{"id":55269,"date":"2022-08-02T21:51:16","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T21:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:06:53","slug":"how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/","title":{"rendered":"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Special Operations Command\u2019s new Armed Overwatch aircraft<\/a> will be able to carry multiple weapons configurations and modular sensors that can be quickly swapped out as well as be disassembled for deployment within hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The AT-802U Sky Warden, made by L3Harris Technologies and aircraft manufacturer Air Tractor, is SOCOM\u2019s pick for a rugged plane<\/a> that can carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, close air support, and strike missions against terrorist groups in austere locations such as parts of Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with Defense News on Tuesday, Luke Savoie, president of L3Harris Technologies\u2019 ISR sector, said the company\u2019s use of model-based engineering and modular open systems allowed it to design a low-cost aircraft tailored to deliver what special operators need in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SOCOM wants Armed Overwatch planes so it can continue to pressure extremist groups, such as Somalia\u2019s al-Shabab, in areas with largely uncontested airspace, while the Air Force shifts its primary focus and more elaborate fighters and bombers toward potential high-end threats in Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armed Overwatch planes could also take over at least some of the missions carried out by the U-28 Draco ISR aircraft, which is aging and expensive to maintain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L3Harris\u2019 indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to deliver as many as 75 Sky Wardens will be worth up to $3 billion, with an initial contract award for $170 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trust factor<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

L3Harris began work on what would eventually become the Sky Warden in March 2020, shortly after SOCOM released its Armed Overwatch solicitation. Savoie said the company started with \u201cno preconceived notions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than beginning with a list of must-haves for the airplane, as traditional requirements-based engineering might dictate, Savoie said L3Harris\u2019s designers used model-based systems engineering to consider why a Sky Warden pilot might need certain capabilities and the best way to fill those needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L3Harris also sought to ensure the capabilities are tightly integrated to reduce the crew\u2019s workload and take advantage of automation whenever possible, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn special ops, it comes down to that\u201d trust, Savoie said. \u201cThe guy on the ground isn\u2019t looking for dots on [a] map, on a tablet or something on his wrist. He\u2019s looking for the confidence that someone talking in his ear knows what they\u2019re talking about, and not having to second guess that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That led L3Harris to refine the kind of sensors and software this plane would need and how it would integrate the systems, he said. The company talked to those who have carried out this mission before to make the Sky Warden as user-friendly as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnd users \u2026 constantly remind us, \u2018I like to look through my gun sight, I don\u2019t like to look at my arm, at a tablet,\u2019\u201d said Savoie, a former U-28 and AC-130 pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Users also emphasized the importance of instant communication, with no latency, for an airplane carrying out an Armed Overwatch mission, Savoie said, as well as the need to streamline the information presented to the pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To build the air frame that would become Sky Warden, L3Harris teamed up with Air Tractor, which typically builds agricultural and firefighting aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company had worked with Air Tractor on previous programs, such as surveillance aircraft for Jordan in the mid-2010s and other projects involving sensor, weapons and software integration. But, Savoie said, with its added strike capabilities, Sky Warden was much more complicated than the Jordanian surveillance planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L3Harris created three prototype Sky Wardens. One was fully missionized, with all the modifications to do everything an operational Armed Overwatch plane would have to do. The company sent that prototype to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida last summer for SOCOM\u2019s evaluation. Four other companies also demonstrated their prototypes to SOCOM in 2021 and early 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second prototype was built for L3Harris\u2019s own flight tests and to qualify the plane\u2019s autopilot. L3Harris also built a third Sky Warden prototype to test and certify the aircraft\u2019s strengthened, high-load wing to ensure it could carry up to 6,000 pounds of external ordnance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Savoie said Sky Warden can be easily prepared for deployment on a C-17 or C-5 mobility aircraft. The plane can be disassembled in about 7 hours, loaded on a cargo plane, and then reassembled in about the same amount of time once it\u2019s reached its destination, he said. L3Harris brought a Sky Warden to May\u2019s Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida, where it demonstrated how quickly the breakdown and reassembly process could take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty compact form,\u201d Savoie said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The per-unit cost of a Sky Warden will vary depending on its configuration and capabilities, Savoie said, but declined to identify a figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L3Harris\u2019 contract also includes providing training systems, mission planning systems, support equipment, spares and logistical support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air Tractor aircraft have carried weapons before, such as 50-caliber guns and 7.62 miniguns, Savoie said. The Sky Warden could be armed with six weapons stations, with the laser-guided 2.75-inch Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System, or APKWS, rocket being its primary weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sky Warden could also carry GBU-12 Paveway laser-guided bombs, Savoie said, and L3Harris is close to having it capable of carrying the AGM-114 Hellfire missile. And Sky Warden has the infrastructure to handle as many as eight common launch tube-based weapons such as the AGM-176A Griffin, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction of the Sky Wardens will begin at Air Tractor\u2019s Olney, Texas facility. Once those airframes are built, they will be shipped to L3Harris\u2019s modification center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where work to modify them for the Armed Overwatch mission will take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Savoie said L3Harris will manufacture parts for the modifications at its Greenville, Texas facility. L3Harris will also do software work for the plane at its Nashville, Tennessee facility, and sustainment activities will be done at Rockwall, Texas. Engineering work will be done at L3 locations in Waco, Greenville and Plano, Texas. Various other L3Harris sites will provide sensor, radio and weapons release capabilities, Savoie said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe were trying to look at our own past experiences and understand what made it work,\u201d L3Harris’ Luke Savoie said of the design process for the AT-802U Sky Warden, U.S. Special Operations Command’s new Armed Overwatch plane.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":66047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["news","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"news"},"4":{"categories":["news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","left-column","home"],"primary_category":"news"}}},"categories":[7,160,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3412],"class_list":["post-55269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"DJIJLFKJCJAGFAPBE2DOEOEQJM","arc_canonical_url":"\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nHow L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cWe were trying to look at our own past experiences and understand what made it work,\u201d L3Harris' Luke Savoie said of the design process for the AT-802U Sky Warden, U.S. Special Operations Command's new Armed Overwatch plane.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cWe were trying to look at our own past experiences and understand what made it work,\u201d L3Harris' Luke Savoie said of the design process for the AT-802U Sky Warden, U.S. Special Operations Command's new Armed Overwatch plane.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-02T21:51:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T00:06:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stephen Losey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stephen Losey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-08-02T21:51:16+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:06:53+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 1031,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Air Warfare\",\n\t \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t \"Newsletters\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists - Defense News\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-08-02T21:51:16+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:06:53+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"\u201cWe were trying to look at our own past experiences and understand what made it work,\u201d L3Harris' Luke Savoie said of the design process for the AT-802U Sky Warden, U.S. Special Operations Command's new Armed Overwatch plane.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/02\\\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Air Warfare\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/air\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"air\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists - Defense News","description":"\u201cWe were trying to look at our own past experiences and understand what made it work,\u201d L3Harris' Luke Savoie said of the design process for the AT-802U Sky Warden, U.S. Special Operations Command's new Armed Overwatch plane.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists","og_description":"\u201cWe were trying to look at our own past experiences and understand what made it work,\u201d L3Harris' Luke Savoie said of the design process for the AT-802U Sky Warden, U.S. Special Operations Command's new Armed Overwatch plane.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2022-08-02T21:51:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T00:06:53+00:00","author":"Stephen Losey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stephen Losey","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists","datePublished":"2022-08-02T21:51:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:06:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/"},"wordCount":1031,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Air Warfare","Daily News Roundup","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/","name":"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-08-02T21:51:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:06:53+00:00","description":"\u201cWe were trying to look at our own past experiences and understand what made it work,\u201d L3Harris' Luke Savoie said of the design process for the AT-802U Sky Warden, U.S. Special Operations Command's new Armed Overwatch plane.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/02\/how-l3harris-created-us-special-operators-new-plane-to-hunt-and-strike-terrorists\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Air Warfare","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/","ad_zone":"air"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How L3Harris created US special operators\u2019 new plane to hunt and strike terrorists"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sky-Warden-2.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55269"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55277,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55269\/revisions\/55277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55269"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=55269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}