Air force search for new light attack aircraft may begin by spring.

• Position: From the National Defense Blog

The Air Force may begin eyeing potential commercial-off-the-shelf light attack aircraft to add to its fleets as early as this spring, the service's chief of staff said. If approved, the service could begin an experiment, called OA-X, to work directly with the defense industry to find a suitable light-attack and/or low-end fighter aircraft within a few months, said Gen. David Goldfein in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute.

"We're actually right now looking at an experiment where we go out to industry and ask, 'What do you have, commercial-off-the-shelf low-cost, that can perform this mission?" he said. "We're going to do this experiment and just sort of see what's out there, and I expect many of the companies to come forward."

The service is looking to begin the experiment" probably around the spring-time" but he emphasized that this would not be a competition.

"This is an experiment ... there are very appropriate acquisition laws that ensure we have a fair and open competition; this is not a competition," he said.

Brig. Gen. Ed Thomas, director of Air Force public affairs, said the experiment remains in discussions, has not officially been approved, and no money is attached "at this point."

"The chief believes it does make sense to look at opportunities to provide as he described a ... less expensive attack-type aircraft that can do the close-air support mission, that can do the support mission, that other countries and allies can fly also ... cheaper to maintain, and do this in a way...