L3Harris is working to expand the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of its AT-802U Sky Warden turboprops – aircraft being purchased by the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) under the Armed Overwatch programme.
Militarised variants of Sky Tractor’s AT-802 crop duster, the aircraft are intended primarily to provide close-air support to the USA’s special operations troops. The turboprops will be operated by the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) under the designation OA-1K.
While the single-engined type already boasts an impressive arsenal for its size – carrying precision air-to-ground missiles, laser-guided rockets and the Pentagon’s standard Mk 82 230kg (500lb) bomb – L3Harris says it is working to expand the OA-1K’s ability to carry sophisticated intelligence collection systems.
“We have studies that we’re engaged with currently,” says Jason Lambert, president of ISR at L3Harris.
Potential additions include signals-intelligence-collection equipment and electronic-warfare systems. Notably, Lambert says the OA-1K’s ability to carry the large Mk 82 bomb offers flexibility for accommodating other payloads.
“It’s creating us an opportunity to put other things within that same size and aperture,” he said at the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) conference near Washington DC on 17 September.
While the standard OA-1K configuration includes two onboard electro-optical/infrared sensors, those systems are generally used in limited applications, such as for visual reconnaissance or weapons targeting – not for sophisticated intelligence collection.
SOCOM has come under criticism by government auditors over the Armed Overwatch programme’s acquisition structure – particularly for lacking emphasis on ISR capability.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) says SOCOM has not adequately addressed the loss of ISR capability resulting from retirements of older aircraft. SOCOM plans to retire several reconnaissance types, including Pilatus U-28A Dracos, to fund Armed Overwatch acquisitions.
“SOCOM has not taken steps to plan for or add critical ISR capabilities provided by soon-to-be divested aircraft,” the GAO said in a September report. “SOCOM has not addressed risks associated with the loss of these capabilities if the new aircraft does not provide them.”
Lambert says there is currently “really strong” interest within SOCOM in growing the ISR capability of the OA-1K, two examples of which are already flying with AFSOC test pilots.
“There’s still discussion to be had on that,” AFSOC commander Lieutenant General Michael Conley said at the AFA conference on 18 September.
Conley was referencing not only the ISR issue but also GAO criticism that SOCOM failed to complete analysis needed to support its acquisition target of 75 Armed Overwatch aircraft.
Though the Department of Defense this year reduced its OA-1K acquisition target to 62 aircraft, a nearly 20% cut, Conley insists the air force still wants to field the full 75-aircraft fleet.
“Our requirement still remains 75,” says Conley. “It is possible that we don’t buy those 75 in the same timeframe that we wanted to, but that is still our requirement.”
Conley also notes that AFSOC is exploring other “novel mission sets” for OA-1Ks, including electronic and signals intelligence collection. The three-star general also says his command is exploring a possible crisis-response role for OA-1Ks, which would involve partially disassembling the turboprops for rapid transport by cargo jet.
Lambert says L3Harris has been experimenting with that concept, demonstrating it can be completed in 6h. “We take the wings off, we package it in the back of a [Boeing] C-17 and we can deploy it anywhere worldwide,” he says.
The Sky Warden can loiter on station with its weapons package for more than 8h, reaching altitudes of 23,000ft. That flexibility, combined with the OA-1K’s ability to operate from austere runways, is generating interest outside Washington.
“We’re getting a lot of international interest,” Lambert says.
While much of the US Air Force is focused on combating high-end aerospace threats from industrial adversaries Russia and China, Conley says the service’s special operators will likely continue operating on the margins of global conflicts, in areas like Africa and the Middle East.
“We still have a global mission,” he notes. On 18 September Conley also announced that AFSOC plans to deploy Bell-Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors to frontline duty in the Middle East.
L3Harris says it has delivered two OA-1Ks to Hurlburt Field in Florida, where AFSOC instructor pilots are undergoing initial training. The company has eight production-model aircraft undergoing assembly in Waco, Texas, and is pursuing type certification with the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Lambert says L3Harris plans to deliver the first operational OA-1K in the first quarter of 2025.
