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A Plane For All Seasons

By Bryant Jordan Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 4:17 pm
Posted in Air, Intelligence, International

Hawker Beechcraft Corp. and Lockheed Martin are pooling resources and technologies to develop a trainer-cum-combat ready aircraft that may also pull duty for close air support or intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Officials from the two companies formally announced the team effort today at the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Symposium in Maryland.

Jim Maslowski, president for U.S. and International Government Business for Hawker Beechcraft, said the two companies began working on the program about 90 days ago.

The Air Force published a request for information in late July for a “light attack and armed reconnaissance” plane for strike, recon and aircraft training in support of irregular warfare. The Air Force would be looking for the plane starting in fiscal 2012, according to the RFI.

Maslowski said the team has filed an RFI and is now waiting to see what happens.

Hawker Beechcraft has been a leader in training aircraft, with its T-6 used around the world.

“We will be providing the platform,” Maslowski said, calling the T-6 airframe that is the basis of the AT-6 LAAR “the most capable and tested trainer program.

“Take that aircraft and ready it with the mission equipment that Lockheed Martin will bring in. And they bring in the mission capability side of it,” he said.

The aircraft, called the AT-6, is intended to be a plane for all seasons.

As a training aircraft it will include tandem seating for trainee and experienced pilot; but it’s also coming with a range of options – light armor, infrared missile warning and countermeasures; a full communications suite that includes secure voice and data, ROVER-compatible full motion video and satellite communications; a complete ISR suite; and weapons integration capabilities to accommodate .50-cal and 20mm guns, laser-guided missiles and rockets, and 250– and 500-lb general delivery, laser guided and GPS-aided bombs.

An AT-6 prototype already has been developed and will be in flight testing through spring of next year, the company said. Meanwhile, the Hawker Beechcraft/Lockheed Martin team is already producing a second prototype that it expects will improve performance and expand the mission capabilities it built into the first one.

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	mike j September 16th, 2009 at 5:34 pm I get a little worried when I hear the big defense contractors are piling up on a project. Yeah, there’s money to be made. Just keep requirements realistic and the costs down, please.
	Russell September 16th, 2009 at 5:39 pm Looks like a really neat little bird. I believe I would rather have an old A10 or even older A1 orbiting above me. The problem is, our aerospace industry could not build a paper airplane on time and under a budget of 100 million.
	Chockblock September 17th, 2009 at 1:37 am The real problem is the fighter jocks who run the air force. They will try to kick this airplane to the curb as soon as US troops leave Afghanistan. COIN/CAS needs to be ingrained in the USAF or be given to the Army. Plenty of F-16 and F-15 pilots will have their egos hurt flying a prop plne in support of ground troops. They need to be told to shut up and fly.
	mike j September 17th, 2009 at 2:20 am Chockblock– Agreed that the COIN mission is needs to be addressed in the USAF, but you’re being harsh. Yeah, pilots like the ‘mach 2/ hair on fire’ thing (who wouldn’t?), but given a chance to get in the fight and make a difference, they jump at it. Mid-level officers apparently pushed pretty hard for an IW/ COIN platform. Hoping those people make it into the leadership.
	WarScientist September 17th, 2009 at 5:07 am Compared to some of the other air force projects, this seems like a bit of a bargain. I just hope the politicians and the take-care-of-number-one USAF bigwigs (not a stab at the USAF, every company, government or army has assholes in it who only care about their own career) don’t sink this project just so they can further their own agenda. More people need to start listening to the boots on the ground, cause they’re the ones who get in the shit and have to deal with it, not us sitting comfortably at home with our central heating and TV sets.
	sailortom September 17th, 2009 at 6:58 am If the two have combined to team up on this then it will look like a Transformer when it is done and cost lots and lots of money. I also thought that the main reason to choose an existing platform vs the Stavatti concept was the speed with which it could be put in service. If it isn’t going to come on line till FY 2012 why not take another look at the Stavatti.
	pennst98 September 17th, 2009 at 11:14 am Sailortom; my main concern about the Stavatti is they haven’t built one, but I agree they should get a chance to compete. I just wonder why something so simple takes so long in the DoD. You would think propellers were TRL 3 or something. Really worries me when the acquisition system can’t do easy…
	Chockblock September 17th, 2009 at 7:22 pm mike j: No I am not. The USAF fighter mafia keeps trying to kill the A-10, they told the DOD’s IED taskforce that a F-22 or F-35 with ECM pods could do a better job than EOD teams at removing IEDs. This was 2005. The only reason A-10s are receiving upgrades was the war. pennst98&sailortom: Stavatti has been around since 2004 peddling a paper airplane. They don’t even have a factory. They’re just trying to take investors money. Let companies with acutal prototypes compete.
	gimletfirsttofight September 18th, 2009 at 3:30 am chock-the usaf pencil pushers would tell someone that a F22 or F35 could open their MRE and heat it too. They are both over rated, over priced, over hyped pieces of crap that the idiots in the SAC thought they could get away with pushing down the countries throat. Face it.…the F35 is over hyped. And as a close air support plane, a piece of crap. No loiter time, poor payload, poor climb, maneuver, and too dependent on electronics to do what a man can. But,with the airheads with the mach 1000 mentality, its a wonder that the military can support the troops on the ground any way. COIN is close, dirty, and slow work. The A10 fits perfect. But the airframe is not getting any younger, and is already over extended in theater. Buying the Embrarer is not the way to go either. If I was in procurement, I would buy a fleet of sky trucks, and send them to war. Long loiter time, lots of payload, and ready right now. But, alas, the blood suckers at lock-heed martin, home of the flying piece of trash called the F35 will have to make something far less better, and far less capable.
	sailortom September 18th, 2009 at 7:17 am penns I agree with your concerns on Stavatti not having made a prototype yet…maybe the Army needs to expand beyond helos and buy the airframe that they need…could be the Air Force isn’t needed anymore…
	Steve W September 25th, 2009 at 9:41 am They should just restart the production line for the A1-E & A1G skyraiders. Nothing did the job better than that plane..