Modified 757 aircraft planned to inform GCAP sensors and communications takes flight
Excalibur will be equipped with Leonardo’s next-generation sensor technology demonstrators. (Photo: Leonardo)
The Boeing 757, dubbed Excalibur, was equipped with new side and belly pods and assessed for stability during flight. The aircraft will now undergo further engineering work at QinetiQ’s Boscombe Down facility in Wiltshire, England.
Leonardo’s Excalibur Boeing 757 technology demonstrator aircraft has successfully completed the first phase of modification and flight testing in an evaluation of new side and belly pods. The programme is a joint effort between the Italian company, 2Excel and the UK Ministry of Defence.
Excalibur is being overhauled into a flying laboratory for combat air technology as part of the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which will include the core fighter being developed under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). It will also evaluate a broader range of capabilities such as uncrewed aircraft, information systems and weapon systems.
The pods added to the aircraft will host the Integrated Sensors, Non-Kinetic Effects (ISANKE) and Integrated Communications Systems (ICS) that Leonardo UK and its international partners are developing as part of their work on GCAP.
Related Articles
How FCAS and GCAP fighter jet programmes could converge at subsystem level
GCAP alliance signs treaty for sixth-generation fighter and establishes UK as programme HQ
UK GCAP fighter effort can only survive if more funds are allocated, expert warns
Further modification to the Excalibur aircraft will include a fighter jet-style nose cone, to host advanced radar-based sensor demonstrators.
Excalibur is expected to fly with advanced new ISANKE & ICS technology on-board over the next few years to de-risk and accelerate the domain’s development programme and in turn support the ambitious timescales of GCAP.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![Hunt begins for drone to team with British Army Apaches]()
Hunt begins for drone to team with British Army Apaches
Known as Project Nyx, the flagship opportunity would look to award up to four contracts for initial development of the ACP concept demonstrator by 2026.
-
![GA-ASI unveils Gambit 6 for air-to-ground operations]()
GA-ASI unveils Gambit 6 for air-to-ground operations
The new uncrewed combat aerial vehicle is built from the existing Gambit series, with a focus on deep precision strike and SEAD mission roles.
-
![Evolving for the future fight]()
Evolving for the future fight
Built on a 60-year heritage of providing the Department of Defense with solutions to dominate the electromagnetic spectrum.
-
![South Korea: $16.64 billion in as-yet-unawarded contracts up for grabs in the air domain]()
South Korea: $16.64 billion in as-yet-unawarded contracts up for grabs in the air domain
South Korea’s military air market is the 12th largest in the world when it comes to unawarded procurement programmes, with an estimated US$7.50 billion potentially set to be awarded over the next decade.
