Gearing up for this week's big Air Force technology convention in Washington, companies are scrambling to position themselves for what they hope will be lucrative contracts to build aircraft specifically designed for counterinsurgency.
What's old is new when it comes to reimagining light attack aircraft, and the latest entrant is Boeing, which is offering the OV-10 Bronco, a turboprop light attack aircraft. "The OV-10 could face competition from other Vietnam-era light attack aircraft, such as the Piper Aircraft PA-48 Enforcer," writes Steve Trimble,at Flightglobal's DEW Line blog.
Other possible competitors include the AT-6, the PA-48 Enforcer, the Embraer Super Tucano and Alenia's M346.
Thought it's far from settled, the Air Force has said it may be seeking 100 aircraft specifically for the mission of irregular warfare. "There are reports the USAF is considering forming a new numbered air force to operate these and other irregular-warfare platforms, including its Project Liberty MC-12Ws," remarks Graham Warwick at Aviation Week's Ares blog. "These types of low-cost, low-tech aircraft are attractive for some wars - the A-1 Skyraider and OV-10 Bronco did sterling service in Vietnam - but when they try to institutionalize them, the whole weight of Air Force 'overhead' comes down on them."
Warwick, for his part, estimates these aircraft will "be mothballed in five years."
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See Also:
- Air Force to Get New 'Light' Fighter
- A 'Light' Fighter To Out-Perform the Air Force's Tank-Killer ...
- Plane-Makers Come out of the Woodwork for Air Force Light-Fighter ...
- Air Force Stalled for Years on New 'Light' Fighter
- Iraq: Forget 'Light' Fighters, We Want F-16s!
- The 'Team Rogue' Approach to Buying Weaponry
