Why have we spent nearly two decades and millions of money researching the return of propeller planes to parts of our military – PB/TK
OA-X: An Air Force Program Warfighters And Taxpayers Can Do Without – By Loren Thompson / July 31 2017
The U.S. Air Force is conducting a flight demonstration this summer to see how low-cost, mainly propeller driven planes might contribute to its warfighting capabilities. The basic idea is that the service can save money by not flying jets, or at least high-end ones, against enemies like ISIS who lack air forces or air defenses. The program is designated OA-X, which in Air Force nomenclature means it is an experimental concept aimed at developing new approaches to ground attack and reconnaissance.
OA-X is a dumb idea that is going nowhere. It is 16 years late to need, and by the time it enters the force sometime in the next decade, there may not be a single place the Air Force is operating where a low, slow propeller plane can survive. Even terrorists will have shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles, courtesy of our friends the Russians. So OA-X is a fantasy that speaks more to current fiscal stresses than future operational needs.
Nobody doubts that planes resembling World War II-vintage Thunderbolts are cheaper to operate than modern jet fighters. The reason armed forces around the world turned to jets two generations ago was because every aspect of their operational performance is superior to that of turboprops. If the Air Force had come up with the idea of using warmed-over Thunderbolts to fight rag-tag jihadists before 9-11, it might have looked smart. Now it just looks out of touch with reality. Here are five reasons why.
Continue to forbes.com article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2017/07/31/oa-x-an-air-force-program-warfighters-and-taxpayers-can-do-without/#47cdbc1732e3
