L3Harris Technologies and Air Tractor Inc’s AT-802U Sky Warden has prevailed in the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Armed Overwatch program. The team’s AT-802U Sky Warden system was selected over its rivals to fulfill the requirement for up to 75 aircraft. The team was awarded an initial $170 million out of an indefinite quantity/indefinite delivery contract with a cost ceiling of $3 billion.
The fleet of modern multimission aircraft will address SOCOM’s need for a deployable, sustainable single-engine, fixed-wing, crewed and affordable aircraft system. It will meet close air support; precision strike; armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); strike coordination; and forward air controller requirements for use in austere and permissive environments. The aircraft will be used in irregular warfare operations.
L3Harris expects to rapidly modify last summer’s Armed Overwatch prototype demonstrator into the production configuration and provide for customer weapon system testing in approximately six months. Production of new, fully modified, Armed Overwatch mission-configured aircraft will begin in 2023 at L3Harris’s Tulsa, Oklahoma, modification center, following initial production at Air Tractor’s Olney, Texas, aircraft manufacturing facility. Six new aircraft will be delivered under Lot 1 low-rate initial production .
The procurement program began in January 2020 when SOCOM officially launched the Armed Overwatch effort. The service sought to acquire 75 manned, fixed-wing aircraft to perform the following missions: close air support, armed reconnaissance, strike coordination and reconnaissance, and airborne forward air control.
In May 2021, SOCOM selected five competitors to build and fly prototypes. The competitors included Leidos, teamed with Paramount Group USA and Vertex Aerospace, with the Bronco II; MAG Aerospace with the MC-208 Guardian; Textron with the AT-6E Wolverine; Air Tractor/L3Harris with the AT-802U Sky Warden; and Sierra Nevada Corp with the MC-145B Wily Coyote. By November, the list was narrowed to three competitors: Textron, Sierra Nevada Corp, and Air Tractor/L3Harris.
Forecast International’s Defense & Aerospace Companies, Volume I – North America service includes coverage of over 100 key U.S. and Canadian primes and their subsidiaries. Each of the 39 reports contains data on recent programs, mergers, and joint ventures. Among the notable corporations covered are OEMs such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, and General Dynamics. Also featured are Tier I and Tier II contractors such Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, Parker Hannifin, and Spirit AeroSystems. Click here to learn more.
A military history enthusiast, Richard began at Forecast International as editor of the World Weapons Weekly newsletter. As the Internet grew in importance as a research tool, he helped design the company's Forecast Intelligence Center and currently coordinates the EMarket Alert newsletters for clients. Richard also manages social media efforts, including two new blogs: Defense & Security Monitor, covering defense systems and international issues, and Flight Plan, which focuses on commercial aviation and space systems. For over 30 years, Richard has authored the Defense & Aerospace Companies, Volume I (North America) and Volume II (International) services. The two books provide detailed data on major aerospace and defense contractors. He also edits the International Contractors service, a database that tracks all the contractors involved in the programs covered in the FI library. More recently he was appointed Manager, Information Services Group (ISG), a new unit that encompasses developing outbound content for both Forecast International and Military Periscope.
