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LIGHT ATTACK

EXPERIMENT PROCEEDS

THE US AIR Force has announced

that it will hold another round of

light attack aircraft evaluations —

but they won’t include Textron’s

Scorpion light jet.

Gone is a plan to take the light

attack evaluation — also known

as OA-X — down-range to the

Middle East. Instead the USAF will

further evaluate the Beechcraft AT-

Wolverine and the Sierra Nevada

Corporation’s A-29 Super Tucano

between May and July this year at

Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.

The Textron AirLand Scorpion’s

rejection comes as a bitter blow for

its maker after it had conducted an

exhaustive push to market the new

light ISR/attack jet. The USAF says

it favors the turboprop AT-6 and

A-29. L-3’s Longsword o ering was

also rejected.

Air Force Secretary Dr Heather

Wilson said, ‘Rather than do a

combat demonstration, we have

decided to work closely with

industry to experiment with

maintenance, data networking,

and sensors with the two most

promising light attack aircraft — the

AT-6 Wolverine and the A-29 Super

Tucano.’ She said this will be used to

gather the data ‘needed for a rapid

procurement.’

Follow-on e orts will involve

testing intended to evaluate logistics

and maintenance requirements,

weapons and sensor issues, training

syllabus validity, networking

and future interoperability with

partner forces.

The  rst phase of the light attack

experiment was conducted in

August 2017. It was observed by  ve

international partners, and the USAF

plans to invite additional overseas

partners to view the second phase.

The service has decided against

conducting a combat demonstration

with the aircraft.

The Textron AirLand Scorpion will

not feature in the next light attack

experiment phase. Textron AirLand

Both the B-2A Spirit and the B-1B Lancer are to be retired early, in favor of

the B-21 Raider. The USAF says that they will be replaced only when the

B-21 reaches suffi cient operational capability, with the aim to use existing

manning. USAF/SSgt Joshua Smoot, TSgt Richard Ebensberger

the B-21 squadrons with personnel

coming from the B-1 and B-

communities as they are retired,

although the bomber force will

grow overall from the current 157

aircraft today to at least 175.

The FY19 request funds 1.

million  ying hours at a cost of $8.

billion and ‘continues to address

the aircrew shortage through a

multi-pronged approach’. In a news

release, the USAF added, ‘It expands

pilot training and addresses

experience shortfalls, continues

incentive pay and bonuses,

improves administrative support at

the squadron level, and funds  ying

hours to executable levels.’

The FY19 budget proposal

represents an increase in the size of

the air force by 4,700 active-duty,

Guard and Reserve personnel.

It funds a 2.6 per cent military

pay raise, increased housing and

subsistence allowances and family

support programs.

The request supports the

purchase of 48 F-35A Lightning II

 ghters, 15 KC-46 Pegasus tankers,

and continued development of

the B-21 Raider. It also funds the

T-X trainer program, which will

now proceed to prime contractor

selection, and replacement of the

UH-1N helicopter.

One notable loser is the E-8C Joint

Surveillance Target Attack Radar

System (JSTARS) recap plan. The

E-8 will instead remain operational

through the mid-2020s as the

USAF develops and transitions to

an advanced battle management

system. ‘This approach will integrate

space, air, and ground-based

sensors on manned and unmanned

platforms and satellites to meet

more combatant commander

requirements in both contested

and non-contested environments,’

said USAF chief of sta Gen

Dave Goldfein.

The USAF had planned to buy

17 new platforms to replace its

E-8Cs, with Boeing, Lockheed

Martin, and Northrop Grumman

all in the running to win the prime

contractor slot.

Secretary Wilson was always

keen to peruse a ‘distributed

solution’ for the E-8 replacement,

underlining that the current

aircraft is not survivable in a

contested environment and that it

currently meets only  ve per cent

of the requirements of combatant

commanders.

The A-29 Super Tucano is through

to the next round of the light

attack experiment. USAF/SSgt

Alexander W. Riedel

WORLD [NEWS]

http://www.combataircraft.net // April 2018 07

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