Textron AirLand Scorpion – “Affordable” Military Jet

“Affordable” and “military jet” are not two phrases which are usually used in conjunction. But Textron AirLand Enterprises have just rewritten the rule book when it comes to military jets.

Firstly, as you may or may not know, the US military is still waiting for the Lockheed-Martin F-35  joint strike fighter to be delivered. It has been in development since the early 1990s, and to date is the most expensive military jet program the world has ever seen – currently estimated at $1.0165 trillion overall, and with a unit cost of between $124 million and $156 million depending on specification. The F-35 has been plagued with delays, engineering problems and disgraceful budget increases over the years. And just before it was due to make its international debut this week at the Farborough Airshow in the UK, the entire fleet was grounded while engineers try and figure out what caused one to set alight while sat on the runway.

The other US fighter jet which made its world debut at the Farnborough Show was this, the Textron AirLand Enterprises Scorpion Jet. It has taken less than two years to go from paper to prototype, and has a unit cost of just $20 million. The two aircraft offer very different things, the F-35 is the most advanced jet the world has ever seen is yet to see, and it employs the very latest and most expensive technology available. On the other hand, the Scorpion Jet uses already existing, tried and tested off-the-shelf components from a number of manufacturers.

Adding to the Scorpion Jet’s practicality is the fact it is being built with the might of Textron, the same company which own Cessna, behind it. Many of the aircraft’s components come from the Cessna Citation business jet.

Textron AirLand Enterprises see the Scorpion Jet as unique in the market. As far as brand-new military jets go it’s cheap. It’s also cheap to maintain and operate – costing around $3,000 per flight hour. Compare that to the popular, but aging, F-16 which costs around $18,000 per flight hour, and the saving soon start to add up.

The Scorpion Jet’s designers aren’t aiming to make their aircraft the most capable military jet available, but instead intend to market it to countries who are looking to reduce their military budgets, or want a jet which can easily fulfil most low-end strike missions without costing a fortune to buy or operate.

The roles in which the Scorpion Jet could find itself include; close air support, maritime security, aerospace control alert, advanced jet training, border security, counter narcotics, counter insurgency and monitoring of natural disasters and humanitarian response.

The jet is based around a composite airframe and is powered by two turbofan engines that together produce approximately 8,000 pounds of thrust. It can carry up to 6,200 lbs of ordinance on its external pylons, and also features an internal payload bay which can be configured to carry additional sensors, fuel, cameras or communications modules – up to 3,000 lbs. The aircraft features a duel cockpit layout and incorporates multi-function color displays, dual HUD systems, weather radar, terrain awareness system, and Martin-Baker ejector seats. The aircraft’s top speed is 517 mph, with a range or 2,761 miles and a service ceiling of 45,000 ft.

The next few months will be an interesting time for Textron AirLand Enterprises and the Scorpion Jet as they start to market the aircraft and look for potential buyers. But already the interest seems strong, with several countries already showing interest. And there have even been talks with US defence officials who are said to understand there is a requirement for this type of aircraft.

Perhaps the days of US defence officials handing out blank checks to their cigar-smoking buddies in the defence industry are starting to come to a long-overdue end.