Grumman 773 wind tunnel model.

[cfiav8tor]

I just recently acquired this Grumman 773 wind tunnel model. I haven't been able to locate any information on this model. I am hoping that someone might be able to shed some light on this project.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Model 755 was early 1990s, so 773 sgould be more recent than that. Looks fairly stealthy, UAV?

 

[Manuducati]

Maybe a study for the A-X or A/F-X program?
Relatively large wings and control surfaces ("carrier approach friendly"), subsonic or low supersonic I'd say, short and quite large canopy so maybe side by side seating?

 

[Ingraman]

MMVX maybe?

 

[SteveO]

Looks like a Wedgetail style AEW radar in the last picture. Does it fit to the spine of the model?

 

[TomS]

Looks like a larger twin-engine relative of the Scaled Model 401.

Edit: But the timing makes no sense, does it?

 

[Sundog]

Looks AX/AFX time frame to me as well. Configuration/Size remind me of many of the Northrop designs in Tony Chong's book for that program.

 

[xstatic3000]

I'll look for my copy of Tony's excellent book, Flying Wings and Radical Things" later this evening since my wife has been on a boxing spree ahead of our upcoming move. I'm definitely seeing quite a bit of Scaled Composites influence.

Pure speculation, but could this possibly be a Tacit Blue follow-on of some sort, designed for higher altitudes and perhaps a different customer/requirements set (such as AEW as SteveO mentioned}? The inlets are....odd, but otherwise this strongly resembles a "Son of BSAX" if such a thing ever existed.

 

[greenmartian2017]

I just looked in my copy of "Flying Wings and Radical Things," and none of the serial numbers go that high. Numbers go up through N-392.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

773 is the GRUMMAN model sequence.

392 is the highest number known in the NORTHROP model sequence.

 

[xstatic3000]

More speculation - Although Hughes was the contractor for Tacit Blue's phased array radar, Grumman was responsible for the AN/APY-7 in the E-8 Joint STARS. As Paul mentioned, the 773 would seem to date from just before the merger with Northrop, so perhaps this was a last ditch effort to develop and pitch a "survivable", loitering battlefield surveillance and targeting platform using a version of the radar that they developed?