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Speed agile is the codename for a new project currently undertaken by both Lockheed martin and Boeing for the USAF. the goal is to provide the United states military with a STOL military lift aircraft that can carry the load of a C-130 while cruising at 0.8 mach , the design is also supposed to incorporate VLO characteristics into the airframe as well(kinda reminds you of the specs the IA & IAF want sometimes don't it!)
The cool name reflects the Air Force's desire for "speed agility": high lift at low speeds for short take-off and landing from improvised airstrips combined with efficient cruise at speeds beyond Mach 0.8 - something traditional STOL aircraft are not good at.
The baseline specs for Speed Agile are revealing: at least 500nm radius carrying a nominal 29.5t payload at speeds above Mach 0.8, with a mid-mission hot-and-high landing and take-off in under 2,000ft - 1,500ft is desired.
And the cargo box looks familiar - it has the same 4m loading width as the Airbus A400M, which is fast becoming the standard for intra-theatre transport as payloads outgrow the C-130.
No-one gets to build a demonstrator for Speed Agile - the 34-month programme will involve concept design and windtunnel validation of low-speed and transonic performance. But it is one of a raft of Air Force Research Laboratory projects paving the way for AJACS - the Advanced Joint Air Combat System - planned as a replacement for the C-130.
Boeing's concept
Lockheed's concept
The cool name reflects the Air Force's desire for "speed agility": high lift at low speeds for short take-off and landing from improvised airstrips combined with efficient cruise at speeds beyond Mach 0.8 - something traditional STOL aircraft are not good at.
The baseline specs for Speed Agile are revealing: at least 500nm radius carrying a nominal 29.5t payload at speeds above Mach 0.8, with a mid-mission hot-and-high landing and take-off in under 2,000ft - 1,500ft is desired.
And the cargo box looks familiar - it has the same 4m loading width as the Airbus A400M, which is fast becoming the standard for intra-theatre transport as payloads outgrow the C-130.
No-one gets to build a demonstrator for Speed Agile - the 34-month programme will involve concept design and windtunnel validation of low-speed and transonic performance. But it is one of a raft of Air Force Research Laboratory projects paving the way for AJACS - the Advanced Joint Air Combat System - planned as a replacement for the C-130.
Boeing's concept
Lockheed's concept
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