Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance

Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance program

An air-to-air view of an OV-10 Bronco aircraft firing a smoke rocket to mark a ground target. The OV-10 is a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft developed in the 1960s for a role very similar to the Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) program. In fact, Boeing is planning to propose a modernized version, the OV-10X, as its submission for the LAAR program.

The Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) or Light Air Support (LAS) program has been established to enable the United States Air Force to buy a light counter-insurgency, ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft.[1] The aircraft should be capable of finding, tracking, and attacking targets either on its own or in support of ground forces. The program formally began in July 2009 with a request for information. No request for proposal has yet been issued. The selected aircraft is expected to enter service in 2013. Approximately 100 aircraft were expected to be ordered, but USAF has reduced the number of aircraft sought to 15 aircraft.[2][3] The new, 15 aircraft program is focused at training pilots, not a combat mission.[4] This program has also been called the OA-X program or the AT-X program, although the reduced scope of the LAAR program has forced the USAF to push an "OA-X" program indefinitely into the future.[4][5]

History

The 2009 Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance program was born out of the need for a new close air support aircraft that was suited to the type of combat the United States was facing in post 2003-invasion Iraq and Afghanistan. The close air support role was carried out by several different aircraft, including the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the B-1B Lancer, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F-15E Strike Eagle. While all of these aircraft are capable of close air support, only the 1970s vintage A-10 was purpose built for the type of support needed by ground troops in a "low intensity conflict," or COIN (COunterINsurgency), operation.[5]

For example, these aircraft often do not have the loiter time needed for these missions and require aerial refueling support, making their missions more expensive. Additionally, long loiter missions use up an airframe's service life faster than expected, requiring replacement. This may cause issues in the future as some aircraft, such as the A-10, are out of production and cannot be replaced.[5]

To solve this problem, the United States Air Force released a Request for Information (RFI) on July 27, 2009 requesting details of a possible Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance aircraft that could be outfitted to specific requirements (see Requirements below) and enter into service in 2013.[2]

The Air Force planned to acquire approximately 100 aircraft in the RFI, but has since reduced the initial requirement to 15 aircraft. A more detailed Request for Proposals (RFP) has not been released as of September 2010.[2][3]

In 2011 the House Armed Services Committee moved to block funding for the program until the requirements and acquisition were validated.[6]

In November 2011 it was revealed that the Beechcraft AT-6B had been excluded from the competition by the USAF, leaving the Embraer A-29 the probable winner, with a contract expected to be awarded in December 2011.[7] According to GAO: “the Air Force concluded that HBDC had not adequately corrected deficiencies in its proposal. In this regard, the agency concluded that multiple deficiencies and significant weaknesses found in HBDC’s proposal make it technically unacceptable and results in unacceptable mission capability risk”. Hawker Beechcraft's protest against its exclusion was dismissed.[8]

On December 30, 2011, the USAF announced that the A-29 had been awarded the contract.[9] But the contract award was disputed and a stop-work was issued the following January.[10] All motions will be due to U.S. Court of Federal Claim by March 6, 2012.[11]

A reawarding of the contract was expected in January 2013,[12] but was delayed a few months.[13] The A-29 was reawarded the contract on February 27, 2013.[14][15] And Beechcraft again challenged the contract.[16] But the USAF ordered that the construction start anyway.[17] Beechcraft's allies in the Kansas Republican congressional delegation then called for the work to be stopped,[18] while Embraer's Floridan congressional allies praised the USAF's move.[19] The USAF has instructed for work to continue unless a federal court orders otherwise.[20] The United States Court of Federal Claims upheld the USAF's decision to proceed with the contract work.[21]

Requirements

The selected LAAR aircraft will have to meet several key requirements, including:

Desired traits (but not requirements) include:

Sources:[2]

Potential competitors

Hawker Beechcraft AT-6B

The AT-6B is a light attack variant of the T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft used by the United State Air Force, and as such, it was considered to be a favorite for LAAR program, until it was eliminated in November 2011.[4][22][23] But the USAF later found a mistake in its paperwork.[24]

A-29 Super Tucano

The Embraer Super Tucano is a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft that is already in use by several nations.[25] In fact, the United States Navy has already leased several of the aircraft to evaluate their suitability in support of special operations missions.[4][26]

OV-10X

Boeing has revealed that they are working on an updated version of their OV-10 Bronco aircraft, currently called the OV-10X for the LAAR competition. The updated Vietnam War-era aircraft is expected to fly by late 2010.[27][28]

A-67 Dragon

The A-67 Dragon is a Counter-insurgency (COIN) Aircraft currently in development and is slated to begin low rate initial production in the 4th quarter of 2010. The A-67 can achieve 11 hours of loiter on target on internal fuel and can achieve air speeds ranging from 85 to 370 knots.[28][29]

Air Tractor AT-802U

The militarized version of this crop-duster will include up to 11 hardpoints under the wing and body for bombs, rockets, and machine guns. The Air Tractor aircraft is not planned to include an ejection seat or pressurization systems, both of which are mentioned in the Air Force RFI, but the company predicts that their proposal will cost half as much as other competitors.[30]

Alenia Aermacchi M-346

The M-346 Master is the only jet-powered aircraft proposed for the competition, developed by the Italian Alenia Aermacchi company, and is powered by a pair of Honeywell F124 turbofan engines. The effective range of the aircraft currently is reported to be 1,890 km (1,170 mi) while its armament configuration is centered around nine hardpoints.[31]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Light Air Support (LAS) Aircraft - Solicitation Number: FA8637-10-R-6000." Air Force Materiel Command, 12 August 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Air Combat Command (ACC) Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) (2009). Request for Information. July 27, 2009. Accessed February 18, 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Trimble, Stephen (2010). "Rivals not deterred by USAF shift on turboprop fighters". Flight International. 15 September 2010. Retrieved: 16 September 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Trimble, Stephen (2010). Irregular warfare offers new role for propeller driven aircraft. Flight International. 26 October 2010. Retrieved: 28 October 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Tittel, Steven J. (Major, USAF) (2009). Cost, Capability, and the Hunt for a Lightweight Ground Attack Aircraft. Master's Thesis, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. June 12, 2009.
  6. ↑ DiMascio, Jen. "Congress Threatens To Withhold LAAR Funding." Aviation Week, 18 May 2011.
  7. ↑ "Hawker: Air Force Barred Us From Jet Bid". Manufacturing.net. November 21, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
  8. ↑ "B-406170, Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company, LLC, December 22, 2011" US U.S. Government Accountability Office," 22 December 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  9. ↑ Hodge, Nathan (December 30, 2011). "Air Force Awards Afghan Plane Contract". The Wall Street Journal. New York. Retrieved 2012-01-02.
  10. ↑ McCoy, Daniel. "USAF puts hold on LAS contract amid Hawker protest." Wichita Business Journal, 5 January 2012.
  11. ↑ "USAF Background paper on the light Air Support Decision". Second Line Defense, 25 January 2012. Retrieved: 28 January 2012
  12. ↑ "Afghan Light Air Support saga continues: Chuck Wald flies the Tucano."
  13. ↑ "USAF delays Afghan Light Air Support source selection."
  14. ↑ Super Tucano beats out AT-6 for Afghan Light Air Support tender
  15. ↑ Super Tucano wins Afghan light air support bid
  16. ↑ "Beechcraft To Again Challenge USAF LAS Decision."
  17. ↑ "USAF Overrides Stop Work on Afghan LAS Contract."
  18. ↑ "Kansas congressmen want work stopped on USAF contract Beechcraft lost."
  19. ↑ "Beechcraft Moves LAS Fight to Courts, Congress."
  20. ↑ "USAF tells Sierra Nevada/Embraer to keep working on LAS contract."
  21. ↑ Butler, Amy (22 April 2013). "Federal Claims Court Clears Way For Continued Light Air Support Work". Av Week. The McGraw-Hill Companies. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  22. ↑ Sweetman, Bill (2010). Light Airplanes Boost Close Air Support. Aviation Week. February 4, 2010. Accessed February 22, 2010.
  23. ↑ Malenic, Marina. "Hawker Beechcraft questions LAS exclusion." Janes, 23 November 2011.
  24. ↑ Shalal-Esa, Andrea. "U.S. Air Force sees Afghan plane issue as 'isolated'." Reuters. March 9, 2012.
  25. ↑ Colombia Finalizes Deal for Super Tucano COIN Aircraft (2005). Defense Industry Daily. December 12, 2005. Accessed February 22, 2010.
  26. ↑ Scutro, Andrew (2009). U.S. Eyes Super Tucano for SpecOps Work. Defense News. March 13, 2009. Accessed February 22, 2010.
  27. ↑ Jennings, Gareth (2010). Singapore Air Show 2010: Boeing pins hopes on revived Bronco. Jane's Defence Weekly. February 5, 2010. Accessed February 22, 2010.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Boeing considers restarting OV-10 production after 23-year hiatus". FlightGlobal. Accessed 2010-11-08.
  29. ↑ A-67 Counterinsurgency Aircraft. Retrieved: 7 October 2010.
  30. ↑ Garvey, William (2010). Killer Apps. Aviation Week & Space Technology. 17 May 2010, pp. 53.
  31. ↑ "The Light Attack Aircraft". Air Force Magazine. Accessed 2010-11-08.

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