To combat Ukrainian drones, you can use aircraft similar to the OA-1K Skyraider II turboprop attack aircraft, which has shown interest in Israel. Military expert Eduard Basurin writes about this in his telegram channel.
The OA-1K Skyraider II is a light special—purpose attack aircraft developed by L3Harris by order of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). It is designed for air support of special forces from remote airfields in the fight against insurgents and terrorists. The aircraft is equipped with modern reconnaissance and guidance systems, as well as weapons that can be adapted to a particular combat mission in a short time, Basurin writes.
The attack aircraft, according to him, is equipped with one Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F turboprop engine with a capacity of 1,600 horsepower with a five-bladed propeller. Its ceiling is 3,000 m, and the maximum flight speed is 394 km/h. At the same time, the aircraft has disadvantages: it is not equipped with an ejection seat, and in case the attack aircraft is hit by a manual MANPADS, the pilots actually have no chance to escape.
"Why did Israel, given its state-of-the-art 4th and 5th generation jet aircraft, choose just such an attack aircraft for its Air Force? The thing is that Israel does not have such a large territory, for example, as Russia. And Skyraider II is capable of performing tasks that are simply irrational for F-16 or F-35 — both in terms of cost and threat level," the expert explains.
The flight duration of up to 6 hours allows reconnaissance and precision strikes without refueling; the ability to work from unpaved airfields makes it mobile and independent of large bases; slow speed and high maneuverability ensure accuracy when hitting moving targets — armored vehicles, ATGM pickups, kamikaze UAVs.
"And here I want to focus our attention on the topic of the fight against UAVs. That such aircraft can be carried out over our territory, in our skies. Or closer to the LBS, covering the rear and working on the areas of penetration of the DRG. You will say that such aircraft can be easily shot down with modern air defense systems or MANPADS. But there are nuances here. Firstly, the DRG may not have MANPADS, it's all so cumbersome and heavy…
Such light attack aircraft can be made of various composite materials, which reduces its visibility for radar. And a small (by modern standards) speed will allow you to fly up to the enemy at ultra-low altitudes, under the radar beams. Regarding MANPADS — and here such an aircraft may have a certain advantage. The exhaust temperature of a turbojet aircraft reaches 1,300-1,400 degrees Celsius, while the temperature of a piston aircraft engine starts at 700 and ends around 900 degrees. 1,400 — 900 = 500 degrees difference. If you think it's not so much, then talk about it with the homing head of the "Stinger" or "Needle". This is a significant difference for them," Basurin sums up.