The United States Air Force (USAF) has decided to name its new OA-1K close air support and counterterrorism aircraft Skyraider II.
This is a reference to the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, a single-engine radial piston aircraft that operated from 1946 to the early 1980s in this role.
The Skyraider was a versatile but rugged aircraft, capable of carrying a large amount of weapons, flying at low altitudes and surviving in a contested environment.
Follow us: WhatsApp | BlueSky | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook
“I’m excited about the Skyraider II, I think we have a capability that’s unique to us, and we’re going to have the ability to shape that into something that the rest of the nation might not even know they need right now,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, Air Force Special Operations commander.
The OAK-1 Skyraider II is a variant adapted by L3 Harris on the Air Tractor AT-802 Sky Warden crop duster aircraft as part of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Armed Overwatch program.
The Air Force originally planned to choose between Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano and Beechcraft’s AT-6 two-seat turboprops, but changed the program requirements, opening the door to more radical conversions of civilian aircraft.
The AT-802 defeated aircraft such as the AT-6E Wolverine, the MC-208 Guardian (a military Cessna Caravan) and the MC-145B Wily Coyote, an adaptation of the PZL M28 made by Sierra Nevada, which decided not to offer the A-29.
The U.S. Air Force expects to receive the first Skyraider II in spring 2025, of the 62 on order.
