US special ops may be buying too many Armed Overwatch planes, says GAO

WASHINGTON — U.S. Particular Operations Command ought to rethink its plan to purchase 75 Armed Overwatch plane, a authorities watchdog mentioned Thursday.

The Authorities Accountability Workplace beneficial the command decelerate its acquisition of the AT-802U Sky Warden, its alternative for Armed Overwatch program, starting in fiscal 2025 till SOCOM carries out a extra thorough evaluation for the fleet.

Armed Overwatch is a program to subject versatile, fixed-wing plane that Air Drive Particular Operations Command might deploy to austere areas. The trouble would require a comparatively small logistical tail.

SOCOM in 2022 chosen the single-engine, two-person Sky Warden, made by L3Harris Applied sciences and Air Tractor, for this system and expects to spend $2.2 billion to purchase the planes by means of FY29. The Sky Warden is meant to hold out shut air assist; precision strike; and armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions for counterterrorism operations and irregular warfare.

Air Drive Particular Operations Command considers Armed Overwatch helpful to strain violent extremist teams in areas reminiscent of Africa, the place the airspace is basically uncontested. The plane would take over missions now supported by the older and retiring U-28 Draco.

However the examine SOCOM carried out to determine it wanted 75 Armed Overwatch planes “relied on unproven assumptions” and didn’t justify a fleet of that measurement, GAO mentioned in its report, titled “Particular Operations Forces: DOD Ought to Gradual Acquisition of Armed Overwatch Plane Till It Conducts Wanted Evaluation.”

When GAO ran the numbers on the commond’s power construction ratios and operational want estimates, it got here up with a “considerably smaller” fleet measurement, although the watchdog didn’t say by what number of.

SOCOM’s research additionally made assumptions in regards to the Armed Overwatch plane that didn’t replicate its anticipated capabilities or how it might be employed in operations, GAO mentioned.

The workplace mentioned paperwork and discussions with SOCOM officers confirmed the command had already determined it wanted between 70 and 75 Armed Overwatch planes in 2019, two years earlier than it began the mandatory power construction analyses.

SOCOM additionally didn’t take into account how modifications to its mission, such because the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and attainable reductions in power construction would have an effect on its want for an Armed Overwatch airplane, GAO mentioned.

SOCOM additionally didn’t think about whether or not modifications within the Armed Overwatch airplane’s capabilities would have an effect on what number of it might want to purchase, GAO mentioned. The Sky Warden airplane on which SOCOM finally settled is extra succesful than the airplane the command initially envisioned for Armed Overwatch, which “might considerably change” what number of planes it truly wants, the report mentioned.

GAO didn’t rule out the chance that the meant fleet of 75 could also be fewer than SOCOM wants, for the reason that correct evaluation has not been carried out. The workplace beneficial SOCOM conduct a extra thorough examine of what it wants for Armed Overwatch. Till that evaluation is completed, GAO mentioned, the Pentagon ought to require the command to solely purchase the minimal variety of Sky Wardens wanted to keep up its manufacturing line and assist operational check and analysis starting in 2025.

The Protection Division agreed with GAO’s first suggestion and mentioned it might analyze the power construction wanted for Armed Overwatch.

The division partially agreed with the advice to quickly restrict Armed Overwatch acquisition, however mentioned SOCOM can even take into account whether or not it has sufficient plane to coach the primary cadre of aircrew to fly the Sky Warden and arrange a coaching pipeline.

GAO mentioned it agrees that coaching aircrews is a crucial a part of organising Armed Overwatch, however shopping for the proper variety of planes is necessary for SOCOM to arrange its coaching plans and use personnel most effectively.

SOCOM purchased 16 Sky Wardens as of October 2023, and expects that quantity to rise to twenty-eight plane by April 2024.