On Tuesday, October 26, Poland presented a prototype of an aircraft for American special forces. MC-145B Special Operations Multi-Role Aircraft (SOMA) is designed as part of the project of the Special Operations Command (US SOCOM) ARMED OVERWATCH. This is reported by Defence Express.
Airplane is the joint development of the Polish company PZL Mielec (enters Lockheed Martin Helicopter) and American Sierra Nevada Corporation. The plane was collected in Poland, and in the USA installed equipment.
The basis of MC-145B is the PZL M28 Skytruck plane, which has become the development of a licensed copy of the Soviet An-28. The new car has received reinforced elements of wings, fastening for additional equipment and an enlarged nose. The MC-145B protection provides a set of sensors with an AN / ALE-47 interference station.
The plane received modern satellite communications systems and an optical-electronic system with an optical channel and a thermal imager. MC-145B added four height and additional equipment suspension points. The aircraft can carry containers with equipment for radio electronic combat and exploration.
MC-145B can be equipped with controlled AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, uncontrollable rockets and GBU-39 Stormbreaker’s planning bombs. Also, the plane received eight launchers with drones and equipment to start the winned rocket AGM-158 Jassm.
The aircraft certification is planned to be completed in 2022. This will begin to start deliveries of serial machines in 2023. Defence Express notes that the command of special US operations can order up to 75 aircraft.
Previously, the Military Watch magazine published snapshots of the new modification of the Chinese fifth generation fighter J-20. It is believed that the photo shows a double version of the aircraft.