The Air Force has crafted a Light Attack Aircraft plan, which they said is the first step toward working with industry to generate the final RFP expected at the end of the year.
A draft request for proposal was shared with Sierra Nevada /Embraer and Textron Aviation following the conclusion of the second phase of the Light Attack Experiment, per officials.
“We must develop the capacity to combat violent extremism at lower cost,” Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said. “Today’s Air Force is smaller than the nation needs, and the Light Attack Aircraft offers an option to increase the Air Force capacity beyond what we now have in our inventory or budget. We’re where we’re at today because both Congress and our industry partners understood the need to find ways to get capabilities to our warfighters faster.”
As a means of gathering additional information about the aircraft’s capabilities, as well as partner nation interoperability, before a potential light attack purchase, pilots flew the Sierra Nevada /Embraer A-29 Super Tucano and the Textron Aviation AT-6B Wolverine this summer.
“It is important to look at the light attack aircraft through the lens of allies and partners,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein said. “An interoperable light attack aircraft that delivers common architecture and intelligence-sharing network capabilities will enhance our collective ability to compete, deter and win across all domains.”