Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance

The Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) or Light Air Support (LAS) program has been established to enable the United States Air Force to buy a light counter-insurgency, ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft should be capable of finding, tracking, and attacking targets either on its own or in support of ground forces. The program formally began in July 2009 with a request for information. No request for proposal has yet been issued. The selected aircraft is expected to enter service in 2013. Approximately 100 aircraft were expected to be ordered, but USAF has reduced the number of aircraft sought to 15 aircraft. The new, 15 aircraft program is focused at training pilots, not a combat mission. This program has also been called the OA-X program or the AT-X program, although the reduced scope of the LAAR program has forced the USAF to push an "OA-X" program indefinitely into the future.

History
The 2009 Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance program was born out of the need for a new close air support aircraft that was suited to the type of combat the United States was facing in post 2003-invasion Iraq and Afghanistan. The close air support role was carried out by several different aircraft, including the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the B-1B Lancer, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F-15E Strike Eagle. While all of these aircraft are capable of close air support, only the 1970s vintage A-10 was purpose built for the type of support needed by ground troops in a "low intensity conflict," or COIN (COunterINsurgency), operation.

For example, these aircraft often do not have the loiter time needed for these missions and require aerial refueling support, making their missions more expensive. Additionally, long loiter missions use up an airframe's service life faster than expected, requiring replacement. This may cause issues in the future as some aircraft, such as the A-10, are out of production and cannot be replaced.

To solve this problem, the United States Air Force released a Request for Information (RFI) on July 27, 2009 requesting details of a possible Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance aircraft that could be outfitted to specific requirements (see Requirements below) and enter into service in 2013.

The Air Force planned to acquire approximately 100 aircraft in the RFI, but has since reduced the initial requirement to 15 aircraft. A more detailed Request for Proposals (RFP) has not been released as of September 2010.

In 2011 the House Armed Services Committee moved to block funding for the program until the requirements and acquisition were validated.

In November 2011 it was revealed that the Beechcraft AT-6B had been excluded from the competition by the USAF, leaving the Embraer A-29 the probable winner, with a contract expected to be awarded in December 2011. According to GAO: “the Air Force concluded that HBDC had not adequately corrected deficiencies in its proposal. In this regard, the agency concluded that multiple deficiencies and significant weaknesses found in HBDC’s proposal make it technically unacceptable and results in unacceptable mission capability risk”. Hawker Beechcraft's protest against its exclusion was dismissed.

On December 30, 2011, the USAF announced that the A-29 had been awarded the contract. But the contract award was disputed and a stop-work was issued the following January. All motions will be due to U.S. Court of Federal Claim by March 6, 2012.

A reawarding of the contract was expected in January 2013, but was delayed a few months. The A-29 was reawarded the contract on February 27, 2013. And Beechcraft again challenged the contract. But the USAF ordered that the construction start anyway. Beechcraft's allies in the Kansas Republican congressional delegation then called for the work to be stopped, while Embraer's Floridan congressional allies praised the USAF's move. The USAF has instructed for work to continue unless a federal court orders otherwise. The United States Court of Federal Claims upheld the USAF's decision to proceed with the contract work.

Requirements
The selected LAAR aircraft will have to meet several key requirements, including:
 * Rough field operations. The RFI requires that the aircraft be capable of operating from semi-prepared runways such as grass or dirt surfaces.
 * Defensive package. The aircraft will have to include several defensive measures, including a Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS), a Radar warning receiver (RWR), and chaff and flare dispensers.
 * Armored cockpit and engine.
 * Long loiter time. The aircraft must be able to fly 5 hour sorties (with 30 minute fuel reserves).
 * Range. The aircraft must have a 900 nautical mile (1600 km) ferry range.
 * Data link capability. The aircraft is required to have a line-of-sight data link (with beyond line-of-sight desired) capability of transmitting and receiving still and video images.
 * Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The aircraft will have to laser track and designate targets, as well as track targets using electro-optical and infrared video/still images.
 * Weaponry. The LAAR aircraft will need at least 4 weapons stores capable of carrying a variety of weapons, including 500 lb bombs, 2.75 inch rockets, rail-launched missiles, and illumination flares. The aircraft will also be capable of aerial gunnery, either with an integrated or pylon mounted gun.

Desired traits (but not requirements) include: Sources:
 * Infrared signature suppression for the engine(s).
 * 30,000 ft (9000 m) operational ceiling.
 * 6,000 ft (1800 m) takeoff and landing distance.
 * Aerobatic capabilities capable of maneuvers such as the Immelmann turn, Cuban eight, and Split S.

Potential competitors
The AT-6B is a light attack variant of the T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft used by the United State Air Force, and as such, it was considered to be a favorite for LAAR program, until it was eliminated in November 2011. But the USAF later found a mistake in its paperwork.
 * Hawker Beechcraft AT-6B

The Embraer Super Tucano is a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft that is already in use by several nations. In fact, the United States Navy has already leased several of the aircraft to evaluate their suitability in support of special operations missions.
 * A-29 Super Tucano

Boeing has revealed that they are working on an updated version of their OV-10 Bronco aircraft, currently called the OV-10X for the LAAR competition. The updated Vietnam War-era aircraft is expected to fly by late 2010.
 * OV-10X

The A-67 Dragon is a Counter-insurgency (COIN) Aircraft currently in development and is slated to begin low rate initial production in the 4th quarter of 2010. The A-67 can achieve 11 hours of loiter on target on internal fuel and can achieve air speeds ranging from 85 to 370 knots.
 * A-67 Dragon

The militarized version of this crop-duster will include up to 11 hardpoints under the wing and body for bombs, rockets, and machine guns. The Air Tractor aircraft is not planned to include an ejection seat or pressurization systems, both of which are mentioned in the Air Force RFI, but the company predicts that their proposal will cost half as much as other competitors.
 * Air Tractor AT-802U

The M-346 Master is the only jet-powered aircraft proposed for the competition, developed by the Italian Alenia Aermacchi company, and is powered by a pair of Honeywell F124 turbofan engines. The effective range of the aircraft currently is reported to be 1,890 km while its armament configuration is centered around nine hardpoints.
 * Alenia Aermacchi M-346