Boeing Wins T-X Competition!

[Mach3DS]

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23889/boeing-wins-big-again-and-claims-the-usafs-huge-t-x-jet-trainer-deal

[Priller]

Now that is one pretty airplane!

http://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/foundry/image/?q=70&w=1440&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimedotcom.files.wordpress.com%2 F2018%2F09%2Ft-x-1.jpg%3Fquality%3D85

Priller

[strykerpsg]

Wow! Beautiful indeed. Looks like a cross between an Starfighter and a Raptor love child. Will love seeing someone make this for simulation, payware or otherwise.

[Sundog]

That's who I was hoping would win! I can't wait to see it in aggressor colors; they, the USAF, plans on using some of them as aggressor aircraft. Also, don't forget the Swedes will also be flying these as they helped design and build it.

[simulloyd]

I always liked the T-X. It sort of reminds me of a T-38, F/A-18, and F-16 mashed together.

[heywooood]

beef up the gear and throw a tailhook under there and the Navy might like it too..

[Sundog]

Just an FYI, for anyone who doesn't already know, the landing gear is from an F-16. JIC you thought it looked familiar. ;)

[ryanbatc]

I like this bird.... nice lines!

[DennyA]

Sweet! Who's started modeling this?

So glad that this one won.

Though it would have been amusing if the Leonardo, basically a variant of the YAK-130, had won, for obvious reasons.

[wombat666]

Lobbying scores again.:biggrin-new:

[mgr]

Note this is not only Boeing, SAAB plays also major part in this design (psssttt don't tell the big bosssssss). :very_drunk:

Marcel

[Dino Cattaneo]

...actually SAAB designed (and manufactured) almost half of the aircraft.
Anyway, I thought about making a T-X for FSX/P3D, but drawings and information are still scarce.

The selection of the Boeing-SAAB design was not a big surprire IMHO: I thought that the Lockheed Martin was a better, less risky and potentially cheaper proposal but Lockmart has to deliver the F-35 and I guess that considerations about industrial plans, work share and occupation had a part in the decision.
The Leonardo T-100 has never been a serious contender: although it seems a great trainer, the twin engines made it much more expensive than competitors - which seems to be one of the reasons why Raytheon abandoned the project...leaving Leonardo (a non-american company) to bid on its own.

[scotth6]

Wow! Beautiful indeed. Looks like a cross between an Starfighter and a Raptor love child. Will love seeing someone make this for simulation, payware or otherwise.

It's definitely a love child :biggrin-new:. I was thinking Alpha Jet and Hornet.

[Priller]

It's definitely a love child :biggrin-new:. I was thinking Alpha Jet and Hornet.

I was thinking T-38 and Hornet! :biggrin-new:

Priller

[Bjoern]

Twin tail with a single engine...urgh!

[blanston12]

Twin tail with a single engine...urgh!
I think its to reduce radar signature, the F-35 is the same.

[SixGhost]

Lobbying scores again.:biggrin-new:

Clear and simple. The outcome was written long long ago. I predict another KC-46.:ernaehrung004:

[fallenphoenix1986]

Can't say I'd been following the competition too closely, though I did have my money on the KAI/Lockheed T-50 given that it is still largely of US origin, has comparable performance and an established track record.

[Dino Cattaneo]

For the record, I invested some money on a commercial mesh and had a close look at all the cockpit videos and photos... there is not enough material to create a reasonable simulation, but there is enough to start a project...and hopefully we will have more details on the MFD and other stuff soon enough... will post some screens once I have it the sim!

[Mach3DS]

https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/boeing-t-x-3d-model-1328629

This one looks nice!

[DennyA]

Very cool, Dino. I would happily buy a "best guess" approximation of the prototype with an eventual upgrade to the production version, if you went that route.

Here's a cool shot showing the relative size compared to a T-38.
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=63968&stc=1

[DennyA]

I wonder if this plane will end up being the T-54 (next in line) or T-7 (since the T-6 was out of numeric order) or something random (like the F-35 due to a screwup at a Pentagon press conference).

[Jafo]

I think its to reduce radar signature, the F-35 is the same.

I would think it's to keep the tailplane surfaces outside the 'shadow' of that big twin cabin cockpit [and high mount wing] on high angle approaches/landings...;)

[Dino Cattaneo]

@0000rick0000

That was precisely the one I purchased... it is very well done externally, but needed a massive polygon reduction to be practically usable in our simulations. Also textures are way too high in resolution, and some need to be redone and many details are untextured....and then the interiors are very basic and imprecise. So it requires some more work than I thought to look decent in the sim, but looks promising after the first tests. On the good side there are already several cockpit videos so modeling the interiors is definitely doable and does not seem particularly difficuly. The big unknown at the moment is still the MFD: some pages of the MFDs are well shown in the (short) cockpit interface video released by Boeing some weeks ago... but some important information are still missing.
Anyway, given my love for jet trainers it seems a good "long term" project to do in small bits...

[Mach3DS]

@0000rick0000

That was precisely the one I purchased... it is very well done externally, but needed a massive polygon reduction to be practically usable in our simulations. Also textures are way too high in resolution, and some need to be redone and many details are untextured....and then the interiors are very basic and imprecise. So it requires some more work than I thought to look decent in the sim, but looks promising after the first tests. On the good side there are already several cockpit videos so modeling the interiors is definitely doable and does not seem particularly difficuly. The big unknown at the moment is still the MFD: some pages of the MFDs are well shown in the (short) cockpit interface video released by Boeing some weeks ago... but some important information are still missing.
Anyway, given my love for jet trainers it seems a good "long term" project to do in small bits...

I am FULLY supportive of this effort Dino, with the expectation - that there is NO EXPECTATION! :) Very cool man. This would be a really neat airplane. Especially considering the eventual roles outside of trainer that it will likely play - such as replacement aggressor for the USAF, and probably Navy too, since they fly the F-5N.

With PBR textures, this aircraft could actually look just like this in the sim eventually. Especially with self reflective properties enabled.

[Sundog]

Oh man Dino, I would love to have this in flightsim! You're the best!

BTW, if anyone is interested in how Boeing won, this article really explains it; Boeing's eye watering T-X bid. (http://aviationweek.com/defense/boeing-s-eye-watering-t-x-bid-game-changer)

[c87]

The nameplate will say Boeing but I'll know it as a McDonnell Douglas bird! Nice to see the St. Louis manufacturing facility get the win.
https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/boeing-s-st-louis-plant-wins-major-billion-contract-for/article_29acfa46-3c71-51f3-992f-5ebd95e682a8.html

Brings back memories of my just-out-of-school engineer days walking down the F-15, AV8B and F-18 assembly lines.

[Dino Cattaneo]

Just the very first attempts in importing the mesh after the polycount optimization... this seems to be a very good starting point.
Given the schedule of my other projects, it may take a 8-10 months to complete a Beta - it seems to be a good "gap filler" project (meaning those projects you work on when you are not in the right mood to tackle the boring bits of others!).
As for the TA-4J I am doing, I am trying to build it from the beginning with potential compatibility with other simulators in mind ;-)

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=63975&stc=1

[Bjoern]

As for the TA-4J I am doing, I am trying to build it from the beginning with potential compatibility with other simulators in mind ;-)


I already read your conversion experience report for that "other simulator". It was quite helpful, even for a Blender user.

[Dino Cattaneo]

Just another screen with some tweaks and additions... depending on the available information, this project may take 8-10 months to complete...
http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64006&stc=1

[Jafo]

I reckon I can wait that long......


.....just...;)

[Victory103]

Dino, it is okay to take a break and sleep ever so often! Nice job, I agree with resource material being limited, at least there are a few vids on the Boeing site.

[b52bob]

I have read somewhere that the cockpit will be reconfigurable for F-22, F-16 and F-15. Take your pick of which one you want to do.

[Montie]

I am very excited for this!

[Dino Cattaneo]

...completely retextured, all geometry imported and optimized for real time simulation and basic animation in place. Seems a cool project for 2019 (along with the TA-4J)!

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64220&stc=1http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64221&stc=1http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64222&stc=1http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/attachment.php?attachmentid=64223&stc=1

[Sundog]

Wow, nice job Dino. Thanks for all of the great work you've done for we simmers over the years and these very cool designs you're working on now (C-2/E-2, TA-4J, the T-X).

[strykerpsg]

Great work indeed sir! You are a machine, since your pace of development is just not humanly possible. Thanks for the updates. Looking forward to the entire fleet you are working on.

[simulloyd]

It's definitely a love child :biggrin-new:. I was thinking Alpha Jet and Hornet.

So if we call Hornets "Bug" will the T-X gain popularity as "Larva"???

[Dino Cattaneo]

...well, this and the TA-4J are basically diversions while I am gathering the energies for the E-2/C-2 Beta ;-)