US Air Force Names New OA-1K Light Attack Aircraft ‘Skyraider II’
The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has officially named its forthcoming OA-1K light attack and reconnaissance aircraft the Skyraider II, reviving the legacy of the Douglas A-1 Skyraider, a rugged close air support aircraft that saw extensive combat in Korea and Vietnam.
The announcement was made at the recent Special Air Warfare Symposium in Florida as the Air Force prepares for the aircraft’s arrival in the coming weeks.
“I am excited about the Skyraider II,” Lieutenant General Michael Conley, AFSOC’s commander, said in a press release. “I think we have a capability that’s only ours, and we are going to have the ability to shape that into something that the rest of the nation might not even know they need right now.”
The Skyraider II, developed under U.S. Special Operations Command’s (SOCOM) Armed Overwatch program, is a militarized version of the Air Tractor AT-802 crop duster. Designed as a crewed, multi-role aircraft, Skyraider II is expected to support the AFSOC through close air support, precision strikes, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
The Skyraider II can carry up to 6,000 pounds of ordnance, including precision-guided bombs, laser-guided rockets, and air-to-ground missiles. It is also equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
“Providing scalable and precision effects is where the Skyraider II will come in. The Skyraider II could take on missions from the southwest border to Africa and create dilemmas for those we are in competition with,” Brig. Gen. Craig Prather, AFSOC’s director of strategic plans said.
The aircraft is set to replace older ISR platforms, such as the U-28A Draco, and supplement A-10 retirements, as the Air Force gradually phases out the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II—a legendary close air support platform that has long been the subject of debate over its relevance in modern warfare.
AFSOC expects the first operational Skyraider II aircraft to arrive at Hurlburt Field in late March.
