The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command received the first two T-802U trainers, at Hurlburt Field, Florida, on June 28, 2024, in preparation for military use of agricultural aircraft.
On Monday, July 8, these aircraft began being used to train test pilots, in preparation for the OA-1K Sky Warden to enter service.
The OA-1K is a low-cost, reliable, multi-role, small-to-medium aircraft system designed to support geographically isolated special operations personnel.
The project is being implemented by L3Harris, a defense company that has partnered with Air Tractor so that the AT-802 agricultural aircraft can be modified from the factory for military use with a launch point for missiles, bombs and shells as well as a wide range of sensors and cameras.
The aircraft will perform close air support, precision strikes, and armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in austere and permissive environments. The multi-functional nature of the system allows SOCOM to conduct irregular warfare operations more cost-effectively, freeing up other resources and assets for the national defense strategy.
Training with the T-802U trainer aircraft began at Hurlburt Field the week of July 8, 2024. There is no date yet for achieving initial operational capability (IOC).
With information from the AFSOC Press Office
