Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Single-seat agricultural monoplane

Power Plant:

One 1,007 kw (1,350 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67AG turboprop

Specifications:

History:

The AT-802 series was an enlarged AT-503, having a length of 11.27 m (37 ft) and a wingspan of 17.68 m (58 ft), a hopper of 3,028 litres (666 Imp gals), and computer controlled hopper doors to drop a load of fire retardant as required when used in that role. The prototype (N802LS) first flew on 30 October 1990, had a dual seat cockpit and a 1,062 kw (1,424 shp) PT6A-67R engine. It was also certified to take the 875 kw (1,173 shp) PT6A-45R or PT6A-65B turboprop.

The first AT-802A (N1558W) flew on 6 July 1992 with a PT6A-65B turbine and had an operating weight of 6,804 kg (15,000 lb) when it gained certification in April 1993 but this was increased to 7,257 kg (16,000 lb) for aircraft with the PT6A-65R or PT6A-67R turboprop. The AT-802AF was a single-seat variant aimed solely at the fire-fighting role, was fitted with the PT6A-67AF engine and was at first certificated at 5,670 kg (12,500 lb) but this was increased in April 1993 to 7,257 kg (16,000 lb), giving a useful load of 4,232 kg (9,330 lb).

In the United States the AT-802 has regularly been flown on amphibious floats. The first two-seat AT-802LS (N802LS – c/n 801-001) was first flown in November 1991 and had a PT6A-67R engine providing 1,062 kw (1,424 shp) but this was later replaced with either the PT6A-45R or PT6A-65B of 875 kw (1,173 shp) in production aircraft.

First example of this series in this region was VH-LIM (c/n 802-0007) for Pays Air Services of Scone, NSW in December 1993, being followed by VH-AQB (c/n 802-0012) and VH-AQH (c/n 802-0014) which operated at Bourke and Warren in New South Wales. Later an AT-802 was imported from South Africa (VH-LIC – c/n 0001 – ex ZS-NRU).

The type has become very useful in a number of roles and more than 80 examples have been imported. This model is regularly used in Australia as a fire-bomber during the bushfire season, with extra aircraft being imported from Canada and the United States to fill the need for fire-bombers.

One variant was the AT-802U, a two-seat model with a PT6A-7F engine developed as a surveillance platform which combined a 3,629 kg (8,000 lb) payload with a ten-hour mission capability. This aircraft could be missionised with SIGINT to a search-and-rescue payload, with an L3 targeting pod, Rover video downlink and state of the art sensors. The aircraft had 11 hard points on the wings and fuselage and could carry 2,900 rounds of 12.7 mm (0.50 in) ammunition, four Hellfire missiles, 16 DAGR laser-guided rockets, and two 113 kg (250 lb) guided bombs.

Examples of the AT-802 have been used in South America on counter-drug operations.