The latest announcement from Anigrand offers something a little more manageable in size than many of their recent offerings! The 1/72 Fairchild T-46 Eaglet (#2080/US$45) represents a second generation trainer designed to replace the T-37, so is in keeping with their experimental theme. Anigrand's customary bulletin tells us that 'in 1982, the US Air Force issued a Next Generation Trainer (NGT) competition for primary flight instruction. Initially it was planned that the Air Force would purchase 650 of the trainers through 1993 and that they would serve well into the 21st century. In order to validate the proposed aircraft's design, and to explore its flight handling characteristics, Fairchild Republic contracted with Ames Industries to build a flyable 62% scale test bed, the Model 73. This design won the competition and was designated T-46 Eaglet. The T-46 prototype was first flight tested at Edwards AFB on 15 October 1985. The plane performed beyond expectation during the testing phase, however, due to budget constraints, the Air Force cancelled the T-46 program in 1986 after only three aircraft had been completed. The T-46 was the last project of the Fairchild Republic Corporation, and with the NGT program cancelled, the company closed the Republic factory, bringing 60 years of Fairchild aircraft manufacturing to an end.'
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