Textron AirLand’s new military jet prototype, the twin-engine Scorpion, is breezing through the development phase and is now ready to make its international debut. With more than 105 hours of flight-testing on its prototype, the Wichita, Kansas-based company plans to send the Scorpion on its way on a multi-day, 4,700-nm flight from Wichita to RAF Fairford-Gloucestershire today. The prototype will be shown off to potential customers attending the Farnborough International Airshow and The Royal International Air Tattoo, both set to take place in the United Kingdom in the middle of this month.
Textron AirLand president Bill Anderson said the airplane is flying “extremely well,” has exhibited great reliability and has exceeded the targeted 450-knot top speed, showing speeds as fast as 455 knots TAS. He is confident that the light jet can make it across the Atlantic; however, to minimize the exposure to overwater legs, the Scorpion’s flight path will proceed over Greenland and Iceland.
