AF plans small A-29, AT-6 buys

The Air Force will buy a handful of A-29 Super Tucano and AT-6 Wolverines aircraft, Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein told lawmakers Wednesday at a a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. While small, the purchases would be a show of confidence for Sierra Nevada and Textron that have made internal funding investments toward the Air Force's light-attack experiment. The Air Force plans to put mini-detachments of AT-6 and A-29 turboprops at Hurlburt Field, Fla., and Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Goldfein told lawmakers that the exact numbers would depend on the costs of the planes, but an Air Force spokeswoman put the number at two or three of each type. Funding is to come from previous years’ budgets. Most of the light-attack experiment is centered on turboprops, but the Air Force is also interested in expanding that to include drones and rotorcraft. FY-20’s budget request calls for $35M to continue the experiment. (Source: Defense News, 03/13/19)