Sorry I can't post links from my iPhone for some reason, as the pc is at home and I'm enjoying the fishing and surfing up on the mid north coast on holidays, but that info for 1b came from the FMS case(Nov 2016) I'll post it when I get back.
The idea was more on the cost for strike/CAS overwatch aircraft at a lower cost to reforming an ACF, when looking at the Canadian deal for F/A-18E/F for 5.23b USD, but the other end of the spectrum was 12x A-29 Super Tucano plus supporting infrastructure to Nigera for 593m USD
Why would we want the Tucano when we already have the T-6 Texan II? We would be far better off doing something like the Indonesians where they got 24 REGEN & Upgraded F-16 C/D plus support for US$750 million. We'd get a twice the numbers and a far more capable platform for an extra US$157 million.
Nah ... I cannot see us really needing what is a tricked up COIN platform. Nigeria in its geopolitical and geographical context within continental Africa yes, but NZ not so much. Our former strike capability focused on anti-shipping post Kahu upgrades equally as much as CAS/Interdiction in the later years. Besides, the KAI FA-50 offers much for the kind of lost capability gap we would be trying to close at that price point.
That was just to give you an idea of price guide for capabilty for your $$, I agree a flight of Wolverine would go a long way in kick starting a limited capabilty.
Would difference would buying US kit have made, Canada and Australia also buy US equipment and both fall under the same sanctions.
The exemption from tariff sanctions under the Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act for both Australia and Canada as well as the EU are based on the existing national security relationship. Our current PM wrote a letter inviting the Trump administration to consider the security exemption clause and was essentially shunned.
Indeed Canada, Mexico and the EU are still temporary - and there is still a good chance that a 25% tariff regime will be placed on them. The US tariff regime is on raw steel and aluminium. Cross border auto parts using non US made steel are under another import classification. The cost of the part will rise for the consumer but the part will not (at this stage) be subject to the same import classification.
To get a 1st hand look at how the AT-6B would perform and if its worth investing within RNZAF without going to the expense of highly controversial rebuilding of the fast jet ACF.
There is no political will, especially within the current govt, to go down that path. Aside from that, it would be a waste of resources because this capability is not part of CONOPS. Also if the NZG needs needs someone to have an introduction to a Mk-82, one or more can be delivered by the current P-3K2.
They already know the answer. It isn't and they aren't. They would have very very low operational utility.
New Zealand will contribute its SpecFor capabilities to those events if required as part of a coalition. It will not be wasting money on a capability that has even less utility in its principal area of operations - the Pacific, the Southern Ocean and the maritime littorals of Asia.
If you think that fast jet is a no go - the appetite for for a LAS/COIN capability is even less.