February 11, 2020 | International, Aerospace
By: Valerie Insinna
WASHINGTON — At long last, the U.S. Air Force has definitively stated it will not procure light attack planes, putting to bed a three-year-long debate about whether to buy upward of 300 low-cost aircraft for the counterterrorism fight.
In a statement to Defense News, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek confirmed that the service will not move forward with a program of record for light attack planes.
Instead, U.S. Special Operations Command has requested $106 million in the fiscal 2021 defense budget for its armed overwatch requirement, according to Defense Department budget materials. As part of that program, SOCOM is set to acquire as many as 75 light attack aircraft, the command stated in a Feb. 3 solicitation.
The funding would support “prototype demonstrations and the testing of Special Operation Forces-unique capabilities and air worthiness release efforts” as well as the “procurement of aircraft, mission kits and associated support equipment,” according to the department.
Last year, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein said the Air Force would continue experimenting with light attack aircraft, using funding from FY18 and FY19 to buy a handful of AT-6 Wolverine turboprop planes from Textron and A-29 Super Tucanos from a Sierra Nevada Corp.-Embraer team. Then, in FY22, the service would be ready to decide whether to venture into a program of record, he said.
The Air Force still intends to buy two AT-6s and two A-29s, Stefanek said. However, the scope of their future operations has become more limited as the service opted to not pursue a larger buy.
At Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, “[the] AT-6 will be used for continued experimentation on exportable network/data link capabilities for allies and partners,” said Stefanek, referencing a project under development known as Airborne Extensible Relay Over-Horizon Network, or AEROnet.
“The Air Force has prior year funds available to continue the experiment,” she added.
Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command pilots will use the A-29s to conduct training at Hurlburt Field, Florida, allowing them to act as instructor pilots and advisers for partner nations that plan to operate the A-29, Stefanek said.
For the past year, Air Force leaders have been sending signals that their interest in buying light attack aircraft was waning. The service originally considered a buy of several hundred planes that would be able to augment pilot absorption and provide a less expensive alternative to using high-cost fighters like the F-15 and F-35 for low-threat strikes against terrorist groups. However, a national defense strategy that prioritizes the fight against near-peer adversaries like Russia and China made it difficult to justify buying an aircraft fleet only survivable in the most uncontested environments.
In contrast, SOCOM has been bullish on light attack capabilities, with its commander, Gen. Richard Clarke, describing it as “a need for SOCOM” and “a need for our nation.”
In the FY20 national defense policy bill, Congress instructed the Air Force to coordinate with SOCOM on light attack capabilities and included an option “to transfer a portion of funds authorized for Air Force light attack aircraft experiments to procure aircraft for supporting the combat air adviser mission of the Special Operations Command.”
While the Air Force seemed most interested in the A-29 and AT-6 as potential light attack platforms, SOCOM appears to want to explore all options. The command is holding an Armed Overwatch industry day March 4-5 to discuss an upcoming demonstration of prototype aircraft.
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ARMY Sevenson Environmental Services Inc.,* Niagara Falls, New York, was awarded a $230,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for environmental remediation. Bids were solicited via the internet with 25 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 3, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-20-D-0008). CORRECTION: The contract announced on Nov. 25, 2019, for Navistar Defense LLC, Lisle, Illinois (W56HZV-20-D-0016), for two commercial Medium Tactical Vehicle Variants and spare parts contained an incorrect award amount. The correct amount is $24,529,450. NAVY L3 Technologies Inc., Insight Technology Division, Londonderry, New Hampshire, is awarded a $37,500,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a five-year ordering period for precision aiming lasers (PAL). This is a first-time buy for PAL. The PAL combines a range finder with a ballistics and environmental sensor/processor to provide the operator with a ballistic solution for increased likelihood of first-round hit. This procurement is in support of U.S. Special Operations Command, Visual Augmentation Systems Weapons Accessories Program. Work will be performed in Londonderry, New Hampshire, and is expected to be completed by November 2024. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $902,451 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-20-D-JQ56). SciTech Services Inc.,* Havre de Grace, Maryland, is awarded a $33,952,020 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract will provide engineering and project management support to Navy science and technology management organizations and small business innovation research/small business technology transfer program offices. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (70%); Washington, District of Columbia (15%); Arlington, Virginia (10%); San Diego, California (2.5%); and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (2.5%), and is expected to be completed in December 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was a small business set-aside competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; five offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-20-D-0006). Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee $28,881,512 contract modification to a previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-5407 to exercise a one-year option exercise for fiscal 2020 Standard Missile-2 and Standard Missile-6 repairs and maintenance and support material. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (90%); and the government of the Kingdom of Spain (10%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. This contract will provide for engineering and technical support, depot and intermediate level repair, maintenance and recertification of standard missiles, sections, assemblies, subassemblies, components for fiscal 2020. Work will be performed in Camden, Arkansas (68%); Tucson, Arizona (18%); Anaheim, California (11%); and San Diego, California (3%), and is expected to be complete by December 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding for $3,111,499 (90%); and FMS Spain funding for $360,000 (10%) will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds for $3,111,499 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2032038/source/GovDelivery/