March 7, 2001 at 4:07 am
This is one airplane you just don’t seem to hear much about. The AMX has got to be one of the nicest and cleanest looking airplanes I have ever laid my eyes on. It looks more like a fighter than an attack aircraft, although I have heard it does have good dogfighting capabilities. Can anyone tell me the various weapons it carries. I have got of course the AIM-9, plus the AS.37 ARMAT, AS.34 Kormorran, and AGM-65 Maverick. Are there any other missiles it can carry? What about just bombs and rockets. By this I mean what type of rocket pods and what types of bombs (dumb and laser-guided). What about ECM, recce, or other sensor pods? I have heard about an AMX-E variant coming out for Italy that will have its M61A1 gun replaced with special gear for the SEAD role. It will be armed with HARM’s and escort Italian and NATO strike packages. I think that Brazil and Italy did well with this aircraft, and I think it would make an excellent replacement for countries using the A-4 Skyhakw, Q-5 Fantan, or other such light strikers.