Scaled Composites, in partnership with Northrop Grumman, has successfully conducted the first flight of the Model 437 Vanguard, marking a crucial step in the development of multi-mission, low-cost attritable aircraft. The flight, which took place on Aug. 29, not only demonstrated the aircraft’s capabilities but also showcased Northrop Grumman’s cutting-edge digital engineering ecosystem.
Photo: Northrop Grumman
The Model 437 Vanguard, a crewed variant evolved from the conceptual design based on the Model 401, boasts impressive specifications tailored for versatile military applications. Powered by a single Pratt & Whitney 535 engine generating approximately 3,400 pounds of thrust, the aircraft features a wingspan and length of 41 feet each. With a gross takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds, the Vanguard is designed to carry up to 2,000 pounds of payload, including an internal weapons bay capable of accommodating two AIM-120 missiles.
Scaled Composites leveraged its extensive experience in rapid design, fabrication, and testing of experimental aircraft to develop the Model 437 Vanguard. The project encompassed a comprehensive scope, from clean sheet aircraft design and aerodynamic analysis to fuselage fabrication and systems integration. Northrop Grumman’s contribution focused on the removable wing assemblies, utilizing advanced digital tools and processes as part of their Digital Pathfinder effort.
The Digital Pathfinder project, integral to the Model 437’s development, demonstrated the significant advantages of Northrop Grumman’s fully digital engineering ecosystem. This innovative approach facilitated seamless collaboration between the company, customers, and supplier partners throughout the design, development, and test phases. The digital ecosystem dramatically reduced engineering rework to less than one percent, a substantial improvement over the 15-20% typically experienced with traditional methods.
Colin Miller, vice president of engineering at Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, emphasized the broader implications of this digital approach: “This project demonstrates how high-fidelity models within our digital ecosystem serve as a single source of truth to streamline testing and certification on future aircraft, significantly saving cost and time for our customer.”
The development process also incorporated advanced manufacturing techniques, including the production of a titanium structural bracket using plasma arc energy deposition technique believed to be a first in the defense industry for this application. These innovative methods, combined with the digital ecosystem, have the potential to significantly reduce the workload required for airworthiness determination, offering further cost and schedule savings.
The successful first flight of the Model 437 Vanguard was piloted by Brian Maisler, who remarked, “Today’s first flight was in a good jet with a great team: this is the best part of my job. Thanks to everyone and their two years of hard work culminating in making this an uneventful and fun day.”
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Beautiful museum piece when it has completed all of its flight hours. Point is to build an attribal aircraft at a lower cost. This reminds me of the P-80 flown on 1944 which was built to fight Nazi Me-262s.