The AT-802U Sky Warden: A Powerful Overwatch Aircraft for Special Operations

The U.S. Air Force is made up of the most capable warfighting assets the world has ever known. It comprises a massive training fleet, fighters and attack, ISR and ISTAR, bombers, and the largest fleet of combat support and cargo airlift aircraft in the world. 

But one area that has been sorely neglected but brought to light during the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is close air support (CAS). Fast moving jets certainly have their place, and attack helicopters like the AH-64 and AH-1 are great assets, but there is very little in between. Even the illustrious A-10 requires a paved runway and ground support equipment. The military needs a fixed wing aircraft that can operate out of the most austere conditions with a substantial payload and very little support equipment. 

The solution? Take an existing aircraft that fits the bill, add weapons and sophisticated ISR sensors, and ship it. And the ideal platform happens to be the venerable crop duster. Extremely strong, no frills, minimal systems, and a huge payload. 

Air Tractor met the demand with the AT-802U Sky Warden, and we’re going to take a look at it.  

Design and Capabilities

So, what exactly is the AT802U Sky Warden?

The design started with a commercial off-the-shelf Air Tractor AT-802A, which is Air Tractor’s largest commercially available crop duster. The AT-802A is a large airplane, with a MGTOW of 16,000lbs. It spans a little over 59 feet, and has a useful load of over 9,000lbs making it the ideal platform for the overwatch mission (which we will get to in a little bit). 

The AT-802U Sky Warden is designed to provide close air support and overwatch capabilities in austere and permissive environments, with the ability to carry precision-guided munitions such as AGM-176A Griffin laser/GPS-guided mini missiles. But that is just a small sample of what it can carry. The aircraft features six weapons stations, so it carries a lot of ordnance for precision strike missions.

The Sky Warden flies low and slow because that’s what crop dusters do. But since it is designed from scratch to do that, it is a great, stable platform for precision strike and CAS missions. The Sky Warden can loiter on station for six hours with a 200 nautical mile combat radius, providing extended overwatch capabilities. Also, the aircraft’s crew onboard can see and monitor operations within and outside the sensor fields of view, with their hands on the flight controls for real-time control.

Close Air Support and Overwatch Capabilities

What exactly is CAS and overwatch?

Good question. 

CAS is fairly self-explanatory. It means that the aircraft will loiter on station to provide quick strike capabilities to warfighters in the field. It needs to remain on station without refueling for extended periods of time, which is something that helicopters are not very good at. The AH-64 can only loiter for only about 2-3 hours, depending on a number of factors. The AT-802U can carry more weapons and has twice the loiter time of this, plus it is faster than the fastest helicopters in the fleet (except for the V-22) so it can easily escort them. 

One issue that the Army ran into, especially in AORs with high density altitudes, was that the CH-47 Chinook would walk away from the AH-64s that were supposed to be “escorting” them. No more with the AT-802U. But it can also throttle back for the slower helicopters all while performing armed overwatch. 

But What is Armed Overwatch?

Armed overwatch is a multi-tiered operation that refers to tactical military operations where armed aircraft, drones, or both provide continuous surveillance and immediate CAS for ground forces. These aircraft have to loiter for extended periods, like the Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravan did so well for the Iraqi Air Force against ISIS. 

Special Operations Forces have unique mission needs and need CAS on scene for immediate retaliatory attacks, but CAS only goes so far. The mission has evolved and changed a lot over the past couple of decades. Missions that would have been done strictly as CAS in recent decades are not armed overwatch because warfighters require the surveillance component that was missing until recently. 

So, the Air Tractor weapon system is a great support platform for special operators. There are plenty of other aircraft that provide CAS, and there are aircraft that provide surveillance, but something does both? That is a unique aircraft for a unique mission. 

Jets are too fast and frankly way too expensive to do this effectively. Helicopters struggle at high altitudes, have very limited loiter duration, and limited payload. Also, large aircraft like the AC-130 have to orbit at higher altitudes which limits their ability in the CAS role. The special operations forces and Special Operations Command needed something that could do both. 

Air Tractor aircraft are tailor made for this type of work. It doesn’t get much more austere than flying out of dirt strips in Western Texas. The airplanes also have excellent payloads and fuel capacity, and plenty of room for sensor packages and hardpoints for weapon stores. 

For asymmetrical warfare moving forward (which will be most conflicts), armed overwatch is not a “nice to have”; it’s an absolute necessity. 

Advantages and Benefits

The obvious advantage and benefit of using the Air Tractor AT-802 for armed overwatch and CAS missions is that you can take an extremely strong aircraft with a proven track record of millions of hours and armed it accordingly. It is designed with a huge payload capacity with far lower fuel burn than a comparable helicopter. Jets can carry more and get on location faster, but they cost many times as much per hour to operate and are much more finicky about where they can operate from. 

Future Development and Deployment

Thankfully, future development is already well backed by a rock solid supply chain since Air Tractors have been flying for decades and have a great track record. With Operations Enduring Freedom wrapped up as of 2021, the main theater for the AT-802U is closed for the moment. However, it is highly likely that other nations will see the AT-802U as a great option for the same reason our forces did, and it will probably be sold via Foreign Military Sales programs.

Much like the A-29 Super Tucano, the AT-802U is a great low-cost CAS aircraft especially well suited for nations with rough terrain where fighting is often consisting of fighting cartels or guerillas. 

Greenwood Aerospace Sustains Overwatch Aircraft

Here at Greenwood Aero, we are no strangers to supporting armed overwatch aircraft. We have experience sustaining the A-29 Super Tucano and the Cessna AC-208 Combat Caravan, and the AT-802U is the logical evolution. It is a similar mission, and shares many common power plant components. We are here for the CAS and armed overwatch missions, whichever platform your operation uses! Also, we are your go-to for FMS contracts.     

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