THUNDERBALL 5: Attack Utility (AU) Seaplanes

Commander Ian Fleming featured SEAPLANES--not helicopters in his book, "Thunderball". Villain Largo used a seaplane launched from his high-speed yacht to move the captured nuclear bombs, and James Bond and Felix Leiter searched for the wreck of the skyjacked NATO bomber in an amphibian seaplane.

http://www.combatreform.org/thunderballfromthesea.htm

Seaplanes by virtue of their fixed wings can fly far faster and longer than helicopters; and they can land on the sea to effect rescues and insert-extract commandos. Today's aviation technology could make a folding-wing seaplane that could be stealthy and land anywhere with Air Cushion Landing Systems (ACLS)--like seen in the 007 adventure, "Die Another Day" (DaD).

http://www.combatreform.org/c130.htm

If small enough they could even deploy from submarines!

http://www.combatreform.org/submarineaircraftcarriers.htm

Seaplanes have also been heavily armed to attack naval and land targets:

http://www.combatreform.org/p6mseamaster.htm
http://www.combatreform.org/seaplanefighters.htm

An "Attack Utility" (AU) type seaplane could be very useful for today's special operations--as they have been in the past!

http://www.combatreform.org/axisandalliedspecialoperationsaviation.htm

James Bond is REAL.