was instructed to have the new
aircraft ready for the 2017 show.
Hares Shehab, senior
communications consultant with
Calidus told AFM: “Calidus,
supported by the UAE government,
sees a niche for a light aircraft
with multi-role capabilities.
Technologies used to build some
of the aircraft operating in this role
are 20 to 30 and even up to 50
years old. Some US companies
[like IOMAX and Air Tractor] have
adapted agricultural aircraft! Look
at how other aerospace companies
have converted trainers like the
T-6 Texan II and Super Tucano for
light attack. We decided to start
from scratch, using all the 21st
century technologies available
to build this new aircraft.”
The B-250 in the static display
was surrounded by a plethora of
weapons, mainly from Avibras in
Brazil, or from Al Barj (formerly
Tawazun Dynamics) in the UAE.
An L-3 Wescam MX-15D with an
advanced video tracker has been
integrated into the aircraft to cater
for its close air support, ISR and
counter-insurgency roles. The
first two aircraft were airlifted from
Brazil by a UAEAF&AD C-17A
Globemaster III in late October.
Saif Alkaabi, vice-president
marketing and a former
UAEAF&AD Mirage 2000-9 pilot,
flew the aircraft at Minhad before
the show. He checked the
aircraft out and was part of the
team presenting it to the UAE.
The B-250’s heritage was
highlighted by the pair’s Brazilian
registrations. Prototype c/n 801
registered PR-ZNT flew in the
daily flying display, while the
second aircraft, c/n 802 PR-ZNU,
was exhibited in the static.
In appearance, the B-250 is
similar to the Super Tucano, not
surprising given that both aircraft
were designed by Novaer’sJoseph Kovacs. Powered by a
1,600shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-
68 with a four-blade Hartzell
propeller, the cockpit has two
Martin-Baker Mk16 ejection seats
and Rockwell Collins Pro Line
Fusion avionics. It is pressurised
up to 30,000ft (9,144m).
According to Calidus, the B-250
has a range of 350 miles (560km)
with four 250lb (113kg) GBU-58
Paveway II laser-guided bombs, two
AIM-9 Sidewinders and a drop tank.
Production is expected to take
place at Al Ain, home of the new
national aerospace park. It seems
almost certain the UAEAF&AD will
acquire the B-250, for missions
likely to include advanced training.Scorpion jets
in from Saudi
Textron AirLand flew its Scorpion
ISR/strike jet into Dubai from Tabuk
Air Base in Saudi Arabia, after
participating in several evaluation
sorties over a two-week period in
the desert kingdom. The tandem-
seat light fighter has enjoyed
an eventful year. Two ‘full-spec’
aircraft, P2 and P3, made their
maiden flights in the summer to
join the other two jets, D1 and P1.
The aircraft at Dubai, P2/
N532TX, was involved in theLight Attack Experiment (OA-X)
at Holloman Air Force Base,
New Mexico in August, during
which it flew 21 missions.
Scorpion test pilot Brett Pierson
said: “Earlier it had gone to [Naval
Air Station] Patuxent River for
weapons clearance work. The
USAF had specified the weapons it
wanted to use in the OA-X. So, we
set about clearing the 500lb-series
GBU-12, FN Herstal HMP400C
50-calibre single-barrel machine
gun and LAU-31 rocket pods to
fire unguided and guided rockets.”
Meanwhile, Scorpion prototype
D1, N531TA, continues to be used
as a proof-of-concept aircraft, and
had flown around 800 hours as
of November. Harris continued:
“On the design of P2 and P3 we
swept the wings four degrees,
the landing gear was made
lighter and the tail fully trimmable- allowing them to fly at lower
speeds as well as fast ones.”
Eagle-eyed Archangel
IOMAX debuted its new Block
2 demonstrator at DAS17. Lee
Moritz, IOMAX’s senior marketing
director told AFM: “We built the
aircraft specifically for this show
and then flew it out here.”
The most obvious differencecompared with the previous
Block 1 version is the L-3
Wescam MX-25 EO/IR turret,
rather than the standard MX-15,
mounted underneath the nose.
The company’s Archangel
instructor pilot, who didn’t want
to be named, said: “It allows
the aircraft to operate at the
maximum stand-off range and at
the same time provides the best
standard of imagery on the WSO’s
[weapon systems officer’s] 17in
HD display in the rear seat.”
He continued: “The MX-25
is designed to operate at high
altitude, up to 25,000ft, which
our customer wants as it means
the aircraft can’t be heard.”
The UAEAF&AD has taken delivery
of 24 Archangels, but one crashed
during a reconnaissance mission
over Yemen on September 11,- While the pilot was killed, the
back-seater survived. The more
powerful MX-25 should help to keep
aircrews out of harm’s way. IOMAX
is now putting the aircraft through
a USAF Non-Defense Military-type
Aircraft (NDMA) certification which
will pave the way for export through
Foreign Military Sales. Egypt is
already showing interest in this new
version of an agricultural aircraft
first built 50 years ago.
The Textron AirLand Scorpion attack/ISR light jet fl ew to DAS17 from Saudi Arabia, after a series of evaluation fl ights by the Royal Saudi Air Force. This
example, P2/N532TX, is one of two ‘full-spec’ aircraft being fl own as the US company seeks its fi rst customer.Above: Another light strike aircraft on display was the L3/Air Tractor AT-802L Longsword, which had fl own to the UAE
from Florida via the northern route on a 40-hour fl ight. Kenya selected the Longsword in a $418m package, including
up to 12 AT-802Ls plus two AT-504 trainers. However, the process has been delayed by local presidential elections
and investigations into the deal in the US.AFM36 // JANUARY 2018 #358 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com
Intel
Report