Finally! The Air Force received its New Super Light Attack Plane
Vložit
- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- The 137th Special Operations Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard has recently received its new OA-1K Sky Warden Light Attack Plane, and is beginning training. This marks a significant milestone for the US Air Force Special Operations Command's Light Attack program.
The United States will be the only operator of the OA-1K model for the time being. Initially, the Air Force had plans to purchase 75 of these Aircraft but has scaled back their plans in recent years.
Standard Mission profile. Take off, fly to target, strafe bad guys, fly over farm land, spray crops, return to base.
The bad guys are us. If you're unwilling to pay for more of these they will use them ON YOU🎉
yEA,, pretty much .
Multimission capability
They are literally talking about a THREE BILLION dollar contract for 75 of these. That's 40 million per plane. For a modified crop duster. Look, I know things cost money. But this is ridiculous.
I agree but maybe there's a lot more hi-tech than we know.
Yeah, but apparently all of us taxpayers have plenty of money.
More than hardpoints, this thing has a lot of EW gear. Meant to reduce the force multiplication available by modern comms which have proliferated to nearly all the world.
Agreed. This is absurdly overpriced
@@kevinblackburn3198 it's called nepotism.
I saw the precursor to the Sky Warden back in 2000. Air tractor was supplying up armored crop dusters to the Colombians for spraying coca fields. They had Corsair blue paint, cockpit armor, and bullet resistant canopy glass. They were at the avionics shop in Fredricksberg, TX having GPS flaggers installed. It’s the heaviest lift single engine monoplane in production.
@@andrewdunagan4491 It's also seen action against the Houthis in Yemen, BEFORE the USAF even noticed it.
For use on 'threats' foreign and *domestic*.
What threats? Boll Weevils?
It's a crop duster 😄😄
No. It’s not. 😅😅😅😅😅😅
@@ubroberts5541 Agreed. its an ~overpriced~ crop-duster. 🤣
It's a "FARMALL" and should bear the name....
An Embraer Super TUCANO would be a more cost efficient alternative I think….
The "Made In America" Lobby probably got extra points for their platform.. Contracting 101
Brazil is not a stable partner. Nothing below the US/Mexico border is stable. Tucano is fine to hand to client nations who are going to lose them anyway, but not for long term US use.
@@Comm0ut Sure, you keep believing that. Because our cars and most home appliances aren't made south of the border....
Wonder how this craft fairs against drug lords or insurgents with MANPADS?
Without a suitable 0:56 0:57 ew pod.this plane is toasted!
Low infrared emissions
@@Sid-jx4gl yep
It has EW pods
Fares.
A Crop Duster over an A-29 Super Tacano ! Might as well build more A-10's
They fly very different roles at very different costs. A-10 was a flak sponge back in Desert Storm where I worked next to them at KKMC. This is 2024 not 1974.
Nice Air Tractor
Bring back the OV-10 Bronco. 2 engines are better than 1.
Or OV-1
Yea,, & the Bronco was ''way'' faster,, like it should be,, & also an actual special purpose combat & rec. design,, not a glorified crop duster,, that was inspired by a Disney Movie ! !! LMFAO
Our gov't grounded a perfectly great OV-10 and spent 25 years and billions of dollars to replace it. They ended up with an A/C that is slower and not nearly as reliable.
Here Here Ov-10 ftw. Flex fuel, high payload, can carry cargo, dual engine for suitability. They were using the OV-10 as late as 2018! Battle proven arleady
@@MrCobb-rq8iv Not enough payload capacity, i think
Hilarious listening to the narrator be all serious about an Air Tractor painted grey and weapons bolted to it....
Well they’ve been dropping stuff on stuff for quite a few years now.
Killed a lotta bugs. 👍
Should we call it a tecknical??
@@speavyno it can't be, it's not a Toyota!
@@user-yh6xf3wl1h OW... *ZING*.
It's pathetic clickbait for military illiterates. Check the wetodation level in the comments for proof.
Critical error may be the in-line engine. Someone in the Pentagon was not familiar with the vulnerability of the P-51 Mustang in WWII ground attack role. If the engine took a hit, the plane was doomed. That's why the USAAF preferred the P-47 Thunderbolt with its air cooled radial engine in the ground attack role. The radial engine could take several hits and still fly.
The OV-10 Bronco has 2 engines and has thousands of hours of combat experience. BRING IT BACK!!
It’s a turboprop, not an inline engine.
This may be incredibly difficult to understand but this SOCOM bug smasher is not used in a fighter role. Other turboprop aircraft like Pilatus Porter do yeoman service in the roles it is intended for.
@@jamescook7713 I quite enjoyed working on them but it makes zero economic sense to retool (there is no tooling) to make an aircraft modern drones render obsolete.
Manned FAC/attack systems are helpless against MANPADS and, much worse, require CSAR to rescue downed aircrew. Aircrew should either be at home station or replaced by automated systems. Manned aircraft have absurd cost disadvantages over drones. These little shitboxes are for specialty work which doesn't justify new build manned airframes.
@@Comm0ut Reverse engineering is very easy. I'm retired Air Force. Egress section chief on the A-10. These single engine attack aircraft are jokes, like the A-29 Tucano at 6.5 MILLION dollars each. The "Sky Warden" has less operational value than most WW 2 fighter or attack aircraft did. Again, 2 engines are better than 1.
Civil disobedience
Gas sprayer
This would make a good anti drone fighter with the right weapons and targeting configuration
Perfect for a zombie apocalypse.
I think drones have already made this obsolete
I think it would be a good anti drone fighter
@@Sid-jx4gl Anti-Drone ~target~...
Not really. There are drone scrambling countermeasure now.
A crop duster with weapons and armor. Finding a unprepared target is all it needs. At least it gives guys training on the weapons operating.
That's what I thought. They armed an Air Tractor? If there are any armed boll weevils in the world, they're in trouble. 😁
@@theycallmehoipilloi5495 Their pilots can get the turbine time while at it and that's what airlines like to use for hiring since insurance companies make that as one of the stipulations.
When I first looked at this aircraft about fourteen years ago, I thought pretty much the same as you. But with A-10s dying of old age, this Ag plane may fill a number of needs over the jungles and deserts of the world.
They should have just brought back the Douglas Skyraider.
The Sky Warden isn’t really designed to drop a lot of bombs. More like targeting pods and Hellfire missiles.
I’ve been saying this since 2001
Agreed.
@@bryonslatten3147Might want to double check on that.
I defy you to articulate a modern mission case justifying that. "It looks cool" is not one.
If we’re buying these, we should definitely not be cancelling the A-10 at the same time.
They have nothing in common. Why do people who haven't a clue about either system have opinions?
Man, the crop-duster trash talk in the comments is huge! This plane is definitely low and slow. There are not going to be many orders domestically for this plane. The rapid evolution of battlefield drone technology probably has superseded the practical affordability and successful use of this plane. Unless they discover it will make for a good affordable mid size drone interceptor.
Doubt if it could even fly as fast as 1/2 the drones ! 🙄
@@I74UL1 the jet powered drones will probably give the air tractor some fits, but it should be able to catch many of the propeller driven drones. A limiting speed factor for propeller driven models is speeds are limited to speeds keeping the propeller blades from going supersonic. Very few planes operate with supersonic propeller blades. (It is done, but there are significant negative impacts.) an air tractor can operate at speeds up to about 245 mph, even though most of the time it’s running around in the 150 to 200 mph range. Most of the current one way drones being used in Ukraine operate at speeds less than 75 to about 140 mph. And I bet if they wanted to, they could tweak the air tractor to reach speeds approaching 300 mph without too much trouble with current off the shelf parts.
then even more insane giving 40 mill per plane
Not really affordable
Oklahoma must be a hellscape to need these things.
Thought the Air Force hated propeller driven airplanes.
what do you think most drones are???
@@rangerrick2246 Props on drones are just fine because pilots don't have to demean themselves by strapping in.
@@53kenner Laugh when the first quadcopter takes one down... unless they try to remote this piece of crap.
Obviously they liked the Disney movie ''Planes'' though ! LMFAOA 😆😅😂🤣😝
Is it me or do people fail to understand what this plane is used for. This is not for peer to peer it is for coin operations, and as for send in the A10s and Skiraiders, this thing can land on a rough airstrip, be serviced by a mechanic, rearmed by trained locals and be back in the air in 30min. The question should be why aren't these things replacing Ukraines aging helo fleet. If all I want to do is loft rockets and small diameter bombs from very low altitudes I would rather use this than a Mil8. Actually I would rather use a little bird. And if you use a Yak trainer 50km behind your lines with a guy with a shotgun to shoot down a Russian drone,this,a Tucano even a 1940s piston engine fighter would be better. But $40m
This can't be used in real combat situations like Ukraine. There's thousands of manpads there and this is an easy target, big hot engine, slow flying.
Really not to worried about Ukraine
I think the Vietnam Era A-1 Skyraider would have been a better choice
Yea,, for sure,, but them radials are getting pretty scarce..
A ''larger'' turbo prop version like in this,, in that Skyraider air frame,, would be impressive though ..
I have an F4U Corsair in one of my flight sims,, that was converted to turbo prop,, & it hauls @$$ !!! 😉
It would, but they wore them out during Nam. At the end of the Vietnam war, there wasn't any more to bring out of mothballs .
You ever seen a crop duster work? These things can skim the ground like nothing else.
Explain to us what the Oklahoma National Guard needs this sort of attack aircraft for it would seem to be most suited for guerrilla warfare
Didn't watch the video did you? It's the special forces training squadron
@@kdrapertrucker special forces for What in Oklahoma?
@@terrific804 What?
@@martingrof1685 what?
@@terrific804 Special Forces do training outside of combat. National guard exists for national defence. It makes sense for the national guard to update its equipment?
It is something in between a drone, armoured crop duster and a slow moving aerial vehicle. Lets wait until proven in combat. There are more options: A-1H Skyraider, OA-37, OV-10D, OA-4M, A-29 Supertucano, T-6 Wolverine, etc...and the A-10.
I’m not waiting when We all know what’s gonna happen
I'd vote either DragonFly or Bronco, or BOTH. The OV-10D was a night-witch for sure. Night-vision-linked 20mm cannon? OW.
It won't win a beauty contest that's for sure, let's just hope it's up to the job. Plus when not on combat missions they can hire out to local Farmers for crop dusting duties.
Reincarnated JU-87 Stuka?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂 Der Ju 87 würde besser sein
Nah, this thing isn't going to do much dive bombing.
This is by far my new favorite military plane. I'm a little surprised they didn't have a mid-air refueling port put on these, but I guess that doesn't fit the mission profile or it would be hard to engineer. These have super low per hour flight costs and probably have a very long loiter time. Mid-air refueling would mean they could stay on station even longer.
This thing definitely has an air of sturmavik about it.
Sturmavik could fly fly circles around it,, even if being ruzzan !
repurposed crop duster
Look at you, all smart and stuff.
Yep
Like it's a bad thing
The airframe is the cheapest part of the system. The avionics and surveillance electronics are where the money goes, plus the missiles and other weaponry.
CROP DUSTER, the whole world 🌍 is laughing their heads off!
Military-grade pest control... perfect for Special Ops.
Let them, they'll laugh in the afterlife if they get on the receiving end.
They're only laughing at you, crop dusters and cessnas were some of the most valuable assets for troops in Iraq going door to door. They aren't for day 1 of the war.
@@greg8106 . Well jump in one and show us what they can do, I personally as a fighter pilot would rather stick with the A-10 Thunderbolt 2
You Will Comply
The money doesn’t launder itself.
In a peer to peer scenario only the A-10 will due.
Even the A-10 is vulnerable to modern air defenses.
@@andrewhirsch6472 You’re right, it is. But less vulnerable than a much slower, remodeled crop duster.
@@Delta-b9z : Both planes are obsolete against enemies with anything more than the most rudimentary air defenses. And even there, armored attack helicopters and drones are more practical and cheaper to operate. I'd cancel both planes, but the Warthog's emotional fan base regard their aircraft as a cult-like talisman of military strength.
I'm sorry, but that won't last long in combat.
What kind of combat do you think it would be used for? If you're thinking about an intense shooting war like Ukraine and Russia, you're probably right. But I doubt this will be used in that kind of war.
How much will it cost the taxpayer when one crashes on take off?
Less than $2B?
Might just be a use for this thing!
Look up the story of the military commander who restarted this program during Iraq. He was given an insanely low budget (by American standards) and his light attack planes did some real damage at a fraction of the price. The prop planes just circled the cities for hours on end waiting for calls to come in, something that bombers and jets couldn't do.
How does this plane compares with the Super Tucano?
wow we went from drones war right back to WWI planes
Imagine busting your ass to earn your USAF wings only to end up flying a modified crop duster. An OV-10 Bronco or even OV-1 Mohawk? Yes. An Ag Tractor? No thanks.
One word is missing here.... KICKBACKS
I hope this isn't real. Lets spray for ear worm.
Who has the Ivermectin contract? They are going to start ~spraying~ for Covid! (*bad-joke*)
I'm sure it's fun to fly. Reminds me of the crop dusters.
This warplane will fight against bugs and grasshoppers.
How this could possibly survive against modern air defenses is beyond me. It looks fun to fly, but once it gets shot at? Against guerrillas armed with no more than infantry rifles, OK, but against heavier opposition? God help our airmen.
I think this IS for counter-insurgency and asymmetrical warfare rather than frontline conventional warfare.
Air Force chose this one over the Brazilian Super Tucano?!
While all who watch this, think this is just a cropduster(It's more than that), it's a cropduster with a kill count, before the Air Force ever bought it.
“…”
“Who’s gonna tell Em?“
It’s a Deathtrap
The Simpery is Incredible
This in place of the A-10????????????????????????????????????????????
Awesome love cheap military options
Get what you pay for.
It looks like dusty from the planes movie has a new mission
@2:10 "Operared by several ....." and then mention 3 third world countries
Should bring back the enforcer
Love the name “Liberty”. How could anyone question it?
The A10 may turn out being far more cost effective.
USAF can't operate A-10s in denied environments, but crop dusters are ok? I'd love to be in that briefing.
F-35 for contested environments.
This isnt for denied environments.
Total waste of money. Obsolete technology. Other assets already exist that can do this mission better.
Should be a superb ground support a/c!
Tail daggers are just cool
Used to watch the crop sprayers back in 1976 in the then Transvaal and always thought they have potential. Just turbo it and change some dispersing nozzles for different applications. Think I was right
Don't know is this is supposed to replace the A-10 but if it's the Air Forces idea of a close air support aircraft may they should have kept the A1 Skyraider. All they had to do was replace the radial engine with a turbo prop. Many more hard points for a bigger variety of weapons. Think this is just a waste of money but you will get more generals out of the change!
Just rebuild the P-51 with updated avionics save millions as they rebuilt them as the Cavalier in the 70's.
I still think they should have upgraded the OV-10, and restarted production. There's just something about having 2 engines, and some rear cargo capacity that makes sense.
AGREED. Could upgrade the engines, glass-cockpit... it would be MUCH better (seriously, it would)
Agree 100%. USAF retired.
Should have kept the combat tested and proven OV-10
Looks like an anti cartel aircraft.
Bet it would even fail at that. One low-tech seeker or a drone, and its TOAST.
Soooo....we're well into the 21st century, and we're back to using technology from WW2.
I'm all for balancing the budget, but this may be the wrong way to go about it.
It is disturbing that the USAF is procuring COIN aircraft in an era of peer on peer tensions. What is the purpose?
My guess is cheaper to operate than the A-10 and good along the southern border to loiter
There's always going to be counter-insurgency just like there's always going to be near peer. Have to prepare for both.
$15M crop duster.
Well… when they leave them behind at least the natives cannuaw them for crop dusting.
The military industrial complex.@@bryonslatten3147
So what about in-flight refueling?
My biggest question is how this relatively slow plane is to survive against the huge range of machine gun fire and portable missiles. Is the US military preparing to fight yet another third-world country that has only RPGs and outdated Stingers ??? Is there anyone left like that, who we haven't pissed off yet ?
Seems expensive..think it may be good against drones.i also think it has technology we aren’t totally aware of yet.
It’s a crop duster!!! I cannot believe they went with this instead of a purpose built aircraft like the Tucano! This is an obvious end of year budget spend to ensure the same budget is secure for next year!!!
Nice plane if your're up against other turbo props. Someone in the Pentagon never saw the scene in the movie "Final Countdown" where 2 F-14's ripped apart 2 Japanese Zeros after their carrier USS Nimitz was transported back in time to December 6, 1941.
4:34 why are you mumbling the engine's power numbers? Is it aluminum or titanium propellers? You contradicted yourself.
Me to a friend, many years ago: I think the U.S should go back to developing propeller based attack planes to ease the cost and keep the planes up in the air for a lot longer, and sell them at $10 million a plane.
The U.S: Great idea, let's buy that $500k crop duster for $40 million.
Someone's making a very huge profit margin out of this. The A-29 Super Tucano is $9-14 million USD each and A-10's cost $18 million. There's no way this costs $40 million 😂
Put a cheap 2 cycle engine (8 cylinder blown) on it and DRONE it.. The American produced PT6 is way to expensive... maybe the Turk version, but I suspect they are not selling (or cheap enough)
Nothing runs like a Deere!!
And nothing runs away like an AirTractor!
I Grow up with The OV - 10 & AE -1
I don't see how that canape facilitates any observation .
Being an air tractor crop duster. Will it be loaded with sarin as well?
Bring back the Thud and A-7 Corsair 2. A-1 would be needing reincarnated P-47 Thunderbolt and A-1 Skyraider
bring all those back
clearly most people have NO idea what it is being used for. You can't use jets effectively in a slow and really close encounter
I do feel these types of planes still have a valuable role they could play in combat.
But as others have mentioned, the price is ridiculous. maybe that's for all the weapons pods and cameras etc.. ISR
sadly we know how contracts are done, who can lobby the most which in turn they get the contracts. its how the whole defense industry is setup.
But those wings are so dang wide makes me believe its not for air-to-air etc..
AT-6 wolverine looks better imo
Is this thing liquid cooled or turbo prop! I thought radial engines were the best for ground attack? Can someone explain?
AT8 on off days can be crop duster
Oh wow. A Spitfire 2.0 in 2024. Weren't there any surplus Mustangs they could have modernized for less?
SHORT TUCANO is a better airframe.
Would have been better served as a drone.
Nuts, really. 40 million per? No wonder a trillion dollar defence budget goes nowhere. Bullshit.
No way !
The A-29 costs 6 million each.
I thought Brandon said he would use F-16s against AR -15s ?!? 🧐🦅🇺🇸🕶️👍🙏✌️
I've noticed a few of these flying around San Diego and off shore on FlightRadar24. Very interesting.
that is a very ease and fun type to operate. saludos
Poor mans A-10.
Bring back skyraider
Crop dusters then....😏
Dusting crops today and spraying bullets tomorrow, not that's versatility.
They should call the "The Duster" as that's what it looks like.
Sometimes the simple is the best...but do wonder in asymmetric warfare with small controlled drones are these just big fat slow targets?>?>?
Crop Custer spray for bugs
The AT-6 would have been a better choice. It is based off of the T-6 that serves in the USAF and USN training Commands, there are plenty of pilots, maintenance troops and parts. More wasted money, just like the T-7A.
Should have asked Elon Musk or palmer luckey to design one for a fraction of that cost