Picture of the day

[grelmar]

South Korean KA-1 light attack aircraft, based on the KT-1 trainer.

ROK Air Force: "We need a low cost, light, ground attack and forward observer aircraft."

Ordinance Dept. "Bolt some hard points to your trainer and call it done."

A bit more than that. Full glass cockpit conversion with HUD for the weapons systems. 5 hard points total, capable of mounting hellfire missiles, rocket pods, dakka-dakka pods. Nimble little bugger with a punch, apparently well received by the pilots. KAI, the manufacturer, has had some success at gaining foreign sales.

What's old, is new again.

 

[7ECA]

Seeing how a shooting match on the Peninsula will likely go nuclear pretty quick, what the hell we may as well save some money on the ground attack planes.

The KA-1 looks remarkably similar to the Pilatus PC-9 trainer, although the fuselage to vertical stabilizer transition is different. Same power plant as well, PT-6A-62s downrated to 950SHP. Makes her a pretty sporty unit.

The PC-9; as flown by the Croatian Air Force's aerobatic team "Wings of Storm".

The PC-9s successor, the PC-21 trainer. Shown is a factory demonstrator - note again the similarities between the KA-1 and the Pilatus.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Pilatus makes very interesting stuff. Take the PC-6.

Slab sided, turboprop-powered, absolutely nuts STOL performance. A mainstay of bush flying and skydivers.

Give Fairchild in the States permission to make 'em and watch the weirdness happen. This is the Fairchild AU-23 Peacemaker, the teeniest gunship you ever saw.

The Royal Thai Air Force operated them, and apparently still do.

 

[diopter]

 

[donor]

Pilatus PC-12 seems to be fairly popular,list of users on Wiki is pretty long.

Finish Air Force has 10 or so of them,supposedly for cargo and passenger duty but it seems to have a small forest of antenas all over them plane.

This pictures shows just some of them,pictures from air shows show quite a few more.

 

[airbatic]

Pilatus makes very interesting stuff. Take the PC-6.

Slab sided, turboprop-powered, absolutely nuts STOL performance. A mainstay of bush flying and skydivers.

Give Fairchild in the States permission to make 'em and watch the weirdness happen. This is the Fairchild AU-23 Peacemaker, the teeniest gunship you ever saw.

The Royal Thai Air Force operated them, and apparently still do.

Come to up to Norman Wells, NT and you could ride in one.

 

[mineguy]

They have stopped making the PC-6 recently. Last one rolled off the assembly line destined for Brazil. Shame, they are a great plane

 

[Falcorn]

Long day for the 9th infantry and its supporting M4A3E2 Jumbo tanks, Feb 1945. The guy in the middle, leaning against the tank, looks dead tired.

 

[Sharps '74]

You mean like any grunt in any army in any war? Exhaustion is a natural state of affairs for soldiers.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Man, the eternal PBI. A sh!t job most days. Lotsa walking and tedium interspersed with brief periods of mortal terror. Crap food, the RSM (or equivalent) up your arse, management has not clue one what they're doing...

And so it has always been.

 

[Falcorn]

The guy is not there, hi's gone, he doesn't care what is going on around him. There are bunch of people on the picture - all of them are tired and cold, but they are still living - somebody is smocking, somebody is heading to the side of the street to take a wizz - life goes on. But that guy is gone.

 

[diopter]

Air Tractor 802, hey that look similar......

As a civilian, before being drafted...

After Boot Camp...

Makes you wonder if there's a secret plan to use chemical weapons again.
A Corps Duster as opposed to a Crop Duster

 

[HuskyDude]

After Boot Camp...
Makes you wonder if there's a secret plan to use chemical weapons again.
A Corps Duster as opposed to a Crop Duster

They'd work good assisting a "Back Burn"
Load em up with Incendiary or a few gallons of Napalm.

View attachment 300527

 

[7ECA]

AT-802F is apparently $3.25M USD a piece. While the AT-802U (the COIN/CAS variant) is a whopping $16.93M USD each - according to a contract tendered for the Kenyan Government, that went unsigned.

If you wanted to use her for some back burning, the Air Tractor comes with an 820 US Gallon hopper so she'll do a heck of a job.

 

[HuskyDude]

whopping $16.93M USD each...

Wow!!!
Could have had Uncle Barry's new cottage and a cool $1.93 m left for beer and groceries.

View attachment 300630

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Civvy aircraft in mufti, you say?

Here's a Canadian airplane in Army colours on a British naval vessel.

 

[weimajack]

Ressemble étrangement à un "BEAVER".

 

[Overlander2018]

A wounded German officer, found in the Egyptian desert during the first two days of a British offensive, is guarded by a sentry while awaiting backup, on November 13, 1942.

Most likely staged but still a striking image.

 

[Sharps '74]

Civvy aircraft in mufti, you say?

Here's a Canadian airplane in Army colours on a British naval vessel.

Several British Army Air Corps Beaver pilots volunteered to fly our DH "Rapide" jump aircraft. They loved it, saying it was the best aircraft they ever had, flying it in Aden, Bahrein, Malaysia, etc.
On occasion when "Ringo" was not airworthy, a Beaver was substituted. It carried fewer jumpers but it was easier to get out of. All you had to do was roll out of the barn door!
Noisy bugger on take off with that big radial.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Air Tractor 802, hey that look similar......

As a civilian, before being drafted...

After Boot Camp...

Makes you wonder if there's a secret plan to use chemical weapons again.
A Corps Duster as opposed to a Crop Duster

Crop dusting is as dangerous, or more so, than ground attack. See them here all the time, my neighbor use to do his own till his nerves got the better of him.


Grizz