Encouraged by market reaction to the Scorpion surveillance and strike aircraft, Textron AirLand will build a second prototype incorporating some minor design changes, and to provide an additional platform for sensor integration and customer demonstrations. Speaking at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London this week, chief engineer and program manager Dale Tutt said that achieving a firm order for the private-venture jet is “not a matter of ‘if,’ but rather ‘when.’” According to Textron AirLand, the Scorpion “targets a niche that exists beyond the capability of the turboprop but below the costly-to-operate fourth and fifth generation combat aircraft.” 

The prototype has now logged more than 275 hours on over 140 flights, following the first flight in December 2013. Its flight envelope has been expanded to the advertised 450 knots maximum speed and 45,000-foot ceiling; the full cg range has been explored and a stall speed of 86 knots indicated demonstrated in all configurations. Tutt also reported an interception of a low and slow-flying aircraft—representing a potential terrorist threat—at below 120 knots indicated. Further, “we are achieving our target operating cost per flight hour of below $3,000, which our skeptics doubted,” he added. Textron AirLand advertises an acquisition cost of $20 million for the Scorpion, including a basic sensor fit.

The design changes include a trailing-link main landing gear, as commonly found on many aircraft, for a weight saving of 150 pounds, and all-moving horizontal tails. For speed of development, the prototype was fitted with a fixed tail with elevator trim. The rear cockpit will be modified with larger displays. The Scorpion can be flown from either cockpit, but in a typical concept of operations the rear seat is occupied by a sensor operator.

Textron AirLand is reluctant to identify potential customers, but is reported to have discussed the Scorpion with three countries in the Arabian Gulf and four in southeast Asia. At The Fighter Conference in London last November, organized by Defence IQ, a senior officer from the Nigerian Air Force expressed considerable interest, but noted that the U.S. had imposed restrictions on arms sales to his country. The African country is fighting Muslim extremists in the northeast who conceal their activities beneath dense forest cover. A Textron AirLand official told AIN that the company is prepared to negotiate a direct commercial sale or sell the Scorpion via the U.S. government foreign military sale procedure, depending on the circumstances of each interested country.