OA-X "light attack" programma en ontwikkelingen

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

U.S. Air Force selects Textron's Scorpion jet and AT-6 for light attack aircraft demo

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/us-air-force-selects-textrons-scorpion-jet-and-at-6-for-light-attack-aircraft-demo

[Harald]

A-29 to participate in OA-X experiment

Sierra Nevada Corporation announced on May 12 that it will partner with Embraer to bring the latter's A-29 Super Tucano to the U.S. Air Force's Capability Assessment of Non-Developmental Light Attack Platforms, a.k.a OA-X.

The OA-X assessment begins in July at New Mexico's Holloman Air Force Base.

http://alert5.com/2017/05/15/a-29-to-participate-in-oa-x-experiment/

[Sparkplug]

Nog een partij die afzegt.

IOMAX Archangel to sit out USAF's OA-X demonstration

Janes

[Sparkplug]

Lockheed Passes On USAF's Light Attack Demo

Lara Seligman   |   Aerospace Daily & Defense Report  |  Apr 8, 2017



Lockheed Martin has decided not to offer an aircraft for the U.S. Air Force's light attack demonstration this summer, making it the second major defense contractor in two weeks to opt out of the OA-X experiment.

Lockheed joins Boeing in passing on the OA-X demonstration this summer at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, company spokesman John Losinger confirmed to Aviation Week. Proposals for the experiment – which could lead to a buy of 300 off-the-shelf, light-attack aircraft for counterterrorism missions – were due to the Air Force April 7.

Of the big three U.S. aerospace giants, this leaves just Northrop Grumman a possible contender. A spokesman declined to comment on whether the company would participate.

Rob Weiss, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works executive vice president and general manager, hinted at Lockheed's decision not to participate in OA-X last month during the company's media day. He suggested that the T-50A Lockheed is developing jointly with Korea Aerospace Industries – the most logical choice for OA-X – might not fit the bill.

"The way it currently is described, it looks like there are lower cost and much lower capability airplanes than the trainers," he said March 21.

Losinger did not disclose the reasoning behind the decision not to participate in OA-X, but Weiss hinted that the T-50A may not meet the OA-X runway and fuel burn requirements. The Air Force has said OA-X must be able to operate from a 6,000-ft. runway and have an average fuel flow of 1,500 lb./hr. or less.

The decision to opt out of this phase of the light attack effort does not preclude Lockheed or Boeing from eventually participating in an OA-X competition. The Air Force has stressed that right now the effort is in the experimentation phase, and no program of record has been initiated. The assessment at Holloman could lead to another experiment or a combat demonstration, or even an immediate acquisition program, said Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the Air Force's military acquisition deputy.

Textron is the only major defense contractor to publicly say it will participate in the OA-X demonstration. It will likely offer the Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine or Scorpion jet.

http://aviationweek.com/defense/lockheed-passes-usaf-s-light-attack-demo

[Harald]

Here's How USAF Will Evaluate the Light Attack Aircraft

Wright-Patt to oversee light-attack plane test flights in New Mexico

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE—

The Air Force will put light attack planes through aerial paces this summer over the New Mexico desert as aerospace makers hope to land a future deal.

The Wright-Patterson Air Force Base managed test flights will explore what's available, the cost to buy, operate and maintain the plane, if it can be mass produced quickly and exported to other countries.

Contractors have a deadline of today to submit proposals for the OA-X, as the experimental light attack plane is called, but the Air Force says it will not immediately release the names of the companies.

Cheaper to fly?
The Air Force will investigate if it's feasible and cheaper to build a commercial "off-the-shelf" light attack plane by the hundreds to fly into less heavily defended air space at less cost compared to flying more expensive jets, such as fast moving F-16 Fighting Falcons, to do the same job, said Jack Blackhurst, director of the Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation Directorate at Wright-Patterson.

"We don't think this mission is going to go away anytime soon and so there's going to be a need for this kind of activity, close air support, for some time," he added. "It's really a cost argument."

Textron AirLand was expected to enter the Scorpion jet and sister company Beechcraft has indicated it will enter the AT-6 Wolverine for flight tests, according to a spokeswoman.

Other companies will likely jump in.

"We're expecting three or four players to play but there could be many more," said Blackhurst, a retired Air Force colonel.

Aerospace manufacturers will be in a potential high stakes face-off.

"It's pay to play," Blackhurst said. "They have to bring their airplanes to Holloman Air Force Base (in New Mexico) and then we're going to run through a series of ...close air support missions where we will have our pilots actually flying those planes."

Test flights will take flight over the summer. In the future, the plane is expected to be tested overseas. Results will reach Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein at the end of the experiment.

A decision on what's next is targeted by the end of the year. "This isn't a fly-off, it's not a competition, there's no down select involved here at all," Blackhurst said. "It's just tell me the data. What's out there that could work."

Senator backs plane
Even so, the OA-X has the backing of a key defense hawk in Congress.

In U.S. Sen. John McCain's white paper "Restoring American Power," the Arizona Republican said the Air Force needed up to 300 of the planes in tandem with the A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack jet.

McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the nation needs 200 of the new planes by 2022 to fly counter terrorism missions and support ground troops, among future uses in so-called "permissive environments" that lack heavy air defenses.

Today, the Air Force flies the F-16, A-10 Thunderbolt II, the F-15E Strike Eagle and will fly the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter to bomb targets near ground troops in the close air support role, officials say.

"The experiment that we're talking about is not a replacement for the A-10," Blackhurst said. "It's just trying to determine are there more affordable options ... to perform the mission."

At the high end, the fifth-generation stealthy F-35A costs $42,000 per hour to fly, about twice or more the expense of the others, Air Force figures show.

Loren B. Thompson, a senior defense analyst with the Arlington, Va.-based Lexington Institute and a defense industry consultant, was skeptical of the plane's chances in a future budget and on the battlefield.

"So far all the Air Force has agreed to is they are going to give them a try and see what they find," he said in an interview. "It's quite possible this program will never happen at all especially if we don't get a budget in place."

The Department of Defense continues to operate at last year's spending levels under a stop gap measure called a continuing resolution. Congress has not been able to agree on a budget to appropriate money for fiscal year 2017. The current stop-gap funding measure expires April 28 unless lawmakers reach a defense budget deal or extend a temporary spending measure.

Similarly, Democrats and many Republicans are at odds over the Trump administration's proposed fiscal year 2018 spending bill that would add $54 billion to the defense budget, but cut a similar amount in domestic spending.

Thompson also had doubts how survivable the OA-X, particularly propeller-driven aircraft, might be on a modern battlefield.

"I'm all in favor of using a propeller-driven aircraft if it will work because it will be cheaper," he said. "I just have a feeling by the time they get this aircraft in the field they'll be no such thing as permissive air space. Permissive air space doesn't mean the Russians aren't around. It means that there's nobody around that even has a shoulder- fired missile and that just doesn't seem very likely to me 10 years from now."

Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with the Virginia-based Teal Group, echoed concerns about a future light attack plane.

"It's not the greatest idea," he said in an email. "These are the sorts of planes they fly in Kenya and Laos. If they encountered any kind of air-to-air or serious ground-to-air opposition, these planes would be destroyed in seconds. And if the Air Force pursues OA-X while simultaneously retiring the F-15C fleet, it clearly indicates that the US is kind of done with being a superpower."

A Textron AirLand and Beechcraft spokeswoman said in a statement the company was confident the planes "can fulfill the evolving mission needs of the USAF in the modern battlefield."

The jointly produced Embraer-Sierra Nevada Corp.'s A-29 Super Tuscano was purchased by the Air Force in recent years to train and equip the Afghan Air Force with 20 of the propeller-driven planes to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The U.S. military also flew propeller-powered attack planes in the Vietnam war.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/economy/wright-patt-oversee-light-attack-plane-test-flights-new-mexico/pdF8ycfAZdaqgfnDkvI7hN/

[Ronald Elzenga]

Textron komt met 2 type toestellen ; Textron AirLand's Scorpion en Beechcraft's AT-6
En Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano is ook een zeer waarschijnlijke deelnemer
2 van de 4 deelnemende bedrijven al ingevuld

Textron officials told Defense News last week that they plan to offer two aircraft for the light attack demo: Textron AirLand's Scorpion jet and Beechcraft's AT-6.

Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano turboprop, which was purchased by the Pentagon for the Afghan air force, is also considered a likely contender.

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/lockheed-considering-oa-x-offering-likely-not-t-50

En dan heb je denk ik nog de Air Tractor AT-802U. Lijkt mij een serieuze kandidaat gezien diens capaciteiten.

[Sparkplug]

The aircraft should be able to fire MK81 and MK 82 bombs, 70mm Hydra rockets and a .50 caliber gun, as well as laser-guided and potentially GPS-guided munitions. While configured with a gun and electro-optical, infrared (EO/IR) suite, it must be able to carry at least two 500-pound munitions. Its EO/IR system must be able to track stationary and moving targets in clear weather during day and nighttime conditions.

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/lockheed-considering-oa-x-offering-likely-not-t-50

De A-29 heeft de .50 mitrailleurs in de vleugels (200 rpg). De AT-6 kan dit alleen extern meenemen. Echter moet de A-29 het EO/IR systeem extern in een gondel meenemen.

Zou het veel moeite zijn om de AT-6 van mitrailleurs in de vleugel te voorzien? Dan blijven de ophangpunten vrij voor (geleide) bommen en (geleide) raketten.

[Harald]

Textron komt met 2 type toestellen ; Textron AirLand's Scorpion en Beechcraft's AT-6
En Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano is ook een zeer waarschijnlijke deelnemer
2 van de 4 deelnemende bedrijven al ingevuld

Textron officials told Defense News last week that they plan to offer two aircraft for the light attack demo: Textron AirLand's Scorpion jet and Beechcraft's AT-6.

Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano turboprop, which was purchased by the Pentagon for the Afghan air force, is also considered a likely contender.

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/lockheed-considering-oa-x-offering-likely-not-t-50

[Harald]

Wat meer info omtrent de eisen en wensen van de USAF omtrent het OA-X programma ;

The Air Force is contemplating a buy of light attack planes to help alleviate strains on its combat aircraft inventory, which has been engaged in the Middle East for over a decade. Service officials believe inexpensive, less-advanced planes could accomplish those missions at lower cost, and are banking on a flight demonstration this summer at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., to help prove whether there is a business case for creating an OA-X program of record.

According to an invitation to industry released last week, the Air Force plans to choose up to four companies to bring non-developmental, low-cost, multi-role aircraft to Holloman for a capability assessment. Over a period of four to six weeks, it will test each plane's "basic aerodynamic performance" as well as its weapons, sensors and communications capability. 

.../...

OA-X requirements will undoubtedly be refined if the Air Force presses on with a program of record, but the invitation included some specifications for participants in the flight exercise.

The aircraft should be able to fire MK81 and MK 82 bombs, 70mm Hydra rockets and a .50 caliber gun, as well as laser-guided and potentially GPS-guided munitions. While configured with a gun and electro-optical, infrared (EO/IR) suite, it must be able to carry at least two 500-pound munitions. Its EO/IR system must be able to track stationary and moving targets in clear weather during day and nighttime conditions.

High availability is also an essential characteristic. The planes must support an operations tempo of at least 900 flight hours annually over a ten-year period, according to the solicitation.

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/lockheed-considering-oa-x-offering-likely-not-t-50

[Harald]

Lockheed still weighing light attack plane offering, but T-50 is likely out

Lockheed Martin is considering whether it has a plane in its inventory that can meet the U.S. Air Force's nascent light attack aircraft requirement, but may subvert expectations by not offering the T-50, a top company executive tells Defense News.

Orlando Carvalho, executive vice-president of Lockheed's aeronautics business, said the company is weighing its options with the recently-released solicitation for a light-attack platform, but indicated a variant of its T-50A trainer design is not currently in the running.

The T-50A is a version of the Korean Aerospace Industries T-50 trainer, modified by Lockheed to meet the requirements of the U.S. Air Force's T-X trainer replacement competition. But KAI already sells a light-attack version of the T-50A, marketed as the FA-50. That plane is in use by both the Iraqi and Philippine air forces, which would seem to provide an easy option for Lockheed to offer.

Carvalho said he hasn't had time to closely study the requirements that were laid out by the Air Force last week for its light attack aircraft experiment. But asked if a variant of the T-50 is being considered as an option, Carvalho said, "the short answer on that specific question is 'no.'"

.../...

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/lockheed-considering-oa-x-offering-likely-not-t-50

[Harald]

Air Force Invites Industry for Light Attack Platform Experiment

(Source: US Air Force; issued March 17, 2017)


WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio --- The Air Force released an industry Invitation to Participate today to evaluate the military utility of light attack platforms in future force structure.

The invitation is part of a broader Air Force effort to explore cost-effective attack platform options. The live-fly experiment is an element of the Light Attack Capabilities Experimentation Campaign run by the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is currently scheduled for summer at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

"This is an evolution of the Close Air Support experimentation effort which we have now broadened to include a variety of counter-land missions typical of extended operations since Desert Storm," said Lt. Gen. Arnie Bunch, Military Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition.

Industry members are invited to participate with aircraft that may meet an Air Force need for a low-cost capability that is supportable and sustainable. This spring the Air Force will analyze data received from vendors seeking to participate in the experimentation campaign and will then invite selected offerors to participate in a live-fly capabilities assessment this summer.

The Air Force will host the live-fly experiment to assess the capabilities of these off-the-shelf attack aircraft. Industry participants will participate with suitable aircraft, which will be flown by Air Force personnel in scenarios designed to highlight aspects of various combat missions, such as close air support, armed reconnaissance, combat search & rescue and strike control & reconnaissance.

The live-fly experiment also includes the employment of weapons commonly used by other fighter/attack aircraft to demonstrate the capabilities of light attack aircraft for traditional counter-land missions.

"After 25 years of continuous combat operations, our Air Force is in more demand than ever," said Lt. Gen. Jerry Harris, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements. "Since we don't expect deployment requirements to decrease, we have to look for innovative and affordable ways to meet capability demands in permissive environments while building and maintaining readiness to meet emerging threats in more contested environments."

The live-fly experimentation will include a number of mission events including medium altitude basic day and night surface attack, precision munition surface attack, armed reconnaissance and close air support.

"This is an experiment, not a competition," said Harris, emphasizing the event may not necessarily lead to any acquisition.

Experimentation and prototyping are envisioned as potential pathways to identify new operational concepts and candidate capabilities which can be rapidly and affordably fielded. The Air Force is interested in using agile solutions by leveraging rapid acquisition authorities where appropriate, to meet anticipated needs.

The results of the Light Attack Capabilities Experimentation Campaign will be used to inform requirements and criteria for future investment decisions.

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/182124/usaf-calls-industry-to-light-attack-aircraft-fly_off.html

To view the industry Invitation to Participate on the Federal Business Opportunities website, visit:
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=27eb70f28cb635a45bb6f15e52bf4f51&tab=core&_cview=0

[Harald]

Air Force to Invite Firms to Show Off OA-X Light-Attack Aircraft

The Air Force on Friday is expected to formally invite companies to participate in a light-attack aircraft demonstration this summer, the service's top uniformed acquisition official said.

"This is ... the innovative spirit of trial and error," Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, the service's military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition at the Pentagon, said during a defense breakfast outside Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

"We're trying to keep this as broad as we can so that industry may have something that's very innovative that we haven't thought about," he said.

Bunch reiterated the light-attack concept — should the "experiment" prevail and the Air Force choose to fund it — is a needed platform for current manpower levels. 

"Why are we even exploring this concept? The need is, we need to be able to absorb fighter pilots," Bunch said. "Another reason is we want to look at a concept so we could have a lower operating cost, a lower unit cost, for something to be able to operate in a permissive ... environment than what I would require a fourth- or a fifth-gen aircraft to be able to operate in."

It would "minimize the wear-and-tear" of current fighters such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-22 Raptor in the long run, he said.

"But we can't do it at the expense of mission accomplishments," he added.

With the concept, dubbed OA-X, pilots could also focus on training for a high-end fight.

Bunch cited 15-plus years of prolonged conflict in the Middle East, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and with the Islamic State and other extremist groups extending their influence in the region, "we don't see an end to that," he said.

"We need to look and see if there are ways to save costs and do this in an efficient and effective manner ... [and] it could create a building partnership capacity. Not every nation we want to build a partnership with needs and F-16 or an F-35 [Joint Strike Fighter]," Bunch said, referring to places such as Afghanistan.

Bunch joins a handful of service leaders who support the potential of an OA-X jet buy, which include Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, Acting Secretary Lisa Disbrow and newly-inducted Air Combat Command commander Gen. Mike Holmes.

Goldfein earlier this month confirmed the competition will take place at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. When asked at the Air Force Association's Air Warfare symposium in Orlando what the Air Force is looking for, Goldfein said,  "This is commercial, off-the-shelf, that we could rapidly employ in combat."

Goldfein and other leaders have said the light attack plane would not replace the service's beloved A-10 Warthog.

Officials haven't described in detail how the experiment would be conducted or what it would entail — whether it would be a flight demonstration such as a fly-off, simulation trials or just a viewing of various industry light attack aircraft.

The experiment would constitute as a "phase I" approach to the concept, Goldfein said. A "phase II" of the experiment would send the aircraft downrange to the Middle East for a Combat Dragon II-like exercise which demonstrates if a turboprop-powered or light attack aircraft can be viable in a permissive environment, he said.

Disbrow said, "We're going to look through our requirements as we go through [them], especially in the strategic, defense review, and we're going to look at our fleet, we're going to look at off-the-shelf, and we're going to see if there's a business case there.

"We have to look forward, we have to say, 'Where do we think the demand is going to be?'" she said at the symposium. "We're not marketing — we're looking at our capability demands and we're going to match our projected inventory needs to that within the budgets that we're allowed."

https://www.dodbuzz.com/2017/03/16/air-force-to-invite-firms-to-show-off-oa-x-light-attack-aircraft/

[Sparkplug]

US Air Force to release OA-X invitation this week

Flightglobal.com

[Harald]

Is this the ideal OA-X candidate?



The pending US Air Force competition for a light-weight ground-attack aircraft has been widely publicized. The US is expected to formally announce the OA-X competition this summer. The winner of this competition could very well be the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano. Or could it?

Yes, the famed and feared Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt will continue to cause hazards to forces opposing the US for a few more years. However, unsure about exactly how many more years and if the Lockheed Martin F-35 will be able to fill the Thunderbolt's shoes when it finally leaves, the US Air Force is looking at its ground attack capabilities. And the conclusion is that a small and flexible aircraft is needed.

That aircraft may very well be the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano. This Brazilian turboprop was designed in Brazil but is currenty also license-built in the US by Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC). As part of a contract awarded in February 2013, these aircraft are adding a ground attack capability to the Afghan Air Force. Pilots from Afghanistan learn to fly the A-29 with the US Air Force's 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.

Given this experience, the A-29 is likely candidate to enter in the OA-X competition. But ideal enough to actually  win? The US-designed and produced Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine may fit the bill just as well. And how about an armed Textron AirLand Scorpion Jet?

Plus, let's not forget there's another competition running right now, and it's called T-X. The candidates in that competition may also offer the flexibility the US is looking for. An armed version over Lockheed Martin's and Korea Aerospace Industries' T-50 trainer already exists, and its  called FA-50. Meanwhile, Leonardo in Italy is already busy developing the M-346FT Fighter Trainer, an armed version of the M-346 Master.

Obviously, the winner of OA-X competition won't be announced for some years. But it's just as obvious that upon closer inspection, there are a lot more likely candidates than just the A-29.

http://airheadsfly.com/2017/03/14/is-this-the-ideal-oa-x-candidate/

[Harald]

Textron sets its sights on US Air Force's light aircraft experiment

Textron is chomping at the bit for the U.S. Air Force's planned light attack aircraft demonstration, where it plans to show off the capabilities of the Textron AirLand Scorpion jet and Beechcraft AT-6.

The Air Force has yet to greenlight a program of record, but the service intends to invite industry to participate in flight experiments this summer at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. If the exercise goes well and companies are able to prove a business case, the service could embark on an light attack aircraft acquisition, or OA-X.

In an exclusive interview with Defense News, Textron officials said they see sales opportunities for at least two of its existing planes if the Air Force moves ahead with OA-X.

"We think this will be a complimentary capability to the Air Force's CAS [close-air support] assets, and we agree with the Air Force that there is certainly a need," said Jim Grant, Textron Aviation's senior vice president of military programs. "We believe we have at least two aircraft that are great candidates for OA-X, and so we're actually very excited to see what the actual requirements are."

.../...

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/textron-sets-its-sights-on-air-forces-light-aircraft-experiment