Latest news with #JonRambeau
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
We got an up-close look at the new Skyraider II special operations light attack plane that maker L3Harris says can land almost anywhere
L3Harris showed off its new light attack airplane that it says can land almost anywhere. The Sky Warden, or Skyraider II, was on display at SOF Week in Tampa, Florida. BI got up close with the Sky Warden and took photos of this new aircraft. US Air Force Special Operations Command got its first mission-ready Skyraider II attack plane last month, and this week, Business Insider got an up-close look at the new light attack plane at SOF Week 2025 in Tampa, Florida. Air Tractor and L3Harris' AT-802U Sky Warden, designated the OA-1K Skyraider II by AFSOC in reference to the A-1 Skyraiders of the Korean and Vietnam wars, is an armed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, close-air support, and strike aircraft that L3Harris says can land almost anywhere. The new light attack aircraft is a militarized variant of the Air Tractor AT-802 long used for civilian work like agriculture. Here's what it looks like: The Air Force describes the Skyraider II as a flexible aircraft that can be adjusted for different missions and fights, noting that it has a much more manageable maintenance demand and a lower cost per flight hour than other AFSOC aircraft. Like its legendary predecessor, the new Skyraider was built for armed overwatch and attack in permissive environments, though the battlespace is not what it once was, and there are questions about its role in a high-intensity fight in the Indo-Pacific. Jon Rambeau, the president of integrated mission systems at L3Harris, said the Sky Warden is a "versatile" platform and "costs a fraction of what you might pay for a fighter jet." Just how much the planes cost is a detail that isn't publicly available. Rambeau and Clint Logwood, L3Harris' director of flight tests and flight operations, said one of Skyraider II's most important attributes is its ability to operate in different environments. It can also land just about anywhere with a limited logistics footprint. "This thing could land anywhere," Logwood said, from rugged and remote airfields to highways. The Air Force has prioritized flexibility, specifically the ability to operate in austere environments and off of unconventional runways like roadways. Fixed airfields and bases are easy targets, especially in the Indo-Pacific where US forces have to contend with China's growing missile force, but an adversary can't target every piece of concrete in the region. Logwood, who has put many hours of testing the aircraft's capabilities, G-force, speed, temperature, and altitude, said: "We have landed this aircraft on some fields that would jar your teeth, and this aircraft just says, 'That's all you got?'" The Sky Warden has "plug and play technology," he said. It has a modular design, which means new systems can be quickly integrated into the aircraft. There are ten hardpoints capable of carrying a range of weapons and other technologies. While there are two seats in the Sky Warden, it's a single-pilot aircraft in which all of its systems are designed to be accessible by one person and easy to learn. And its cost-per-hour of flight, Rambeau said, is less than $1,000 per hour, one of the cheaper cost estimates of the Air Force's fleet. He added that L3Harris was in conversation with potential international customers across the world as well. Below the wings of the Sky Warden, Logwood noted, were its dummy AGM 114 Hellfire missiles, as well as ISR sensors and arrays. If another mission pod is needed, it can be bolted and connected to the plane. The Sky Warden can be dissembled in under six hours and fit inside a C-17 cargo aircraft. The program was originally contracted for 75 aircraft in a $3 billion deal; in 2023 and 2024, the Government Accountability Office issued reports urging the Pentagon to reconsider the number of aircraft needed, citing concerns the program wouldn't be as valuable as the US shifts from decades of counterterrorism operations featuring air superiority to near-peer adversary fights. Rambeau cited the aircraft's potential international sales as examples "to dispel the thought that this is only applicable for counterinsurgency," saying that those customers were looking at the aircraft for a variety of purposes. While Sky Warden is capable of taking off and landing almost anywhere, Rambeau and Logwood said it would need to be modified for carrier-based operations. The aircraft requires a distance of about 1,200 feet. For fighters and bombers, the required runway length tends to be thousands of feet. The original Skyraider earned its legendary reputation by protecting downed airmen in Vietnam. Unlike jets that couldn't stay in the area, the Skyraiders could loiter for long periods of time and bring massive firepower for continuous suppressing fire until helicopters could come in for rescue operations. Skyraider pilot Maj. Bernard Fisher famously landed his plane through withering enemy fire at a battle-scarred airstrip littered with debris and destroyed aircraft, rescued a downed airman, and flew back out after taking multiple hits to his aircraft during a 1966 fight at Ashau. Fisher received the Medal of Honor for his actions. The Air Force is hoping the new Skyraiders will provide the same kind of exceptional support for troops in future fights. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
L3Harris Launches New Technology to Control Autonomous Swarms
MELBOURNE, Fla., February 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has introduced AMORPHOUS™, its new software that features a single user interface to operate thousands of autonomous assets simultaneously. Designed with an open architecture, this software enables the United States and allied militaries to control a mix of uncrewed platforms, payloads and systems, even if another manufacturer produces them. AMORPHOUS, which stands for Autonomous Multi-domain Operations Resiliency Platform for Heterogeneous Unmanned Swarms, includes an intuitive and distributed command-and-control interface to give operators the flexibility to conduct a wider array of intricate military missions. This collaborative autonomy at scale will provide warfighters with a decisive overmatch capability. "Autonomy is a force multiplier, which is why we have designed AMORPHOUS as a multi-domain, multi-mission capability that rapidly integrates a variety of uncrewed systems across the battlespace," said Jon Rambeau, President, Integrated Mission Systems, L3Harris. "This project also highlights L3Harris' partnerships with venture-backed and non-traditional companies to mature emerging defense capabilities more quickly and affordably." L3Harris is currently developing prototypes using the AMORPHOUS architecture on contracts for the U.S. Army and the Defense Innovation Unit. AMORPHOUS has demonstrated its flexibility and interoperability by controlling multiple separate assets across multiple vehicle types operating in different domains during government-managed tests. AMORPHOUS supports decentralized decision-making, which enables individual uncrewed assets to perform their own tasks autonomously and make real-time tactical decisions inside the network. About L3Harris Technologies L3Harris Technologies is the Trusted Disruptor in the defense industry. With customers' mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security. Visit for more information. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions. Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Statements about system capabilities are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. L3Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. View source version on Contacts Media Contacts:Garrett KasperIntegrated Mission 636-375-2437 Sara BandaCorporateMedia@ 321-306-8927 Sign in to access your portfolio
