New American Aircraft Ready for HLS Missions

New American Aircraft Ready for HLS Missions

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Textron’s new Scorpion aircraft may begin to perform homeland security missions with its maiden flight is planned for the coming days.

The Scorpion. Image: Textron
The Scorpion. Image: Textron

The Scorpion is equipped with twin turbofan engines and a tandem cockpit, although the jet is designed to be flown by a single pilot. There are six hard points on the plane that could hold a variety of equipment, from extra fuel to Hellfire missiles.

The highlight of the plane is its internal compartment, which features 82 cubic feet of modular space for communications, electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance gear. Scorpion was designed as a multi-mission platform from the beginning, according to Bill Anderson, president of Textron AirLand.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

According to Defense News, Textron hopes to eventually demonstrate that the aircraft can be operated for roughly $3,000 per hour and that it will prove to be a viable alternative for a wide range of missions and operators. The first flight is expected to last 90 minutes.

Textron believes a successful production run of the aircraft would see it deployed in second-tier militaries around the world, including Africa and Latin America. In the U.S. it may serve a role in emergency response and counter-narcotics operations and is reportedly being eyed as an alternative to top-tier fighter jets operated by Air National Guard bureaus.