SOCOM: The Tactical Air Tractor

This will be a dedicated air force for special forces: The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has selected the AT-802U Sky Warden™ system from L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) and Air Tractor, Inc. for its Armed Overwatch program. The indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contract award has a ceiling value of 3 billion U.S. dollars. The program includes the delivery of up to 75 manned fixed-wing aircraft with an initial order value of 170 million U.S. dollars.

This fleet of modern multi-purpose aircraft will meet SOCOM's need for an operational, sustainable, single-engine manned fixed-wing aircraft at affordable prices. It will provide close air support, precision strikes, armed reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), attack coordination, and forward air controllers for operations in remote and inaccessible areas. The aircraft will be used in irregular warfare as a cost-effective and functional alternative where jets are not needed – for example, missions in Africa.

L3Harris expects that the Armed Overwatch prototype from last summer can be quickly converted into the production configuration, and weapon system tests can be conducted at the customer site in about six months. The production of new, fully modified aircraft in Armed Overwatch configuration will begin in 2023 at L3Harris' modification center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, following the initial production at Air Tractor's aircraft production facility in Olney, Texas. Six new aircraft will be delivered in the initial low-rate production Lot 1.

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