https://www.defensenews.com/air/2023...anes-says-gao/
US special ops may be buying too many Armed Overwatch planes, says GAO
WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Operations Command should reconsider its plan to buy
75 Armed Overwatch aircraft, a government watchdog said Thursday.
The Government Accountability Office recommended the command slow down its acquisition of the AT-802U Sky Warden, its
choice for Armed Overwatch program, beginning in fiscal 2025 until SOCOM carries out a more thorough analysis for the fleet.…..
But the study SOCOM performed to decide it needed 75 Armed Overwatch planes “relied on unproven assumptions” and didn’t justify a fleet of that size, GAO said in its report, titled “Special Operations Forces: DOD Should Slow Acquisition of Armed Overwatch Aircraft Until It Conducts Needed Analysis.”…
The department partially agreed with the recommendation to temporarily limit Armed Overwatch acquisition, but said SOCOM will also consider whether it has enough aircraft to train the first cadre of aircrew to fly the Sky Warden and set up a training pipeline….
SOCOM bought 16 Sky Wardens as of October 2023, and expects that number to rise to 28 aircraft by April 2024.
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106283