Light Attack Aircraft

T-7A Red Hawk Simulator Production Starts

The Air Force has ordered 46 simulators and associated ground equipment, but can purchase up to 120 simulators under the current contract with Boeing.

SOCOM Multi-Mission Plane Competition Heats Up

SOCOM has budgeted $106 million in 2021 to buy the first five of up to 75 Armed Overwatch aircraft to perform close air support for its troops on the ground, light attack and ISR missions. The planes would replace Air Force Special Operations Command current fleet of U-28 Draco aircraft.

Special Ops Budget Crunch Looms, But New Aircraft Demo Coming

“And so what's really important to me is what the vendor brings to the table, in terms of their ability to integrate weapons onto a non-developmental platform," said SOCOM acquisition czar Jim Smith.

Trump Strips $3.8B For Border Wall From F-35s, Navy Ships, National Guard

Rep. Thornberry, the senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said the White House move to repurpose military procurement money “is in violation of the separation of powers within the Constitution... and I believe that it requires Congress to take action.”

Air Force Finally Commits To Buy Up To 6 Light Attack Aircraft

Contracts are expected by the end of the year for the A-29 and in early 2020 for the AT-6. The Air Force plans to buy "two or three of both," an Air Force spokeswoman said.

Air Combat Commander Doesn’t Trust Project Maven’s Artificial Intelligence — Yet

Before the Air Force will trust AI to pick out targets, Gen. Holmes said, it has to get smarter than a human three-year-old.

No Light Attack Planes Any Time Soon: Air Force Undersecretary

AFA: The Air Force won’t issue a Request For Information on possible Light Attack aircraft, originally scheduled to come out December, in favor of doing a lot more experiments, Air Force Undersecretary Matt Donovan told reporters this morning. The service has been dithering for over a decade about whether to buy propeller-driven aircraft for affordable close […]

Commandos Buying Thousands of Small Missiles That Pack A Bigger Punch Than Hellfires

As counterterrorism missions show no signs of slowing down and civilian casualties always a worry, the commando command is turning to a light, guided munition to chase down fast-moving targets.

SecAF: Don’t Expect Large Budget Increases After 2019; $2.4B Set For Light Attack

The Air Force placed a $2.4 billion placeholder in the 2019 budget to buy Light Attack Aircraft over the next five years, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told reporters this morning.

Air Force Cautions On Light Attack Combat Test: AF1 Refueling Update

PENTAGON: It’s always difficult to tell when the military is covering its tuckus and when it’s just being careful. So when the outgoing head of the Air Force press desk, Col. Patrick Ryder, told reporters this afternoon that the service had not made any decision about whether to go ahead with a combat test of […]

Urban Battles May Mean Fricking Lasers, EW, Networks For Air Force

AFA: Two decades after the Marines predicted most warfare would be in urban areas, the Air Force is coming to the same conclusions. Simply put, the great majority of humans live in cities these days, and Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein has added urban warfare to his list of top focus areas. Part […]

Airlines Step Up Hiring So Air Force Boosts Retention Pay

  PENTAGON: Eager to stem the flow of Air Force pilots chasing bigger paychecks and cushier gigs with America’s airlines, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced today the service is increasing what used to be called flight pay for the first time since 1999. US airlines hired 4,000 pilots last year, many of them former […]

ThunderDrone: Best Name Ever, But What Is It?

HOLLOMAN AFB: We first heard about ThunderDrone from Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, who told a mystified audience that the Air Force would take part in an event none of us had ever heard of. “In two months, we’re going to have a big competition. They’ve rented out a big warehouse,” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson […]

Light Attack Competition: Air Force, McCain Tout Acquisition Experiment

CORRECTED: TACO GILBERT’S AFFILIATION HOLLOMAN AFB: It may be hard to believe but the future of the Air Force may depend on three turboprop planes and a $20 million spec-built attack jet. They are the entries in what the service calls the Light Attack Experiment, a back-to-the-future attempt to rekindle the sort of innovation and […]