AHRLAC Holdings, a joint venture between the Paramount Group and Aerosud, launched the Bronco II light attack aircraft for the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) lightweight ground-attack aircraft program, the OA-X.

Named after the OV-10 Bronco, a twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed for counterinsurgency (COIN) operations, the Bronco II is based on the AHRLAC aircraft platform, but with U.S. subsystems and weapons.

Chairman of South Africa-based Paramount Group International Ivor Ichikowitz says  “This is not simply an armed variant of a civilian crop-duster or a modified training aircraft. Every inch of this aircraft is designed for purpose – specifically for the kind of asymmetrical warfare that sophisticated military forces are now being asked to conduct.”

Under the OA-X program, the USAF intends to reduce the operational costs of fielding attack aircraft in its COIN operations, namely in environments with limited-to-non-existing anti-air warfare (AAW) threats

Earlier this month, the USAF announced a second OA-X demonstration will be held this summer, Arizona, but invited only the A-29 and the AT-6.