Now that the Harrier is history the question arises as to how we will provide close air support for land operations in Afghanistan.
Big fast jets, whilst being able to deliver a large precise punch are not really very good at sustained close air support (CAS) to troops on the ground.
During the Vietnam war although F-4s, F-100s and F-5s were all used successfully for air support one of the most effective CAS aircraft was the A-1 Skyraider in various guises. It carried a big load of munitions and could loiter close to the forward edge of the battle area and so be on call at short notice.
The modern version is the A-1 is the Warthog but I can’t see us buying them for the CAS role.
But we could buy AT-6 Texans, probably quite cheaply at that and since the Mod has made the first step in buying non-Brit gear there seems no argument not to.
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