It would be the same as if the US airforce used the remaining F-5 into the front lines.
>>65394600Trainers pulling double duty as cost-effective ground attack is relatively common internationally.>It would be the same as if the US airforce used the remaining F-5 into the front lines.No, it would be like using Tucanos or Texans for CAS; which we did invest significant money into doing a decade ago.
Imagine thinking you have a gotcha moment, only for it to backfire spectacularly.
>>65394600For many countries, the combination of their size (or lack thereof) alongside that of their likely adversary means that a serious air force would a waste of money. Therefore, they get a cheap air force that can shoot down a wayward Cessna, which is good enough for their needs. Save their defense budget for asymmetric options.
>>65394614Yeah but no one was considering the Tucano for anything except COIN.
>>65394600Weapons things on trainers is part of learning to pilot ,using those weapons in anger is an simple step.
>>65394600Some trainers are designed to be easily pushed into combat, not the worst idea if you expect to be fighting someone with numerical supremacy.Also if you expect to be fighting a country with minimal airforce / air defence they are a dirt cheap option to control the sky.Everyone likes to look at the latest and greatest hardware as if it's the only option, if you are in Africa or South America you don't need a 5th gen to defend from regional threats.
>>65394600>>65394614>weaponizes your primary trainer
>>65394727>we didn't need a 5th gen anyway
>>65395029I'm Aussie, 4th largest 5th gen AF of earth, I'm also not a braindead retard that thinks Nigeria needs 100 F-35s to protect themselves from the mighty Benin empire.
>>65395013When your primary trainer can be the most powerful jet in the sky.
Since the dawn of flight trainers had secondary combat role. You're just seething.
>>65394600That thing slaps NATO in War Thunder.
>>65395029You really don't need an F-35 against someone using ancient MiG-29s and SU-22s. A modern F-16 will already have enough overmatch to curbstomp them just as much for a fraction of the cost.
>>65395149The F-16 needs a Patriot and AWACs support to do that however.
>>65394600Most of SEA is doing it and That's a Good Thing™. We put the money in education and infrastructure instead.
>>65396041>We put the money in politicians' pockets instead
>>65394600Israeli F-35 twacked one of those over downtown Tehran few months back
>>65394600Spending less money on an asset that can do the same job is smart, Rajesh.
>>65394600So what is actually the best trainer that could be pressed into service?
>>65395084SEXO
>>65394684>EuropeansNuff said.
>>65394614>>65395013In defense of the US. Those are counter-insurgency aircraft meant to operate in an environment with no enemy AD. That’s very different from using trainers like >>65396047 did. For example Tucanos aren’t flying combat sorties over Iran.
>>65394600It beats having no airforce. And for some countries it doesn't even make sense buying anything better due to geopolitical enviroments.Not to mention that armed trainers are cool as fuck
>>65395084>tfw you widen something in photoshop without pressing Ctrl.
>>65394600didnt we use like cheap ass Bell 212 rangers with the co pilot hanging out the side with an M4 in afghanistan as air support? just because they werent as dust sensitive and ran better intervals
>>65396625To be fair Iranian Yaks were never supposed to be in that role, the one that got shot down a while back by the F-35 was doing sorties against cruise missiles and drones before being ordered to do CAP. Armed trainers in the role of anti drone operations within a broader layered defence make sense, but when it's the only thing you have then you're out of luck.
>>65395084SQUASHED,SLAMMED, AND TOADED
>>65395084ugly, fat piece of shitI want one
>>65394600And how incapable is a military losing to that?
>>65394600kwai
>>65396847https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/legends-of-vietnam-super-tweet-8974282/>Hits targets with a 45 foot CEP>So slow enemy AA gunners over lead>Just 2 hours maintenance for every hour of flight>Climbs like the dickens>Run it on one engine regularly>Turn off the lights, push engines to idle, bomb at 100 feet, clear vegetation out of the intake screensThe A-37 is kick ass.
>>65395161>A modern F-16Ukie have A/B versions
>>65394600Look like a great tool for shooting down drones, without wearing down your primary combat jets.If used correctly
>>65394727>have Trainers carry AtA missiles>Pilot only needs to fire the missile when told to.Well, its a numbers game, even for air combat, but the above method gonna be used with Drones.
>>65394600This may be a shock to you OP but not every country can dump a trillion dollars into their defense budget every year. Most militaries that are not literal superpowers have to often compromise and maximize cost-effective strategies just to have a standing military. Especially concerning something like an air force that is intrinsically very expensive.
>>65394600Not every country needs to pay tribute to the MIC Most countries especially smaller and/or poor ones are fine with using jet trainersLight attack aircraft was once a real thang until the A-4 Skyhawk and F-5E was retiredNow cunts have the choice of the T-50/FA-50/M-346/etc.
>basic bitch prop trainers for basic pilot training, buy up cessna or pilatus stonks>super tucanos as the next step and as cheap ground attack aircraft or cheapo air interdiction>expensive simulators so your cunt won't waste jet fuel willynilly>insert your armed jet trainer, probably a couple or quadruple dozen of them depending on your chairforce's size>expensive simulator of some proper fighter jet >2 squadrons of proper fighter jets>at least 3 awacs/airborne early warning and control so your super tucanos, armed trainers and fighter jets aren't flying blind>at least 3 aerial refueling aircraft that matches your fighter jets and jet trainerswhat about le maintenance? call the jet's corpo hotline and make them come to your cunt instead of flying your aircraft over a thousand miles to the nearest depotamerica no longer builds c-5s and/or c-17s, plus they're fucking expensive to maintaina-400s, c-130s and c-390s can't fit aircraft inside
Platform familiarity cuts both ways, the best pilots are unironically sim pilots because they clock ungodly hours. At some point you really question whether the sim pilots really could take on the flight pilots.
