My opinion is that with the A4K's and the AerMacchi's being scrapped the weapons on them should be utilised instead of being dumped. It is a waste of resources and money. I disagree that we don't have the expertise here because we do both within the NZDF and in the civilian sector. It is a matter of lateral thinking beyond the square. IMHO this lack of close air support is very short sighted and an idea of a dedicated armed light helicopter would give our army a much needed flexibility and would also slot in with Australia. Another point that hasn't been bought up in any discussions on this forum is the lack of AAA in the Army apart from MAG58, C9 and .50cal. Although would the current 25mm cannon system fitted on the LAV have this capability?
Some contributors have mentioned previously of the RNZN either having a submarine or crewing an Australian submarine because the RAN has crewing difficulties. When I was in the RNZNVR 20 years ago the RNZN had difficulty crewing its own ships then and I do not think that has changed much since. I do know that in the case of HMNZS Pegasus, the RNZNVR Division in Christchurch, they were / are keeping senior rates on until they reached the age of 65 because of personnel shortages.
With regard to the RNZAF C130H replacement, IMHO the C130J option would be advisable until the A400M Grizzly is sorted out and then a A400M buy in the future. I have seen a photo of a RAF line up of a C17, C130J and a A400M prototype taken last year and the A400M looks to be not much smaller in size to the C17. If the RNZAF bought the A400M it would also need to look at a smaller twin engine transport like the C27 and the most logical aircraft choice would be to go along with the RAAF choice and maybe a joint purchase similar to the ANZAC Frigate deal.
An interesting idea, and one I had not considered previously. Having said that, a few potential issues do spring to mind.
As I understand the idea, a 20mm taken from the wing structure of ex-RNZAF Skyhawk would be mounted in some fashion underneath the fuselage of an AB109, correct? This would presumably be a fixed mounting, as opposed to a trainable mounting like the 'chin' turrets found on dedicated attack or recon helicopters like the AH-1 Cobra, AH-64 Apache, or EC/AS 665 Tiger?
Several questions come to mind, which would need to be answered (or having tested) to determine whether or not this is feasible.
Firstly, some form of mounting or hardpoint would need to be created, along with the necessary structural and fuselage reinforcement, to which the 20mm cannon would be attached to.
Secondly, the airframe would need to be sufficiently reinforced at required areas for the cannon to be fired.
Third, is there sufficient space and clearance to allow one of the cannons to be fitted? Keeping in mind that the A109 has a retractable wheeled tricycle landing gear, there would need to be sufficient space for the forward landing wheel to deploy and retract without coming into contact with the muzzle. There would also need to be sufficient space for the cannon to be mounted outside the airframe, but still not exceed how far from the fuselage the landing gear extends.
Third, would there be sufficient weight to allow an ex-Skyhawk 20mm cannon and ammo hoppers to be fitted, along with the required hardpoint and structural reinforcement? Current armed military versions of the A109 have a max weapons load of ~600 kg, the Mk-12 20mm cannon has a weight of ~46kg, there would need to be likely need to be several hundred rounds @ ~10 rounds/kg.
Fourth, would an Mk-12 cannon even operate reliably from a helicopter? While pilots during Vietnam did appreciate having the gun on their aircraft, there were issues and complaints of the gun being unreliable and jamming, particularly after hard maneuvering. Due to the different vectors which a helicopter can operate in from a jet, as well as the potential vibration from the turbine, how well would the cannon even work, especialy given how old the guns are now?
Lastly (apart from a need to certify the aircraft as safe to fly...) is that some mechanism would be needed to aim the cannon accurately enough for the gun to be useful. Given that it seems the entire helicopter could need to be essentially 'pointed' at the target in order for the cannon to be fired on target, that is a potential issue.
In terms of the NZ Army air defence capability, AFAIK the principle system is sets of Mistral IR homing manpack SAMs. Personal and section small arms could be used in a pinch if needed, albeit not particularly effectively. If the NZLAV gunner got lucky, then the 25mm Bushmaster cannon could also possibly be used, but that gun has a max ROF of ~200 rounds per minute and there is also likely limitations on max elevation and depression of the barrel. With that in mind, and that many of the dedicated SPAAGs have significantly higher ROF as well as AA targeting systems, it does seem unreasonable to expect the LAVs to provide AA.
As for the C-130H replacement... If the A400M programme does start to get back on track, or at least sufficiently for the RNZAF to be able to take delivery and reach IOC ~2015-2017, then that is a potential candidate for the replacement. Having said that, given the cost and currently booked orders for the A400M, that aircraft might not be available when the NZDF needs to replace the C-130H's. While they have recently undergone or are undergoing a modification programme to extend the service life and additional ~5 years, that would still 'run out' in the 2015-2017 timeframe, which IMO was a waste of resources given that the per aircraft pricetag for the SLEP was IIRC ~80% the cost of new C-130J Hercs. What I would rather see, is that the NZDF get together with the ADF, and agree upon a common type of airlifter which both nation would operate, and then have the Kiwis by some of them. Potential candidates for this would be either the C-27J Spartan, or C-130J Herc II. This would either be a direct replacement for the RNZAF C-130H Hercs which are now 40+ years old, or an interim solution (a la C-27J) until something like the A400M becomes available. If the C-27J is selected, then it would fufil a mid-level airlift role which has been already identified as an area of need within the NZDF.
-Cheers
(After all the RNZAF still has personnel experienced with maintaning these weapons etc).