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Textron AirLand and USAF sign CRADA to test Scorpion jet airworthiness.
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World Aviation Defense & Security Industry News - Textron Airland
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Textron AirLand and USAF sign CRADA to test Scorpion jet airworthiness
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A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) has been signed between the Air Force and Textron AirLand, LLC, a Textron Inc. company of Wichita, Kansas, the press office of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base stated on August 2, 2016.
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 An artist impression of a Textron AirLand Scorpion light attack and reconnaissance aircraft(Credit: Textron AirLand) |
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Under this collaborative agreement, the United States Air Force Airworthiness Office will provide an airworthiness assessment of the Model 530 Scorpion, a non-DOD military aircraft designed, developed and funded by Textron AirLand, LLC.
“This is the first of its kind, we have not done a CRADA like this before and we have never had a partnership with industry to assess aircraft that are not under a USAF acquisition contract,” said Jorge F. Gonzalez, USAF Technical Airworthiness Authority. The assessment, conducted under the auspices of Mr. Gonzalez, may be used by industry as a verification of the safety of aircraft design. The assessment is important when industry seeks to make direct commercial sales to foreign military services. The NDMA office will help the Air Force gain valuable insight into the state of aviation development outside of the traditional defense sector, as well as an awareness of Independent Research and Development activities of U. S. aerospace companies, according to Gonzalez. The Textron AirLand's Scorpion jet has been designed to perform light attack and Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) duties. The Scorpion is to have a 1,400 kg payload of precision and non-precision munitions or intelligence-collecting equipment in a simplified and reconfigurable internal bay. Production versions will be powered by two Honeywell TFE731 turbofans. |
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