feature BUILT USING A PROVEN COMMERCIAL AIR TRACTOR AIRFRAME AND COTS GARMIN G3000 AVIONICS, L3HARRIS' SKY WARDEN ISR AIRCRAFT IS UNIQUELY CAPABLE OF PROVIDING RELIABILITY AND TRUE MULTIMISSION FLEXIBILITY IN AUSTERE, DISAGGREGATED COMBAT ENVIRONMENTS. L3HARRIS' SKY WARDEN STORY BY DALE SMITH he various branches of the U.S. military have a long history of purchasing commercially derived aircraft and modifying them to meet specific missions. Everything from Piper Cubs to business jets to 747s has served the country well at home and abroad. Although it's no surprise the massive cost of designing and building these airplanes tax the military's seemingly bottomless budget, the dependence on modifying commercial airplanes for specific needs is stronger today than ever. A timely example is the U.S. Special Operations Command's recent award to L3Harris Technologies with a contract to modify a fleet of Air T Tractor AT-802U aircraft to meet the needs of its ongoing Armed Overwatch program. In short, USSOCOM's Armed Overwatch program provides specially modified aircraft to deliver close air support, precision strike, and ISR (intelligence, 52 avionics news * july 2023 PURPOSEBUILT TO 'KICK BUTT AND TAKE NAMES'