U.S. AIR FORCE PLANT 42 PALMDALE, Calif.—Northrop Grumman [NOC] on Sept. 8 unveiled the Model 401 aircraft, built by the Burt Rutan-founded, Northrop Grumman-owned Scaled Composites for an unnamed “very generous” customer in the words of Scaled Composites President Cory Bird. The two manned, unpressurized aircraft built and flown by Scaled Composites test pilots over the last four years use Pratt & Whitney [RTX] JT-15D engines and have a ceiling of 25,000 feet, gross weight of 7,500 pounds, and a…
