Edgely EA7 Optica

[Jeffry Fontaine]

I've seen it listed by some on their 'ugliest aircraft' lists, but I strenuously disagree, it's way cool! Forward Air Controller perhaps?

As it is an ideal observation aircraft the addition of a FLIR and other sensors would certainly improve the surveillance capabilities of the Optica.  Adding weapons would be a nice option but the added weight and drag would certainly reduce performance unless the aircraft was provided with a better engine.  Fitting pylons under the wing for weapons and other stores would certainly add to the usefulness of the design. 

Perhaps the aircraft could carry something to assist in identifying location of the target, the small two shot rocket pods that were used on the Cessna O-2 Sky Master that performed the USAF FAC mission comes to mind.  Maybe a pair of the Air To Air Stingers as well to provide some form of self-defense capability but it has to be light weight and you certainly do not want the Optica driver going in search of trouble for the sake of a "kill" which defeats the whole purpose of the intended forward air control functions in addition to the surveillance and observation mission. 

[Just call me Ray]

Actually, it would be a good SAR plane too, no?

[Mossie]

As a SAR aircraft it might be of some use, as well as the FLIR you could maybe fit a small search radar in a pod, maybe a dinghy too.  The tail booms might be able to take small amounts of equipment, especially if you deepened them or ran a fairing over the leading edge.  The fairing from the engine may be able to hold something useful too.

My only doubts about it as an SAR aircraft come down to it's speed, it's transit time would be long although it would be able to loiter for long periods of time.

[Just call me Ray]

As a SAR aircraft it might be of some use, as well as the FLIR you could maybe fit a small search radar in a pod, maybe a dinghy too.  The tail booms might be able to take small amounts of equipment, especially if you deepened them or ran a fairing over the leading edge.  The fairing from the engine may be able to hold something useful too.

My only doubts about it as an SAR aircraft come down to it's speed, it's transit time would be long although it would be able to loiter for long periods of time.

It would probably be a good fit for situations where you wouldn't necessarily want a fast aircraft but rather something that can basically act as a fixed-wing helicopter -CAP would probably love to use Opticas for their SAR work since they mostly do their stuff over land, where time isn't as much of an issue as it is in open sea SAR.

Come to think of it, it would probably be a very useful patrol aircraft for situations where you're not likely to be fired upon, like fishery patrolling, but then again I guess it was already used for that.