U.S. Air Force issues RFP for light attack aircraft for partner, ally support

Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force has released a final request for proposal for two types of light attack planes.

It intends to buy three examples each of two types of light attack planes, the A-29 Super Tucano and AT-6 Wolverine, the branch said in an announcement Friday.

Those to be based at Nellis AFB, Nev., would be used for training by the Air Force Special Operations Command, and those at Hurlburt Field, Fla., would be used in combat air advisor missions by the Air Combat Command.

The A-29 Super Toscano is made by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer and built in the United States by Sierra Nevada Corp. The AT-6 Wolverine is made Beechcraft, a Textron Aviation subsidiary.

The propeller-driven planes will be part of the Light Air Support program of the Air Force, which seeks a light counter-insurgency, ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft. The Air Force and U.S. Navy have flown both planes since 2017 to assess their capabilities.

"Our focus is on how a light attack aircraft can help our allies and partners as they confront violent extremism and conduct operations within their borders," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein in a statement. "Continuing this experiment, using the authorities Congress has provided, gives us the opportunity to put a small number of aircraft through the paces and work with partner nations on ways in which smaller, affordable aircraft like these can support their air forces."

The planes' viability has been an issue for years, and the U.S. House of Representatives has not yet appropriated funding for the program.

Advocates have said that propeller-driven planes are cheaper to buy and operate than combat jets, but can carry the same bombs, missiles, and rockets. Opponents say they are prone to be shot down by sophisticated defenses.

"Whether it's Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South America, we are going to be engaged with our local partners on the ground in low-intensity conflict, I think, for the foreseeable future," Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a proponent of the planes, said in September. "We are in a generational war against extremism. To that end, we can't shift too far away from our counterterrorism mission toward near-peer competition."

The Air Force seeks $35 million in funding for continued light attack aircraft use in its research and development budget for the Fiscal Year 2020 and plans to request around $400 million in additional funding for program through the 2024 Fiscal Year.