Built by defense contractor L3Harris, the OA-1K Skyraider II won the Armed Overwatch Program and is designed to provide special operations forces with reliable and effective close air support capabilities.
The U.S. Air Commandos just got a new aircraft—one that shares the name, and purpose, of one of the most legendary planes in American aviation history.
On Thursday, the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) held the delivery ceremony for the first of the OA-1K Skyraider II fleet. The special operations aircraft is designed to support U.S. special operators and friendly forces around the world.
All About the OA-1K Skyraider II
What makes the OA-1K Skyraider II ideal for special operations forces is its modular nature. Depending on the mission, the aircraft can assume different roles, including close air support, precision strike, armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
“Skyraider II represents not just a new platform, but a modular solution to our national security needs,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, the commander of AFSOC commander, said during the delivery ceremony. “It will redefine how we approach joint campaigning, crisis response and the evolving landscape of modern warfare.”
The U.S. military has been increasingly turning toward modular designs for its weapon systems. Modularity means flexibility, as modular designs can receive upgrades as needed without the need to design and produce completely new platforms.
“This aircraft embodies the very essence of our command, it’s agile, it’s adaptable, and it’s always ready to deliver lethality. AFSOC exists to accomplish the missions others can’t do,” Conley added. “The Skyraider II is a testament to that enduring promise.”.
Built by defense contractor L3Harris, the OA-1K Skyraider II won the Armed Overwatch Program and is designed to provide special operations forces with reliable and effective close air support capabilities. AFSOC is set to receive 62 of the aircraft before the end of the decade—down from the initial order of 75, and after extensive discussions between L3Harris, Congress, the Air Force, and AFSOC.
The Original Skyraider’s Legendary Past
The Skyraider II is based on the legendary A-1 Skyraider. The propeller-powered aircraft shined during the Vietnam War by providing accurate close air support to U.S. and South Vietnamese units on the ground in South Vietnam.
More pertinently for the Skyraider II’s purposes, A-1 Skyraiders also supported U.S. special operators fighting in neighboring Laos and Cambodia as part of the secretive Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG). Officially, U.S. troops were not supposed to be in the two countries, but American military leaders secretly sought to curtail Viet Cong and North Vietnamese logistics running through the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and Cambodia and parallel to Vietnam. Small teams of commandos, often as few as three, would go deep behind enemy lines alongside native forces. When things got ugly, air support from A-1 Skyraiders could make the difference between life and death.
To commemorate this connection, AFSOC included in the delivery ceremony of the Skyraider II retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Bill Buice, who flew A-1 Skyraiders in Vietnam and was shot down by enemy fire.
“Your ingenuity, courage and discipline of not only you, but your fellow Skyraider pilots, demonstrated why these missions are so critical to our partners on the ground. It is today’s Air Commandos who are now tasked to carry on that mission,” the AFSOC boss concluded.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
