Updated March 30, 2021
Air Force OA-X Light Attack Aircraft/SOCOM Armed
Overwatch Program

On October 24, 2019, the U.S. Air Force issued a final
OA-X, its ability to operate with coalition partners, and to
request for proposals declaring its intent to acquire a new
initially evaluate candidate aircraft. The first phase included
type of aircraft. The OA-X light attack aircraft is a small,
four aircraft: the Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29;
two-seat turboprop airplane designed for operation in
Textron/Beechcraft AT-6B; Air Tractor/L3 OA-802
relatively permissive environments. The announcement of a
turboprops, variants of which are in service with other
formal program followed a series of Air Force
countries; and the developmental Textron Scorpion jet.
“experiments” to determine the utility of such an aircraft.
First-phase operations continued through August 2017.
Following conclusion of the Air Force experiments, the
program passed to U.S. Special Operations Command as
Figure 1. Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29
the “Armed Overwatch” program, with a goal of acquiring
75 aircraft.
Why Light Attack?
During 2018, then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson
often expressed the purpose of a new light attack aircraft as
giving the Air Force an ability to free up more sophisticated
and expensive assets for other tasks, citing the example of
using high-end F-22 jets to destroy a drug laboratory in
Afghanistan as an inefficient use of resources. Per-hour
operating costs for light attack aircraft are typically about
2%-4% those of advanced fighters.

She and other officials have also noted that the 2018
Source: U.S. Department of Defense.
National Defense Strategy put a greater emphasis on
Note: Shown in Afghan service.
potential conflicts against capably armed nation-states,
further stressing a need to minimize the use of high-end
Figure 2. Textron/Beechcraft AT-6
assets in other types of conflict. (For more on that
document, see CRS Insight IN10855, The 2018 National
Defense Strategy
, by Kathleen J. McInnis.)
Conversely, Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had
criticized the Air Force as focusing excessively on the kind
of high-end, near-peer conflicts in that strategy; the light
attack aircraft can be seen as making the Air Force more
relevant to low-end and counterinsurgency warfare.
History
In January, 2016, LtGen James Holmes (then Air Force
Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and
Requirements) indicated to CRS that the Air Force was
considering starting two programs related to ground-attack

operations. One, called OA-X, would examine existing,
Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Ethan D. Wagner.
“off-the-shelf” light attack aircraft to add a low-end
capability for use in relatively permissive air environments
such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The other, dubbed AX-2,
would develop an eventual replacement for the existing A -
10 Thunderbolt II. The Air Force subsequently publicized
these concepts, although they were not included in the fiscal
2017 budget submission.
On July 31, 2017, the Air Force began what it called the
Capability Assessment of Non-Developmental Light Attack
Platforms, an “experiment” to determine the utility of an
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Air Force OA-X Light Attack Aircraft/SOCOM Armed Overw atch Program
Figure 3. Air Tractor/L3 OA-802
Congressional Action
The Administration’s FY2020 request for Aircraft
Procurement, Air Force included $35 million for light
attack aircraft. Although the Administration did not request
any funding specific to the OA-X experiment or subsequent
procurement in the FY2017-FY2019 budget submissions,
the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2019 as enacted (P.L. 115-232) included $300
million for procurement of a fleet of OA-X aircraft and long
lead materials. Neither the act nor its accompanying report

specified a quantity of aircraft.
Source: L-3.
The Administration’s FY2021 budget request proposed
Figure 4. Textron Scorpion
$101 million to begin the purchase of Armed Overwatch
aircraft. Congress, in Section 163 of the report
accompanying the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National
Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2021(H.Rept.
116-617), denied that request and prohibited funds from
being used to acquire armed overwatch aircraft for the Air
Force through FY2023.
Potential Issues for Congress
Questions to consider in evaluating the OA-X/Armed
Overwatch program might include the following:
 What is the value of adding this capability to the Air
Force or SOCOM?
 How large a fleet is appropriate?
Source: Darin LaCrone/Textron Airland.
 Might this mission be better accomplished through other
The experiment’s second phase began May 7, 2018, with
means, such as remotely piloted aircraft (“drones”)?
the A-29 and AT-6B continuing in the program. The flying
portion of the program concluded in June 2018; release of
 Does the presence of such aircraft in U.S. service assist
the presolicitation notice can be seen as the formal end of
in training and operating with partner nations? If so,
the OA-X experimental phase.
what is the value of that to the United States?
A presolicitation notice issued August 6, 2018,
 Should the U.S. government be involved in promoting
sales of similar aircraft to other nations, and if so, how?
 limited participation in the proposed contract to Sierra
Nevada and Textron;
 Is a procurement restricted to two specified competitors

fair and appropriate?
did not specify a number of aircraft to be acquired (Air
Force estimates have varied from 20 to “a couple of
 Is it efficient or operationally preferable to operate more
squadrons” to 300) or a target unit price;
than one type of light attack aircraft?
 predicted a formal solicitation in December 2018, with
 Is the use of “experiments” rather than a formal
contract award in the fourth quarter of 2019; and
downselect process a useful innovation in streamlining
acquisition, a circumvention of rules, or might it be
 is available at https://go.usa.gov/xUMEZ.
described some other way? Does that judgment change
when (as in this case) the procurement is intended for an
The October 24, 2019, request for proposals split the
off-the-shelf, rather than developmental, acquisition?
proposed buy between A-29 and AT-6, with two to three
each. The AT-6s would be used at Nellis AFB, NV, for
 The Air Force has publicly stated it is experiencing a
testing and development of operational tactics; the A -29s
shortage of trained pilots. Would creation of a light
would be used by Air Force Special Operations Command
attack fleet exacerbate that shortage or assist in the
in an instructor pilot program for air advisers at Hurlburt
training and absorption of new pilots?
Field, FL. The Air Force has not yet discussed why the buy
was split between the two aircraft. The A-29 would be built
Jeremiah Gertler, Specialist in Military Aviation
and assembled in Jacksonville, FL; the AT-6 in Wichita,
KS.
IF10954


https://crsreports.congress.gov

Air Force OA-X Light Attack Aircraft/SOCOM Armed Overw atch Program


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