Return of the Skyraider?

June 9, 2009 · Posted in Blogroll, Uncategorized · Comment 

Steve Trimble reports on the appearance of an interesting proposal by Air Tractor (a private US company) to convert its AT-802U crop-duster aircraft as a light COIN platform for employment in Iraq & Afghanistan.

The Air Tractor AT-802U is now en route from Olney, Texas, to Le Bourget, France, to be unveiled at the Paris Air Show, said Lee Jackson, design engineer.
Featuring an armored fuselage, a 10hr loiter time and the ability to haul more than 8,000lb of payload, unarmed AT-802Us have been operated by the US State Department in South America since 2002 eradicating drug crops, Jackson said.
Air Tractor is now offering the weaponized AT-802U Air Truck to the US Air Force and other militaries to serve as a a trainer/light attack fighter. After its international debut in Paris, the PT6A-67F-powered turboprop will return to Olney for a series of wepaons and sensor integration trials, he said.

To those who recall the very effective service of the A-1 Skyraider during the Vietnam conflict, the concept of a light prop-driven airframe as a COIN asset is likely to be welcome.

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