The potential market for aircraft that can perform light-attack and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions affordably has attracted several contenders, some from unlikely places. The appeal is their purchase prices of around $10 million and operating costs of about $1,000 per hour. So far, the market has been slow to materialize. Much of the current excitement centers on the U.S. Air Force’s far-from-certain interest in a 300-aircraft fleet of light-attack/ISR aircraft for counterinsurgency operations. Without this infusion, the market is likely to continue to be focused in the Middle East.
The potential market for aircraft that can perform light-attack and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions affordably has attracted several contenders, some from unlikely places. The appeal is their purchase prices of around $10 million and operating costs of about $1,000 per hour. So far, the market has been slow to materialize. Much of the current excitement centers on the U.S. Air Force’s far-from-certain interest in a 300-aircraft fleet of light-attack/ISR aircraft for counterinsurgency operations. Without this infusion, the market is likely to continue to be focused in the Middle East.