L3Harris, IAI offer Blue Sky Warden light attack turboprop to Israel

L3Harris and IAI are to fit Israeli-specific systems to the Sky Warden, which they will then offer to Israel as the Blue Sky Warden. (US Air Force)

L3Harris Technologies and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have teamed to offer the Blue Sky Warden intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and light strike aircraft to Israel.

The two companies announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 15 October, whereby IAI will integrate Israeli-specific systems into the L3Harris Sky Warden (designated OA-1K Skyraider II in US Special Operations Command service) aircraft that itself is based on the Air Tractor AT-802U airframe.

“As part of the agreement, the L3Harris-IAI team will produce a unique Israeli configuration called Blue Sky Warden. The aircraft will include an IAI open architecture mission computer to host Israeli-specific software and special capabilities. IAI will also supply and integrate its mission equipment and lead flight tests and airworthiness campaigns with the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Air Force (IAF),” the companies said in a joint communiqué.

The Blue Sky Warden is the latest offering from the Air Tractor airframe that traces its lineage back to an agricultural crop sprayer created by Leland Snow in the 1950s. The single-engined turboprop has a top speed of 180 kt, a maximum payload of 3,161 kg, an endurance of 10 hours, a range of 2,414 km, a service ceiling of 25,000 ft, a minimum landing strip requirement of 122 m (with propeller reversal on landing), and costs between USD7.5 million and USD13 million to procure and under USD400 per hour to operate.