The A-10 Thunderbolt II, one of the planes the Sky Warden is meant to replace, has a titanium armor “bathtub” around the cockpit. Not everyone is sold on the choice that Special Operations Command announced last week.īradley Bowman, a former Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot now with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said he is concerned about the aircraft’s survivability on the battlefield. The last plane that at least partially met those requirements was the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, which was in service from 1946 to the early 1980s. The military has spent well over a decade seeking a small, propeller-driven aircraft that could provide close support to troops on the ground. Further, it allows us to push those platforms further forward into more austere areas where they can operate co-located with the ground teams that they are partnered with,” Gen. “It is a much more efficient way to do that. Slife told an April hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Using a multipurpose aircraft like the Sky Warden to loiter in a targeted area, and perhaps be exposed to hostile fire, can cost less than $10,000 per flight hour, Gen. James Slife, head of Air Force Special Operations Command, said such an air stack can cost up to $150,000 an hour. The AT-802U Sky Warden is intended to reduce the need for several single-role aircraft, such as the AC-130 gunship or the A-10 Thunderbolt II tank buster. Most of those planes have been given to allies. The State Department used a previous version of the AT-802 to spray herbicides on illicit drug fields abroad. The Armed Overwatch program aims to procure low-cost, rugged aircraft that can accomplish various missions, including close air support, surveillance and reconnaissance of the battle zone. Special Operations Command to conduct a wide range of operations globally in support of the national defense strategy,” he said. “Armed Overwatch answers a critical need for U.S. “This rugged, sustainable platform will operate in permissive environments and austere conditions around the world to safeguard our special operations forces on the ground,” said Gen. Air Tractor aircraft “were developed precisely to operate in austere environments with limited infrastructure,” Jim Hirsch, president of Air Tractor, said in a statement.
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