Textron AirLand Scorpion: Difference between revisions

The Textron AirLand Scorpion is a proposed American light attack and Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) jet aircraft.^[1] The aircraft is a joint venture between Textron and AirLand Enterprises, LLC.

A prototype was secretly constructed by Cessna at their Wichita, Kansas facility between April 2012 and September 2013. It is being tested and prepared for a first flight expected before the end of October 2013.^[2]

Development

In operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Air Force primarily used A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft for patrols and close air support. While they successfully performed these missions, they operated in completely uncontested airspace. They were designed during the Cold War to perform high-speed, high-G maneuvers. These combat strengths proved to be a financial hindrance, as just the F-16 cost $24,899 per flight hour to operate when it was only needed to drop ordnance and provide armed overwatch.^[3]

In January 2012, Textron and AirLand Enterprises created a joint venture called Textron AirLand with the goal of building the "world’s most affordable tactical jet aircraft." This was unusual for Textron, as its subsidiary Cessna had previously designed mostly non-combat fixed-wing aircraft, and its subsidiary Bell Helicopter had created military helicopters, but not fixed wing aircraft. Textron sees a market for the type, as modern military aircraft are growing more expensive and defense budgets are declining.^[3][4]

Called the Scorpion, the aircraft is intended to be a low-cost jet aircraft to handle mission profiles typically performed by the U.S. Air National Guard, including domestic interdiction, quick-reaction natural disaster support, air sovereignty patrols, and low-threat battlefield missions. The manufacturer claims the aircraft will operate for about US$3,000 per hour. The Air Force has not suggested a need for the type, but Textron AirLand believes it can make sales like General Atomics did, as they sold hundreds of MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles without a requirement or lengthy competition. The Scorpion will also be offered for export with or without USAF adoption, although domestic approval would boost foreign sales opportunities. Nations in the Middle East and Pacific region are expected to show interest. The project may face challenges, as the light attack and reconnaissance role is currently filled by turboprop airplanes and UAVs at lower cost.^[2][3][4][5]

Analysts believe that the Scorpion will be difficult to sell to the Air Force. They have shown no interest in acquiring such an aircraft, budget cuts from sequestration make a new program difficult to afford, and its missions of irregular warfare, border patrol, maritime surveillance, emergency relief, counter narcotics, and air defense operations are being currently effectively filled by remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). The target market is the U.S. Air National Guard and foreign nations that cannot afford the F-35 Lightning II, but want an aircraft that can perform ISR and light attack missions better than turboprop planes. Buying and sustaining the Scorpion would cost less than upgrading the A-10 or F-16. While it can be used as a trainer, it is not aimed at the T-X Trainer program, but can be modified to fit the requirements with a single engine and swept wings. It has been speculated that Textron AirLand already has specific foreign customers in mind.^[6]

U.S. Air National Guard units are under pressure from active Air Force leaders to replace their aging and expensive to operate F-16s and A-10s. They endorse Guard units transitioning to unmanned aircraft to keep them equipped with modern technology and to be able to support combat operations. Air National Guard leaders feel losing manned aircraft to remotely piloted Predators or RQ-4 Global Hawks will leave them ill-equipped to respond to domestic emergencies such as natural disasters and homeland security crises. Such views are often politically motivated as attempts by states to hold on to military funds and jobs, but state governments share apprehension to dependency on drones, fearing there are too many regulations that restrict unmanned flight that could cripple their ability to respond in the event of a domestic disaster. Textron AirLand is marketing the Scorpion as a low-cost alternative manned aircraft, costing three to four times less to operate than a traditional fighter, that fits into the Guard's mission space. Guard officials are hopeful that they can “open up the dialogue on capabilities such as this” with Air Force leaders. The company insists it is not trying degrade the advantages of unmanned aircraft, but points out that legal barriers and safety issues associated with drones makes it difficult to deploy them within national airspace.^[7]

The Scorpion was unveiled on 16 September 2013, with its first flight expected by the end of October 2013.^[2][3][4] If a customer can be found, production could begin in 2015.^[6]

Design

The Scorpion demonstrator is a tandem-seat twin engine jet aircraft with an all-composite fuselage designed for light attack and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Although it is a two-seat aircraft, it can be flown by a single pilot. It is designed to be affordable, costing $3,000 per flight hour; unit cost is not yet specified. Endurance is optimized for 5 hours. The demonstrator is propelled by two Honeywell TF731 turbofans producing 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) of thrust, although later versions could have the engines swapped out. Production costs have been kept to a minimum by leveraging systems developed for Cessna business jet platforms, common technology, and manufacturing resources. The Scorpion is to have a 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) payload of precision and non-precision munitions or intelligence-collecting equipment in a simplified and reconfigurable internal bay. The 14.4 m (47 ft) wings are largely unswept and have six hardpoints. Textron AirLand selected Cobham plc to design the cockpit. It will feature modern flat-panel displays, but will not be fly-by-wire to keep costs down and simplify the design.^[3][4] With the internal payload bay and external hardpoints, combined weapons payload is 6,200 lb (2,800 kg).^[6] The all-composite airframe has an anticipated service life of 20,000 hours.^[8]

Variants

Future versions can include an optionally-manned Scorpion and an entirely unmanned version.^[3]

Specifications

Data from manufacturer^[9][10]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 43 ft 6 in (13.26 m)
• Wingspan: 47 ft 4 in (14.43 m)
• Height: 14 ft (4.3 m)
• Empty weight: 11,800 lb (5,352 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 21,250 lb (9,639 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 6,000 lb
• Powerplant: 2 × Honeywell TF731 Turbofan, 4,000 lbf (18 kN) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 450 kn (520 mph, 830 km/h)
• Ferry range: 2,400 nmi (2,800 mi, 4,400 km)
• Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (14,000 m)

Armament

• Hardpoints: 6 with a capacity of 6200 lbs (2800 kg) including internal bay
• Bombs: precision and non-precision munitions

References

External links

• Official Textron AirLand Scorpion page