The first phase of flight tests by the Excalibur Flight Test Aircraft (FTA) have been successfully completed at QinetiQ’s Boscombe Down facility in Wiltshire.

The Ministry of Defence along with partners Leonardo and 2Excel said the milestone, announced on December 9, saw Excalibur assessed for stability during flight. The aircraft will now undergo further engineering work

The aircraft is a former commercial Boeing 757 aircraft that is being overhauled into a flying laboratory for combat air technology. It is part of the UK’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which will include the core fighter being developed under the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), as well as a broader range of capabilities including uncrewed aircraft, information systems and weapon systems.

The first phase of modification saw the Excalibur FTA equipped with new side and belly pods, changing the outer mould line of the aircraft. These pods are designed to host the Integrated Sensors, Non-Kinetic Effects (ISANKE) and Integrated Communications Systems (ICS) that Leonardo UK and its international partners are developing as part of their work on GCAP. Further modification to the aircraft will include a fighter jet-style nose cone, to host advanced radar-based sensor demonstrators.