An AT-6 fires a laser-guided rocket over Eglin Air Force Base
Hawker Beechcraft Defense Co.’s AT-6 is the first fixed-wing aircraft to fire laser-guided rockets. Lasers, both on the plane and from the ground, guided the three-mile shots into their targets at the Eglin Air Force Base range in Florida.
The AT-6 is part of a growing trend to develop relatively cheap, light, prop-driven warplanes for overseas customers. “Laser-guided rockets are relatively new and present the warfighter with a low-cost but lethal capability,” an HBDC official says. “Most of the weapons employed in counter-insurgency are more expensive than the target being hit — targeting a $10,000 truck with a $100,000 weapon.” But a laser-guided rocket costs about $10,000.
“We continue to see great interest in the AT-6 from military forces around the globe.” Derek Hess, HBDC’s light-attack chief, said. “The capability to employ laser-guided rockets is another reason why the aircraft is unmatched in the light-attack aircraft market today.” Maybe so, but the AT-6 is already in a dogfight: it is suing the Air Force after it lost a $350 million contract to supply the Afghan air force with 20 such planes.