Dubai - Gigantisk en-motors turboprop vist i mock-up - The Drive

 

THOMAS NEWDICK View Thomas Newdick's Articles

@CombatAir

The appearance of an all-new military aircraft design is a fairly rare occurrence these days, but rarer still when the aircraft in question belongs to a new category in terms of mission spectrum, size, and performance. The Calidus B-350, which broke cover in mock-up form at the ongoing Dubai Airshow, fits this bill: A new offering from the Abu Dhabi-based company, the aircraft is a relatively enormous single-engine turboprop attack platform, broadly akin to a Douglas A-1 Skyraider albeit thoroughly updated for the 21st century.

Making a surprise appearance at the exhibition, the two-seat B-350 looks at first sight fairly similar to other turboprop offerings in the light attack category, such as the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano that’s being evaluated by U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, or AFSOC. The difference, though, is the huge size of the B-350.

Its proportions are very deceiving until you put a human being next to it and you realize it is a bizarre monster of an aircraft: