"This aircraft is not traditional – yet," Blankenbicker said of his bolt-on gunship.It’s been just over four months since the Air Force’s AC-130J Ghostrider kicked off combat missions in the skies above Afghanistan, and the aircraft that the service once described as “the ultimate battle plane” and “a bomb truck with guns on it” is already bringing the pain on a daily basis. Mods like Harvest Hawk should become more common as the cost of traditional weapons programs continues to escalate. But it does prove the military can produce some weapons quickly and cheaply, when there's a will to do so. The success of "FISTy" programs such as Harvest Hawk doesn't mean the Pentagon will totally abandon decades-long mega-programs like the F-35. The Army, in particular, is considering using the FIST method in many of its future weapons purchases, especially for robots and soldier gear. "The best solution isn't always the fanciest or the most expensive," Secretary of Defense Bob Gates said while touring the MC-12 factory. In addition to the Harvest Hawk, this " Fast, Inexpensive, Simple and Tiny" philosophy produced a similar gunship-mod for Special Operations Command's MC-130W transports, plus the Air Force's MC-12W Project Liberty spy plane, which went from concept to combat in a little over a year. " The November strike was an important milestone for Marine aviation, and for the Pentagon's new approach to buying weapons. "We shot one Hellfire missile, and the battle damage assessment was five enemy. "We supported in Sangin when they were in a fire fight," Harvest Hawk crewman Maj. The first Harvest Hawk-modified C-130 arrived in southern Afghanistan in October - just 18 months after the Marines first announced the program - and launched its first air strike on Nov. With these $10-million add-ons, plus extra training for the crew, any similar plane in the Marine Corps inventory becomes a cheaper version of the Air Force's powerful, custom-made AC-130 gunship. A clutch of 10 smaller Griffin missiles fixed to the ramp. A rack under the left wing for four Hellfire missiles. A sensor pod jutting from one of the under-wing fuel tanks of the KC-130J aircraft. For the "Harvest Hawk" gunship, the external differences are subtle. At first glance, the Marine Corps' hottest new weapon looks just like a standard cargo plane.
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