The South African designed and developed Advanced Highperformance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft (AHRLAC) is pursuing the American market as the Bronco II, through the newly created company Bronco Combat Systems (BCS). This was established in late February by Paramount Group USA, Fulcrum Concepts LLC and the Aerospace Development Corporation (formerly Aerosud), which designed the AHRLAC. The Bronco II is aimed at the US market, with US weapons and equipment.
BCS noted that although the Bronco II is ideally suited to the US Air Force’s OA-X (light attack/armed reconnaissance) programme, it is not being fielded specifically for it: “Bronco Combat Systems is launching the aircraft in response to multiple use cases in the US, of which OA-X is only one. The organisation will be engaging with the Special Operations community, the US Army, Navy and Air Force and Border Control, as well as the law enforcement community and potential civilian operators with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements. In addition to the above, Bronco Combat Systems intends to make the aircraft available for evaluation for the OA-X programme.” BCS will enable full airframe and mission systems production in the United States, with Fulcrum Concepts leading weapons and system integration.
Production of the AHRLAC is already underway in South Africa for two launch customers, and several years’ worth of production has already been allocated.
