Story ID: 331 Dart Jet
Modular commonality could streamline training
By: David Donald
Caption: UK company Dart Jet is proposing a revolutionary approach to fast-jet training.
Word Count: 252
UK company Dart Jet is proposing a revolutionary approach to fast-jet training. Based on a common mission management system and modular aircraft design it provides a system to take students from ab initio through to lead-in fighter training (LIFT). Not only does the company suggest this would make training around one-third cheaper than using a mixed-fleet approach, but also that the ability to easily tailor training to meet specific needs of operators and individual students would make it more successful, with a lower drop-out rate.

Dart Jet (Hall 1 Stand B90) has schemed an aircraft that has a common fuselage and central wing section, to which a unit with straight wings and a tail can be fitted for basic training, or swept surfaces for advanced/LIFT duties. Although the surfaces would not be interchangeable, the employment of a common fuselage significantly decreases the costs of development and production. The design team has also devised a self-contained engine and intake pod that allows customers to specify from a range of engine types without entailing major internal redesign efforts.

To match fighter-training requirements, the Dart Jet trainer would have a single-piece, full glass cockpit that can be reconfigured to mimic the displays of a range of advanced fighter aircraft. Using the cockpit from the first day of training allows the student to transition seamlessly through the various stages of training to the front line without having to “re-learn” the cockpits of different aircraft under the prevailing mixed-fleet training concept.