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Boeing Experimental Jet Airliner Variants Testbeds and research aircraft

Preamble

Boeing 707[edit]

707-300[edit]

General Electric Boeing 707-321B N707GE

N37681 / N707GE General Electric testbed for the CFM International CFM56 turbofan from 1982-1992, with the test engine mounted in the No. 2 position (inboard on the left wing).[1] During one series of tests in early 1989 intense water ingestion trials were undertaken, involving water sprayed from the modified refuelling boom of a KC-135 directly into the test engine in flight.[2] The registration was changed to N707GE in June 1990,[3] and the aircraft was parted out at Mojave Airport, California in 2003.[4]

707-300B[edit]

Lincoln Laboratory 707-300B N2138T

N2138T / N404PA US Department of Defense (MIT Lincoln Laboratory) electronics testbed. In a program started in 1988, the aircraft, originally delivered to Pan Am in 1965 as N404PA, was rescued from a Florida scrapyard, and was converted into a flying electronics laboratory. It was registered with Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) in 1989 as N2138T and started operations in 1991. In 2002 it was re-registered as N404PA. One of its first uses was to develop ISR (Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) systems that could exchange data with other aircraft. It was fitted with a fibre optic network with numerous workstations, and tested radar and radio equipment. Retired at a ceremony at its base at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts on 23 October 2020, the aircraft was ferried to retirement at AMARG, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.[5][6] On retirement it became US Navy 170345.[7]

707-300C[edit]

Omega Tanker Boeing 707-321B N707MQ

N707AR Omega Air converted refuelling tanker. Originally delivered to Pan Am as N892PA, it was bought by Omega Air in June 1996 and its conversion to an aerial refueling tanker was completed by 1999, with twin probe and drogue units installed at the rear of the fuselage. The aircraft was destroyed in a crash at Point Mugu on 18 May 2011. The three occupants survived, with no life-threatening injuries.[8]

This was the first of Omega's many 707 and 720 tanker conversions. They acquired many airframes; some were converted to tankers while many were parted out for spares.

Unknown E-6A Hermes prototype. Taken new from the Renton 707 production line, Boeing converted an airframe as the prototype E-6 Hermes, later renamed the E-6 Mercury, for the US Navy TACAMO role. It first flew on 1 June 1987. 16 production aircraft were subsequently delivered.[9]

Boeing E-8A N770JS

N770JS / 86-0416 Northrop Grumman Joint STARS (J-STARS) prototype. Originally delivered to Qantas as VH-EAF in 1968, and then Korean Air Lines HL7432, it was converted by Boeing in 1985 to become one of the prototypes for the USAF. (See also 86-0417 below.) Their initial designation was Boeing C-18 (or EC-18C) but later were designated Northrop Grumman E-8A Joint STARS. Both aircraft were fitted with Norden multi-mode side-looking radar antennae, 25 feet (7.6 m) long, under the forward fuselage, and it could direct the attack on detected targets using the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS).[10] The first flight of a prototype was 1 April 1988, and both aircraft wore full USAF camouflage and markings, except for their civil registrations.[11] 86-0416 was still flying in 2008.[12]

N8411 / 86-0417 J-STARS prototype. Originally delivered to American Airlines as N8411 in 1968, converted in 1985 to become one of the two J-STARS prototypes for the USAF and later designated E-8A.[11]. (See also 86-0416 above.) 417 was active up to 1996, but was scrapped in 2000 [13]

Omega Air B707RE N707HE

N707HE Omega Air used this aircraft as a testbed for the Seven Q Seven project to re-engine 707s with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofans.[14] Acquired from Challenge Air Cargo in April 1999, it was marked as a B707RE. Last recorded flight was in 2010 and the registration was cancelled in 2018.

707-700C[edit]

N707QT, Boeing testbed for the CFM56 turbofan. This was the last commercial 707 built, and the sole example of the -700. It was fitted with CFM56 engines as a testbed for a possible re-engining program. Designated 707-700C and marked ‘707 CFM56 Test’, it first flew on 27 November 1979. The program was dropped as it could impinge on the Boeing 757 market, and the aircraft, converted to a 707-300C with Pratt & Whitney JT3D engines, was sold to the government of Morocco as CN-ANR in April 1982. Although the CFM56 was not pursued for the 707, it was successfully taken up for the Boeing 737-300 and by the US military, with a large re-engining program for the KC-135 (converted to the KC-135R) and several other versions.[15][16][17][18]

Boeing 720[edit]

IAI 720 4X-JYG at the IAF Museum in 2017

4X-JYG Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) systems testbed. Originally delivered to American Airlines as N7527A in July 1960, this was later owned by Maof Airlines of Israel as 4X-BMB, It was acquired by IAI in December 1985. Its role was to test the radar and electronics of the IAI Lavi fighter and it was equipped with a multi-mode radar in its modified nose.[19] After the Lavi project was cancelled in August 1987[20] the 720 was retired to the Israeli Air Force Museum at Hatzerim Airbase.[21]

N7381 Hughes Aircraft Company testbed for Airborne Infrared Measurement System (AIRMS) ballistic missile detection system. Originally delivered to Ethiopian Airlines as ET-ABP In 1993, it was transferred to USAF/DARPA for the test program, and named “Embraceable Annie”. It was fitted with an aero window, a 8 ft (2.4 m) x 6 ft (1.8 m) port on the left side of the forward fuselage which could be opened in flight.[22] In 1997 it was returned to Mojave, in 1998 it was cancelled as “destroyed”,[23] and it was scrapped in October 2003.[24]

720B[edit]

C-FWXI / N720PW Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) engine testbed for the PW6000. Originally delivered as N7535A of American Airlines in 1960, then OD-AGB of Middle East Airlines (MEA), it was registered to P&WC in December 1995. It was stored in Mojave until at least October 1996, still in basic MEA livery. It was then converted for service, the test engine being mounted either behind the left wing, on the lower rear fuselage, or in the No.3 position. It was re-registered N720PW in early August 2000 and first flew with the PW6000, in the No.3 position, later that month.[25][26] It was retired and scrapped early 2008 with many parts reused by C-FETB.[27]

P&W 720 C-FETB in the National Air Force Museum of Canada

C-FETB Pratt & Whitney Canada engine testbed. Originally delivered to American Airlines in 1961, then Middle East Airlines (MEA) as OD-AFQ, with whom it had been riddled with bullets during gunfighting in Beirut Airport. It was registered to P&WC January 1986. That year it was modified by Aviation Traders (Engineering) Limited (ATEL) at Stansted, UK,[28] with three mounts for test engines: under the inner right wing replacing the normal engine (No.3 position), (used for the first flights of the IAE V2500),[29] on the right of the forward fuselage, (used for testing APUs and business jet engines including the PW300), and in the nose (used for testing the PT6, PW100[30] and PW150[31] turboprops and propellers).[32] It was retired 30 September 2010 and made its last flight, the last by any 720, on 5 September 2012, to Canadian Forces Base Trenton, Ontario for preservation at the National Air Force Museum of Canada.[33]

N720GT / N720H AlliedSignal / Honeywell testbed for the TFE731-40 turbofan engine. Originally delivered to TWA as N794TW in September 1961, it was acquired by AlliedSignal in December 1987[34] and fitted with an extra engine mount on the right side of the fuselage, behind the cockpit. It wore AlliedSignal and Garrett titles. It was based in Phoenix Sky Harbor, Arizona. Engines tested included the TPF351, TFE731, TPE331, CFE738 and the AS900 series. It also tested LIDAR, TCAS and weather radar.[35] When AlliedSignal took over Honeywell and adopted its name in 1999,[36] the registration was changed to N720H and it wore Honeywell titles. In 2000 it started testing the AS900 turbofan.[37] and later that year tested a new clear air turbulence (CAT) laser and infra-red warning system.[38] On its retirement in late 2007, the company hoped that a museum would take the aircraft, but it was broken up 2008, being replaced with Boeing 757-200 N757HW.[39]

Boeing 727[edit]

727-100[edit]

FAA Boeing 727 N40

N40 / N401Z US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) transport and testbed. Originally delivered to Eastern Airlines in 1968 as N8171G, this was bought by the FAA in 1977. As a 727-100QC, it was a quick-change version with a side cargo door, so while it was capable of passenger or freight transport, it could also be equipped with pallets of racks of test equipment. A major role of the aircraft was runway testing; the aircraft was equipped with numerous sensors for measuring roughness and friction.[40] Also tested were synthetic vision systems and microwave landing systems.[41] It was also used for GPS testing and navigation system calibration. The aircraft was re-registered in 2009, but also wore an alternative 'registraton' of 'R&D 40'.[42] and was grounded in the early 2000s, but was still used for ground testing, including testing the effectiveness of soft ground arrestor systems.[43] The aircraft was scrapped in 2004.[44]

N32720 General Electric Unducted Fan (UDF) testbed. Originally delivered to Faucett Perú as OB-R-902 in 1968, it returned to Boeing in 1985. Later that year Boeing leased it to GE. It first flew on 21 August 1986 with the right-hand turbojet engine replaced by a GE36 propfan with two counter-rotating eight-bladed propellers.[45] The engine was due to power the proposed 7J7 100 –150 seat airliner series.[46] The aircraft was returned to Boeing in February 1987 and stored at Mojave Airport where it was scrapped in 1991.[47][3]

727-200[edit]

Raytheon RMT 727 N289MT

N289MT Raytheon Multi-Program Testbed (RMT). This aircraft was originally delivered to American Airlines as N710AA in 1981. Possibly encouraged by testing GPS precision approaches with a loaned FedEx 727 in 2001,[48] Raytheon acquired this aircraft in 2002.[49] It has a permanent F-15 nosecone and a removable fairing under the forward fuselage, both of which can accommodate a variety of radars, and the cabin can be equipped with one or more cockpit simulators.[50] The aircraft, based at Los Angeles International Airport[51] and known for its callsign of 'Voodoo1', is still active in 2022.[52]

Boeing 737[edit]

737-100[edit]

NASA 737-130 N515NA runway friction test
Cutaway model of the NASA 737 testbed

N515NA NASA Transport Systems Research Vehicle. The first Boeing 737, registered N73700, first flew on 9 April 1967 and was retained by Boeing until being bought by NASA in July 1973. It was used by Langley Research Center to test a wide variety of technologies including electronic flight displays, runway surface friction technology, windshear prediction and detection, helmet-mounted displays, GPS autolanding and use of LIDAR for clear-air turbulence detection.[53] It was retired in 1997 and loaned by NASA to the Museum of Flight, Seattle, where it is still on display in 2022.[54]

737-200[edit]

737-200 testbed 4X-AOT of IAI ELTA Systems

4X-AOT IAI ELTA Electronics radar testbed. Originally delivered to Aloha Airlines as N70724 in 1979, they leased it to Pan Am for five years, and it was later acquired by IAI ELTA Electronics in 1995. It was equipped with an ELTA multi-mode radar integrated with an optical camera, sophisticated communications intelligence systems and satellite communications. When it was displayed at the 2003 Paris Air Show it was equipped with the Flight Guard anti-missile system. It was used not only as a testbed but also to perform real world operations including maritime surveillance.[55] It operated until 2013 when it was replaced by 737-400 4X-AOO (see below). It was placed in storage at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv.[56][57]

N903LC / N737BG Boeing Avionics Flying Laboratory.[58] Delivered to Western Airlines as N4515W in 1968, this aircraft later spent 15 years with EG&G (Janet Airlines) and was eventually bought by Boeing in 1998. It was used for Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) development radar and avionics testing, with extensive test equipment and a representative JSF cockpit in the cabin.[59] It sported a bold JSF logo on the fin and a modified, enlarged, radar nosecone.[60] The aircraft demonstrated multi-sensor fusion, linking synthetic aperture radar with infra-red sensors with additional target information to produce a composite information display to allow quick decision making by the fighter pilot.[61] It was scrapped in 2004.[62]

N9051U Purdue University/Boeing rudder testbed. Originally delivered to United Airlines in 1969, it was donated to Purdue University in 1999. Boeing immediately leased the aircraft for ground and flight tests as part of an FAA program to test the fin and rudder after two unexplained crashes of the type. It was extensively instrumented, along with a digital air data computer and an inertial navigation system from a 747.[63] After the tests, the aircraft was returned to Purdue, who used it as a ground trainer. It was broken up in 2010.[64]

737-300[edit]

737-N35LX, the CATBird

N35LX Lockheed Martin CATBird (Cooperative Avionics Test Bed) F-35 avionics testbed. This was originally D-ABXH of Lufthansa, delivered in 1986. In 2003 it was delivered to Lockheed Martin and modified by BAE Systems at their base in Mojave Airport in 2006. It was fitted to test, integrate, and evaluate all the F-35 sensors and avionics and is equipped with many electronics racks, engineer workstations, and an F-35 cockpit.[65] It's fitted with an F-35 nose, and aerodynamically neutral 'canard' wings emulating those of the F-35.[66] It first flew on 23 January 2007 and operated until at least 2016, was stored at the Lockheed Skunk Works at Palmdale, and the registration was cancelled in 2019.[67]

N353UA Kaney Aerospace Centre 2005-2010 ground-based wi-fi testbed. Originally delivered to United Airlines in 1989 as N353UA, this was sold to UT Finance Corporation in 2005, and used by Kaney as a ground-based wi-fi testbed, marked “Wireless Technology Integration Aircraft” and including a "Matrix" logo indicating a link with Matrix Business Technologies.[68] It was scrapped in 2010.[69]

737-400[edit]

IAI ELTA 737-400 4X-AOO without its modified nose

4X-AOO IAI's ELTA Electronics radar testbed. After a long career starting in 1991 as 9M-MJE of Malaysia Airlines, this aircraft was bought in 2012 to replace 737-200 4X-AOT (see above). It can be fitted with a variety of nosecones for different radar arrangements and has also been used for testing a wide variety of systems, ranching from satellite communications, advanced ELINT, electro-optical, maritime patrol and AEW.[57] One reported program was for for the South Korean KAI KF-X fighter project.[70][71] It was still active in 2022.[72]

Connexion by Boeing, 737-400 N60669

N60669 Connexion by Boeing internet connectivity and wi-fi testbed. Originally delivered to Air UK Leisure in 1990 as G-UKLC, this was bought back by Boeing in December 2000 to take part in their in-flight internet, wi-fi and live television project. When that was closed down in 2006[73] the aircraft was returned to airline service and is still flying as a freighter in 2022 with ASL Airlines Ireland as EI-STL.[74]

737-500[edit]

ZS-TFJ AESA Radar testbed (Paramount Aerospace Systems). First delivered to Czech Airlines (CSA) in 1992, this was bought by Paramount in 2020. The following year it entered service as an electronics testbed. Originally based in Wonderboom Airport, South Africa with a modified radar nose cone, it is being used (as of 2022) for testing the radar for the South Korean KAI KF-21 Boramae (ex KF-X) fighter development program. It moved to South Korea in 2022.[75]

N662CS / N321GG Gogo wi-fi testbed. Originally delivered to Malaysia Airlines in 1992, Gogo bought this aircraft in 2014 as a testbed and demonstrator for its 2Ku Ku band satellite-based internet system.[76] It was stored from 2017 until 2019[77] and is active as PR-SHE of Sideral Linhas Aéreas in 2022.[78]

Boeing 747[edit]

747-100[edit]

N7470 the 747 prototype and testbed. This was the first prototype first flown on 9 February 1969, named City of Everett though it is often called RA001. After its normal prototype duties were completed, it was used throughout its career as a technology and engine testbed, for example performing the flight testing of the two rivals for powering the Boeing 757, the Pratt & Whitney PW2037 and the Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4. It also flew the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 destined for the 777. The test engines were flown in the No.2 position.[79] The aircraft was withdrawn from use in 1993 and in 1995 flew to the Museum of Flight, Seattle, where it is preserved, having been restored in 2013-14.[80]

Evergreen Supertanker N479EV – Tanker 979)

N479EV Tanker 979 Evergreen International Supertanker fire bomber. Around 2004, the United States Forest Service was searching for replacements for its fire bomber fleet, and Evergreen planned a fleet of four 747s to help fulfil the requirement.[81] Only three were eventually completed, and this was the second to be converted. See also 747-200 N470EV and 747-400 N744ST. This aircraft was originally delivered to Delta Air Lines as N9898 in 1970 and converted to a freighter in 1984. Evergreen bought it in 1991. After conversion to a fire bomber it entered service in 2009 but was withdrawn and stored at Marana Pinal Airpark in 2011, and scrapped in April 2017.[82]

General Electric's testbed, N747GE

N747GE General Electric engine testbed. Originally delivered to Pan Am in 1970 as N744PA, the aircraft was bought by General Electric in 1992. It flew with test engines in the No.2 position (inboard on the left wing). The aircraft had already been strengthened to fulfil Civil Reserve Air Fleet requirements, so the weight of the testing equipment could be easily accommodated.[83] Test engines included the GE90-115, CF34, Engine Alliance GP7000,[84] GEnx-2B,[85] CFM International LEAP,[86] and Passport.[87] The CF34-8C1 testing involved a vertical pylon from the 5th engine hardpoint inboard of the No.2 engine. To this the test engine was attached via a nearly horizontal pylon identical to that of the Bombardier CRJ-700, for which the engine was being developed.[88] The oldest flying 747 at the time, it was withdrawn from use and stored in 2017, and was donated to the Pima Air & Space Museum, making its last flight, from its base at Victorville to the museum's neighbouring Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan, in November 2018.[89][3]

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft N905NA carrying Discovery

N905NA The first NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). Originally delivered to American Airlines in 1970 as N9668, it was sold to NASA in 1974.[90] It underwent extensive modification as the SCA in 1976 and operations started in 1977, with the first flight carrying an Orbiter occurring on 18 February.[91] It was used not only to transfer the Space Shuttle Orbiters around, but, in the early days, also used to launch the non-spaceworthy Orbiter Enterprisefor Approach and Landing (glider) tests. These were done mainly with the streamlining tailcone in place, but, on two occasions, without. A unique task that the aircraft performed was the transport of the Boeing Phantom Ray UCAV from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Missouri, to the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base. This took place on 14 December 2010 after a 50 minute test flight at St Louis the day before.[92] N905NA was withdrawn from use at Edwards Air Force Base in 2012 and is now displayed at Space Center Houston carrying Orbiter mock-up Independence.[93]

747-100SR[edit]

Space Shuttle Atlantis on Shuttle Carrier N911NA

N911NA The second NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. It was originally delivered to Japan Airlines in 1973 as JA8117, acquired by NASA in 1988 and, after modifications, entered service in 1990. It performed the same role as the first SCA and was retired on 8 February 2012, It is now on display at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale.

747-200[edit]

The first Evergreen Supertanker, N470EV – Tanker 947

N470EV Tanker 947 Evergreen International Supertanker. This was the first of three 747s to be converted a fire bomber. Originally delivered to World Airways as N749WA in 1974, it was purchased by Evergreen in 1989. The conversion, designed by Evergreen, consisted of pressurised tanks able to deliver water, retardant liquid or gel from greater heights than conventional gravity-fed systems. Existing aircraft carried up to 3,000 US gallons (11,000 L), while the Supertanker's capacity was 20,000 US gallons (76,000 L). The fluids were discharged through four 12 in (30.5 cm) tubes underneath the rear fuselage. It was also capable of operating in weather modification and oil spill and biochemical contamination response roles.[94] The conversion was first flown on 19 Feb 2004. After intensive tests and demonstration tours the aircraft never entered service, and was withdrawn and stored at Marana Pinal Airpark on 25 February 2012.[95] See also 747-100 N479EV and 747-400 N744ST.

747-200B[edit]

(Photo – use mine) N787RR Rolls-Royce engine testbed. Originally delivered to Cathay Pacific Airways in 1980 as VR-HIA, then operated by Air Atlanta, often on lease, from 1999, it was bought by Rolls-Royce in 2005.[96] Based at Tucson International Airport, Arizona, it was initially used for Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 testing. The engine was due to be the lead powerplant on the new 787 Dreamliner so the aircraft's registration was appropriate. The test engine is in the No.2 position. The test program was extensive, leading from validation of the basic design through to research into various enhancement projects including Advanced Low Pressure System (ALPS) fan blades, and the Advanced Low Emissions Combustion System (ALECsys). These were part of the buildup to the Ultrafan geared, turbofan with a variable-pitch fan.[97] After cancellation of the 747-400 addition to Rolls-Royce's testing fleet (see B747RR below), the next engine to be tested will probably be the Pearl 10X.[98] N787RR is reputed to be the oldest flying 747 and last flying 747-200 in the world.[99]

747-400[edit]

Global Supertanker N744ST – Tanker 944

N744ST Tanker 944 Global Supertanker, the last of three 747s to be converted a fire bomber. Global Supertanker Services had acquired most of the Supertanker assets of Evergreen, and this was an improved version. The aircraft was first delivered to Japan Airlines in 1991 and bought by Evergreen, converted into cargo configuration, in 2012. As a Supertanker it operated between 2016 and 2020, after which it was re-converted to a Boeing Converted Freighter with National Airlines and is still active in 2022 as N936CA.[100] See also 747-100 N479EV and 747-200 N470EV.

N747RR Rolls-Royce engine testbed project. Originally delivered to Qantas as VH-OJU in 2000,[101] Rolls-Royce bought this in 2019 to complement its existing 747-200B testbed, N787RR (see above). Artists' impressions showed that it would have an engine pylon extending horizontally from the top of the fuselage on the left side, in line with the wing leading edge.[102] In 2022 Rolls-Royce announced that the aircraft, stored at Moses Lake, would not be converted as the COVID-19 pandemic had slowed the testing demand, and that they would dispose of it.[98]

GE 747-400 N747GF

N356AS / N747GF General Electric Propulsion Test Platform. Originally delivered to Japan Airlines as JA8910 in 1994, this was bought by GE in 2011.[103] It has been used for testing the CFM International LEAP series, the first flight with the 1B model being on 29 April 2015 from the aircraft's base at Victorville.[104] with the test engine in the No.2 position. Also tested were the GE9X and Passport engines.[105] The aircraft's wing and pylon had to be especially strengthened for the GE9X, then the world's largest aircraft engine,[106] and it made its first flight on 13 March 2018.[107] The aircraft is still reported to be active in 2022.[108]

YAL-1A Airborne Laser Testbed

00-0001 YAL-1A USAF Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB). Delivered from the production line as a 747-400F on 21 Jan 2000, it was retired to Davis-Monthan on 14 February 2012 and broken up in 2014.[109]

Cosmic Girl carrying LauncherOne

N744VG Virgin Orbit satellite launch vehicle. This aircraft was delivered to Virgin Atlantic Airways as G-VWOW in 2001 and named Cosmic Girl. In 2015 it was transferred to Virgin Galactic.[110] In 2017 it was transferred to Virgin Orbit, retaining its name, and was flown to Mojave as its operation base.[111] Its role is to launch small satellites by means of a cargo rocket called LauncherOne which is carried by a pylon attached to the standard fifth-engine hardpoint between the No.2 engine and the fuselage of the aircraft. Flight testing started on 23 August 2018[112] and the first successful satellite launch occurred on 17 March 2021.[113] In May 2022 Virgin Orbit announced plans to acquire two further 747-400s to expand the operation.[114]

747SP[edit]

N747NA SOFIA

N747NA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). This was a collaborative venture between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) which was responsible for the optical system. The objective of the project was astronomical observation above the majority of Earth's atmosphere, which contains water vapour that blocks 99% of the infrared radiation from space.[115] The aircraft originally served with Pan American from 1997 as N536PA, then with United Airlines from 1986, mainly as N145UA. NASA acquired it in 1997, but there were many delays due to technical, program and budget problems,[116] and it didn't make its first flight as the SOFIA until 26 April 2007.[117][3] It performed its first official science mission from Palmdale on 30 November 2010,[118] and was retired 30 Sep 2022 at Palmdale.[119][120]

N708BA / C-GTFF Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) testbed. This aircraft was delivered new to Korean Air Lines as HL7457 on 18 March 1981. It was acquired by P&WC as N708BA on 20 December 2007 and re-registered in Canada on 12 December 2010.[121] Test engines are mounted on a stub wing on the right side of the fuselage behind the cockpit. Engines tested include the PW1200G which started flight tests in June 2012 [122] The aircraft is based at Montréal–Mirabel Airport and is still active as of 2022.[123]

N747UT / C-FPAW Pratt & Whitney Canada testbed. Delivered new to CAAC Airlines as B-2452 in 1980, bought by UT Finance Corp in November 1999 as N747UT and stored. It was delivered to P&WC January 2002, and was re-registered in Canada June 2009. Test engines are mounted in the No.2 position. Engines tested include the PW4170,[124] PW1000G,[125], PW1500G.[126] and PW1900G.[127] The aircraft is based at Montréal–Mirabel Airport and is still active in 2022.[128]

Boeing 757[edit]

757-200[edit]

Boeing 757 'Catfish' N757A

N757A, nicknamed ‘Catfish’ for systems testing for Lockheed Martin F-22 radar and avionics. This was the prototype 757, having first flown on 19 Feb 1982, and was converted as a Flying Test Bed (FTB) for the USAF Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) competition. It tested the projected fighter's Hughes Common Integrated Processor (CIP) hardware and software.[129] Once the Lockheed YF-22 had won the competition against the Northrop YF-23 (whose testbed had been BAC One-Eleven N162W) it was fitted with an F-22 nose cone in 1997, and in 1998 a wing-like, non-lift-producing assembly above the cockpit fitted with conformal antennae.[130][131] After this modification its first flight was on 11 March 1999. The cabin was equipped with workstations for up to 30 engineers and a simulated F-22 cockpit. It continued in use after the F-22’s introduction to service, testing software upgrades.[3] [132]

NASA Aries 757 conducting a runway friction test in February 1999

N757NA NASA Airborne Research Integrated Experiments System (ARIES). The second 757 produced, first flown on 28 March 1982, this was delivered to Eastern Airlines in August 1983 as N401EA and sold to NASA in 1994, becoming N557NA. It was a replacement for Langley Research Center's 737-100 N515NA which retired in 1997. Among its facilities are several simulators including Research and Integration Flight Decks. Technologies tested include GPS autoland, contrail research, weather information and runway friction tests.[133] It wore basic Eastern Airlines livery with NASA stickers until 2005, when it received full NASA colours. The aircraft was sold to L-3 Capital in 2009 as N144DC and as of 2022 is reported to be stored.[134]

Honeywell's testbed 757, N757HW

N757HW Honeywell engine and systems testbed. This aircraft was originally delivered to Eastern Airlines as N504EA in 1983 and then spent 10 years in Britain as G-JALC. Delivered to Honeywell on October 2005,[135] it was converted to a testbed with a test engine mount on the right side of the fuselage behind the cockpit. Engines tested include the HTF7000, TFE731 and TPE331. Systems tested include the Runway Awareness and Advisory System (RAAS) and high speed wi-fi.[136] It demonstrated wi-fi and its JetWave satellite communications abilities along with crew data systems for flightpath visualisation, weather, fuel efficiency, and maintenance monitoring in a 2017 world tour which included a visit to the Paris Air Show, in Connected Aircraft markings.[137] The following year it toured the Asia-Pacific region chasing monsoons to test and calibrate Honeywell's IntuVue3D weather hazard and avoidance system.[138] In 2022 it was demonstrating JetWave MCX, a military communications suite.[139] Based at Phoenix Sky Harbor, Arizona,[140] it remains active as of late 2022.[141]

TUI 757-200 G-BYAW before its conversion to the FTA

G-BYAW BAE Systems Tempest Flight Test Aircraft (FTA), Excalibur. To support the development of the Tempest sixth-generation fighter, Leonardo, a major partner in the project, subcontracted 2Excel Aviation to convert this aircraft into an integrated systems testbed,[142] similar in concept to the Boeing 737-300 'CATBird'. Registered G-BYAW, the 757 was originally delivered to Britannia Airways in 1995 and operated in TUI Airways livery when it was retired in November 2019. It was acquired by 2Excel in February 2020 and is currently, as of 2022, at their facility at Lasham Airfield.[143] In addition to its Tempest work it is also slated to support the Eurofighter Typhoon and Lockheed Martin F-35 projects.[144]

Boeing 767[edit]

767-200[edit]

N767BA, Airborne Surveillance Testbed (AST) for the United States Army Airborne Optical Adjunct (AOA) Program. This is the first prototype 767, which first flew on 26 September 1981. It was converted to the AST over a period of nearly three years, and its first flight as the AST was on 21 August 1987. The modifications centred around an Airborne Optical System (AOS) with a unique long-wavelength infra-red telescope housed in an 86 feet (26 m) long, 8 feet (2.4 m) high cupola mounted on top of the fuselage. The cabin contained the electronics to allow the telescope to identify and track more than 400 targets simultaneously. The intended targets were ballistic missiles in all stages of flight, and it was operated by the US Army. It entered storage at Victorville in September 2003, and was scrapped in 2008.[145]

N308AA BAE Systems missile self-protection testbed. Originally delivered to American Airlines 1n 1983, this aircraft was used to test the Jeteye missile protection system for civil airliners. With the American titles removed and BAE Systems and American Airlines Maintenance Services titles,[146] the conversion's first flight occurred on 10 November 2005 at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, Texas. The Jeteye system was based on BAE's military Advanced Threat Countermeasures (ATIRCM) system. FAA certification was expected, followed by government testing at Eglin AFB, Florida.[147] At the end of testing, the aircraft was returned to American, and was still active with Air Transport International as N714AX in 2022.[148]

See also[edit]

Boeing ecoDemonstrator

References[edit]

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Bibliography[edit]

[1]

  1. ^ Bowers, Peter M. (1989). Boeing Aircraft since 1916 (2 ed.). London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0-85177-804-6.
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