Textron AirLand Scorpion

The Textron AirLand Scorpion is a proposed American light attack and Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) jet aircraft. The aircraft is a joint venture between Textron and AirLand Enterprises, LLC.

Airland Enterprises LLC, Textron's partner in the project, is described by Textron spokesman David Sylvestre as "a group of outside investors who originally came to Textron with the concept of a lower cost tactical jet."

A prototype was secretly constructed by Cessna at their Wichita, Kansas facility between April 2012 and September 2013 and first flown on 12 December 2013.

Background
In operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Air Force primarily used A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft for patrols and close air support. While they successfully performed these missions, they operated in completely uncontested airspace. They were designed during the Cold War to perform high-speed, high-G maneuvers. These combat strengths proved to be a financial hindrance, as just the F-16 cost $24,899 per flight hour to operate when it was only needed to drop ordnance and provide armed overwatch.

In October 2011, Airland Enterprises approached Textron with the concept of building the "world’s most affordable tactical jet aircraft." The two companies created a joint venture called Textron AirLand and development of an aircraft began in January 2012. This was unusual for Textron, as its subsidiary Cessna had previously designed mostly non-combat fixed-wing aircraft, and its subsidiary Bell Helicopter had created military helicopters, but not fixed wing aircraft. Textron sees a market for the type, as modern military aircraft are growing more expensive and defense budgets are declining. Called the Scorpion, the first design concept had a single engine. For nine days in early 2012, fewer than 12 engineers reviewed over 12 design configurations that would meet their goals. After the field of potential designs had been narrowed to four, the team spent four hours debating the remaining designs before settling on the tandem-seat, twin-engine configuration. The aircraft was kept so secret that it was identified by the codename SCV12-1, or simply "the project." The production team at its peak was 200 people, which eventually decreased to 170, including 120 engineers. The outside contours were made in May 2012, with wing production starting in August. In an unconventional step, wind tunnel tests were performed the next month, taking place after wing parts were already being made. The Scorpion was unveiled on 16 September 2013. If a customer can be found, production could begin in 2015. Deliveries can begin 15-18 months after an order is received.

In late November Textron spokesman David Sylvestre confirmed that while Cessna had been involved in building the prototype Scorpion that the company may not build any production models. Sylvestre stated, "depending on demand and manufacturing capacity needs, the final site of Scorpion manufacturing beyond the initial low rate production (2015) is yet to be decided. It may be built 'at' Cessna, but by the joint venture called Textron AirLand...which is a legal entity of Textron Inc. and AirLand Enterprises LLC. Cessna itself is not formally a co-owner of the joint venture at this time."

Prospects
The aircraft is intended to be a low-cost jet aircraft to handle mission profiles typically performed by the U.S. Air National Guard, including domestic interdiction, quick-reaction natural disaster support, air sovereignty patrols, and low-threat battlefield missions. The manufacturer claims the aircraft will operate for about US$3,000 per hour. The Air Force has not suggested a need for the type, but Textron AirLand believes it can make sales like General Atomics did, as they sold hundreds of MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles without a requirement or lengthy competition. The Scorpion will also be offered for export with or without USAF adoption, although domestic approval would boost foreign sales opportunities. Nations in the Middle East and Pacific region are expected to show interest. The project may face challenges, as the light attack and reconnaissance role is currently filled by turboprop airplanes and UAVs at lower cost. The company's concept for US military adoption revolves around the high cost of the F-35 Lightning II. While the F-35 is built to handle high-threat missions, a requirement could emerge for the low-cost Scorpion to handle low-threat missions. The Scorpion's $3,000 cost per hour is far less than the A-10 Thunderbolt II's operating cost of $12,000 per hour. It could also reopen the historically small market for tactical aircraft. Some 60 other countries may require a tactical aircraft but can't afford a high-end F-35 or F/A-18 Super Hornet. Some countries with turboprop aircraft could see it cost-effective to buy the low-cost Scorpion jet, and others with more expensive F-16s could decide they require a less capable jet aircraft.

Analysts believe that the Scorpion will be difficult to sell to the Air Force. The US military has shown no interest in acquiring such an aircraft, budget cuts from sequestration make a new program difficult to afford, and its missions of irregular warfare, border patrol, maritime surveillance, emergency relief, counter narcotics, and air defense operations are being currently effectively filled by remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). The target market is the U.S. Air National Guard and foreign nations that cannot afford the F-35, but want an aircraft that can perform ISR and light attack missions better than turboprop planes. Buying and sustaining the Scorpion would cost less than upgrading the A-10 or F-16. While it can be used as a trainer, it is not aimed at the T-X Trainer program, but can be modified to fit the requirements with a single engine and swept wings. It was speculated that Textron AirLand already had specific foreign customers in mind. Even though the Scorpion is cheaper than the A-10 for close-air support, the A-10 has withstood years of attempts to be retired. The fleet has been extensively modernized and has a much larger payload, making it much more effective. The U.S. Air Force is also considering retiring its recently acquired MC-12W fleet, and not because it wants a lower-cost aircraft for ISR missions. For air patrol, the Scorpion would need to be supersonic and have a radar. The Northrop F-20 Tigershark was offered in the 1980s with those capabilities as a basic air-defense fighter, but was rejected for the role in favor of the more capable F-16. The T-X Trainer program does call for an aircraft of the Scorpion's class. Cessna built a similar aircraft, in terms of configuration and engine power, for the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System, but the prototypes were rejected. Although Textron Airland has said the jet could be modified to meet the program's requirements, it would need more powerful engines and a wing with some sweep, warranting a re-design. While previous decades had shown a market for light fixed-wing attack jets, it virtually ended in the 1980s as richer countries opted for more capable aircraft and poorer countries pursued turboprops and attack helicopters. With the use of turboprop planes for ISR, their range, endurance, low-altitude performance, and sensor space for light attack, as well as the growth of RPAs for similar missions, it is uncertain how the Scorpion will provide better and cheaper performance by comparison.

U.S. Air National Guard units are under pressure from active Air Force leaders to replace their aging and expensive to operate F-16s and A-10s. They endorse Guard units transitioning to unmanned aircraft to keep them equipped with modern technology and to be able to support combat operations. Air National Guard leaders feel losing manned aircraft to remotely piloted Predators or RQ-4 Global Hawks will leave them ill-equipped to respond to domestic emergencies such as natural disasters and homeland security crises. Such views are often politically motivated as attempts by states to hold on to military funds and jobs, but state governments share apprehension to dependency on drones, fearing there are too many regulations that restrict unmanned flight that could cripple their ability to respond in the event of a domestic disaster. Textron AirLand is marketing the Scorpion as a low-cost alternative manned aircraft, costing three to four times less to operate than a traditional fighter, that fits the Guard's mission. Guard officials are hopeful that they can “open up the dialogue on capabilities such as this” with Air Force leaders. The company insists it is not trying degrade the advantages of unmanned aircraft, but points out that legal barriers and safety issues associated with drones makes it difficult to deploy them within national airspace.

Flight testing
The Scorpion demonstrator completed pre-flight taxi trials on 25 November 2013 in preparation for the aircraft's first flight. The Scorpion first flew on 12 December 2013 for 1.4 hours. The flight occurred 23 months after the aircraft's conception, and the flight certification program will last two years. Within the next 12 months, Textron Airland hopes to complete 500 flight hours and verify basic performance features. A demonstration involving sensors and weapons is expected by the end of 2014.

Sales opportunities
Following the first flight, discussions were scheduled with an unnamed foreign customer who waited until the flight to begin sales discussions. Active and reserve U.S. military components and at least one more foreign country are also interested in discussions. The company claimed that interest from military and paramiltary organizations had been positive and indicated that they intend to sell the aircraft for under US$20M each. Aircraft development-to-flight time was expected to take 4-5 years, but the goal of the first flight within at least 24 months was achieved. The phrase "speed is paramount" serves as impetus for the program, with the objective of creating the plane, flying it, and selling it as fast as possible to not miss market opportunities.

Design
The Scorpion demonstrator is a tandem-seat twin engine jet aircraft with an all-composite fuselage designed for light attack and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Production costs have been kept to a minimum by using components developed for Cessna business jet platforms, common technology and manufacturing resources. The flap drive mechanism is from the Cessna Citation XLS and Cessna Citation Mustang, while the aileron drive mechanism is from the Citation X.

The Scorpion is designed to be affordable, costing US$3,000 per flight hour, with a unit cost expected to be below US$20 million. Although it is a two-seat aircraft, it can be flown by a single pilot. Textron AirLand selected Cobham plc to design the cockpit, which will feature modern flat-panel displays. The aircraft will not have fly-by-wire to keep costs down and simplify the design. The demonstrator is powered by two Honeywell TFE731 turbofans producing 8,000 lb of thrust, although later versions could have different engines. Endurance is optimized for 5 hours. Except for the landing gear and engine fittings and mounts, the airframe is all-composite with an anticipated service life of 20,000 hours. The Scorpion is to have a 3,000 lb payload of precision and non-precision munitions or intelligence-collecting equipment in a simplified and reconfigurable internal bay. The 14.4 m wings are largely unswept and have six hardpoints. The aircraft's modular design allows for the wings to be removed and replaced by different design wings. With the internal payload bay and external hardpoints, combined weapons payload is 6,200 lb.

Kaman Composites, a subsidiary of Kaman Aerosystems, provided a number of components for the Scorpion prototype, including the wing assembly, vertical and horizontal stabilizers, wing fuel access panels, main landing gear doors, and several closeout panels.

Variants
Future versions may include an optionally-manned Scorpion and an entirely unmanned version.