Aircraft & UAVs

IOMAX Archangel

Also known as
  • Archangel
  • Archangel BPA
  • Archangel Border Patrol Aircraft
  • Archangel Block 2
  • Archangel Block II
  • Archangel Block 3
  • IOMAX Archangel BPA
  • S2R-660 Archangel
  • S2R-T660 Archangel
  • Thrush S2R-T660 Archangel

The IOMAX Archangel is a U.S.-built armed surveillance and light attack turboprop based on the Thrush S2R-660/S2R-T660 agricultural airframe and developed after IOMAX's earlier AT-802 border-patrol aircraft work for the UAE. IOMAX markets the aircraft for low-cost armed ISR, counterinsurgency, border security, and precision strike from austere strips, and open-source investigations later documented UAE-linked Archangel operations in Yemen and Libya.

IOMAX Archangel, Armed surveillance and light attack turboprop aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Archangel - IOMAX

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Armed surveillance and light attack turboprop aircraft
Service note
2010s export light-attack aircraft
Designer
IOMAX USA, LLC
Produced
2015-present
Developed from
Thrush S2R-660

Specifications

Crew
2
Engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F turboprop, reported at 1,700 shp
Maximum gross takeoff weight
6,713 kg
Length
11 m
Wingspan
17.4 m
Cruise speed
180 kt with external stores
Endurance
About 6 hours armed or 10 hours in ISR configuration
Wing stations
6
Centerline station
Dedicated pod or stores station for ISR and self-protection systems
Landing gear
Fixed reinforced conventional landing gear for unimproved dirt, grass, and gravel surfaces
Operating cost
Less than $1,000 per flying hour
Weapons
GBU-12/58 laser-guided bombs, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, and CIRIT 2.75-inch laser-guided rockets
Self-Protection And Sensor Fit

IOMAX describes the Archangel as an armed ISR platform with EO/IR reconnaissance and targeting capability, while EDR Magazine described a centerline station for an ISR and self-protection pod. Terma separately identified its Modular Aircraft Survivability Equipment pod as fielded on the Archangel II and tied to the ALQ-213 electronic-warfare management system.

Mission sensing

EO/IR targeting and reconnaissance sensor fit for finding, identifying, and designating targets.

Aircraft survivability

Terma MASE pods can carry missile-warning and countermeasure equipment as a role-fit self-protection package.

Austere operations

Fixed reinforced landing gear and low operating cost support forward-strip and border-security missions.

Variants

The Archangel designation history overlaps with IOMAX's earlier AT-802 BPA blocks; the listed rows separate the Thrush-based Archangel configurations from the older Air Tractor-based program.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Archangel Block 3Initial UAE production configuration

Aviation Week described the first UAE Archangel production aircraft as effectively Block 3, replacing earlier UAE AT-802 Block 1 and Block 2 BPAs.

Sources: IOMAX Commences Archangel Deliveries To UAE - Aviation Week

Archangel Block II2017 show configuration

Royal Aeronautical Society reporting from Dubai Airshow 2017 described the IOMAX Archangel Block II with removable wings for air transport and an upgraded Wescam MX-25 sensor ball.

Sources: Dubai Air Show 2017 Day Four and Summary - Royal Aeronautical Society

Carried Munitions

IOMAX describes the Archangel as a ground-attack platform that can carry guided bombs, missiles, and rockets on its six wing stations.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
Mk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit, 500-pound guided-bomb configuration, MunitionsMk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kitLaser-guided bomb

IOMAX lists GBU-12/58 laser-guided bombs among the Archangel's supported stores.

Sources: Archangel - IOMAX

GBU-58 Paveway II, 250-pound laser-guided bomb, MunitionsGBU-58 Paveway IILaser-guided bomb

IOMAX lists GBU-12/58 laser-guided bombs among the Archangel's supported stores.

Sources: Archangel - IOMAX

AGM-114 Hellfire missile family, Air-to-surface missile family, MunitionsAGM-114 Hellfire missile familyAir-to-surface missile

IOMAX lists AGM-114 Hellfire as a supported Archangel weapon.

Sources: Archangel - IOMAX

Cirit guided rocket, Laser-guided 70 mm rocket, MunitionsCirit guided rocketGuided rocket

IOMAX lists CIRIT 2.75-inch laser-guided rockets as a supported Archangel weapon.

Sources: Archangel - IOMAX

Mission Sensors

Public sources describe the Archangel's sensor fit functionally rather than naming a single stable pod model across all aircraft.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
EO/IR Pod, Electro-optical/infrared airborne sensor pod, Support EquipmentEO/IR PodElectro-optical/infrared targeting sensor

IOMAX describes the Archangel with EO/IR reconnaissance and targeting capability, while Royal Aeronautical Society reporting identified an upgraded Wescam MX-25 sensor ball on the Block II configuration.

Sources: Archangel - IOMAX, Dubai Air Show 2017 Day Four and Summary - Royal Aeronautical Society

Timeline

IOMAX Archangel Key Events

  1. AT-802 BPA program begins

    IOMAX says the first AT-802 Block 1 Border Patrol Aircraft was delivered to the United Arab Emirates in 2010, creating the armed agricultural-aircraft lineage that preceded Archangel.

    Sources: AT-802 Border Patrol Aircraft - IOMAX

  2. First UAE Archangel delivery

    AIN reported in June 2015 that deliveries of the Thrush-based Archangel had begun for the UAE, with the first aircraft accepted for ferry flight from North Carolina.

    Sources: Deliveries of IOMAX Archangel Begin - AIN Online

  3. Archangels reported in Libya

    TIME reported that U.S.-made IOMAX aircraft appearing to be Archangels were deployed at al-Khadim airbase in eastern Libya in support of Haftar's forces.

    Sources: U.S.-Made Airplanes Deployed in Libya's Civil War, in Defiance of U.N. - TIME

  4. Block II shown at Dubai

    Royal Aeronautical Society reporting from Dubai Airshow 2017 described the Archangel Block II's removable wings and upgraded MX-25 sensor fit.

    Sources: Dubai Air Show 2017 Day Four and Summary - Royal Aeronautical Society

  5. Yemen Archangel evidence published

    Danwatch reported that UAE Archangel aircraft with Terma self-protection equipment had been present in Yemen-war operating areas from 2017 onward.

    Sources: Denmark's largest defense company contributes to possible war crimes in Yemen - Danwatch

Media

IOMAX Archangel Videos

IOMAX Archangel Images

IOMAX Archangel, Armed surveillance and light attack turboprop aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: Archangel - IOMAX
IOMAX Archangel, Armed surveillance and light attack turboprop aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: Archangel - IOMAX
IOMAX Archangel, Armed surveillance and light attack turboprop aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 3
Source: IOMAX Archangel at Paris Air Show 2013 2.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
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Sources

Archangel - IOMAXPublisher: IOMAX USA, LLC | Note: Supports manufacturer background, missions, austere-field operation, operating-cost claim, basic specifications, weapon integration, EO/IR capability, and image provenance from the official Archangel project page. | Accessed: 2026-07-03AT-802 Border Patrol Aircraft - IOMAXPublisher: IOMAX USA, LLC | Note: Supports IOMAX's earlier AT-802 Block 1 Border Patrol Aircraft program for the UAE and the Archangel program lineage. | Accessed: 2026-07-03IOMAX Commences Archangel Deliveries To UAE - Aviation WeekPublisher: Aviation Week | Note: Supports UAE Archangel delivery context, the 24-aircraft order, and the Block 3 lineage described in contemporary defense reporting. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Deliveries of IOMAX Archangel Begin - AIN OnlinePublisher: Aviation International News | Note: Supports first UAE delivery timing, Thrush S2R-660 development background, dual-control agricultural-airframe basis, and crew-protection details. | Accessed: 2026-07-03A Tale Of Two Cropdusters With A New Purpose - AIN OnlinePublisher: Aviation International News | Note: Supports the transition from IOMAX AT-802i conversions to the Thrush S2R-660-based Archangel. | Accessed: 2026-07-03EDEX 2018 - Iomax Archangel close to Egypt FMS deal - EDR MagazinePublisher: EDR Magazine | Note: Supports Archangel specifications, including maximum gross takeoff weight, engine, cruise speed, dimensions, endurance, hardpoints, centerline pod, and carried weapons. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Dubai Air Show 2017 Day Four and Summary - Royal Aeronautical SocietyPublisher: Royal Aeronautical Society | Note: Supports the Archangel Block II configuration, removable-wing air-transportability claim, and Wescam MX-25 sensor fit. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Terma showcase airborne solutions at Dubai Airshow - TermaPublisher: Terma | Note: Supports Terma MASE pod fielding on the IOMAX Archangel II and the ALQ-213-managed self-protection suite. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Denmark's largest defense company contributes to possible war crimes in Yemen - DanwatchPublisher: Danwatch | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct use: Danwatch documented UAE Archangel aircraft with Terma equipment in Yemen-war operating areas and reported a UAE Archangel crash during a Yemen mission. | Accessed: 2026-07-03U.S.-Made Airplanes Deployed in Libya's Civil War, in Defiance of U.N. - TIMEPublisher: TIME | Note: Supports 2014 Second Libyan Civil War direct use: TIME reported IOMAX aircraft appearing to be Archangels deployed at al-Khadim in support of Haftar's forces and quoted IOMAX acknowledging its aircraft were in Libya. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Final report of the Panel of Experts on Libya, S/2017/466 - United NationsPublisher: United Nations Security Council | Note: Supports 2014 Second Libyan Civil War direct use: the Panel reported AT-802/IOMAX Archangel aircraft at Khadim airbase and linked the aircraft to UAE support for the LNA side. | Accessed: 2026-07-03UAE has provided Haftar with aircraft from Denmark, report says - Libya ObserverPublisher: Libya Observer | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War and 2014 Second Libyan Civil War direct use: the article summarizes Danish reporting that 24 IOMAX Archangel aircraft were used in Yemen and later in Libya to support Haftar. | Accessed: 2026-07-03IOMAX Archangel at Paris Air Show 2013 2.jpg - Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports open-license gallery image provenance for an IOMAX Archangel displayed at the 2013 Paris Air Show. | Accessed: 2026-07-03