Using bizjets as attack aircraft

[McColm]

The Bizjet has undertaken lots of military duties from maritime surveillance to AEW platforms, so why not use them in the ground attack or COIN roles.
Most kits cater for the 1/144 or 1/72 scales.
Somewhere in the stash is the Airfix HP Jetstream and HS 125 Dragon. Piaggio Avanti and the remains of the Mach2 Sud Caravelle.
The Dassault Mystere/ Falcon and Gulfsteam G550 would make interesting whiffs. Other brands are available.

[Logan Hartke]

It's not as much of a "whif" as you might think. It's now believed that a converted Falcon 50 was responsible for the strike the USS Stark in 1987.

War Is Boring: In 1987, a Secret Iraqi Warplane Struck an American Frigate and Killed 37 Sailors by Tom Cooper

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/in-1987-a-secret-iraqi-warplane-struck-an-american-frigate-and-killed-37-sailors-b341a948fa21



Cheers,

Logan

[McColm]

It's not as much of a "whif" as you might think. It's now believed that a converted Falcon 50 was responsible for the strike the USS Stark in 1987.

War Is Boring: In 1987, a Secret Iraqi Warplane Struck an American Frigate and Killed 37 Sailors by Tom Cooper

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/in-1987-a-secret-iraqi-warplane-struck-an-american-frigate-and-killed-37-sailors-b341a948fa21



Cheers,

Logan

Thanks Logan

[sandiego89]

The Bizjet has undertaken lots of military duties from maritime surveillance to AEW platforms, so why not use them in the ground attack or COIN roles.

I think delivery of precision weapons from medium altitude would be a better role.  In a permissive environment of course- where there is negligible air to air or ground to air threat.   

Traditional COIN or ground attack normally implies high G maneuvers such as dives and pull outs, which a bizjet is not stressed for. Would also worry about ground fire and vulnerability/survivabilty without self sealing tanks, ejection seats, etc.     

Interesting link Logan- had never heard of that!   

[AS.12]

Gulfstream's SRA-4 was planned with ordnance, particularly when submitted for the US Navy's future ASW requirement ( that went to the P-7 which was then cancelled ).  Plenty of capacity for sensors and self-designation too.

There were also hardpoint options for the Learjet 35 / 36, which were usually used for towed-drogues and jammer pods but could have carried something more potent.  For a while they were promoting a Maritime configuration with unspecified underwing missiles.

If going for something more fighty it might be worth redesigning the fuselage to something along the lines of the Skyfox, keeping the empennage / engine mountings / wing carry-through with a sportier tandem-seat forward fuselage and perhaps a gun.

As mentioned up-thread you'll still be limited to about 2.9g max ( versus 5.2 for the Su-25 ) but that might be tolerable for a small nation under embargo without access to dedicated military designs.  Like those which made-do with Cessna 337s for light attack.