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TAMPA, Florida—L3Harris is increasing its international pitch for the OA-1K Skyraider II armed overwatch aircraft, offering the modified crop duster as an effective counter-drone hunter along with maritime and border patrol uses.
The “Skyraider II International” has been the focus of talks with nations in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Eastern Europe. Those discussions are in addition to the announced partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries to pursue that nation’s light-attack aircraft program, said Jason Lambert, president of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at L3Harris.
This comes amid ongoing uncertainty about the final fleet size for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). While Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSCO) maintains it has a program of record for 75 of the modified Air Tractor AT-802s, SOCOM’s fiscal 2027 budget request reduces the planned fleet to 53. Two aircraft would be purchased in 2027, with four planned in 2028 and two in 2029 to complete procurement.
Lambert said there have been studies, including a classified evaluation by the RAND Corp., that bolster the argument for at least 75 of the aircraft. Once the aircraft is operational and deployed, “the quantities are going to come,” he told reporters at the SOF Week event here in Tampa, Florida.
L3Harris is on contract for 45 of the aircraft now, with 18 delivered as of late May. The production line in Waco, Texas, is churning out aircraft at a pace of about one per month, but that can be ramped up to 24 per year depending on orders.
The Block I aircraft being delivered to AFSOC includes a synthetic aperture radar for ground-moving target indication, two Wescom electro-optical infrared sensors, and a baseline munition package of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guided rockets, Hellfire missiles and GBU-12 laser-guided bombs. This week an AFSOC OA-1K test-fired a Hellfire missile at Eglin AFB, Florida.
Potential international customers have expressed interest in a gun for close air support, and the OA-1K is compatible with a GAU-19 50-cal. weapon, Lambert said.
Highlighting close air support interest, Lambert said a nation had come to the U.S. government with interest in buying retiring Fairchild Republic A-10 attack jets. The government said that is not possible, but instead pointed the nation to the OA-1K. Lambert would not specify this nation, or other specific countries in discussions for the aircraft.
However, in July 2024 former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the government of Jordan had expressed interest in the A-10.
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