Excerpt from MÖNCH ONLINE NEWS CHANNEL:
As SOFIC convened, AT-802Us are flown by the air forces of Jordan, Egypt and UAE.
Air Tractor’s presence at 2019 SOFIC is further well-timed, given the recent, unofficial discussions that indicate US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) may become the lead organisation for the next round of the “Light Attack Experiment.” While Air Combat Command (ACC) has heretofore led this early Air Force acquisition effort, “this may lead to a significant shift in terms of objectives and type of aircraft they’d like to observe and how they’d use it. ACC’s objectives were focused upon fighter pilot training and absorption,” Mr Menker observed and added: “Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), we assume, would likely shift their objectives to foreign internal defence and combat operations in austere locations that lack significant airfield infrastructure; the same places terror groups are thriving today. The AT-802U is much more relevant to these types of objectives. Our allies can afford it, operate it, and maintain it. Also, AFSOC can configure it with modern sensors and munitions to fix, track, and defeat terrorists in places that had been safe havens.”
View full story at: https://www.monch.com/mpg/news/special-forces/5492-sofic-air-tractor-at-802u.html