Lockheed Martin CATBird

Last updated
CATBird
Lockheed-737-N35LX-061222-03-wp.jpg
Lockheed CATBird taxiing at the Mojave Spaceport during engine tests
Role Testbed
Manufacturer Boeing Commercial Airplanes
First flight23 January 2007
StatusSystems test aircraft
Developed from Boeing 737-330

The Lockheed Martin CATBird is a highly modified Boeing 737-330 designed as an avionics flight testbed aircraft. The name is an adaptive acronym, from Cooperative Avionics Test Bed; CATBIRD is Lockheed's ICAO-designated company callsign. The aircraft was modified in order to provide an economic means of developing and flight testing the avionics suite for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. [1] CATBird has a distinctive appearance, with an F-35's nose and a pair of small canards located just aft of the forward entrance doors. Inside, the aircraft is equipped with racks to hold all of F-35's avionics, as well as an F-35 cockpit. [2]

The aircraft was modified under contract by BAE Systems Inc. at their facility at the Mojave Spaceport. Work began in December, 2003, and the aircraft began post-modification taxi tests in November 2006. First flight took place on January 23, 2007 at Mojave. After the initial flight test program conducted at Mojave, on March 2, 2007, the aircraft was ferried to Lockheed's Fort Worth facility for Phase 2 of the modification program, which would install the flight test stations and actual avionics and sensor systems to be tested. [3]

In 2014 the CATBird's software test station was upgraded by Northrop Grumman with Tech Refresh 2 hardware which gives the CATBird capability to test F-35 Block 3 Software.

See also

Related development

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing E-3 Sentry</span> Airborne early warning and control aircraft based on Boeing 707 airframe

The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS. Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications, and is used by the United States Air Force, NATO, French Air and Space Force, Royal Saudi Air Force and Chilean Air Force. The E-3 has a distinctive rotating radar dome (rotodome) above the fuselage. Production ended in 1992 after 68 aircraft had been built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II</span> American stealth multirole combat aircraft

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Lockheed Martin is the prime F-35 contractor, with principal partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. The aircraft has three main variants: the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35B, and the carrier-based (CV/CATOBAR) F-35C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor</span> American air superiority fighter

The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities. The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, built most of the F-22's airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while Boeing provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed C-5 Galaxy</span> American heavy military transport aircraft

The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsized and oversized loads, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many similarities to the smaller Lockheed C-141 Starlifter and the later Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. The C-5 is among the largest military aircraft in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing YAL-1</span> Airborne laser demonstrator aircraft by Boeing

The Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser Testbed weapons system was a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside a modified military Boeing 747-400F. It was primarily designed as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) while in boost phase. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Martin X-35</span> Concept demonstrator aircraft for Joint Strike Fighter program

The Lockheed Martin X-35 is a concept demonstrator aircraft (CDA) developed by Lockheed Martin for the Joint Strike Fighter program. The X-35 was declared the winner over the competing Boeing X-32 and a developed, armed version went on to enter production in the early 21st century as the F-35 Lightning II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Tactical Fighter</span> USAF demonstration and validation program

The Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) was a demonstration and validation program undertaken by the United States Air Force to develop a next-generation air superiority fighter to counter emerging worldwide threats, including Soviet Sukhoi Su-27 and Mikoyan MiG-29 fighters under development in the 1980s. Lockheed and Northrop were selected in 1986 to develop the YF-22 and the YF-23 technology demonstrator aircraft. These aircraft were evaluated in 1991 and the Lockheed YF-22 was selected and later developed into the F-22 Raptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing X-32</span> Multirole combat aircraft prototype by Boeing

The Boeing X-32 is a concept demonstrator aircraft that was designed for the Joint Strike Fighter competition. It lost to the Lockheed Martin X-35 demonstrator, which was further developed into the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mojave Air and Space Port</span> Facility located in Mojave, California

The Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field is in Mojave, California, United States, at an elevation of 2,801 feet (854 m). It is the first facility to be licensed in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft, being certified as a spaceport by the Federal Aviation Administration on June 17, 2004. The facility covers 2,998 acres and has three runways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 737 AEW&C</span> Airborne early warning and control aircraft

The Boeing 737 AEW&C is a twin-engine airborne early warning and control aircraft based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation design. It is lighter than the 707-based Boeing E-3 Sentry, and has a fixed, active electronically scanned array radar antenna instead of a rotating one. It was designed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) under "Project Wedgetail" and designated E-7A Wedgetail.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a major unit of Lockheed Martin with headquarters at Air Force Plant 4 in Fort Worth, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish Aerospace Industries</span> Turkish Aerospace & Defense Company

Turkish Aerospace Inc. is the center of technology in design, development, manufacturing, integration of aerospace systems, modernization and after sales support in Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Skyfox</span> Type of aircraft

The Boeing Skyfox is an American twin-engined jet trainer aircraft, a highly upgraded development of the Lockheed T-33. It was designed as a primary trainer to compete with and replace the Cessna T-37 Tweet. Besides its primary role as a trainer, the aircraft was envisioned to have other roles as well, including ground attack. The program was started by the Skyfox Corporation in 1983, and was acquired by Boeing in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4950th Test Wing</span> Military unit

The 4950th Test Wing, a wing of the United States Air Force, was established in March 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AN/APG-81</span> Radar system

The AN/APG-81 is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system designed by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon variants</span> Specific model of the F-16 fighter aircraft family

A large number of variants of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon have been produced by General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and various licensed manufacturers. The details of the F-16 variants, along with major modification programs and derivative designs significantly influenced by the F-16, are described below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifth-generation fighter</span> Classification of sophisticated jet fighter aircraft entering service since 2005

A fifth-generation fighter is a jet fighter aircraft classification which includes major technologies developed during the first part of the 21st century. As of 2023, these are the most advanced fighters in operation. The characteristics of a fifth-generation fighter are not universally agreed upon and not every fifth-generation type necessarily has them all; however, they typically include stealth, low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPIR), agile airframes with supercruise performance, advanced avionics features, and highly integrated computer systems capable of networking with other elements within the battlespace for situation awareness and C3 (command, control and communications) capabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James E. Brown III</span>

James E. Brown III is an aerospace executive, test pilot instructor, and former United States Air Force officer. As of 2021, he is the president of the National Test Pilot School located in Mojave, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-X program</span> US Air Force advanced trainer acquisition program

The T-X program is a United States Air Force development and acquisition program for a new two-seat jet trainer to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon. On 27 September 2018, the US Air Force selected the Boeing/Saab T-X entry to become its trainer aircraft. The new aircraft was given the designation and name "T-7 Red Hawk" in September 2019. The Air Force's initial plan is to purchase 351 T-7s, and has an option to purchase up to 475.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Plant 42</span> US Air Force-owned aircraft manufacturing facility in Palmdale, California

United States Air Force Plant 42 is a classified aircraft manufacturing plant owned by the United States Air Force in the Antelope Valley, about 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It is also used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

References

  1. Delehant, Edward J. (15 May 2005). "Safety & design considerations for the cooperative avionics test bed (CATBird) aircraft". SAE transactions. 114 (1): 938–945. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
  2. "Flying Test-Bed Power Switched On" (PDF). F-35 JSF Flight Plan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2006-11-20.
  3. "CATBird transitions to Lockheed for final systems installation", Aerotech News and Review, 2007-03-09