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Aviation / Aerospace

Sierra Nevada RAPCON-X


Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) Special-Mission Aircraft [ 2025 ]



The BOmbardier Global 6500 serves as the host airframe to the proposed SNC RAPCON-X ISR platform for the U.S. Army.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/06/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is proposing its "RAPCON-X" special-mission platform to satisfy an ongoing Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) requirement of the United States Army. The design relies on the Bombardier Global 6500 "twin" business jet (BizJet) as its host aircraft (defined as Commercial Derivative Aircraft = CDA) and is equipped with all necessary systems, subsystems, sensors, and workstations for the role. In the proposed arrangement with the service, the aircraft would be contractor-owned and -operated enabling the company to cover aircraft maintenance, flight operations, and general logistics support as part of the partnership.

With the Global 6500 BizJet as its host, the aircraft is set to retain all of its excellent qualities and sleek styling of the original airframe. This includes the sharp, sloping nosecone assembly offering excellent vision out-of-the-cockpit for the side-by-side seated pilots. The cockpit will house the GATM/NextGen 2020 avionics set as a modern solution. The sides of the fuselage are dotted with vision ports and, internally, system stations will be arranged along its length in single-aisle format. The mainplanes are positioned at midships and low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage, swept-back for high-speed performance, and capped by economically-minded winglets. The tail unit is of "T-style" plane arrangement allowing the horizontal planes to clear the engine exhaust at the rear. The engines are held outboard on stubs alongside the aft-end of the fuselage, reducing cabin noise while concentrating turbofan thrust output. A wheeled, retractable tricycle undercarriage provides the needed support for the aircraft when ground-running.

Key physical features include a notable bulge at the forward ventral fuselage line of the aircraft along with a series of protruding antenna and sensors.

Performance specs include a mission endurance window of some fourteen hours in the air, an operating altitude up to 45,000 feet, and a range (ferry) out to 6,000 nautical miles.

Utilization of an in-service, commercial market aircraft theoretically reduces procurement and operating costs of the program while offering a proven product built around speed, altitude, and operational range for the business market and a product already supported by commercial airports, runways, and the aerospace supply chain.

A modular approach will be taken with the internals of the RAPCON-X in that its systems and work stations will all be interchangeable / upgradeable as new technologies allow or mission requirements dictate - further broadening the tactical capabilities of the platform.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) - USA
Manufacturer(s)
United States (possible)
Operators National flag of the United States
2025
Service Year
United States
National Origin
In-Development
Project Status
14
Crew
0
Units


SPECIAL-MISSION: AIRBORNE EARLY WARNING
Specially-equipped platform providing over-battlefield Command and Control (C2) capability for allied aerial elements.
SPECIAL-MISSION: ELETRONIC WARFARE
Equipped to actively deny adversaries the ElectroMagnetic (EM) spectrum and protect said spectrum for allied forces.
SPECIAL-MISSION: SEARCH & RESCUE
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).
X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.


RADAR-CAPABLE
Houses, or can house (through specialized variants), radar equipment for searching, tracking, and engagement of enemy elements.
MULTI-ENGINE
Incorporates two or more engines, enhancing survivability and / or performance.
WING SWEEPBACK
Mainplanes, or leading edges, features swept-back lines for enhanced high-speed performance and handling.
WINGLETS
Mainplanes capped with winglets, providing improved fuel efficiency and enhanced handling.
HIGH-SPEED PERFORMANCE
Can accelerate to higher speeds than average aircraft of its time.
HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE
Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.
EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE
Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.
SUPER PERFORMANCE
Design covers the three all-important performance categories of speed, altitude, and range.
MARITIME OPERATION
Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.
CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION
Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.
CREW-MANAGED
Beyond a pilot, the aircraft takes advantage of additional crew specialized in specific functions aboard the aircraft.
ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)
Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.
RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE
Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
Payload supports photographic equipment providing still and / or real-time image / video results.


99.4 ft
(30.30 meters)
Length
94.2 ft
(28.70 meters)
Width/Span
25.6 ft
(7.80 meters)
Height
52,183 lb
(23,670 kilograms)
Empty Weight
99,506 lb
(45,135 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight
+47,322 lb
(+21,465 kg)
Weight Difference
monoplane / low-mounted / swept-back
Mainplane Arrangement
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.
Low-Mounted
Mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage.
Swept-Back
The planform features wing sweep back along the leading edges of the mainplane, promoting higher operating speeds.


2 x Rolls-Royce Pearl non-afterburning turbofan engines developing 15,125lb of thrust each.
Propulsion
690 mph
(1,110 kph | 599 knots)
Max Speed
559 mph
(900 kph | 486 knots)
Cruise Speed
+130 mph
(+210 kph | 113 knots)
Speed Difference
51,001 ft
(15,545 m | 10 miles)
Ceiling
7,596 miles
(12,225 km | 6,601 nm)
Range


MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


None. Mission-specific equipment related to the airborne ISR role.


RAPCON-X - Base Series Name.


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Images



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Image of the Sierra Nevada RAPCON-X
Image from official Sierra Nevada Corporation release.

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