On the same day that it issued the Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance aircraft capability query (see above), Aeronautical Systems Center in Ohio issued another seeking information on a fixed-wing Light Mobility Aircraft (LiMA) that USAF also would like to field starting in Fiscal 2011. The service wants approximately 60 LiMAs and would expect to achieve initial operational capability in Fiscal 2012. The proposed aircraft would have to accommodate at least six passengers plus aircrew, be able to operate on unimproved austere landing sites—with no ground support other than fuel—carrying a minimum of 1,800 pounds of passengers and cargo. It’s cargo door should allow for loading and unloading of patients litters or a 36-inch warehouse skid. The LiMA candidate would have dual pilot stations, but be certified for single pilot operation.
In the face of Chinese war plans to disrupt U.S. command-and-control networks in the event of a conflict, the Air Force needs to focus less on its “connect everything” efforts and prepare its combat aviators to fight without a constant connection to higher-ups, according to a new report from AFA’s…
