WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

A NASA F/A-18, specially modified to test the newest and most advanced system technologies, on its first research flight on May 21, 1993, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. Flown by Dryden in a multi-year, joint NASA/DOD/industry program, the F/A-18 former Navy fighter was modified into a unique Systems Research Aircraft (SRA) to investigate a host of new technologies in the areas of flight controls, airdata sensing and advanced computing.
The primary goal of the SRA program was to validate through flight research cutting-edge technologies which could benefit future aircraft and spacecraft by improving efficiency and performance, reducing weight and complexity, with a resultant reduction on development and operational costs.