Air Tractor OA-8 Longsword

Close-Air Support (CAS) Aircraft

United States | 2018

"The Air Tractor OA-8 Longsword is the dedicated armed derivative of the AT-802 agricultural / fire-fighting platform."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/07/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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The OA-8 "Longsword" is one of many capable aircraft designs currently competing for the Close Air Support (CAS) role of various countries. The aircraft is based on the American Air Tractor AT-802 (detailed elsewhere on this site), modified by L-3 Technologies for the CAS role and debuting during Avalon Airshow 2017 (Australia). The design pairs the established Air Tractor agricultural / fire-fighting airframe with modern technologies and ordnance delivery capabilities to suit ongoing over-battlefield needs. The AT-802 is a globally popular aircraft in civilian market sectors and sees operations from Argentina and Brazil to Kenya and Indonesia.

The aircraft, in its CAS role, seats two personnel in tandem under a heavily framed canopy and within an armored cockpit due to the low-altitude flight envelopes at play in the CAS role. The cockpit is set well-aft of the long-running nose and, at the nose, is a five-bladed propeller unit powered by a Pratt & Whitney engine installation. The tail unit is of a conventional single-finned arrangement. The wing mainplanes are set low and each sports multiple hardpoints. An additional hard point pairing is seen under the belly and an optics set is fitted under the nose. The undercarriage is fixed and wheeled ("tail dragger" configuration).

Supported armament will run the gamut of widely-used munitions and ordnance options including gun pods, cannon pods, rocket pods (unguided rockets), and conventional drop bombs (smart and dumb). Armament load outs can capacity reach 6,200lb.

The Longsword has several distinct inherent features: strong low-altitude flying characteristics and handling, a 400 nautical mile operating range, and 10 hour mission endurance window. It can remain on station for over five hours.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Air Tractor OA-8 Longsword Close-Air Support (CAS) Aircraft.

1 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engine developing up to 1,940 horsepower and driving a five-bladed propeller at the nose.
Propulsion

224 mph
360 kph | 194 kts
Max Speed

25,098 ft
7,650 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling

621 miles
1,000 km | 540 nm
Operational Range

1,250 ft/min
381 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 OA-8 Longsword Close-Air Support (CAS) Aircraft.

2
(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

16,535 lb
(7,500 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 OA-8 Longsword Close-Air Support (CAS) Aircraft .

Up to 6,200lb of stores carried including cannon pods, conventional drop bombs and rocket pods.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Air Tractor OA-8 Longsword family line.

OA-8 "Longsword" - Base Series Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Air Tractor OA-8 Longsword. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units
Contractor(s): Air Tractor / L-3 Technologies - United States

[ United States (possible) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (224mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

1

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

♦

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

CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT

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 OA-8 Longsword Close-Air Support (CAS) Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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