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by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)

A Unique Sabre over Turin

From November 4, 2005, a truly unique aircraft, is based at Turin/Caselle airport, Italy. It is a heavily modified Rockwell International Sabre 80 used by Galileo Avionica (Finmeccanica Group) as a flying test-bed for the development of new radar equipment. The Sabre 80 was one of the last versions of the North American NA-265 Sabreliner, a solid first generation executive jet which made its maiden flight on March 30, 1956. The T-39 training military version was used in substantial number by the USAF and U.S. Navy, in a number of dedicated variants.

The Sabre 80 now based in Turin, built in 1975 with serial number 380-16, belongs to Flight Test Associates Inc, a company which has its main facility at Mojave, California. This company, originally known as TRACOR. specializeS in the design and development of experimental solutions. FTA used this aircraft some years ago for the certification programme of the noise reduction system installed on the General Electric CF700-2D-2 engines, to meet the Stage III noise requirements mandated by the FAA and its European counterpart, EASA.

After this activity, the nose of the Sabre 80 was modified by FTA to accept an F-5 fighter radome, and the cabin was remodelled as well with several work stations for the flight test engineers. On the right side of the aircraft, an elongated external fairing contains the cables connecting the nose-mounted equipment to the work stations.

The Sabre 80 replaces a “civilized” CT-39A (a transport conversion of the T-39) operated from July 1992 out of Malpensa airport by FIAR, the forerunner of the Galileo Avionica radar division. This aircraft (N39FS) was owned by the same Mojave-based company which, in the few last years, changed shareholders no less than three times. Consequently its brand evolved from BAE Systems Flight System Inc to Alenia Marconi Systems and finally to Flight Test Associates.

In the picture: Rockwell International Sabre 80 N801FT lands at Turin/Caselle airport (2005). (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, November 2005)