Textron secretly put together the Scorpion with off-the-shelf aircraft parts in just two year’s time, and presumably would require more time and money to put it into production than the AT-6 or A-29. The subsonic aircraft entered service with the Russian Air Force in February 2010. Long loiter time. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. ", Colombia Finalizes Deal for Super Tucano COIN Aircraft, "U.S. Air Force Now Training with A-29 Super Tucano", "Duel of the Light Attack Planes: Tucano vs. Texan vs. Scorpion", "The U.S. Air Force's OA-X: An Opportunity For Textron's Scorpion Jet", Singapore Air Show 2010: Boeing pins hopes on revived Bronco, "Boeing considers restarting OV-10 production after 23-year hiatus", "Meet the combat crop duster, armed and armored to join the fight", "Hawker Beechcraft adds power to armed AT-6", FlightGlobal.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Light_Attack/Armed_Reconnaissance&oldid=1046675863, Military aircraft procurement programs of the United States, Articles with dead external links from August 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. ", "Hawker: Air Force Barred Us From Jet Bid", "B-406170, Hawker Beechcraft Defense Company, LLC, December 22, 2011", "USAF puts hold on LAS contract amid Hawker protest.". [55][56], 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 twin-seat configuration of the L-159 is designed for advanced flight training. This volume is a contribution to that ongoing educational process, but as the title states, this is only an introduction. The aircraft has seven hardpoints to carry guided and unguided air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons and other external loads, including gun, reconnaissance, and target acquisition pods weighing up to 3,000kg. The folks at Defense News recently reported that the USAF is in the preliminary stages of evaluating a light attack aircraft to supplement its A-10 fleet. Found inside – Page 258... and due to its weapons load that equals or exceeds most modern light attack aircraft ; and due to its high reliability and maintainability ( allowing ... [14], On December 30, 2011, the USAF announced that the A-29 had been awarded the contract. Found inside – Page 5The following systems characteristics are considered for the integration of avionic equipment carried in modern light attack aircraft : ( 1 ) functional ... The Textron Scorpion has a maximum payload capacity of 4,173kg while its six wing-mounted hardpoints can carry up to 2,810kg of ordnance, including a gun, rockets, laser-guided missiles, infrared air-to-air-missiles, and other guided and unguided munitions. The supersonic jet features eight hardpoints with a maximum payload capacity of 3,500kg. Categories overlap depending on how the specific aircraft is used, along with that of fighters . The M-346FA (Fighter Attack) is a light combat variant of the M-346 advanced jet trainer developed by Leonardo (formerly Alenia Aermacchi). It provides nine external stations with a total payload capacity of 3,000kg. plug-and-play mission system architecture that combines state-of-the-art data link, combat communications [9][10] U.S. Special Operations Command, meanwhile, announced an industry day for their "Armed Overwatch" program, a new and independent effort to secure around 75 manned, fixed-wing aircraft for "CAS, Armed Reconnaissance, Strike Coordination & Reconnaissance, and Airborne Forward Air Control. Found insideIn this powerful, uplifting book, McSally reflects on her successes and failures, shares key principles that have guided her, and reveals invaluable lessons to break barriers, thrive through darkness, and make someone proud in your life. ... Lt. Col. Keith Colmer, a test pilot with the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command Test Center in Tucson, Ariz., successfully releases a 500-pound GBU-12 laser-guided weapon from an AT-6C experimental light attack aircraft Sept. 28. [7][8], In February 2020, following the release of the Pentagon's FY 2021 budget request, it was announced that the Air Force "will not move forward with a program of record for light attack planes," effectively killing the project. The first TA-50 entered service with the Republic of the Korea Air Force (ROKAF) in 2011. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. [17], A re-awarding of the contract was expected in January 2013,[18] but was delayed a few months. Whiles passive countermeasure such as Stealth techniques were invented to help military assets hide and stay invisible from enemy's sensors, electronic countermeasure techniques were invented to confuse,… WDMMA.org, the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft, and SR71blackbird.org, . The aircraft must be able to fly 5 hour sorties (with 30 minute fuel reserves). A list of attack aircraft: Attack aircraft are military aircraft whose primary role in attacking targets on the ground with greater precision than strategic bombers. The AT-6 Wolverine is installed with a 1,600shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68D engine, offering a higher power-to-weight ratio compared with similar aircraft in its class. The light attack aircraft is powered by a 1,600shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68D engine. Additionally, long loiter missions use up an airframe's service life faster than expected, requiring replacement. The AT-6B is a light attack variant of the T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force, and as such, it was considered to be a favorite for LAAR program, until it was eliminated in November 2011. [30], Four contenders were displayed on Aug. 9 : the Textron Scorpion jet, Embraer/Sierra Nevada A-29 Super Tucano, Textron AT-6B and L3 Longsword turboprops, graded on basic surface attack and close air support, both including at night, daytime ground assault and rescue escort; but also austere environment performance, rapid turn rate, weapons qualifications, sensors and communication systems, low field operating costs and affordable upfront procurement cost. The program formally began in July 2009 with a request for information. The aircraft is powered by a turboprop engine, which has a low cruising speed, giving pilots time to identify and aim at the target, a very important element of the ground support mission. The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, also named ALX or A-29 is a turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counter insurgency, close air support, aerial rec. Attack aircraft are military aircraft used to attack targets on the ground with greater precision than strategic bombers.Modern attack aircraft may be expected to function in high threat environments where enemy air defences preclude the use of strategic bombers. Oct 25, 2019. [15] But the contract award was disputed and a stop-work was issued the following January. The aircraft entered service with the IAF in July 2016. The aircraft is powered by two Ivchenko-Progress AI-222-25 turbofan engines with a rated thrust of 24.52kN each. An attack aircraft (also called a strike aircraft or attack bomber) is tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of attacking targets on the ground or sea, with greater precision than bombers, and which is prepared to encounter stronger low-level air defenses. homeland defense and civil support missions. The Yakovlev Yak-130 is a twin-seat advanced jet trainer and light combat aircraft offered by Irkut Corporation. 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. capabilities, extensive variety of weapons delivery modes and precision weapons tailoredfor the AT-6. The aircraft features six under-wing mountings, which can carry bombs, rocket launchers, and air-to-ground and air-to-air guided missiles. [12], 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. The A-29 is the most widely deployed modern turboprop light attack aircraft in the world, with the most experienced users being Brazil and Colombia. This is a list of attack aircraft.. An A-29 Super Tucano light-attack aircraft arrives at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., in April 2018. The MiG-21, nicknamed 'Fishbed' by NATO, was the primary Soviet jet fighter from 1972 onward, opposing the F-15 Eagle and F-14 Tomcat worldwide in a variety of conflicts. Air Force Continues To Pass On Light Attack Aircraft. Provides information on modern military technology, discusses infantry, artillery, and airborne tactics, and describes the capabilities of tanks, missiles, and small arms Our Top 10 analysis is based on the combined score of armament, range, speed, technology, and some other factors. Since 2001, in operational scenarios, especially in those with a low-medium threat level, modern and expensive 20 to 30 tonne-class fighters are often used with high operating costs. It is single seat helicopter with coaxial rotor system. [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. Adding to the FAA While all of these aircraft are capable of close air support, only the A-10 was purpose built for the type of support needed by ground troops in a "low intensity conflict," or COIN (COunterINsurgency), operation. ", "U.S. Air Force sees Afghan plane issue as 'isolated'. Light attack aircraft, especially turboprops, are conspicuously absent from both Russia's own air force and their export offerings to nation states that buy tactical aircraft from Russia. Given . Light bombers were no longer considered "bombers" because they did not have large blast radiuses with all their weapons, were able to engage other aircraft in combat, and . Turkmenistan has publicly displayed its newly acquired M-346FA light attack aircraft. The Beechcraft AT-6 incorporates the very best of proven training methods and close air support capability to meet light attack and armed . It is a capable light attack aircraft, although its limited navigation and weapons-delivery systems are inferior to more modern aircraft. HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (July 31, 2017) A Beechcraft AT-6 experimental aircraft flies over White Sands Missile Range. a wide-mission spectrum that includes training, manned Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Thus, many of the close air support missions conducted by the USAF in Afghanistan came from B-1B bombers, aircraft originally intended to deliver nuclear strikes against the Soviet Union. [43][44], In early 2020, the Air Force announced its decision to halt its light attack program. The Hongdu L-15 features six wing-mounted hardpoints, which can accommodate 3,000kg of payload. and its survivability should be evaluated by its infrared and visual signature. All rights reserved. It recommends that the Army and the Air Force work together to develop new concepts and technologies to improve the partnering of air and ground. "PEW-PEW-PEW!" Sometimes, once in a blue moon or so, news coming out of The Pentagon actually makes sense. The French Army Eyes All-New Fleet of Light Attack Airplanes The head of the service's aviation arm is eager to get modern choppers, too, but says fixed-wing planes make more sense in various . The major objective of this book was to identify issues related to the introduction of new materials and the effects that advanced materials will have on the durability and technical risk of future civil aircraft throughout their service ... The aircraft entered service with the PLAAF in 2010. [2][3] The new, 15 aircraft program is focused at training pilots, not a combat mission. This manual is primarily a ready reference to assist the ground observer in aircraft recognition and identification.It provides information on current operational aircraft of the United States and foreign countries, which may be observed ... 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