Air Tractor AT-802

Multirole Light Aircraft

United States | 1990

"The Air Tractor AT-802 series straight-winged aircraft has proven popular in various circles including fire-fighting, aerobatics, agricultural spraying, and attack."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/02/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from official Air Tractor marketing material.

The Air Tractor AT-802 is a versatile, lightweight aircraft originally developed for the agricultural marketplace. The company was founded in 1978 and makes its headquarters out of Olney, Texas (USA). Its initial aircraft product became the AT-300 created from the 1950s "Ayres Thrush" monoplane of similar form and function. The AT-802 model appeared in 1990 through a first-flight and maintains an active existence in the air today (2017) where its roles have since been broadened to include other applications in such sectors as military and government security.

The aircraft has a conventional arrangement though something of an ungainly appearance at first glance. The engine is situated in the nose in the usual way with the cockpit set over midships and the tail unit at its expected position to the rear. The tail has a single vertical fin and low-set horizontal planes with cut-off tips. The wing mainplanes are set slightly forward of midships and are straight in their general shape and also with clipped tips. The undercarriage is fixed (tail-dragger) and wheeled for land-based usage though a version exists with floats that allows for waterborne take-offs and landings.

The pilot's position is one that sees him sit near the center mass of his aircraft in an elevated position viewing the action over the nose and wings. The canopy is heavily framed by modern standards and a second crewman's seat is positioned just aft of the pilot's. The cockpit protrudes some away from the fuselage dorsal spine giving the aircraft a most unique appearance.

Internally, the aircraft is equipped with a "hopper", a pyramidal-shaped assembly, that is used to hold (and ultimately disperse) chemicals into the air / onto the ground. The hopper is located between the engine and cockpit at front and the aircraft carries a second such unit in a belly position. This addition is what allows the AT-802 to participate in agricultural and fire-fighting flights.

The AT-802 comes in two basic fuselage forms, the standard tandem two-seater AT-802 and the AT-802A single-seater. The AT-802F (also AT-802AF) are aerial firefighting variants equipped with special mission equipment for the given role and the "Fire Boss" is an AT-802F offshoot that features floats for amphibious operations.

As designed, the aircraft has an overall length of 36 feet with a wingspan reaching 59.2 feet. Its height is 12.8 feet. Empty weight is 6,500lb against an MTOW of 16,000lb and power is served through a single Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67AG turboprop unit situated at the nose. This installation produces 1,350 horsepower on take-off and gives the aircraft a cruising speed of 220 miles per hour with a range out to 800 miles. Its listed service ceiling is 25,000 feet and rate-of-climb is 850 feet-per-minute.

The AT-802U is a militarized form of the AT-802 and features seating for a crew of two in tandem. The aircraft is modified to carry both special mission equipment and ordnance as requirements call for. It also sports armor protection for its crew and its vital flight systems alike. The AT-802U forms the basis for the AT-802L "Longsword" scout and light-attack platform. This model was modified through a joint partnership with equipment-maker L3 Technologies. It is marketed as the OA-8 "Longsword" in the Asia-Pacific market.

The IOMAX Archangel (detailed elsewhere on this site) is another military-minded product in the AT-802 mold but it is based on the Thrush S2R-660 model series. It is classified as a counter-insurgency aircraft and therefore is cleared to carry bombs, rockets, armament pods and missiles for the role. A sensor pod is affixed to the ventral spine of the aircraft. It is currently being marketed to potential buyers.

Another AT-802U offshoot is the "T-Bird" (detailed elsewhere on this site) which is a militarized form modified by Bulgarian-based LASA Engineering. This offering is also billed as a counter-insurgency platform and is actively seeking customers. It flies with a General Electric H80 turboprop instead of the usual Pratt & Whitney Canada installation.

The AT-802 enjoys service in military, government and private markets in countries across the globe including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Spain, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates to name a few (see full operators list below). For the Egyptians, the type serves in the Close-Air Support (CAS) / light strike role with the Egyptian Air Force.

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May 2021 - AirTractor, in partnership with L3Harris, has launched the all-new AT-802U "Sky Warden" variant covering the light attack role.

August 2022 - The AT-802U Skywarden has been selected by US SOCOM as the winner of its Armed Overwatch competition.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Air Tractor AT-802 Multirole Light Aircraft.

1 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A=67AG turboprop engine developing 1,350 horsepower and driving a five-bladed propeller at the nose.
Propulsion

221 mph
356 kph | 192 kts
Max Speed

25,000 ft
7,620 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling

802 miles
1,290 km | 697 nm
Operational Range

850 ft/min
259 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Air Tractor AT-802 Multirole Light Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

35.9 ft
10.95 m
O/A Length

59.2 ft
(18.05 m)
O/A Width

12.8 ft
(3.90 m)
O/A Height

6,614 lb
(3,000 kg)
Empty Weight

16,006 lb
(7,260 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Air Tractor AT-802 Multirole Light Aircraft .

Militarized forms rated for up to 9,000lb of mission gear and ordnance (conventional drop bombs, gun pods, cannon pods and the like).

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Air Tractor AT-802 family line.

AT-802 - Base Series Designation.

AT-802A - Base single-seat model.

AT-802U - Two-seat militarized attacker form; ordnance-carrying capability and crew survivability improvements.

AT-802U "Sky Warden" - Variant of 2021; partnership with L3Harris.

AT-802F - Fire-fighting variant.

AT-802AF - Fire-fighting variant.

"Fire Boss" - Fire-fighting variant outfitted with floats for waterborne landing and take-off.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Air Tractor AT-802. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 200 Units
Contractor(s): Air Tractor / Trotter Controls, Incorporated - USA

National flag of the United Arab Emirates

[ Argentina; Brazil; Burkina Faso; Canada; Chile; Croatia; Egypt; Gambia; Indonesia; Israel; Italy; Jordan; Kenya; Macedonia; Spain; United Arab Emirates; United States; Yemen ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (221mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

200

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 1

Image from official Air Tractor marketing material.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT

MARITIME / NAVY

TRAINING

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
The Air Tractor AT-802 Multirole Light Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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