War in pieces: Air Force wants special ops plane that can be built on the fly
AFSOC says the modular OA-1K can be broken down and reassembled in hours, giving special operators a lower-cost aircraft for remote missions.
- Air Force Special Operations Command officials announced Tuesday at the annual Special Operations Forces Week conference that the service now operates 18 OA-1K Skyraider II aircraft and is testing rapid disassembly capabilities for transport via cargo jets.
- U.S. Special Operations Command initially planned to purchase 75 aircraft for the Armed Overwatch program, but the Pentagon reduced the funded total to 53 for fiscal year 2027 due to "resource constraints and competing priorities."
- Lt. Robert Wilson, AFSOC's Armed Overwatch Requirements Branch Chief, called the militarized Air Tractor AT-802 "essentially a Swiss Army Knife of airborne capability," capable of armed reconnaissance, close air support, and precision strike missions.
- Wilson said the disassembly process allows airmen to prepare the planes in a "matter of hours" for deployment; currently flying from Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, units will eventually operate from Cannon Air Force Base and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
- AFSOC will conduct operational testing later this year to refine capabilities, with full combat deployment expected in the coming years, allowing the service to free up higher-end assets for contested operations.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Military Times
War in pieces: Air Force wants special ops plane that can be built on the fly
Air Force Special Operations Command is testing whether it can take its new Skyraider II apart, pack it inside a cargo jet and put it back together in the field, officials said this week at Special Operations Forces Week.The single-engine, prop-driven OA-1K, a militarized version of the Air Tractor AT-802 crop duster, is built to give isolated special operations teams eyes overhead and firepower on call from rough dirt strips with little support…
AFSOC Pushes Forward with ‘Swiss Army Knife’ OA-1K
With a shrinking fleet and growing operational demand, Air Force Special Operations Command sees the new OA-1K combat scout aircraft as key to a “new era,” officials say. Even as budget constraints threaten to limit the number of aircraft built, AFSOC is charging forward on the program, also known as Armed Overwatch. The command recently received its 18th airframe from contractor L3Harris, commander Lt. Gen. Michael Conley told lawmakers last …
Air Force now has 18 of its new Skyraider II 'Swiss Army Knife' aircraft, official says
The Air Force now has 18 new light attack aircraft that are designed to support special operations forces on the ground, and it expects to receive “a handful more” by October, said Lt. Col. Robert Wilson, of Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC. The single-engine turboprop OA-1K Skyraider II is “essentially a Swiss Army Knife of airborne capability,” that can fly armed reconnaissance, close air support, and precision strike missions, s…
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