Leonardo fine-tunes its 757 jetliner converted into a Tempest test rig

ROME – Leonardo has announced more details of the 757 test bed aircraft it will use in the Tempest program, including a 28 ton payload for equipment and six locations for sensors.

Dubbed Excalibur, the aircraft has been remodeled with a pointed nose to mimic the likely Tempest design by Leonardo’s partner, UK firm 2Excel.

“On-board, scientists and engineers will test futuristic sensors and communications for the Future Combat Air System that the UK and its international partners are developing to fly into service in 2035,” Leonardo said in a statement released during the London DSEI show.

“Excalibur will provide the real-world environment necessary for the latter stages of development of the complex, integrated sensors, non-kinetic effects and communications Leonardo is developing,” it added.

The firm, which partners BAE Systems, Rolls Royce and MBDA on the UK led program, said it expected Excalibur to be used by other international flight test programs, manned and unmanned.

The aircraft, it said, could “be used to complement the development of uncrewed technology, including acting as a control hub for uncrewed platforms undergoing test.”

The aircraft was the product of two years of work by Leonardo and 2Excel on the design, the firm said, adding it hoped it would help “cut by half the cost and time needed to build a combat aircraft.”

Flying at 42,000 ft, the aircraft will cruise at 0.8 Mach and reach 0.86 Mach with a range of 3,900 nautical miles.

Air Commodore Jez Holmes, head of the Royal Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, lauded the progress of the flight test aircraft (FTA) program during a panel discussion at the London defense exhibit.

“I think the critical point for me is, in particular, when we look at sensors, it’s important that we test them in a representative environment,” he said. “They often will work perfectly on the testbed, and on the bench and in the labs.” The performance is more challenging when placing them in combat-like, cluttered environs, he added.

“So it’s a great endeavor from my perspective and I’m really pleased to see it moving ahead,” Holmes said.

Valerie Insinna in Washington contributed to this report.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——莱昂纳多公司公布了将在“暴风雨”战斗机项目中使用的757测试平台飞机的更多细节，包括28吨的设备有效载荷和六个传感器安装位置。

这款名为“亚瑟王之剑”（Excalibur）的飞机经过重新设计，采用了尖头机头，以模仿莱昂纳多公司合作伙伴——英国 2Excel 公司可能设计的“暴风雨”（Tempest）战斗机。

莱昂纳多公司在伦敦DSEI防务展期间发表声明称：“科学家和工程师将在机上测试未来作战空中系统的未来传感器和通信设备，该系统由英国及其国际合作伙伴开发，计划于2035年投入使用。”

“Excalibur 将为 Leonardo 正在开发的复杂集成传感器、非动能效应和通信技术的后期开发提供必要的真实环境，”该公司补充道。

该公司与 BAE Systems、Rolls Royce 和 MBDA 合作开展这项由英国主导的项目，并表示预计 Excalibur 将被用于其他国际载人和无人飞行测试项目。

声明称，该飞机可以“用于补充无人技术的发展，包括作为正在进行测试的无人平台的控制中心”。

该公司表示，这架飞机是莱昂纳多和 2Excel 历时两年设计研发的成果，并补充说，希望它能帮助“将制造战斗机的成本和时间减少一半”。

该飞机在 42,000 英尺的高度飞行时，巡航速度为 0.8 马赫，最高速度可达 0.86 马赫，航程为 3,900 海里。

英国皇家空军快速能力办公室主任杰兹·霍姆斯空军准将在伦敦防务展的小组讨论中，对飞行测试飞机（FTA）计划的进展表示赞赏。

“我认为关键在于，尤其是在测试传感器时，必须在具有代表性的环境中进行测试，”他说道。“它们通常在测试平台、实验台和实验室中都能完美运行。” 他补充说，当把它们放置在类似实战的复杂环境中时，性能测试就更具挑战性了。

“所以从我的角度来看，这是一项伟大的事业，我很高兴看到它正在向前推进，”霍姆斯说。

华盛顿的瓦莱丽·因西纳对本报道亦有贡献。

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。