Boeing [BA] and partner Saab on Tuesday completed first flight of their offering for the Air Force’s T-X trainer competition.
The aircraft climbed up to nearly 11,000 feet and hit 231 knots speed, lead T-X pilot Steven Schmidt told reporters. He said he evaluated backup systems and checked different speeds and handling qualities with the landing gear down, including a full stop landing.
Schmidt said the aircraft is ready to fly again, but engineers want to first check their data predictions. He hoped to fly again in a few days, pending winter weather in the St. Louis area. Boeing T-X Program Manager Ted Torgerson said the second T-X aircraft would be ready to fly in the first quarter of 2017 after emerging from painting on Tuesday and further prepping over the holidays.
Torgerson said with Tuesday’s flight, Boeing’s T-X offering went through a complete development program in 36 months. He added at this time last year the program was in critical design review (CDR).
Schmidt said June 30 is the final deadline to submit performance data for the T-X competition. The request for proposals (RFP) is expected Dec. 30. The T-X program would be worth 351 aircraft for an estimated value of $8 billion, but Saab Deputy Program Manager Eddy De la Motte said an international market for the aircraft, if it were to win, would be about 2,000 aircraft.
Boeing’s T-X offering features one engine, twin tails, stadium seating and an advanced cockpit with embedded training. Other teams still intend to compete for T-X: Lockheed Martin [LMT] with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI); Northrop Grumman [NOC] with L-3 Communications [LLL] and BAE Systems; Raytheon [RTN] with Leonardo, CAE [CAE] and Honeywell [HON].