The US is testing a new light attack aircraft.

On December 30th, according to Flightglobal, the mass-produced version of the new Scorpion attack aircraft began its first phase of flight testing.

The Scorpion attack aircraft during its first test flight.

The Pentagon hopes that the new light attack aircraft will replace the role of A-10 Lightning Bolt II ground-based attack aircraft units due to their lower operating and logistical costs.

According to the source, during its first test flight, the Scorpion prototype, designated N530TX, completed a flight lasting 1 hour and 44 minutes. The purpose of the test flight was to check the onboard electronics and aerodynamic characteristics of the prototype.

The results of the test flight have not yet been released, but it is clear that the Scorpion attack aircraft is very close to the stage where Textron AirLand will mass-produce it and officially deploy it to the US Army.

Reportedly, the trial production of the Scorpion aircraft began in October of this year.

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

Based on publicly available 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 13.3 meters long and has a wingspan of 14.4 meters. The aircraft's maximum takeoff weight is 9.6 tons.

According to Textron AirLand experts, the Scorpion attack aircraft can reach a speed of up to 833 km/h and has a range of approximately 4,400 km. The Scorpion has six hardpoints under its fuselage and wings for mounting bombs and missiles weighing up to 2.8 tons.

The Scorpion's strength lies in its simplicity. All of its critical components, such as the airframe and engines, are already used in commercial aircraft. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of each Scorpion is approximately $20 million, and the cost per hour of flight is only about $3,000. In contrast, the manufacturing cost of each A-10 is currently around $27.8 million (in 2016) and the cost per hour of flight is as high as $13,000.

According to the People's Army