Why are the Kiwis buying T6 Texan IIs?

[Lima Juliet]

I note that the sale of a dozen or so T6 Texan IIs to the RNZAF is being reported for delivery by 2016.

http://i0.wp.com/www.whaleoil.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Beech-.png

Why are they buying a tandem HUD/Glass Cockpit equipped single engine turbo-prop fighter lead-in trainer when they have no Fighter Wing anymore? Have they got a plan to reinstate a combat aircraft after the sad loss of the A4 capability over 10 years ago? Or are they buying "boys' toys" to try and lure in youngsters who will go on to fly C130, P3, 757 and a raft of helicopter types?

Anyone care to speculate?

LJ :confused:

[airpolice]

AT-6B Texan II
Armed version of the T-6B for primary weapons training or light attack roles. It has the same digital cockpit, but upgraded to include datalink and integrated electro-optical sensors along with several weapons configurations.[13][24] Engine power is increased to 1,600 shp (1193 kW) with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-68D engine, and the structure is reinforced.

Maybe that's what they are buying next. As cheap as chips, and will be better than what they have now.

[Lima Juliet]

That would make sense if they had bought the AT-6B straight off. Eg. Take the weapons off and you have a trainer, put the weapons on and you have a light-attack aircraft...

http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/at-6b-light-attack/images/5-at-6b-aircraft.jpg

...but buying the non-weapon version seems pretty strange to me unless you plan to buy a combat aircraft. Otherwise, buy some light single-engine training aircraft and then go straight to the King Air to learn to fly heavies that make up the Kiwi fixed-wing fleet. :confused:

LJ

[gr4techie]

The AT-6B looks the biz. Makes you wonder if you really need a £160million stealth fighter for close air support?

[Runaway Gun]

With all that weapons stuff dragging the V-squares back, you'd need a Fighter to push you off the ground.

[tartare]

After the latest fishing trawler incursion into the EEZ a month or so ago, maybe they want to be able to send a message in future if they need to? :E
I'm joking...

[TBM-Legend]

I think you'll find that the Texan has a secondary role in NZ with Army providing FAC type training which is essential in today's asymmetric warfare world...

*also the RAAF would welcome cheap NZ trained pilots!!!

[Fishtailed]

It makes you weep to think what the RAF could have looked like if the budget was
spent on US kit from the Phantom era onwards.

It would have made a lot of people- families, communities, industries- weep had the look of the RAF been to your liking. Did Uncle Sam feed your family?

[GreenKnight121]

Lovely - a thread about somewhere other than the UK (New Zealand, for those of you who didn't notice), and it gets dragged right to sad obsessed whingers moaning about the RAF.

[500N]

Just look at Aus for an Air Force that is majority US purchased
ad probably getting more so.

[typerated]

It seems a strange choice. I'd have thought paying the RAAF to put people through their course would have been a lot more economic. Might attract a few more candidates if the tops ones get the choice to fly Hornets!!


There are other options for FAC training - use Civil jets such as L-39 or send the FAC"s to Willytown and work with the RAAF


Then they could have had a little more money for aircraft NZ is more in need of: C-130 replacement, P-3 replacement, Seasprite replacement.


As an aside I am surprised neither the RAAF or the RNZAF are in the business of water bombers I would have thought they would be must have's in that part of the world.

[tartare]

Not really a defence operation?

[Cows getting bigger]

I think the T6 makes imminent sense for many air forces. Firstly sticking with the good old UK /US thing, are there really any credible threats out there which require such expensive hardware? Is there really a Cold War II over the horizon?

It seems to me that a huge amount of offensive air calability over the past few decades could have been provided by cheap-and-cheerful stuff like the T6. Maybe it is time to dumb down.

Hats off to the RNZAF.

[Captain Sand Dune]

Just look at Aus for an Air Force that is majority US purchased
Just gotta get rid of the Euro-trash!:E
I note that the sale of a dozen or so T6 Texan IIs to the RNZAF is being reported for delivery by 2016.
And thanks to the bureaucratic nightmare called DMO, the RAAF will still be flogging their PC9/As to death.:mad:

[bakseetblatherer]

Having been party to a big discussion over this on an NZ air forum, it comes down to:
1) cheaper than almost anything else, after all there are big economies of scale when you use the USAFs basic trainer. It is an integrated package of sims and a/c
2) being able to really push the studes before they hit ME on the King Airs. So it becomes as much of an extended grading as training

[Roland Pulfrew]

being able to really push the studes before they hit ME on the King Airs.

So an air force that understands the benefits of a proper flying training system; for all its pilots; using decent equipment owned and operated by the parent air force - so 1970s! Well done the Kiwis. :ok:

[Biggus]

LJ,

This is not exactly new "news", and has already been done once here on pprune:

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/532812-rnzaf-get-t-6c.html

nearly a month ago....

[N2erk]

The concept of relatively low-tech relatively affordable has been tried before- concept of "give every private pilot one, and turn them loose on the enemy".
concept was floated in Canada in the 80's as I recall, and National Film Board made a short movie about same. it is worth watching if you are in Olympic withdrawal. Check Diemert Defender on You tube The Defender - YouTube :ok: Same person who contributed an airworthy Hurricane to the BofB movie in '69.
Sorry to drag down the discussion (again) but I've been waiting a while to offer this. Haven't the guts to put it on the F35 debacle thread.
BTW you need a dry sense of humour to appreciate the film.:D:)