L3Harris OA-1K Skyraider II: This is the USAF's special operations 'air tractor'

The United States Air Force (USAF) has aircraft specialized in a wide variety of missions, and in some cases with a curious origin.

Sky Warden: the agricultural plane chosen by the US Special Operations Command
The AFSOC 524th SOS: the 'airline' of the United States special operations military

During the Vietnam War, the US used old 1945 A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft and twin-engine OV-10 Broncos in counterinsurgency missions, with notable success. After that war ended, that capability was abandoned. In the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US filled that gap with single-engine Pilatus PC-12 turboprops (in the USAF) and by recovering some OV-10 Broncos (in the Marines).

In 2020, the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) launched the Armed Overwatch program, aimed at equipping itself with counterinsurgency propeller aircraft capable of operating at low speeds and from improvised airstrips. In August 2022, the winner was the military version of an agricultural aircraft: the Air Tractor AT-802U Sky Warden, well known for its use in crop spraying and as a forest firefighting aircraft.

SOCOM announced the purchase of 75 AT-802U Sky Wardens for up to $3 billion to provide U.S. Special Operations Forces with "deployable, affordable, and sustainable crewed aircraft systems fulfilling close air support, precision strike, and armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, requirements in austere and permissive environments for use in irregular warfare operations in support of the National Defense Strategy."

The AT-802U Sky Warden has been named the OA-1K Skyraider II by SOCOM, after its 1945 predecessor. The first two OA-1Ks were delivered to the USAF on June 28, 2024, to begin training pilots to evaluate the aircraft. The first operational aircraft was delivered to the USAF in April 2025, placing it under its Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The aircraft are manufactured by Air Tractor and L3Harris.

The OA-1K Skyraider II's fuselage is 11.4 meters long and has a wingspan of 18.06 meters, giving it great low-speed flight capability. Its empty weight is 3,554 kg and it is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F turboprop engine with a power output of 1,600 hp. It can reach a maximum speed of 394 km/h and has a flight ceiling of 3,000 meters, with a range of 2,413 kilometers.

The OA-1K Skyraider II has ten weapons mounts, two under the fuselage and eight under its wings, which can carry AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, AGR-20 APKWS guided rockets (with anti-drone capability) and GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs.

In terms of passive observation and defense systems, the Skyrqider II can carry two L3Harris Wescam MX-15 and MX-20 electro-optical and infrared cameras mounted in a joint module, usually under the port wing. At the tip of its wings it has an AN/AAR-47 missile approach warning system, and under the wings it carries AN/ALE-47 countermeasure dispensers.

The Skyraider II crew consists of two people: the pilot, located in the front seat of the cockpit, and the combat systems officer (CSO), seated behind the pilot. Both have control panels equipped with digital displays. The cockpit is reinforced, but the crew does not have ejection seats.

You can watch a video about the OA-1K Skyraider II published by SOCOM's public affairs office here:

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Photos: U.S. Air Force.