Calidus B-350 - nouveau Skyraider?

[Weaver]

Calidus B-350 - nouveau Skyraider?

The B-350, which was revealed in mock-up form at the Dubai Airshow, is a new offering from Abu Dhabi-based Calidus.
The aircraft is a huge single-engine turboprop attack platform, broadly akin to a Douglas A-1 Skyraider updated for the 21st century.



B-350: wingspan: over 50 ft, max takeoff weight: around 20,000 pounds.

A-29 Super Tucano: wingspan: just over 36.5 ft, max takeoff weight: just under 12,000 pounds

A-1 Skyraider: wingspan: around 50-ft, max takeoff weight: just over 18,000 pounds.

The B-350 is powered by a 2,600-horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127, the same unit that's
used in the ATR 72 twin-turboprop regional airliner and the Airbus C295M military transport.




Full article on The Drive, here: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43157/the-united-arab-emirates-unveils-giant-new-turboprop-attack-plane

[AeroplaneDriver]

Is it me or does that landing gear look a bit on the puny side?  Otherwise impressive machine. 

[kerick]

All those LGBs makes me wonder if there is an EO/laser turret somewhere.
Very impressive!

[comrade harps]

All those LGBs makes me wonder if there is an EO/laser turret somewhere.
Very impressive!

The article on The Drive says there's an EO/targeting turret on the centreline.  You can see what is probably a ventral fairing for it in the photo  with the pointing man.

[NARSES2]

Is it me or does that landing gear look a bit on the puny side?  Otherwise impressive machine.

I can see what you mean.

Also wouldn't that exhaust cause problems for canopy clarity ?

[Mossie]

Tucano all grown up.

[jcf]

They pretty much just scaled up their B-250, the chief designer for which was Joseph Kovács who created the Embraer Tucano.

[jcf]

Give us a kiss love. 

[kerick]

She doesn't look like she's smiling!
I agree the landing gear looks puny but the Skyraider was a carrier aircraft with old school gear so the Skyraider gear looks huge in comparison.
This is a mock up so we'll see what the final design is.
I wonder who their target customers are?

[ysi_maniac]

She doesn't look like she's smiling!

What it looks to me is an excess of BOTOX. 

[AeroplaneDriver]

The Tucano family history is quite obvious. Could almost make a 1/72 one from a 1/48 Tucano.

Which is on my Airfix wishlist, but I guess unlikely now that they are gone.  Maybe a Texan...

[kerick]

One of my to do list items was a Skyraider with a turbo prop engine. Now I know what it would look like!

[jcf]

[Weaver]

Those RWR receivers in front of the wingroots don't seem to have a particularly good view forward through the interference from the prop, although maybe there's some way to compensate in software these days. Can't help feeling they'd be better off on the wingtips though...