US tests new light attack aircraft

On December 30, according to the news site Flightglobal, the mass production version of the new Scorpion attack aircraft has begun its first test flight phase.

Scorpion attack aircraft on its first test flight.

The new light attack aircraft is expected by the Pentagon to replace the role of the A-10 Lightning Bolt II ground support attack aircraft units thanks to its low cost of use and logistics.

The source said that in the first test flight, the Scorpion prototype aircraft with registration number N530TX made a flight lasting 1 hour and 44 minutes. The purpose of the test flight was to test the on-board electronic system and aerodynamic characteristics of the prototype.

The results of the test flight have not been announced, but it is clear that the Scorpion attack aircraft is very close to being mass produced by Textron AirLand and officially equipped for the US Army.

It is known that the trial production process of the Scorpion aircraft began in October this year.

Compared to the original design, the N530TX prototype has a few differences in the structure of the landing gear, flaps and a new cockpit lighting system.

From public information, the Scorpion attack aircraft was developed to meet two main requirements of the US Department of Defense: the need for a new attack aircraft and a light training aircraft. This new aircraft is 13.3m long and has a wingspan of 14.4m. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 9.6 tons.

Textron AirLand experts introduced that the Scorpion attack aircraft can reach a speed of up to 833km/h and a range of about 4,400km. The Scorpion has 6 hardpoints under the fuselage and wings to mount bombs and missiles weighing 2.8 tons.

The strength of the Scorpion aircraft is its simplicity. All of the aircraft's important equipment, such as the fuselage structure and engine, are products currently used on commercial aircraft. Therefore, the cost of manufacturing each Scorpion aircraft is estimated at about 20 million USD and the cost per flight hour is only about 3,000 USD. Meanwhile, the cost of manufacturing each A-10 aircraft is currently about 27.8 million USD (at 2016 exchange rate) and the cost per flight hour is up to 13,000 USD.

According to People's Army