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AFSOC’s Armed Overwatch Platform
<div>For those who aren’t tracking and looking for awesome guard jobs, AFSOC’s Armed Overwatch platform, the OA-1K, will be coming soon to the Oklahoma ANG. </div>
What is Armed Overwatch? Armed Overwatch is AFSOC’s version of light attack, and answer to the close air support concerns of the special operations community. The argument is that with the big Air Force’s focus on the Great Power Competition (GPC, i.e. China), CCAs, and NGAD, the special ops forces that are always operating around the world may not have the protection they have been afforded during the Global War on Terrorism heyday. If a small team comes under fire in lets say the middle of Africa, it would take a monumental effort to daisy chain F-16s and tankers to get them help. So SOCOM wanted a platform that could be forward deployed with the ground teams, operate out of small/unimproved fields, and be self-sustainable with minimal maintenance or support footrpint. Enter the OA-1K.
The OA-1K is a heavily modified Air Tractor aircraft that can loiter for eight plus hours over a battlespace and carry the latest and greatest in special operations precision guided weapons (SOPGM). The Oklahoma ANG unit will transitioning from the MC-12 ISR platform to the OA-1K and take over the formal training for AFSOC at large. It is an interesting platform with a ton of positives (but also a few negatives). Happy to discuss more if there are any questions, but something to keep on your radar if you are looking for an action-packed bomb-dropping snake-eating life!
flightglobal.com
L3Harris poised to deliver first OA-1K Armed Overwatch turboprop
Although the Armed Overwatch programme to develop a new close-air support turboprop has been criticised by government auditors, US Special Operations Command stands by the concept and contractor L3Harris is poised to deliver the first aircraft.
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2 Replies
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Biggs, do you think hiring from outside will include a direct entry pathway?
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Eventually they will get UPT slots once the program and initial cadre are matured. Not sure when exactly but probably in the next year or two.
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