Model 437 Vanguard

Model No.

437

First Flight

August 29, 2024

The Model 437 began as a conceptual design, based on the Model 401, exploring a multi-mission low-cost attritable aircraft. The Model 437 is a crewed variant of the original concept powered by a single Pratt & Whitney 535 engine with approximately 3,400 pounds of thrust. The aircraft has a wingspan of 41 feet and is 41 feet long with a gross takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds. After completion of envelope expansion, the Model 437 will have a range of approximately 3000 nautical miles and an endurance of 6 hours. The aircraft can carry up to 2,000 pounds of payload in multiple locations including an internal payload bay sized to approximately 145” x 36” x 16”.

Digital Pathfinder

Scaled Composites leveraged extensive experience in rapid design, fabrication, and test of experimental aircraft to develop the Model 437 as a platform to demonstrate Northrop Grumman’s digitally engineered wings. This included a clean sheet aircraft design, aerodynamic and structural analysis, fuselage and empennage fabrication, aircraft assembly, systems integration, and ground and flight test execution – all within 21 months. Northrop Grumman designed and manufactured the removable wing assemblies using advanced digital engineering tools and processes as part of their Digital Pathfinder effort.

Read the First Flight Announcement

Beacon

After first flight, the Model 437 underwent significant aircraft modifications by Scaled to support integration of the Northrop Grumman Beacon autonomous ecosystem. A series of envelope expansion flights for the Model 437 will be conducted at completion of this work to prove out the flight envelope prior to the start of Beacon testing.

During the Beacon flight test campaign, Scaled will use our extensive flight test experience to test and rapidly mature Northrop Grumman’s Beacon autonomy ecosystem aboard the Model 437 airborne testbed, mitigating risk with a safety pilot onboard.