By Marina Malenic
The Air Force is on track for a June award of a light-attack aircraft contract that would provide a new fleet to the nascent Afghan air force.
Declared bidders for the Light Air Support (LAS) program contract are Hawker Beechcraft and industry partner Lockheed Martin [LMT] with the AT- 6 and a Sierra Nevada–Embraer team with Brazil-based Embraer’s Super Tucano. In a January flight demonstration at Kirtland AFB, N.M., each aircraft flew three sorties to demonstrate sensors and simulated weapons deployment; operation from an unprepared runway; and suitability for training.
When the Air Force in 2009 released the its first request for information for a Light Attack Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) program, industry responded with products such as the armed Air Tractor AT-802U and Boeing‘s [BA] modernized OV-10. At that time, there was talk of the Air Force, as well as Navy special operations forces, purchasing their own fleets of LAAR aircraft as part of designated irregular-warfare units. That plan has since evolved into the concept of acquiring small fleets with which to train partner nations. To that end, a little over $150 million was requested for a LAS program in the Air Force’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget (Defense Daily, Feb. 15).
Derek Hess, Hawker Beechcraft’s program manager for the effort, said yesterday that his company’s offering has been performing well in a separate Air National Guard study of a light-attack capability.
“The aircraft…is incredibly reliable,” Hess told Defense Daily in a telephone interview. “It is exceeding expectations on many levels.”
He added that the capabilities demonstrated for the ANG were “quite a bit more sophisticated than that required for LAS.”
In addition to flying close air support and forward air control missions for the ANG, two AT-6 prototypes have demonstrated an air sovereignty alert exercise in the Washington, D.C., area, according to Lockheed Martin business development manager Robert Silva.
The team emphasized that their aircraft relies on “proven” technologies.
“We’re not inventing anything,” Hess said.
For example, the EO/IR sensor from the MC-12W ISR aircraft and mission systems from the A-10C are being leveraged for the new program.
According to the LAS request for proposals released October 2010, the Air Force will purchase 20 aircraft for delivery to the Afghan air force beginning in 2013, plus another 15 for the Air Force to use in “building partner capability.” The Air Force says it wants to acquire, at most, 55 aircraft at a maximum price tag of $950 million.
Bidders are also expected to provide training and logistics support as part of the package. Hawker Beechcraft plans to provide AT-6 training in Salina, Kan., while Sierra Nevada would provide Super Tucano training at Clovis, N.M., near Cannon AFB.