Fairchild Republic T-46

History of the Fairchild Republic T-46

The Fairchild T-46 was the last aircraft offered by the historic company, created in the 1980s as part of a failed attempt by the United States Air Force (USAF) A successor to the Cessna T-37 "Tweet" main jet trainer looking for an aging line. At this point, the straight-wing T-37 has been flying since 1957 (its series introduction), with some 1,269 eventually built for various global operators - deployed in training and close support/light attack combat roles.

Born out of the new "Next Generation Trainer" (NGT) program developed in 1981, the T-46 first flew in 1985, but was discontinued as early as 1988, with only three airframes produced. Subsequently, the United States Air Force and the United States Navy jointly established the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS), a fruitful effort that resulted in the Beech-Pilatus Texan II trainer based on the excellent Swiss PC-9 development.

Fairchild Corporation demonstrated its solid design credentials by partnering with Ames Industries to create a 62% scale technology demonstrator for its trainers - work that resulted in the "Model 73 NGT" flyer. Testing will be conducted at the Rutan Aircraft Plant in Mojave, California. U.S. Air Force authorities liked what they saw in the Fairchild proposal and named the design a tender on July 2, 1982. Two airworthy prototypes were ordered, followed by the first 54 production-quality airframes (650 trainers in total).

Overall, the service is seeking, making the T-46 design a fairly lucrative investment for Fairchild).

The end result is a flat, stubby plane with two crew members sitting side by side (like a T-37). This resulted in a wider-than-normal fuselage, as the turbofan casing spanned the fuselage, adding extra bulk to the design. The fins are relatively short and covered by a rather unconventional twin-fin fin arrangement centered on various levels attached to the tailstock.

The main aircraft is located above the fuselage (shoulder-mounted) and has a rectilinear shape. A retractable landing gear with wheels allows ground operation.

The first flight took place on October 15, 1985, but by then the program's development costs had increased so much that its sustainability was questioned (the design itself actually ran into some problems in testing ). These efforts partially ended around 1986 and more or less completely in the 1987 budget review. It was then officially cancelled in 1988, and only three aircraft demonstrated the effort - a move that also doomed Fairchild as an aircraft manufacturer: its famed factory in Farmingdale, New York closed down - making the famous P- 47 The same factory where Thunderbolt "brought the Second World War era.

The company's last major contribution was the Fairchild Republic A-10 "Thunderbolt II" Close Air Support (CAS) introduced a decade earlier in 1977 ) platform.

All three surviving airframes have stood the test of time amazingly: s/n 84-0492 in the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum (Edwards AFB) and 84-0493 in the National Museum of the United States Air Force (Ohio Dayton, State). 85-1596 Pima Aviation Museum in Arizona.

The Model 37 demonstrator is housed in the Cradle of the Air Museum in New York.

When completed, the aircraft will have an overall length of 29.5 feet, a wingspan of 38.7 feet, and a height of 9.11 feet. Empty weight reaches 5,725 lbs and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 6,962 lbs. Power comes from 2 Garrett F109-GA-100 turbofan engines, each producing 1,330 pounds of thrust.

This propels the plane to a speed of 457 mph and a cruising speed of up to 383 mph. Range is 1,370 miles, while service is capped at 46,500 feet.

Specification

Base

Year of Service

1985

Origins

United States

Status

Cancel

Development ended.

Crew

2

Production

3

Manufacturer

Fairchild Republic - USA

Carrier

US (tried, removed)

Roles

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

The ability to conduct air strikes against ground targets using (but not limited to) artillery, bombs, rockets, rockets, etc.

Disable support (CAS)

Designed to operate near active ground elements with a wide range of air-to-surface weapon and ammunition options.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Education (General)

Develop the ability to become a dedicated student pilot instructor (usually under the supervision of an instructor).

Training (Advanced)

A special advanced training platform for student pilots after completing basic flight training.

Notable Features

Multi-engine

Include two or more engines to improve survivability and/or performance.

Sturdy aircraft frame

The inherent ability of the airframe to take significant damage.

High-speed performance

Can accelerate to higher speeds than the average aircraft at the time.

High performance

The ability to fly and operate at higher altitudes than the average aircraft of the day.

Extended range performance

Ability to travel long distances using on-board fuel supplies.

Super performance

The design covers the three key performance categories of speed, altitude and range.

Pilot/crew ejection system

Auxiliary procedures to allow pilot and/or crew ejection in the event of an air emergency.

Depression in crew members

Support the pressurization required for crew survival at higher operating altitudes.

Crew management

In addition to the pilot, the aircraft also employs additional crew members who specialize in specific functions on the aircraft.

Closed crew room

There are partially or fully enclosed crew work areas.

Scalable

Has retractable/retractable landing gear to maintain aerodynamic efficiency.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

29.5 feet

(8.99m)

Width/span

38.6 feet

(11.78m)

Height

10. 0 feet

(3.04m)

Cured weight

5,732 lbs

(2,600 kg)

MTOW

6,967 lbs

(3,160 kg)

Wgt Difference

+1,235 lbs

(+560 kg)

Main Aircraft Structure

Monoplane/Shoulder/Straight

Monoplane

Designed to use a single main wing main aircraft; this is the most popular arrangement of main aircraft.

Shoulder

The main aircraft is mounted on the upper part of the fuselage, usually on an imaginary line that intersects the pilot's shoulders.

Straight

Floor plans involve the use of simple, straight main plan elements.

(The structure descriptor refers to the production variant Fairchild T-46)

Performance

Installed:

2 x Garrett F109-GA-100 non-afterburner turbofan engines, each producing 1,330 pounds of thrust.

Maximum speed

457 km/h

(735 km/h | 397 knots)

Cruising speed

383 km/h

(617 km/h | 333 kn)

Maximum speed difference

+73 km/h

(+118 km/h | 64 kn)

Maximum

46,588 feet

(14,200 m | 9 km)

Area

1,367 km

(2,200 km | 4,074 nautical miles)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Armor

None.

VARIANTS

T-46 - Base project name; three completed aircraft and a small technology demonstrator.