stevie_o wrote:Certainly far better aircraft, twice the payload of the c-130 and a huge 3,300km range but also 3 times the price per unit. Unbelievably the Hercules has seen nearly 60 years service - wonder if the A-400 can manage that.
Steve
True Steve, there is the longevity question, but the higher cost per unit of the A-400 is going to be due to its more sophisticated design, modern construction materials, the latest fuel efficient engines, and in also in large part to the inclusion of a state of the art EWS, which is essential for low level troop insertion in the CQB environment.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the Hercules in any way. It's still a fantastic aircraft and has served our armed forces brilliantly with an impeccable safety record to match.
In my opinion we should still keep and use them. Half could be used for secondary transport missions and the other half or all converted into 'Spectre' gunships. Our troops would certainly be able to make use of these for close air support. As we have seen by the american use of the 'Spectre' they bring devastating fire-power to the battlefield.
US
