Team Members
Sergio Torres, Steven Cantrell, Branden O’Brien, Mark Wagner, Preston Daniels, Benjamin Bui, Jessica Kong
Abstract
The 2021 AIAA request for proposal calls for a new light attack aircraft that is capable of close air support throughout design and ferry missions. In response to the RFP, this team has developed the UF-7 Sabretooth, a single-engine aircraft powered by the Pratt and Whitney PT6A-68D. The Sabretooth has a payload of 2,705 pounds and is equipped with four, GBU-49 500-pound bombs, two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, two pods containing seven, 2.75” GATRlaser-guided rockets each, one NC621 20 mm cannon mounted at the center of the undercarriage, and two HMP-400 0.50-caliber gun pods, one mounted below each wing. It has a take off and landing velocity of 112 mph, cruising velocity of 245 mph, cruising altitude of 25,000 feet, service ceiling of 34,380 feet, cruising range of 3,137.6 nautical miles, and endurance of 12.78 hours. A single Sabretooth aircraft will cost $13.5 million to be produced alongside an annual maintenance cost (1200 flight hours yearly) of approximately $978,000 spread across factors such as maintenance, fuel, and other consumable goods.