The Air Force plans to buy a small number of AT-6 and A-29 aircraft, to be split between Air Combat Command and Air Force Special Operations Command, as its light attack experiment shifts into an acquisition program. The service on Oct. 24 released its final request for proposals, which states it plans to purchase two to three light-attack aircraft each from Textron Aviation, which produces the AT-6, and the Sierra Nevada Corp.-Embraer team that offers the A-29. The Air Force expects to issue a contract for the A-29 by end of the year, and for the AT-6 in early 2020. The AT-6 will go to Nellis AFB, Nev., where ACC will use it for testing and development of "operational tactics and standards for exportable, tactical networks that improve interoperability with international partners," the Air Force said in an Oct. 24 release.
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