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AT-6B Concept
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In April 2007, Flight International reported that the USAF’s Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC) has issued a solicitation on behalf of the Iraqi Air Force [IqAF] to buy at least 8 counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft that can serve a dual role as a intermediate to advanced single-engine turboprop trainers. The aircraft should be delivered from November 2008 – April 2009, with options to buy additional aircraft in annual lots of 6.

The solicitation requires a single-engine turboprop powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 family engine, that is in “wide use,” with an advanced suite of sensors and weapons including electro-optical sensors and guided weapons capability. Indeed, it went one step farther and narrowed the field to 4 candidates that can be difficult for a novice to tell apart.

That schedule has slipped considerably, but a formal request has now been issued for 56 aircraft, as Iraq seeks a combination of trainer and armed counterinsurgency aircraft to support its force. Delivery will give the IqAF’s its first combat aircraft since the Saddam Hussein era. Work is reportedly underway, and the contracts for the complementary trainer version have now risen to over $250 million for 15 aircraft…

• The COIN Contenders
• Contracts and Key Events [updated]
• Additional Readings

The COIN Contenders

KAI’s KO-1
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Korea Aerospace’s KO-1 Woong Bee, the armed forward air control & light attack version of its KT-1 training aircraft. The KT-1 project began in 1988, and the first aircraft was delivered to South Korea’s air force in 2000. Turkey has also ordered the KT-1.

Pilatus PC-9M. The Swiss firm has created a widely-popular trainer turboprop. The design has been licensed by other firms (see below), and Pilatus has sold this aircraft to 14 countries beyond Switzerland – including 20 aircraft sold to Iraq from 1987.

Super Tucano ALX
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Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano/ ALX – see also Embraer’s pages. The Super Tucano is used in an armed role by Brazil as a patrol and border overwatch aircraft in the Amazon region, with additional orders from Colombia, Chile, and the Dominican Republic; the older EMB-312 Tucano trainer aircraft has been bought by 17 countries. Brazil also has some familiarity with Iraq, as a mid-level military equipment supplier in previous years.

The Super Tucano has a reputation for being a bit ‘heavy’ as a training platform, as a tradeoff for being built from the ground up as an effective short-field light attack/ patrol/ counter-insurgency aircraft that can operate with little ground support. Unlike its fellow contenders, for instance, the aircraft carries 2 of FN’s M3P .50 caliber machine guns in the wings. In 2006, the USA successfully discouraged a $500 million sale of Super Tucanos to Venezuela, a decision that Embraer accepted in good grace. The firm had moved to sweeten the pot for that sale by promising to set up a Florida manufacturing facility; a reprise of that approach might help take some of the “Buy American” label off of…

Canadian T-6B
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Hawker Beechcraft’s AT-6B Texan II; the firm also unveiled an AT-6B light attack/COIN version at Farnborough 2006, back when they were still Raytheon Aircraft. The T-6 is the result of iterative modifications to the Pilatus PC-9 design that left it with no common parts; it serves as the USAF’s and US Navy’s JPATS intermediate to advanced training aircraft. It is also used by Canada and Greece. Greece specified that its T-6Bs had to be capable of being armed, but the aircraft was not initially designed for an armed role. A company representative adds:

“Understand that the airplane is not intended for heavy combat. Its primary role would be counter insurgency and ISR as a node within a network. It could provide data and intelligence calling in whatever assets were appropriate to deal with the situation it was encountering.”

Contracts and Key Events

T-6A JPATS
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Aug 17/09: Hawker Beechcraft Corp. in Wichita, KS received an $86.6 million million firm-fixed-price contract to provide Iraq 8 of its T-6A Texan II training aircraft, plus ground based training systems, aircraft spare parts, technical publications, and 2 years of contractor logistics support. At this time, $69.4 million has been committed. The 877th AESG/SYI at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH manages the contract (FA8617-09-C-6175).

The planes will be used by the Iraqi Air Force, and the contract is managed by the 877th AESG/SYI at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH (FA8617-09-C-6175). See the Dec 10/08 DSCA request for more.

Dec 10/08: The US DSCA announces [PDF] Iraq’s formal request to buy 36 AT-6B light attack aircraft. Iraq would become the first customer for this aircraft if a contract is concluded.

The request includes 6 spare PT-6 engines, 10 spare ALE-47 Counter-Measure Dispensing Systems and/or 10 spare AAR-60 Missile Launch Detection Systems, global positioning systems with CMA-4124 GNSSA card, plus tanker support, ferry services, personnel training and training equipment, spare and repair parts, maintenance, support equipment, and other forms of support. The estimated cost is $520 million, which will be finalized once a contract is signed.

The US DSCA also announces [PDF] Iraq’s formal request to buy 20 T-6A Texan II mid-level trainer aircraft.

The request includes 20 Global Positioning Systems (GPS) with CMA-4124 GNSSA card and embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation System (INS) spares, plus ferry maintenance, tanker support, aircraft ferry services, site survey, unit level trainer, personnel training and training equipment, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, and other forms of support. The estimated cost for the T-6A purchase is $210 million, which will be finalized once a contract is signed.

In both cases, the principal contractors will be:

• Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, Wichita, KS (T-6A)
• Pratt & Whitney Corporation in Quebec, Canada and Bridgeport, WVA (engine)
• Martin Baker in Middlesex, United Kingdom (ejection seat)
• Hartzel Propeller in Pique, Ohio
• Canadian Marconi in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (avionics)
• L-3 Vertex in Madison, Mississippi

Iraq’s T-6A order will almost certainly be fulfilled under the same terms as the US military’s own $3 billion contract for Lot XIV-XX production, issued in late 2007. The AT-6B order would represents Hawker Beechcraft’s first sale of its AT-6B version, and may or may not require its own contract vehicle.

April 24/07: Flight International magazine has blog entry by a staffer who flew in a T-6B; the AT-6B variant will simply be a T-6B trainer with kevlar armor, and additional equipment as requested by the customer. It certainly sounds as if the company is expecting the Iraqi Air Force Order.

Additional Readings: COIN Close Support

• DID – Task Force ODIN: In the Valleys of the Blind…. Describes a concept the US Army proved in Iraq, involving a mix of UAVs, light surveillance aircraft, attack helicopters, precision artillery, and excellent communications and electronics to tie them together. An Iraqi variant would have its own mix, but many of the pieces are falling into place…

• Defense Tech (July 23/09) – COIN Air Force on its Way – in the US, as well as Iraq. Its exact shape remains TBD.

• Airpower Journal (Spring 1991) – The Role of Tactical Air Power in Low-Intensity Conflict by Capt. Vance C. Bateman, USAF. Via the Internet’s Wayback Machine.

• AYRES V-1-A Vigilante as COIN Aircraft. Also referred to in some quarters as the T-65. Derived from the US Department of State’s Narcotics Eradication Delivery System aircraft, reportedly used in Burma, Thailand, Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. They are based out of Patrick AFB in Florida.

• DID (Sept 26/07) – The Major’s Email: British Harrier Support in Afghanistan, Revisited. Addresses the inherent limitations of fast jet platforms for close air support.

• Defense of the Realm (Sept 23/07) – Jackpot! Covers a series of letters to The Sunday Telegraph, including one from from Group Captain Hastings (Ret.), who commanded the Sultan of Oman’s tactical air force in Dhofar Province in the latter stages of a war which, he writes, “had similarities with the current Afghan operations…. Air strikes were flown against a ruthless and determined enemy equipped with surface-to-air-missiles, heavy machine guns and AK47s.” Their weapon of choice? A slow-flying BAE Strikemaster counter-insurgency aircraft, derived from an RAF trainer. The same fast/jet/slower plane effectiveness dynamic applied back then.

• DEW Line (May 2007) – The COIN Comeback Debate

Additional Readings

• DID – Bird Dogs for the Iraqi Air Force

• DID – Iraq Seeks Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters.

• DID – Command Tents and C3 for Iraq. The DRASH system, employed by the US military.

• Defense News (March 13/09) – U.S. Eyes Super Tucano for SpecOps Work. The classified irregular warfare program called “Imminent Fury” has already leased, armed, and tested one Super Tucano, and needs about $44 million to get to Phase 2 and deploy 4 of them. Inter and intra-service bickering is holding it up.

• Reuters (March 31/09) – Iraq starts policing borders with unmanned planes. Type undisclosed. “Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul Karim Khalaf said the drones would police all Iraq’s borders and their first mission took place two weeks ago.”