US Air Force Special Operations Command has expanded the scope of its Skyraider II close air support aircraft to include rapid disassembly, loading into transport aircraft, reassembly and deployment.
The special operations branch of the US Air Force (USAF) has revealed a rapid deployment capability for the new L3Harris OA-1K Skyraider II close air support turboprop.
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) revealed the development at the annual Special Operations Forces Week conference in Tampa, Florida, on 19 May. Working with OA-1K prime contractor L3Harris, AFSOC proved out the ability to partially disassemble the armed crop duster, load it into a transport aircraft, and then conduct reassembly at the destination.
Air crews can then “quickly” configure the aircraft into flyable operational condition, according to AFSOC.
Larger transports like the Boeing C-17 and Lockheed Martin C-5 can each carry multiple OA-1Ks – a two-seat design based on Air Tractor’s AT-802 commercial crop-dusting turboprop but modified by L3Harris to carry precision weapons, sensors and military communications.
“The rapid disassembly and reassembly means, in a matter of hours, the aircraft can be loaded into mobility aircraft like a C-5 or C-17 for worldwide deployment,” says Lieutenant Colonel Robert Wilson, OA-1K requirements branch chief at AFSOC.
As far back as 2024, L3Harris had told FlightGlobal it was exploring a rapid deployment or crisis response niche for the OA-1K, which is primarily focused on low-altitude, stand-in weapons support to commando units.
At the 2024 SOF Week event, L3Harris president of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance Jason Lambert told FlightGlobal the company was experimenting with techniques to quickly disassemble, load and reassemble the OA-1K.
“We take the wings off, we package it in the back of a C-17 and we can deploy it anywhere worldwide,” Lambert said at the time.
Each SkyRaider II can loiter on station with its weapons package for more than 8h, reaching altitudes of 23,000ft, while also offering the ability to operate from austere runways.
While well-suited to supporting low-intensity special operations missions in far-flung locales, the OA-1K has attracted criticism for being unsurvivable against modern air defences and precision shoulder-fired missiles.
From an original programme covering 75 OA-1Ks, the Special Operations Command acquisition has twice been cut: first to 62 in 2024 and more recently down to 53 aircraft in the latest budget projections for 2027.
However, AFSOC commander Lieutenant General Michael Conley, who has long been an advocate for the value of the OA-1K, continues to support buying the full contingent of 75 aircraft.
“This capability is right in line with our vision of the versatility the OA-1K and its crews will provide to our teammates,” Conley says. “The OA-1K offers a unique and modular solution for a wide range of operations, including armed overwatch, at a fraction of the cost of other platforms.”
When it comes to fixed-wing close air support, American special operations forces are currently reliant on the conventional fighter squadrons from the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.
The OA-1K programme was meant to integrate an armed fixed-wing platform into the special operations aviation force, which already includes Lockheed Martin M/HC-130J transports from AFSOC and a range of rotary-wing options from the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
“Whether you need an OA-1K to find, fix, target, or engage directly, it will adapt to the requirements of the mission at hand,” Conley adds.
L3Harris delivered the first combat-capable SkyRaider II to AFSOC in 2025, with the first cohort of pilots now undergoing basic certification and developing procedures and tactics for employment. That work is primarily located at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma.
In October 2025, an OA-1K based at Will Rogers crashed during a training flight. Neither of the two onboard crew members was injured in the incident. L3Harris has previously touted design features that likely made that outcome possible, including reinforced landing gear and a cockpit strengthened to withstand high-g impacts.
The OA-1K is currently the USAF’s newest aircraft, although that title will be taken over by the Boeing F-47 sixth-generation air superiority fighter in the coming years.
The reductions in procurement must be approved by the US Congress as part of the annual defence budget and thus are not yet final.
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