-
Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?
Go here:
Edit Account Details and Profile
First flight of the P-8A Poseidon and all things related to transition
- Thread starter PropStop
- Start date
Considering the ass-pain involved in making a "new" aircraft, even when that "new" aircraft is simply an existing one with some extra plumbing (and radios, and SATCOMs, and don't forget to rip out all the ADS-B, because... military), that might be a hard sell to congress and DoN leadership, especially when we have so many other acquisition priorities. What would be easier would be to label some of the new tankers coming down the pike as KC-46Bs and put "Navy" on the side. But that'll never happen because they're nearly $200mil each (just for the airframe) and the AF would freak if we did it.
I don't know how complicated this is, but a "kit" for a C-40... now we're talking.
I don't know how complicated this is, but a "kit" for a C-40... now we're talking.
A LOT cheaper to rent than buy, also would have to come up with a new plane (KP-8) with all the associated costs. A non-starter.
Well they are out of SOCAL. Though they've worked both W-72 and W-157 recently, so they're not specifically tied to the West Sieeeede.
They have more than one plane. I've seen two at one time. Their website says they have three, but nothing a contract couldn't fix.
If it flies, floats or fucks...
Not an ideal tanking platform and you would have to plus up the squadrons to get some good use out of them.
Doesn't really seem all that "organic" to me, either. Unless it's coming off the flight deck, I don't think it matters all that much if it has NAVY or USAF or Omega on the side.
If you want really organic give, they'd probably be better off going with that perpetual KS-3 boneyard revival concept.
^+1 For our last drag, they even pre-staged a jet in WA for us. We've also had them meet us in the Vacapes op-area and drag us back west. From a coordination standpoint, they're a heck of a lot easier to work with than some of the ANG/Reserve units (Omega pre-plans the routing/ALTRVs, etc...)
Never shut down old airplanes if you don't have to, otherwise you'll leave airplanes in a trail of tears across the country.
Minnesota Tomcat
Turkeybeast
I used to be a plane captain on P-3 Orions. Makes me a little sad really. The Orion was very dependable.