The aircraft will be displayed at Signature Flight Support Terminal, at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), approximately 10 miles from the conference center.
This will be Scorpion’s first visit to the Nation’s Capital, and comes one year after its introduction at last year’s AFA Air & Space Conference. Scorpion team leaders will be on hand to discuss the affordability, performance and multi-mission versatility of the aircraft. The interactive exhibit will demonstrate the multi-mission flexibility of the Scorpion and feature a variety of multi-spectral sensor and high-definition video camera packages engineered for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Several wing-mounted mock munitions will be shown, representing a typical array of air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons preferred by the US and partner nations.
The aircraft is viewable by invitation only, in a closed facility not accessible to the general public.
In addition to the aircraft exhibit, a Scorpion scale model will be displayed at the Textron AirLand booth during all hours of the Technology Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on the Potomac, in National Harbor, Maryland.
Scorpion has completed over 190 hours of flight time since the start of flight testing program on December 12, 2013. The objective of recent flights has been to gather data about the aircraft’s performance at various speeds, altitudes and climb rates, as well as to assess the Scorpion’s avionics, flight controls, environmental controls, hydraulics, braking and landing gear systems.
Other testing has focused on the aircraft’s flying qualities across the full range of the Center of Gravity (CG) envelope, moving the CG from various forward and aft conditions. Recent flight tests successfully expanded flight envelope to FL430 (43,000 feet), and expanded the extension and operating envelope of the landing gear and flaps from 200 KCAS (knots calibrated air speed) to 250 KCAS.
Significant Milestones to date include:
- 190+ hours total flight time, across 98 flights
- Envelope tested: Flight Level 430 (43,000 ft.), 310 KCAS, 0.76 Mach
- Maximum airspeed tested: 455 KTAS (knots true air speed)
- Single-engine climbs
- Stall speeds <90 KCAS (knots calibrated air speed)
- Single engine shutdown and restart, in-flight
- Demonstration of low-speed aircraft interception mission <120 KCAS
- 38 flight hours completed during the Transatlantic and intra-UK flights this summer to attend the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough International Air Show
- Successful integration of L-3 Wescam MX-15HDi Electro Optical and Infrared sensor and Thales Visionix Scorpion Helmet Mounted Cueing System, which were operated during the National Guard’s recent disaster exercise “Vigilant Guard” (Kansas, August 4-6, 2014)
The Scorpion testing program remains on pace to complete 300-400 test hours this year, which will require about 150 flights.
