The Israeli variant of the Sky Warden will integrate IAI mission systems, hardware and software.
Israel will acquire a customized variant of L3Harris’ Sky Warden light attack aircraft, to be locally called Blue Sky Warden, according to an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed between L3Harris and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on October 15, 2025. The number of aircraft Israel plans to acquire is currently unknown.
As part of the Israeli light attack aircraft program, the aircraft will have “Israel-specific” software, hardware and mission systems designed and developed by the IAI, according to the joint statement by L3Harris and IAI. After supplying and integrating its mission equipment, the IAI will also “lead flight tests and airworthiness campaigns with the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Air Force.”
The Sky Warden is a derivative of the Air Tractor AT-802U crop duster. Called the OA-1K Skyraider II by the US AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command), the aircraft was developed in response to the command’s Armed Overwatch program in 2022.
AFSOC revealed the ‘Skyraider II’ designation for the aircraft during the Special Air Warfare Symposium on February 27, 2025. The name revives the legacy of the rugged and versatile A-1 Skyraider, which served from 1946 to the early 1980s.
L3Harris-IAI Agreement
The L3Harris press release included among Israel’s specific capabilities the IAI’s “open architecture mission computer.” The statement cited IAI President and CEO Boaz Levy, who called L3Harris a “longstanding and trusted partner with whom we have successful partnerships on several fronts.”
“By combining IAI’s cutting-edge systems and expertise in mission systems integration with L3Harris’ Sky Warden platform, we are delivering a customized solution that meets the evolving needs of the Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Air Force,” Levy said.
“This strategic partnership with IAI allows us to offer a customized variant of our Sky Warden to meet Israel’s operational and industrial needs,” said Jon Rambeau, president of Integrated Mission Systems at L3Harris. “The Sky Warden light attack aircraft delivers best-in-class endurance, payload and survivability required for airborne ISR and other missions.”
Simplify and act. Widow mission execution software simplifies complex data into a common operational picture, allowing users to tailor their interface and receive better situational awareness. More information: https://t.co/V3Ugv4hVLA#AUSA2025 pic.twitter.com/LlafVAdw15
– L3Harris (@L3HarrisTech) October 11, 2025
Other areas of L3Harris and IAI collaboration include the Phoenix CAEW&C (Conformal Airborne Early Warning and Control) aircraft based on the Bombardier Global 6500 commercial aircraft. South Korea selected the Phoenix CAEW&C as its next airborne radar on September 30, following a competitive tender.
Israeli companies are the developers of the EL/W-2085 CAEW AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar used by the Phoenix, as well as the CAEW standard, which is in service in Israel, Italy (as E-550A CAEW) and Singapore. This aircraft is based on the Gulfstream G-550 executive jet.
The selection of the Sky Warden aircraft also comes after L3Harris announced on August 27, 2025 an expanded production facility for the aircraft in Waco, Texas. However, US SOCOM (Special Operations Command) reduced its annual procurement of the OA-1K.
Air and Space Forces Magazine reported that only six aircraft were funded in fiscal year 2026, down from the previously planned 12, itself reduced from 15 aircraft in fiscal year 2025. However, the command’s overall recorded program remains at 75 aircraft.
tactical use
The choice of Israeli avionics, sensors and mission systems in the Blue Sky Warden also has a precedent in the country that guarantees great customization of American products with its technologies. A prime example remains the F-35A, locally designated F-35I after it received unidentified Israeli-made technologies, making Israel the only country to have modified the stealth fighter.
There are also complementary modifications present on the Israeli Air Force’s F-15I Ra’am and F-16I Sufa to support networking, data sharing and interoperability with the F-35I. The Blue Sky Warden would also be better suited for lower intensity operations in permissive, uncontested environments, rather than the massive F-15 and F-16.
The next fight won’t wait for a clue. It demands an aircraft that can take off from anywhere, connect across the battlespace in real time and deliver decisive effects, all with a smaller footprint and lower cost. Learn more about Sky Warden: https://t.co/DkuS1d4Pcf#SOFWeek pic.twitter.com/iVS92LeEKs
– L3Harris (@L3HarrisTech) May 7, 2025
A highly modernized turboprop CAS aircraft equipped with advanced optical, communications and guidance sensors enables more precise reconnaissance and attack operations, avoiding collateral damage. With two powerful optical sensors, the Wescam MX-15 and MX-20, on the port wing MMSP (Multi-Modal Sensor Pod), assuming the Blue Sky Warden maintained that capability, the aircraft would be suitable for mid-altitude, all-weather, day/night ISR attack roles.
If the need arises, it can also help optimally utilize larger, heavier platforms such as the F-15, F-16 and AH-64 Apache by serving as a target data relay point closer to the action.
Take a look inside the Sky Warden aircraft, the proven base for @AFSpecOpsCmdOA-1K Skyraider II. More information: https://t.co/rV407KnIRq#AFANnational pic.twitter.com/q5DcQMKgYF
– L3Harris (@L3HarrisTech) September 19, 2025
Weapon payloads and lessons from current wars
Suffice it to say that the platform may have been identified after lessons learned in three years of operations against Hamas in the west, the Houthis in the south and Hezbollah in the north. Primarily, the Skyraider II’s ability to carry two seven-round LAU-131 A/A pods with APKWS II rockets allows for more economical interception of Houthi One-Way Attack drones, rather than larger F-15, F-16 or Apache helicopters.
As it turns out now, even A-10s in the CENTCOM (Central Command) AOR (Area of Responsibility) have been used against drones, showing how the cost asymmetry still persists between threats and the platforms used to stop them.
The possibility of the Blue Sky Wardens firing the Israeli NLOS (Non-Line of Sight) Spike, rather than the AGM-114 Hellfire, cannot also be ruled out. Needless to say, developmental testing of the OA-1K Skyraider II at Eglin AFB, Florida, beginning in late June will also aid its rapid fielding with the Israelis, with testing and performance data readily available.
