As if it didn’t have a distinctive enough look already, Boeing’s remarkable 757 Flying Test Bed — better known as “The Catfish” due to its unique and highly modified nose profile — has got some striking new colours. The red, white, and blue scheme is a direct reference to the livery this very same aircraft originally wore, as the prototype for the 757 family.
As if it didn’t have a distinctive enough look already, Boeing’s 757 Flying Test Bed — better known as ‘The Catfish’ due to its unique and highly modified nose profile — has got some striking new colors. The red, white, and blue scheme is a direct reference to the livery this very same aircraft originally wore, as the prototype for the 757 family.
Aviation photographer @Task_Force23 has shared with us photos of the repainted Catfish, N757A, Boeing’s first 757 that made its maiden flight on February 19, 1982. He captured the jet on its arrival at Palmdale, California, on October 21, after flying in from St. Louis, Missouri.
It’s not clear exactly why the jet’s original colours were reinstated at this point, but they certainly make N757A look even more striking. One possibility is to mark 25 years in service as a vital testbed used to perfect the F-22’s ever-evolving avionics suite.
The Catfish’s current job in support of the F-22’s sensor suite is reflected in the Raptor nose grafted onto the forward fuselage, containing the AN/APG-77 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. A swept-wing section atop the flight deck houses conformal antennas for the Raptor’s AN/ALR-94 electronic support measures suite.
Less obvious is the Catfish’s use as a test platform for the F-22’s electronic warfare suite, low probability of intercept datalink, AN/AAR-56 IR/UV missile approach warning system, secure communications systems, and various other tactical subsystems.
Inside the cabin of the 757 are computer workstations, server racks, and even a replica of the F-22 cockpit, with primary and secondary displays, as well as a throttle and stick, providing the highest level of realism for testing, including recreating the kinds of tactical and environmental scenarios that F-22 pilots would be exposed to in real life. Altogether, there is room on the aircraft for up to 30 software engineers and technicians to evaluate the avionics during testing.
A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Richardson A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, flies in formation over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, July 18, 2019. The JPARC is a 67,000 plus square mile area, providing a realistic training environment commanders leverage for full spectrum engagements, ranging from individual skills to complex, large-scale joint engagements. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. James Richardson)More
IMAGE: The Catfish at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Maryland, in February 2005. Sunil Gupta/Wikimedia Commons
