited to:

* NO extensive and delicate ejection seat maintenance involving highly trained personnel.

* NO pressurized gaskets subject to wear and tear under certain adverse conditions.

"In a head-to-head comparison, the Super Tucano is a far better CAS platform, but Prince was not going for a 'better' platform."

THRUSH AN ADEQUATE PLATFORM FOR CAS AND COIN AND MORE COST EFFICIENT!!

See previous blog entries regarding the Super Tucano and the combat crop duster:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/12/super-tucano_22.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/12/tucano-cockpit.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/04/at-802.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/10/at-802-jordan.html

Devoted readers to the blog will instantly realize with 100 % metaphysical certitude they are already far along on the learning curve regarding CAS in the COIIN environment and are so much the better for it too!

coolbert.