TUCSON, Ariz - Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was preparing to help test small prop planes as possible alternatives for A-10s but now the testing will happen in New Mexico instead.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced the change Tuesday.
We've decided to move the execution of Phase II of #LightAttack Experiment planned for May from @DMAFB back to @HollomanAFB. The test team can now leverage continuity of effort, familiarity of location, resources, & sortie generation capabilities +experience gained during Phase I pic.twitter.com/bMSL0FYtGO
— Dr. Heather Wilson (@SecAFOfficial) February 27, 2018
The Air Force has been considering the A-29 Super Tucano (too-CONN-oh) and the AT-6 for ground attack in battlefields where enemy troops are unlikely to have sophisticated anti-aircraft defenses. The A-29 Super Tucano was designed by a Brazilian company. The U-S has supplied A-29s to the Afghanistan Air Force.
The AT-6 is a variation of a training plane Beechcraft already makes for the Air Force and Navy.
The Air Force was planning to test the two planes at Davis-Monthan this May. Now it's decided to hold the tests at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico where it ran an earlier series of tests last year.
