The Air Force Times reports on a move by the Air Force to look into a new light attack aircraft to be fielded in the 2012 timeframe.  The article notes that it is an “early step.”  In fact, it is a “capability request for information,” which is barely more than market research on the feasibility of a system.

Still, the interest in an airplane which would presumably be used in counterinsurgency operations is intriguing.  For some time, air enthusiasts have lamented the absence of aircraft like the venerable Skyraider that performed such an important, though sometimes niche, mission in Vietnam.  The Skyraider and other aircraft similarly situated were eliminated due both to technology and the belief that their roles would no longer be needed in future wars.  That logic, incidentally, is similar to that which is ending F-22 production now.