Yes, Really, Destroy ISIS With Turboprop Light Attack Aircraft

By-Michael W. Pietrucha: The A-29A Super Tucano is under production in Jacksonville for the Afghan Light Air Support program. The 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB operates these aircraft to train Afghan pilots. The Navy Development Group also used this aircraft for Phase I of the Imminent Fury initiative.

The A-29 is the most widely deployed modern turboprop light attack aircraft in the world, with the most experienced users being Brazil and Colombia. Almost 200 aircraft have been produced with another 200-plus aircraft on order.

Colombian aircrews have extensive combat experience, including with precision munitions, due to the conflict with the FARC. Brazil has used them extensively for counternarcotics, reconnaissance and counter-air operations. The aircraft are in service worldwide from South America to Africa and Asia.

The aircraft can carry rockets, free fall munitions, air to air missiles (AIM-9L class), air to ground missiles (AGM-65 class) and laser-guided bombs including the Enhanced Paveway II—but not the JDAM or Small Diameter Bomb.

The AT-6C Coyote is a derivative of the T-6B Texan II with hardpoint wings, an uprated engine, and avionics from the A-10C, including the Central Interface Control Unit which provides the primary mission systems for the AT-6C. The AT-6C uses a modified A-10C Operational Flight Program, leveraging all of the A-10’s stores management, datalink, map and helmet mounted cueing system interfaces.

Commonality with the T-6 trainer is more than 70 percent. There are two prototypes—one production validation aircraft and one production aircraft on the production line. The aircraft underwent a two-year evaluation at the Air National Guard Test Center in Tucson, where it was judged to be an “operationally effective and suitable light-attack and armed reconnaissance aircraft.”

The U.S. configuration used by the Air National Guard is fully NVG compatible, and includes SATCOM, SADL and a Gentex Scorpion helmet-mounted sight. It has a MIL STD 1760 databus instead of the 1553B and is fully compatible with GBU-38/54 and GBU-39 weapons.

The AT-6C carries almost as much fuel as the A-29 despite a smaller airframe, and has accomplished weapons tests with the GBU-12/58 Paveway II, guns, guided and unguided 70-millimeter rockets—and Mk-81/82 bombs.

Iraq operations

The low logistical requirement of light attack aircraft makes them suitable for airfields in northern Iraq that are too short or rough for jet fighter and attack aircraft, or too dangerous to support with large quantities of fuel.

As a general rule of thumb, any airfield capable of operating a C-130 is suitable for the light attack birds. Five airfields in Iraqi Kurdistan fall cleanly within that category—Irbil, Sulimaniya, K1, Sirsenk and Kirkuk. K1 is a former U.S. Army airfield, Kirkuk is a former Air Force installation, and Irbil has an existing U.S. presence and serves as an emergency airfield at need.

Sirsenk Forward Support Base (Bamerne) was the primary coalition fixed-wing airstrip during Operation Provide Comfort. Its condition is unknown.

Of these, Irbil’s international airport has the best mix of ramp space, fuel supply and security—and has a long history of U.S. air operations dating to 2003.

Close proximity of light attack aircraft allows for a rapid response time. With a scramble time of five minutes, the light attack birds can be overhead any point up to 75 miles away, half an hour from the scramble order.

From Irbil, this coverage encompasses all of Iraq east of the Tigris and north of Kirkuk and over Mosul almost as far as Sinjar Mountain. From Kirkuk, this coverage arc stretches almost from Balad to Mosul.

Either location could conceivably support Iraqi government or Peshmerga forces in operations to free Mosul from the Islamic State’s domination. By comparison, a fast jet scrambled from Incirlik is still 30 minutes behind the light attack aircraft.

The largest logistical requirement could very well be weapons, as up to 500-pound precision munitions might be employed. The new APKWS II laser-guided Hydra rounds used by the Marines in Afghanistan are compatible with light attack aircraft, and give the capability to demolish bunkers or hit moving targets. Flexible warhead choices would allow them to kill light armored vehicles.

The incorporation of a rocket-and-guns loadout means that field rearming by the aircrew is a practical possibility. During the Jaded Thunder 10-1 exercise, the Navy validated its light attack concept using an armed A-29. These planes repeatedly demonstrated rapid turns at Creech Air Force Base, as summarized in the after action report:

From two austere locations, with as little as 40 minutes between events, the aircraft was maintained, refueled, reconfigured between ISR and strike configurations, rearmed with multiple loads of rockets and guns, and launched / recovered during day and night operations. FARP evolutions were limited only to the Creech AFB fuel truck timelines, but were always accomplished in under 20 minutes from touchdown to launch. Incorporating organic refueling with fuel bladders by Imminent Fury maintainers would have cut each of the FARP evolutions from 20 minutes to 7-10 minutes.

Cost

We can draw the current cost estimates for purchasing turboprop light attack aircraft from existing contracts for the Super Tucano. The typical contract is for a small package of aircraft — less than a squadron — and include training devices, simulators, two years of support and a robust spares kit.

In 2004, Colombia bought 25 Super Tucanos for $235 million, plus another $89 million to cover purchase of the EO/IR sensors. In 2013, the Light Air Support contract, covering 20 aircraft, was negotiated for $421 million dollars.

While the individual aircraft, combat equipped with EO/IR ball run about $14 million, the support contracts, training devices and spare parts accounted for a third or more of the total contract cost. The Colombian contract remains the largest contract executed to date outside Brazil.

There are other cost analyses which include data on sustainment estimates. For a smaller demonstration along the lines of Imminent Fury, both manufacturers have previously offered lease options on their aircraft.

Air power options

For policymakers who are reasonably wary of introducing additional ground forces into Iraq, the option of providing these forces with additional protection and on-call air power should be an attractive policy choice.

The Air Force does not currently possess operational attack aircraft that can operate out of northern Iraq, but those aircraft are available, and we have aircrew—including the author—with varying degrees of familiarity with the AT-6 and A-29.

The majority of the burden for rolling back Islamic State territorial gains will fall on Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces, but air power has proven itself effectivewhen supporting those operations.

With a minor adjustment to our force structure, we could improve air power flexibility, shorten the response timeline and reduce risk to deployed forces by basing combat aircraft inside Iraq itself. The Air Force could send light attack planes in short order—to provide air power where we need it.

Michael W. Pietrucha was an instructor and electronic warfare officer in the F-4G Wild Weasel and the F-15E Strike Eagle, amassing 156 combat missions and taking part in 2.5 SAM kills over 10 combat deployments. As an irregular warfare operations officer, Pietrucha has two additional combat deployments in the company of U.S. Army infantry, combat engineer and military police units in Iraq and Afghanistan. This article first appeared in War in Boring.