Scaled Composites, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, announced the first flight of its experimental aircraft Model 401 on 10 October. The company has built two Model 401 prototypes in service of an undisclosed customer “to demonstrate advanced, low-cost manufacturing techniques and to provide aircraft for research flight services to industry partners and the United States government.

The two vehicles were designed to be identical in outer mold line and performance, with each aircraft powered by a single Pratt & Whitney JTD-15D-5D engine with 3,045 pounds of thrust. The vehicles are capable of flying Mach 0.6 with a service ceiling of 30,000 feet and have a maximum take-off weight of 8,000 pounds with an endurance of up to three hours.