Textron AirLand Scorpion
| Textron AirLand Scorpion | |
|---|---|
 Flight demonstration of the Scorpion prototype at the Royal International Air Tattoo , 2015 |
|
| Type: | Light ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
December 12th 2013 |
The Scorpion from Textron and AirLand Enterprises is a light ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft that was surprisingly presented in September 2013 after the pattern had previously been secretly developed by Cessna . The first prototype completed its maiden flight on December 12, 2013. In October 2016, the first tests with guided and unguided rockets took place, with Hydras and AGM-114 Hellfires fired from the Scorpion. The focus of the development of the Scorpion was on the reduction of development, production and operating costs, which is why the business jet Cessna Citation was used as the basis . Numerous components from the civil market were also installed. At the same time, the entire airframe is made of composite materials, which is said to have resulted in a significant weight reduction.
The Scorpion is optimized for so-called "low-threat missions" where the use of a more expensive F-16 or A-10 is not necessary. The Scorpion did not take the TX program of the United States Air Force to replace the Northrop T-38 - trainer aircraft in part because the Scorpion does not meet the requirements of the program.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 13.26 m |
| span | 14.43 m |
| height | 4.30 m |
| Wing area | 26.70 m² |
| Wing extension | |
| Empty mass | 5352 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 9639 kg |
| Fuel capacity | 2722 kg |
| Top speed | 833 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 13,700 m |
| Transfer range | 3800 km |
| Flight duration | about 5 h |
| Engines | two Honeywell TFE731 turbofan engines , 17.65 kN each |
| Armament | Up to 2800 kg weapon load on six external beams and one internal weapon bay |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Swiss soldier - December 2016, page 56, USA
- ↑ Textron Backs Out Of USAF $ 16.3 Billion TX Trainer Competition , accessed January 6, 2017