Leonardo and aerospace test services company 2Excel Aviation have won a Royal Aeronautical Society Bronze Medal for their work on the Excalibur Flight Test Aircraft.
The Excalibur Flight Test Aircraft (FTA) is a flying laboratory designed to test and evaluate next-generation integrated sensors, digital technology and integrated communications known as ISANKE & ICS (Integrated Sensing and Non-Kinetic Effects and Integrated Communications Systems).
ISANKE & ICS are electronic systems, sensors, such as radar and electro-optical systems for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). These sensor and systems are deeply integrated and must work together to create a unified view of the battlespace.
The Excalibur FTA was originally a Boeing 757 and is being modified to support the innovation-focused research and flight testing required to develop ISANKE & ICS. Work on the program started in July 2023.
The aircraft is being developed as part of Team Tempest, the UK, Italian, and Japanese program working in support of GCAP to deliver a 6th Generation fighter jet by 2035. It is also part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the UK’s national requirement for a next-generation combat air capability
Excalibur is intended to de-risk and accelerate technology development. In the coming years, the aircraft will fly equipped with advanced sensors and communications technology, enabling onboard scientists and engineers to test and refine systems quickly.
Speaking at the awards ceremony last week in London, Anthony Todd, the Excalibur project’s chief engineer at Leonardo said, “The success of Excalibur reflects the strong partnership between Leonardo and 2Excel. Together, we are helping the programme breaks new ground while demonstrating pace and agility to meet the ambitious timelines of GCAP.”
Steve Riley, 2Excel Aviation’s executive director, programme manager and flight test manager said, “This program has presented challenges in the UK aerospace industry that have not been present for decades.
“It has also provided significant opportunities to develop skills within the project teams and across the wider supply chain. We are now entering the next stage of testing in support of certification, for which we plan to commence operational delivery within 12 months.”
