September 27, 2017, 01:37:34 PM EDT
By GILLIAN RICH, Investor's Business Daily
Textron 's ( TXT ) AT-6 Wolverine and
Sierra Nevada- Embraer 's ( ERJ ) A-29 Super Tucano could
get a chance to show off their abilities against the Islamic State or al-Qaida
in a combat test next year, as the Air Force looks at possibly buying up
to 300 relatively cheap, light-attack aircraft by 2022.
The Air Force hasn't decided if light-attack planes will
be an official acquisition program, but it experimented with the planes over
the summer at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.
The idea is save operating costs by flying the aircraft
in uncontested environments and use sophisticated fighters like Lockheed
Martin's ( LMT )
F-35 and Boeing's ( BA ) F/A-18 Super Hornet for
more dangerous missions.
A final decision on the test, dubbed Combat Dragon
III, hasn't been made yet, but Air Force Reserve Col. Mike Pietrucha,
light attack adviser to Air Combat Command, told Aviation
Week that he is preparing to send two AT-6s and two A-29s......Read rest of article: HERE
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