The U.S. Air Force will initiate the second phase of its light-attack experiment, focusing on sustaining requirements and coordinating with the systems of U.S. allies, Flight Global reported Tuesday.
Gen. David Goldfein, chief of staff of the Air Force, said before the Senate Armed Services Committee that the experiments will be performed at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from May to July.
The Air Force seeks to procure propeller-driven aircraft for surveillance and light-attack purposes to substitute planes such as the Lockheed Martin F-35, Boeing F-15 or Fairchild Republic A-10.
The second phase of the experiment will also focus on calculating the operating costs of Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine and Sierra Nevada/Embraer’s A-29 Super Tucano aircraft.
Goldfein added the Air Force aims to develop a network that will enable air platforms to communicate with joint and multinational forces and command and control nodes.
The Air Force chief of staff also noted that the effort will enable the service to accelerate the program due to sufficient information, as well as to cancel planned evaluations overseas.