Airforces Monthly - February 2017
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ARTICLE SUMMARY<br />
NEWS<br />
HEADLINES<br />
Boeing T-X<br />
takes to the air<br />
BOEING HAS flown the first<br />
prototype of its entrant for<br />
the US Air Force’s T-X nextgeneration<br />
trainer programme.<br />
Developed in collaboration with<br />
Saab, the aircraft performed a<br />
55-minute maiden flight at the US<br />
manufacturer’s St Louis facility in<br />
Missouri on December 20. At the<br />
controls of N381TX (production<br />
serial T1, known as BTX-1 by the<br />
manufacturers) were Boeing’s<br />
T-X Project Chief Test Pilot Steve<br />
‘Bull’ Schmidt and Chief Pilot for<br />
USAF Programs Dan Draeger.<br />
The first flight “validated<br />
key aspects of the singleengine<br />
jet and demonstrated<br />
the performance of the lowrisk<br />
design”, according to<br />
Boeing. Two company-owned<br />
T-38 Talons performed chase<br />
duties for the air test.<br />
Boeing first unveiled the<br />
aircraft on September 13<br />
last year. Ground testing<br />
including high-speed taxiing<br />
was completed the week<br />
before the first flight.<br />
“I’ve been a part of this team<br />
since the beginning and it was<br />
really exciting to be the first to<br />
train and fly,” said Schmidt after<br />
the first flight. “The aircraft<br />
met all expectations. It is well<br />
designed and offers superior<br />
handling characteristics. The<br />
cockpit is intuitive, spacious<br />
and adjustable, so everything<br />
is within easy reach.”<br />
The USAF aims to award<br />
a contract for the T-X this<br />
year, and to achieve initial<br />
operating capability in 2024.<br />
The service has a requirement<br />
for at least 350 T-Xs.<br />
The USAF's formal request<br />
for proposals (RFP) was<br />
issued on December 30.<br />
Joining Boeing, Lockheed<br />
Martin, Northrop Grumman<br />
Odyssey Lightning concludes<br />
An AV-8B Harrier II from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit takes off from the amphibious assault ship USS<br />
‘Wasp’ on December 5, 2016, during the efforts to liberate Sirte. US Navy/Petty Officer 2nd Class Nathan Wilkes<br />
and Raytheon in the running<br />
for T-X are Sierra Nevada<br />
Corporation (SNC) and Turkish<br />
Aerospace Industries (TAI). The<br />
SNC/TAI Freedom Trainer, first<br />
announced in mid-December<br />
2016, is to be developed by a<br />
new joint undertaking, Freedom<br />
Aircraft Ventures LLC, based in<br />
Centennial, Colorado. A ‘cleansheet’<br />
design, the lightweight,<br />
all-composite trainer will be<br />
powered by two Williams<br />
International FJ44-4M engines.<br />
The project aims to provide a<br />
more economical jet trainer<br />
than those otherwise on offer.<br />
US AFRICA Command<br />
(AFRICOM) has announced<br />
the conclusion of Operation<br />
Odyssey Lightning. The series<br />
of actions, first launched on<br />
August 1 last year, was aimed at<br />
driving forces of the so-called<br />
Islamic State (IS) out of the city<br />
of Sirte in northern Libya.<br />
In total, Odyssey Lightning<br />
saw 495 airstrikes being<br />
conducted in support of the<br />
Libyan Government of National<br />
Accord (GNA) in an effort to<br />
liberate Sirte from the selfstyled<br />
IS control. Both manned<br />
and unmanned aircraft were<br />
involved, including US Marine<br />
Corps assets operating from<br />
the amphibious assault ship<br />
USS Wasp (LHD 1). Among the<br />
targets eliminated were vehicleborne<br />
improvised explosive<br />
devices (VBIEDs), heavy artillery,<br />
6 FEBRUARY <strong>2017</strong> #347<br />
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