OA-1K Skyraider II

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]They know they'll stay on the battlefield until it's done.

[00:00:02]And they know that [music] if something happens, there'll be one more right behind it to come in and pick up the mantle.

[00:00:08]Capability that this airplane was designed for was to be able to support a team or a small force on the ground in an austere location with no support, no maintenance, no strings back to mother base to be able to support it. [music] And the airplane's claim to fame, as well as we mentioned, is operating any location anywhere in the world. If you look at a piece of dirt, if I've got 4,000 ft of dirt, I'm in good shape for that.

[00:00:35]When I was program manager, I always figured out nobody knew how the airplane was going to be operated till you put it in the hands of the first lieutenant and he went out there and figured out all the unique things he could do. And we're just at that phase right now. And when that first lieutenant rolls in, the guys on the ground will know exactly what's overhead and exactly what they're capable of.

[00:00:53]As a former ground operator, I think I can speak for the current ground operator when they hear the Sky Raider name, they know they're coming.

[00:01:02]They know they'll stay on the [music] battlefield until it's done.

[00:01:04]And they know that if something happens, there'll be one more right behind it to come in and pick up the mantle.