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Immacolata · 09-24-06, 01:34 PM

Funny you should mention that. I watched a few vietnam flicks lately. Can't remember their names, but one was with mel gibson and they were dug in at some hill fending off waves and waves of VC attacks. They used P51s for CAS I think. And I wondered on what purpose they were taken out of commission. They were agile, fast but still slow enough to actually see what they were about to hit before they hit it.

And as you mention, cheap! I am sure one could make some really powerful turboprops today, perhaps armor them slightly better. And you could have some good CAS for little money.

I guess the arms race made them obsolete. If the enemy has MACH 1.2 interceptors, you probably don't want to be caught up in the sky flying an ole' prop. That was the premises during the cold war. But in engagements like Afghanistan, even Iraq, props might be just what you need. A man, a few guns, and a means to project the power at low cost.

Just imagine the type of CAS the RAF could give their troops if they had 10 P51s. They can drop bombs, they can strafe the ground, they can hug the terrain and probably carry a bit of countermeassures for missiles as well, if that is even necessary. And for the price of 1 Harrier.

09-24-06, 01:34 PM	#10
Immacolata Grey Wolf Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 798 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	Funny you should mention that. I watched a few vietnam flicks lately. Can't remember their names, but one was with mel gibson and they were dug in at some hill fending off waves and waves of VC attacks. They used P51s for CAS I think. And I wondered on what purpose they were taken out of commission. They were agile, fast but still slow enough to actually see what they were about to hit before they hit it. And as you mention, cheap! I am sure one could make some really powerful turboprops today, perhaps armor them slightly better. And you could have some good CAS for little money. I guess the arms race made them obsolete. If the enemy has MACH 1.2 interceptors, you probably don't want to be caught up in the sky flying an ole' prop. That was the premises during the cold war. But in engagements like Afghanistan, even Iraq, props might be just what you need. A man, a few guns, and a means to project the power at low cost. Just imagine the type of CAS the RAF could give their troops if they had 10 P51s. They can drop bombs, they can strafe the ground, they can hug the terrain and probably carry a bit of countermeassures for missiles as well, if that is even necessary. And for the price of 1 Harrier. Last edited by Immacolata; 09-24-06 at 01:37 PM.