Abu Dhabi-based Calidus unveiled heavy attack turboprop aircraft: B-350

According to multiple reports, including from FlightGlobal.com, AINOnline.com and Aviationweek.com, Calidus unveiled a model of B-350 at the Dubai Airshow.

The “large” turboprop seemed to be a heavier version of the Calidus B-250, with 12 underwing hardpoints that can carry an assortment of armament: from precision guided bombs, to rockets and even sidewinders (refer to photo above).

Not much is known about the aircraft at the current moment apart from some revelation from a Czech publication. It will allegedly have a maximum take off weight of 9 metric tons and would use a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW 127 turboprop engine driving a 6 bladed propeller.

Calidus Reveals Scaled-Up COIN Aircraft

DUBAI-Emirati aircraft manufacturer Calidus has lifted the lid on a radically scaled up development of its B-250 turboprop counter-insurgency aircraft. Despite repeated request, Calidus is yet to reveal any details about its proposed B-350 platform, which appears in mock-up form in the Dubai Airshow static.

Calidus currently has an order of 20-24 B-250 to the UAE military as their first customer.

Such an aircraft, which is displayed with UAE-developed guided bombs and rocket pods, in our opinion is likely to acquire the interests and attention of many countries that are currently fighting insurgencies.

Calidus Unveils Giant Attack Aircraft

One of the big surprises at the Dubai Airshow proved to be the public unveiling of the mock-up of the Calidus B-350, a large turboprop-powered attack aircraft. Equipped with 12 underwing hardpoints, the B-350 can carry a huge array of weaponry, ranging from precision-guided bombs to air-to-air missiles for self-defense.