Textron Pitches AT-6 Wolverine as Modular Aircraft for Counter-UAV and Close Air Support Roles
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Textron is positioning its AT-6 Wolverine as a versatile counter-UAV and light-attack platform, emphasizing modular payloads and sensor flexibility. The approach reflects rising demand for low-cost air defense and close support options that can operate where jet fighters are impractical or uneconomical.
On 22 October 2025, on company channels, Textron outlined a proposal positioning the AT-6 Wolverine as a multi-mission answer to proliferating drones and low-intensity air threats. As announced, the light-attack turboprop would assume counter-UAV, light air defense patrol, close air support and related roles by exploiting its modular weapons and sensor suite. The move comes as Western forces seek affordable airborne C-UAS options to complement ground defenses and free high-end fighters for other tasks. Recent large U.S. orders of APKWS II rockets underscore the demand signal for cost-effective anti-drone munitions.
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Textron’s AT-6 Wolverine pairs modular sensors and weapons, including the MX-15D turret and APKWS II rockets, for counter-UAV and close support missions (Picture Source: Textron)
Under its proposal, the Wolverine could undertake counter-UAV missions, light air defense patrol, close air support and other tasks because the airframe was designed from the outset around modularity. Textron specifies modern mission avionics and full weapons integration centered on the Wescam MX-15D EO/IR turret for surveillance and laser designation, enabling employment of precision effects from .50-caliber gun pods to guided rockets and bombs. The MX-15D fit and six under-wing stations give the aircraft the sensing, cueing and persistence that improvised gun-armed light aircraft lack when chasing small UAVs.
The weapons menu aligns with current counter-UAS best practices. Wolverine can field AGR-20A APKWS II laser-guided 70 mm rockets, now being procured in bulk by the U.S. Department of War for counter-drone and precision strike roles, alongside .50-caliber machine-gun pods and legacy AGM-114 Hellfire-class effects. APKWS II’s cost per shot and accuracy have made it a favored anti-drone option; ongoing software refinements for air-to-air engagement further strengthen its relevance for turboprop shooters. In parallel, Textron indicates growth headroom toward integrating AGM-179 JAGM, the Hellfire successor, to expand two-way engagement against UAVs and armored or surface targets.
Modularity is also measurable on the stores side. Textron documents more than sixty-six standard and non-standard asymmetric external payload combinations, allowing tailored mixes of sensors, guns, rockets, bombs, pods and tanks within the platform’s ~4,110 lb (≈ 1,864 kg) maximum load capacity. This lets a single airframe pivot from a daytime C-UAS sweep to a twilight armed overwatch or a night CAS escort by swapping pylons and software loads without altering the core aircraft.
Operationally, the AT-6 lineage carries a concrete track record that reduces risk. The U.S. Air Force acquired Wolverines for its Light Attack experiment and subsequently granted Military Type Certification in 2022, validating the configuration for U.S. service use and export. Internationally, Textron has active support arrangements with operators such as the Royal Thai Air Force for AT-6/T-6 fleets, indicating an established training and sustainment ecosystem. These milestones provide the procedural foundation for rapid role expansion into airborne C-UAS without reinventing logistics or aircrew pipelines.
From an employment standpoint, the Wolverine’s austere-strip performance and low operating costs are central to its proposed counter-UAV and light air defense patrol concept. Dispersed turboprop detachments can operate closer to threatened infrastructure, shorten scramble times, and sustain longer on-station orbits than fast jets in permissive to semi-permissive airspace. In practice, that means pairing a wide-field MX-15D search with datalinked ground radars or acoustic/optical C-UAS sensors, prosecuting contacts with burst-controlled .50-cal fire or single/two-rocket APKWS salvos. The result is a layered kill chain that is responsive, scalable and economically rational against small-UAV swarms.
The advantages of this product and what it offers are therefore threefold. First, sensing: a mature MX-15D targeting suite and cockpit optimized for ISR/strike coordination give crews continuous detection, identification and laser designation in cluttered low-altitude environments. Second, effects: a broad, already-qualified weapons set, from gun pods to precision rockets and bombs, lets units tailor rules of engagement and manage cost-per-kill. Third, adaptability: more than sixty payload configurations, open mission systems and proven certification history compress the timeline from concept to fielded capability and allow incremental upgrades as C-UAS software and fusing evolve.
Strategically, adopting a Wolverine-type airborne C-UAS/light air defense patrol tier fills a widening gap between ground interceptors and high-end fighters. It offers allied air forces a scalable way to defend bases, energy nodes and logistics corridors against one-way attack UAVs and low-flying cruise-like threats while preserving scarce fighter hours and expensive missile inventories. In regions where both sides have improvised manned interceptors, a purpose-built, sensor-rich turboprop with certified weapons and sustainment support represents a qualitative step beyond ad hoc solutions, with immediate relevance for NATO-adjacent air policing, partner-nation border security and deployed expeditionary forces.
Textron’s AT-6 Wolverine combines a certified light-attack airframe with modular sensors and weapons that have already proven effective against small drones. The result is a cost-effective turboprop aircraft that can adapt to counter-UAV missions, light air defense, and close air support, offering versatility without breaking the budget. If fielded as described by the company, it would give commanders a credible airborne layer to blunt drone saturation while freeing high-end assets for missions only they can perform.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Textron is positioning its AT-6 Wolverine as a versatile counter-UAV and light-attack platform, emphasizing modular payloads and sensor flexibility. The approach reflects rising demand for low-cost air defense and close support options that can operate where jet fighters are impractical or uneconomical.
On 22 October 2025, on company channels, Textron outlined a proposal positioning the AT-6 Wolverine as a multi-mission answer to proliferating drones and low-intensity air threats. As announced, the light-attack turboprop would assume counter-UAV, light air defense patrol, close air support and related roles by exploiting its modular weapons and sensor suite. The move comes as Western forces seek affordable airborne C-UAS options to complement ground defenses and free high-end fighters for other tasks. Recent large U.S. orders of APKWS II rockets underscore the demand signal for cost-effective anti-drone munitions.
Textron’s AT-6 Wolverine pairs modular sensors and weapons, including the MX-15D turret and APKWS II rockets, for counter-UAV and close support missions (Picture Source: Textron)
Under its proposal, the Wolverine could undertake counter-UAV missions, light air defense patrol, close air support and other tasks because the airframe was designed from the outset around modularity. Textron specifies modern mission avionics and full weapons integration centered on the Wescam MX-15D EO/IR turret for surveillance and laser designation, enabling employment of precision effects from .50-caliber gun pods to guided rockets and bombs. The MX-15D fit and six under-wing stations give the aircraft the sensing, cueing and persistence that improvised gun-armed light aircraft lack when chasing small UAVs.
The weapons menu aligns with current counter-UAS best practices. Wolverine can field AGR-20A APKWS II laser-guided 70 mm rockets, now being procured in bulk by the U.S. Department of War for counter-drone and precision strike roles, alongside .50-caliber machine-gun pods and legacy AGM-114 Hellfire-class effects. APKWS II’s cost per shot and accuracy have made it a favored anti-drone option; ongoing software refinements for air-to-air engagement further strengthen its relevance for turboprop shooters. In parallel, Textron indicates growth headroom toward integrating AGM-179 JAGM, the Hellfire successor, to expand two-way engagement against UAVs and armored or surface targets.
Modularity is also measurable on the stores side. Textron documents more than sixty-six standard and non-standard asymmetric external payload combinations, allowing tailored mixes of sensors, guns, rockets, bombs, pods and tanks within the platform’s ~4,110 lb (≈ 1,864 kg) maximum load capacity. This lets a single airframe pivot from a daytime C-UAS sweep to a twilight armed overwatch or a night CAS escort by swapping pylons and software loads without altering the core aircraft.
Operationally, the AT-6 lineage carries a concrete track record that reduces risk. The U.S. Air Force acquired Wolverines for its Light Attack experiment and subsequently granted Military Type Certification in 2022, validating the configuration for U.S. service use and export. Internationally, Textron has active support arrangements with operators such as the Royal Thai Air Force for AT-6/T-6 fleets, indicating an established training and sustainment ecosystem. These milestones provide the procedural foundation for rapid role expansion into airborne C-UAS without reinventing logistics or aircrew pipelines.
From an employment standpoint, the Wolverine’s austere-strip performance and low operating costs are central to its proposed counter-UAV and light air defense patrol concept. Dispersed turboprop detachments can operate closer to threatened infrastructure, shorten scramble times, and sustain longer on-station orbits than fast jets in permissive to semi-permissive airspace. In practice, that means pairing a wide-field MX-15D search with datalinked ground radars or acoustic/optical C-UAS sensors, prosecuting contacts with burst-controlled .50-cal fire or single/two-rocket APKWS salvos. The result is a layered kill chain that is responsive, scalable and economically rational against small-UAV swarms.
The advantages of this product and what it offers are therefore threefold. First, sensing: a mature MX-15D targeting suite and cockpit optimized for ISR/strike coordination give crews continuous detection, identification and laser designation in cluttered low-altitude environments. Second, effects: a broad, already-qualified weapons set, from gun pods to precision rockets and bombs, lets units tailor rules of engagement and manage cost-per-kill. Third, adaptability: more than sixty payload configurations, open mission systems and proven certification history compress the timeline from concept to fielded capability and allow incremental upgrades as C-UAS software and fusing evolve.
Strategically, adopting a Wolverine-type airborne C-UAS/light air defense patrol tier fills a widening gap between ground interceptors and high-end fighters. It offers allied air forces a scalable way to defend bases, energy nodes and logistics corridors against one-way attack UAVs and low-flying cruise-like threats while preserving scarce fighter hours and expensive missile inventories. In regions where both sides have improvised manned interceptors, a purpose-built, sensor-rich turboprop with certified weapons and sustainment support represents a qualitative step beyond ad hoc solutions, with immediate relevance for NATO-adjacent air policing, partner-nation border security and deployed expeditionary forces.
Textron’s AT-6 Wolverine combines a certified light-attack airframe with modular sensors and weapons that have already proven effective against small drones. The result is a cost-effective turboprop aircraft that can adapt to counter-UAV missions, light air defense, and close air support, offering versatility without breaking the budget. If fielded as described by the company, it would give commanders a credible airborne layer to blunt drone saturation while freeing high-end assets for missions only they can perform.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
