Search

SOCOM Reduces Planned Armed Overwatch Need to 62 from 75, GAO Says, Questioning Program Value

SOCOM Reduces Planned Armed Overwatch Need to 62 from 75, GAO Says, Questioning Program Value
An MC-12W Liberty aircrew from Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Oklahoma City, leave their aircraft after landing March 29, 2023, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The aircrew arrived to pick up a piece of equipment from an MC-12W that crashed April 27, 2013--killing four airmen aboard--near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The aircrew last March transferred the Nebula, a specialized device used by tactical support operators (TSOs), to the 306th Intelligence Squadron at Will Rogers ANG Base, to be displayed in the unit’s TSO schoolhouse (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) in March reduced its requirement for 75 L3Harris Technologies‘ [LHX] AT-802U Sky Warden aircraft for SOCOM's "Armed Overwatch" mission to 62, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a new report that questions the value of the program. The Sky Wardens are to replace the Air Force Special Operations Command's U-28A Draco and MC-12W Liberty. The new study adds the conclusions of a classified follow-up to a  GAO report in December last year that…

Subscriber-only content. Please log in below.

Not a subscriber or registered user yet?

Please contact us at clientservices@accessintel.com or call us at 888-707-5814 (Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET.), to start a free trial, get pricing information, order a reprint, or post an article link on your website.



Congress Updates

Guetlein On Golden Dome: ‘We Cannot Protect This Nation And Bankrupt It At The Same Time’

While there has been criticism among missile defense advocates of Golden Dome’s development pace after the signing of an executive order in January last year, Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, […]


Interview with Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.), co-chair of the Golden Dome Caucus

Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.), a co-chair of the Golden Dome Caucus in Congress and a member of the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces panel, discusses the transformative defense investments […]


Space Force PAE For Infrastructure Completing Move To Colorado Springs

U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) for infrastructure–a $4 billion contracting hub for SSC–is completing a move from Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. to […]


Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Urge Trump Admin Support For Marines’ JLTV Second Supplier Effort

Wisconsin’s GOP congressional delegation is urging the Trump administration to support legislative language enabling the Marine Corps to potentially bring in a second Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) supplier. The […]