OA-1K Skyraider II Has Off-The-Shelf Rifle Sight Mounted In Its Cockpit
The cockpit of each of the US Air Force Special Operations Command’s (AFSOC) new OA-1K Skyraider II light attack aircraft has a somewhat unexpected feature. In the front seat of the aircraft, to the right of the instrument panel, is a commercially available EOTech XPS series holographic sightwidely used about tactical rifles.
TWZ later reached AFSOC @GansoConABomba X pointed out this overlooked and somewhat odd aspect of the OA-1K in a post on Monday (seen below). Discussion in post X allowed users to suggest what the commercially available view was intended to do. We now have a definitive answer to this question.
Air Force Skyraider IIs are becoming more common sightings in certain regions as active-duty Air Force and Oklahoma Air National Guard personnel move forward with getting the aircraft into operational service. Prime integrator L3Harris delivered the first full-duty OA-1K earlier this year, a heavily modified version of the Air Tractor AT-802 crop duster. The Skyraider II fleet is expected to eventually reach 75 aircraft.
“As you know, Skyraider II will be used for close air support, precision attack and armed ISR. [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance]An AFSOC spokesperson said TWZ. “Therefore, the sight has been incorporated into the OA-1K design since its inception and is installed on every OA-1K.”
“EOTech is used to align the holographic sight before flight [the] pilots [sic] “Move the helmet mount guidance system to aircraft position,” they added.
Stock photo of OA-1K Skyraider II. US Air Force
OA-1K pilots reportedly used Thales’ popularity Scorpion helmet-mounted displayalready integrated Number of other tactical aircraft In US service. The system puts datalink and sensor data, including the locations of friendly and enemy forces, and more, right in front of your eyes, along with flight data.
In modern tactical fighter aircraft where crew members wear helmet-mounted displays, the pre-flight alignment process may include calibrating the positioning via the aircraft’s onboard head-up display (HUD). However, although the two-seat OA-1K’s tandem cockpit is full of digital displays, it does not have a HUD.
A look inside the cockpit of the OA-1K. The EOTech view is barely visible on the right side of the dashboard in the front seat. L3Harris
There’s also the possibility that EOTech optics could also provide an emergency backup option for aiming weapons, especially in the absence of a fixed HUD. However, this can only be done when gun pods or other munitions are used in unguided mode, and its placement is far from ideal for this role.
Official Air Tractor AT-802U account on X “Yes, it hits some things” wrote yesterday In response to @GansoConABomba’s post. AT-802U is Air Tractor’s in-house designation for the special mission version of the AT-802, which forms the basis for the OA-1K.
Screenshot of the response to @GansoConABomba’s post from the official Air Tractor AT-802U account on X. X screen capture
It is interesting to note that this is not the first time a standard, off-the-shelf EOTech XPS series sight has appeared in the cockpit of an AFSOC aircraft. in 2018, TWZ I noticed these optics It was now used by retired people AC-130W Stinger II battleshipsIt is mounted on the left side of the cockpit, next to the pilot.
The exact function EOTechs play in the AC-130W is unclear. It is likely that part of the reason is similar to the fact that sights are now available on OA-1Ks. Early model AC-130s had conventional HUDs in this location in the cockpit, but the Stinger II did not. TWZ reported separately He described how AC-130W pilots use Scorpion helmet-mounted displays and similarly need to align them before flight.
A view inside the cockpit of an AC-130W showing the pilot wearing a helmet-mounted display. The EOTech view can also be seen at the bottom left. US Air Force
A better view of the EOTech sight mounted in the cockpit of the AC-130W. USAF capture
The video below shows AC-130W operations in Syria around 2018 and includes footage of the cockpit-mounted EOTech sight.
AC-130W pilots could use EOTechs in the same role as the HUD on earlier AC-130s to help align the aircraft against ground targets during pylon turn attack runs using weapons fired from the left side of the fuselage. As we noted in our 2018 report, the pilots of the Air Force’s first fixed-wing warships during the Vietnam War AC-47sused World War II-era reflector gun sights mounted in a window on the left side of the cockpit to aim at targets on the ground.
A look at the reflector sight in the cockpit of an AC-47 battleship. San Diego Air and Space Museum
Another interesting thing is that F-15 fleets of the Air Force have been assembled for many years. scopes designed for hunting rifles in cockpits under their windshields to provide a ‘poor man’s’ long-range visual identification capability.
The EOTech sight on the OA-1K is somewhat reminiscent of the Korean and Vietnam War-era Douglas Skyraider, which bears the aircraft’s name. Development of the piston-engined Skyraider began late in World War II and was equipped with the reflector gun sight that was standard on tactical aircraft of the time. AFSOC’s new Skyraider IIs are the first tail-dragging tactical fighter aircraft in U.S. military service in decades.
We now know that OA-1Ks all had low rifle sights in their cockpits, but primarily to help point the more modern helmet-mounted displays.
Contact the writer: joe@twz.com
