Zitat:The US Special Operations Command has chosen an aircraft to help operators out in austere environments- and it looks awfully similar to an older, tried-and-true warhorse.

Defense company Leidos was issued a contract for the US Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) Armed Overwatch aircraft prototype program, allowing the Bronco II to move forward.

The Bronco II, touted as a rugged, affordable and sustainable multi-mission aircraft built to meet the specific needs of special operations forces, looks similar to the Vietnam-era OV-10 Bronco, which was made by North American Rockwell.

The OV-10 was noted for its toughness and versatility, making it a popular observation and light attack aircraft with both the US Air Force and US Marine Corps.

The Bronco II may look somewhat puny compared to its forerunner, but that is partially by design- it is made to adhere to “roll-on, roll-off” standards, meaning it can be rapidly disassembled, transported and reassembled in the field by a small crew.

Sacrificing two engines for one “pusher” prop, the Bronco II can be upgraded in the field for a variety of missions.

According to a statement from the company, the Bronco II will be made in Crestview, Florida.

Zitat:Op-Ed: U.S. Marine Corps Needs A New Light Attack Plane

As the United States Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 sheds Legacy weapons systems in favor of modernization to meet peer nation challenges, the U.S. Marines are pressed to substitute new systems to remedy the firepower shortfall from the divestments in Marine aviation, tanks, tube artillery, and other units.

With a desire to operate and engage in Anti-Submarine Warfare, the littorals, long-range Close Air Support, and the fact that the jamming arena has sat empty since the retirement of the Marines’ EA-6B “Prowler” Electronic Warfare jets, the Marines should seriously look into acquiring a two-seater light attack plane that is slow, low cost, and multifunctional. The Tactical Air Vehicle (TAV™) WASP™ by Icarus Aerospace fits this postulated multi-mission requirement well with a design and performance that allows the Marines to cross vast distances with better situational awareness, armament, capabilities, options, flexibility and endurance than many other Light Attack Plane designs. What’s more, the TAV WASP is a “clean slate design concept” that can be modified and customized to Marine Corps needs as it is still on the drawing board. [...]

The Marines will really need a plane that can fulfill their “Wish list” of desires for Close Air Support (CAS), Close Air Defense, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Electronic Warfare/Jamming, C4ISR, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), deep penetration strike, loiter, counter-insurgency operations (COIN), drone control and operations, long-range precision ordnance carrier, Forward Air Control, tanking, Area Denial, Special Operations coverage, and other duties that their fighter/bomber F-18C/Ds and stealthy F-35Bs cannot achieve.

Zitat:The Marines will really need a plane that can fulfill their “Wish list” of desires for Close Air Support (CAS), Close Air Defense, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Electronic Warfare/Jamming, C4ISR, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), deep penetration strike, loiter, counter-insurgency operations (COIN), drone control and operations, long-range precision ordnance carrier, Forward Air Control, tanking, Area Denial, Special Operations coverage, and other duties that their fighter/bomber F-18C/Ds and stealthy F-35Bs cannot achieve.