July 9, 2020
Meet the U.S. Special Operations Command’s Armed Overwatch Program
Though not yet finalized, the effort will find an airframe to provide close air support and precision strike capabilities.
by Caleb Larson
In October 2017, a group of American special operations soldiers were ambushed in Tongo Tongo, Niger. The attack, spearheaded by Islamic State in the Greater Sahara militants, killed four Americans and several local forces working with the United States. The attack laid bare a gap in Special Operations Command (SOCOM) capabilities: the need for a simple, cost-effective close air support platform that could operate from austere environments in support of ground-based special operations troops. The Air Force Special Operations Command is in the process of finding a solution to this pressing problem.
The SOCOM initiative, called the Armed Overwatch Program, aims to find a replacement for SOCOM’s current light aircraft, the U-28A Draco. The Draco is a militarized version of the PC-12 turboprop passenger plane and performs intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The Draco is not armed, but thanks to its robust landing gear and rugged design, can land on unpaved dirt tracks in remote locations.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/meet-us-special-operations-command%E2%80%99s-armed-overwatch-program-164467
