AT-802U, Defined: In our current 19FortyFive article on the A-29 Tremendous Tucano, we touched upon the truth that even on this twenty first century high-tech age of fancy fifth Era stealth fighters in addition to souped-up 4.5 Era supersonic fight plane, single-engine propeller-driven planes are nonetheless viable within the air fight position. Moreover the Tucano, we additionally cited the instance of the Cessna AC-208 Fight Caravan and the way that exact transformed warbird has helped the Iraqi Air Pressure (IqAF) take the combat to ISIS, despite the fact that their F-16IQ Block 52 program has been afforded way more status. Now we will add a 3rd single-engine prop job to that record: the AT-802U Sky Warden.
From Farmer to Firefighter…
Very like the aforementioned Caravan, the AT-802 collection began off life as civilian plane. She made her maiden flight again in October 1990, manufactured by Air Tractor Inc. (therefore the primary two letters of the plane’s alphanumeric designation) in Olney, Texas (a rural group situated 100 miles west of Fort Value). The unique variant was the AT-802A, which the official firm information bag describes as “the world’s largest single engine ag plane” and provides that “its reputation is legend in excessive manufacturing agriculture.”
Subsequent got here two firefighting variations, the AT-802F which is labelled an “preliminary assault firefighter” for giant and small fires alike, and the AT-802F Fireplace Boss, which takes benefit of Wipaire amphibious floats, thus changing into a water scooper, in a position to land on and scoop water from close by lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. The Fireplace Boss can ship as much as 14,000 gallons of water per hour for prolonged assault or floor help.
…to a Totally different Kind of Firefight
Quick ahead to the current day, and a brand new variant of the plane has been chosen for a distinct sort of “firefight,” so to talk, i,e. as an alternative of preventing fires with water, “preventing fireplace with fireplace” each actually and figuratively: the aforementioned AT-802U variant. Redubbed the “Sky Warden,” the warbird version of Air Tractor Inc’s satisfaction & pleasure has simply gained a contract — in tandem with L3Harris — for United States Particular Operation Command’s (USSOCOM AKA SOCOM) Armed Overwatch program.
As acknowledged by USSOCOM Commander Gen. Richard D. Clarke, “Armed Overwatch solutions a crucial want for U.S. Particular Operations Command to conduct a variety of operations globally in help of the Nationwide Protection Technique. This rugged, sustainable platform will function in permissive environments and austere situations all over the world to safeguard our Particular Operations Forces on the bottom.”
To piggyback onto Gen. Clarke’s official assertion, a 1 August 2022 article by Air Pressure Journal‘s Congressional Editor Greg Hadley famous that the Sky Warden gained the contract award primarily based upon its capability to hold modular payloads, its low working prices, and its capability to function from austere fields. The Armed Overwatch program was first revealed in Could 2021, whereupon L3Harris and Air Tractor Inc. collectively proclaimed that the AT-802U featured the biggest payload capability of any single-engine turboprop plane. The proverbial new child on the block will exchange Air Pressure’s U-28 Draco fleet and can serve each an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform and as a light-weight strike plane in permissive environments.
The place to From Right here?
The deal has an estimated value of $3B USD and can embody 75 plane together with coaching programs, mission planning programs, help tools, spare elements, and logistical help. Preliminary working functionality is projected for FY 2026, with full working functionality following in 2029. If nothing else, it’ll virtually definitely find yourself being far more cost-effective and much much less of a upkeep nightmare than the beleaguered F-35.
Specs
Engine Kind: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F
Wingspan: 59.2 ft (18.04 m)
Empty weight, with armor, no weapons: 7,836 lbs (3,703 kg)
Surveillance & weapons load: 14,500 lbs (6,600 kg)
Fee of Climb w/full surveillance & weapons load: 1,700 toes per minute (518 meters per minute)
Most velocity, no weapons, at 10,000 toes (3048 meters): 213 knots (394 kilometers per hour)
Patrolling velocity – 10,000 toes; 71 US gallons per hour (3,048 meters; 268 liters per hour):
180 knots (333 kph)
Stall velocity – flaps down, at max gross weight: 91 knots (169 kilometers per hour)
Armament: 8 wing exhausting factors to hold 500 lb. class weapons; 2 centerline exhausting factors to hold 1,000 lb. class weapons; Innermost wing station optimized for weapons (.50 cal to 20mm)
Christian D. Orr is a former Air Pressure officer, Federal regulation enforcement officer, and personal navy contractor (with assignments labored in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in Worldwide Relations from the College of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Research (focus in Terrorism Research) from American Army College (AMU). He has additionally been revealed in The Every day Torch and The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Safety. Final however not least, he’s a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the US (NOUS).
