American defence manufacturer Leidos is spearheading a team, including Vertex Aerospace and South Africa’s Paramount Group, which looks to bring the latter’s ‘Bronco’ reconnaissance aircraft back to service.
The group announced on 4 May that it would be combining expertise to submit a joint tender for the Armed Overwatch program, run by US Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Initially posted by SOCOM in April, flight demonstrations for the Overwatch RFP stage are scheduled to take place in November.
If successful, the consortium will be awarded a production contract for 75 aircraft to be delivered over a five- to seven-year period. The Overwatch program aims to overhaul the existing U-28 Draco fleet, which is the current mainstay for USAF ISR missions.
“We use things like AC-130 gunships or A-10s or F-16s or a host of other platforms. And so, the question is: how do we find a low-cost, simple airplane that can provide capability in both of these areas in a single airplane from a pretty austere operating footprint?” said Lieutenant General James Slife, commander of Air Force SOC.
At under US$10 million per unit, Paramount’s Bronco II model might provide a much-needed solution to this issue.
The existing Bronco, formally known as the AHRLAC, is a light turboprop-powered model aimed at providing a low-cost alternative to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or jet-powered aircraft, which are often over-equipped or cumbersome for ISR missions.
Speaking on Monday, Paramount Group US chief executive Steve Griessel was optimistic about both the partnership and the project.
“Our collaboration with Vertex and Leidos will present the best of capabilities for what will undoubtedly be a critical program to enable US Air Force Special Operations Command to deal effectively with the challenges and rigours of modern-day asymmetrical warfare,” he said.
“The Bronco II was designed specifically for asymmetrical warfare and will operate at a fraction of the procurement and life cycle costs of an aircraft with similar mission applications and capabilities.”
If selected, the consortium would need to comply with the ‘Buy American, Build American’ requirements of the SOCOM procurement strategy. The group has therefore indicated that works would be carried out at Crestview, Florida.
