At the Dubai Airshow, the Emirati manufacturer Calidus is showing a full-size mock-up of the B-350. The ground attack aircraft draws attention mainly for its size.
The B-350 has a wingspan of 16 meters and a total of 13 hard points (12 on the wings and one on the fuselage). The plane is capable of carrying a range of armaments, as shown at the fair. Among the war material options are the Thunder P32 guided bomb and the Halcon Desert Sting 16 missile.
The aircraft, which is still under development, also has a station for use with an EO/IR sensor tower. It is believed that the B-350 will use the 127 shp Pratt & Whitney PW2600 turboprop. The same is already used on the ATR-72 and Airbus C295. The maximum takeoff weight is in the order of nine tons.
Just for an idea of size, the A-29 Super Tucano (which is also present at the Dubai Airshow) is 11,3 meters long, 11,1 meters wide and has five hard points. The M3P .50 caliber BMG machine guns are carried inside the wings and not in external pods. The A-29's engine is the PT6A-68C, with almost 1200 shp.
Calidus B-350. It's huge!#DubaiAirshow2021 pic.twitter.com/Kj0Wcox7qQ
- Michael Jerdev (@MuxelAero) November 13, 2021
B-350: Emirati with Brazilian DNA
The B-350 presented at DAS 2021 is an evolution of the B-250 Bader, also present at the event. The B-250 is smaller, similar in size to its competitors the A-29 and AT-6 Wolverine.
The B-250 was designed and developed by the Brazilian company Novaer Craft, with investments from Calidus and the Federal Government. Based in São José dos Campos (SP), Novaer also developed the T-Xc, a basic training aircraft that was offered as a replacement for the T-25 Universal. Joseph Kovács, one of the designers responsible for the T-27 Tucano, participated in the T-Xc project as a collaborator and consultant.
In February 2018, Novaer announced the dismissal of some of its employees. In a statement, the manufacturer stated that the dismissal occurred due to “unforeseen difficulties, caused by the breach of contract by its main client.”
The Bader surprised the market when it was presented at the Dubai Airshow in 2017. The aircraft uses the same engine as the A-29, has seven hard points and the cockpit is dominated by screens from Rockwell Collins' Pro Line Fusion II system. The two prototypes were taken to the country aboard a C-17 and are apparently still there.
One of the most distinguishing features of the B-250 is that the aircraft is almost entirely made of carbon, reducing weight by around a ton. The then FAB commander, Lieutenant-Brigadier Nivaldo Luiz Rossato, saw the plane up close at DAS 2017. At DAS 2019, the UAE Air Force signed the purchase of 24 Bader B-250s for US$260 million.
Calidus is also marketing the B-250T, a dedicated trainer version with a 6 shp PT62A-950 engine. The company offers the aircraft as both a basic and advanced trainer, with virtual training functions such as radar and sensor simulation, simulated air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, and night vision goggle compatibility offered to meet advanced training requirements. .
With Flightglobal e AINOnline
