Scaled Composites rolled out and flew its most recent project on Wednesday, the company has announced. The company built two identical single-engine jets to demonstrate for an unnamed customer Scaled’s “advanced, low-cost manufacturing techniques” for the production of research aircraft for industry and government. “Today was a great day for our test team,” said Aaron Cassebeer, project engineer. “We had a great flight and we are looking forward to the future test program.” The Model 401 experimental aircraft are each equipped with a single Pratt & Whitney JTD-15D-5D engine, with 3,045 pounds of thrust, the company said, and they are capable of flying Mach 0.6 with a service ceiling of 30,000 feet.
The two aircraft are identical in outer mold line and performance. They have a wingspan of 38 feet and measure 38 feet long. Empty weight is 4,000 pounds and maximum takeoff weight is 8,000 pounds, with an endurance of up to three hours. The successful first flight is the beginning of the flight-test phase for vehicle Number 1, the company said. The Scaled team plans to continue envelope expansion on the first aircraft as they move toward first flight of the second Model 401 vehicle.
