The AT-6C, a modified version of the T-6 currently used to train US Air Force and Navy pilots, has reportedly been used to deliver LGBs out of Tucson, Arizona.  The Air Force Reserve Command Test Center has been testing the AT-6C, which is explicitly not an in-development weapons acquisition program.

Though light attack is not an Air Force procurement program, AATC’s task is to report its findings to senior leaders early next year to help refine requirements…

As if to prove the point, the aircraft has a civilian N-number, rather than a military designation:

There aren’t too many civilian aircraft in the world equipped to drop LGBs.

The result is a low-cost, light attack aircraft that could one day fill a role that resides between remotely piloted aircraft and high-performance fighters, while blending many of their capabilities. At under $1,000 per flying hour, officials say a light attack platform can save money while sparing the service’s current fleet from unnecessary wear and tear.

Apparently, the AT-6C will also be equipped to dogfight with 50-cal gun pods:

Next week the team will mount and test 50-caliber gun pods, firing rounds at a targeting banner in tow 2,000 feet behind a Cessna Conquest.

“We’re very interested in how that performs. It could be employed for an [Aerospace Control Alert] Noble Eagle mission or counter drug mission,” he said.

As the article notes, the US military hasn’t had a similar light attack aircraft in decades (read: Vietnam), though the A-10 has done an admirable job of filling the role.  The nature of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan renewed interest in the capability.

USAF Photo by James Haseltine.