Northrop Grumman has announced a new clean sheet design for the US Air Force’s T-X trainer program rather than fielding a modified version o...
The upcoming $11 billion T-X competition for 350 trainers, that analysts say could double in the coming years will replace USAF's aging fleet of Northrop T-38 Talon trainers, which entered service in 1961.
The important role for T-X trainers will be to train F-22 and F-35 pilots for the next 50 years, demanding superior performance charecteristics.
The Hawk falls short in its ability to sustain Gs, perform high angle-of-attack maneuvering and execute tight turn rate and radius, as stipulated by USAF requirement.
Northrop Grumman says it has been developing the trainer for couple of years and used advanced design and prototyping techniques to build the trainer, which is slated to fly by 2015 end.
Scaled Composites owned by Northrop was instrumental in the aircraft design, development and rapid prototyping.
The Northrop trainer joins the already tight competition that began with three foreign-built, modified off-the-shelf designs: the Hawk, Lockheed Martin/ Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 and General Dynamics/ Alenia Aermacchi M-346.
Boeing has teamed with Saab to offer another clean sheet design. Textron Airland is looking to field a variant of its under development Scorpion jet for the program.
Northrop is in discussions with BAE Systems to include their airborne training system on the aircraft. L-3 Communications is responsible for the ground based training system and the engine is currently supplied by General Electric.
USAF currently operates over 500 T-38 Talons which average an airframe life of 45 years.
