{"id":21126,"date":"2018-06-21T16:03:44","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T16:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/21\/why-the-us-air-force-should-choose-the-a-29-in-the-light-attack-experiment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:54:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:54:21","slug":"why-the-us-air-force-should-choose-the-a-29-in-the-light-attack-experiment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2018\/06\/21\/why-the-us-air-force-should-choose-the-a-29-in-the-light-attack-experiment\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the US Air Force should choose the A-29 in the light-attack experiment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Air Force this summer is edging closer to the potential procurement of an innovative light-attack aircraft<\/a>. For the safety of our combat troops and the overall strategic power of our military forces, this addition to our combat capabilities cannot come fast enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent report on the U.S. service members killed in Niger last October illustrates the current challenge: Our armed forces need to provide nearly continuous combat aircraft support \u2015 in often remote regions of the world \u2015 without wearing out our technologically advanced aircraft needed for near-peer future fights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For almost 17 years, the Air Force has provided consistent combat-support operations against terrorists by using advanced fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft that are expensive to fly and maintain. Following a recent mission in Afghanistan involving a fifth-generation stealth tactical fighter, a journalist asked: \u201cIs it really necessary to use a plane that costs nearly $70,000 per hour to bomb an undefended drug factory?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, the Air Force relies on high-end, expensive aircraft such as the F-35 and F-22 that should be saved for potential future fights against technologically advanced adversaries. For this other \u201clow end\u201c fight, the U.S. Air Force needs an aircraft that is inexpensive to operate, easy to maintain, and can work close to the front lines in very rough environments and far from improved infrastructure. Optimally, it needs an OA-X light-attack, survivable, combat-ready, technologically advanced attack and reconnaissance aircraft that will provide our war fighters the combat air cover they need, but at a lower cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\t