What might meet the rather loose OA-X requirements?
The last time the USAF looked at light attack (LAAR/LAS) they quickly concluded that they needed a turboprop, capable of operating from rough and short strips.
But for the upcoming OA-X capability demonstration, they seemed to have adopted rather looser criteria.
"Qualifying aircraft need to be able to support a high operations tempo of 900 flight hours per year for 10 years and have a 90% mission capable rate for day and night missions. The aircraft must be able to take off using a maximum runway length of 6,000 ft. and be equipped with secure tactical communications and the ability to hit stationary or moving targets day and night. In addition, qualifying jets must have a 2.5-hr. mission endurance with an average fuel flow of about 1,500 lb./hr. or less. The aircraft will also be evaluated for survivability, including infrared and visual signature."
6,000 ft? That's Odiham. (And it's longer than Northolt (5,535 ft), Biggin Hill (5,932 ft), Benson (5,981 ft) or Jersey International (5,560 ft).
I've seen Jaguars take off from most of those!
You'd have thought that being able to operate out of Booker (2,411 ft) or off White Waltham's short runway (3,051 ft) would be a better idea, for an aircraft that you might want to forward base, or operate off small road strips.
Jersey 5,560 ft
The fuel flow figures are puzzling, too. An A-10 would not qualify. Would a Hawk or an L-159, I wonder? What would a typical turboprop trainer achieve? And what about something like a Bronco?
Is it simply to allow the Scorpion to participate?