NationStates Jolt Archive


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Penguisiana
09-01-2004, 23:49
Several years ago, The Zoogie People called for a cheap, lightweight, effective air superiority
aircraft to compliment its fleet of multi-role F-16C's. The F-16's utility almost always involved
a ground-role of some kind, for The Zoogie People, as its bombers and other strike aircraft
were few (not anymore, with two new multirole fighters for the next generation - the ZF-24 and
ZF-26), and therefore, needed an air superiority aircraft to escort it.





Zoogie Aerospace won the contract, as generally expected. Its primary competitors,
Star Systems and Anthon, Inc, were busy with their own research projects - space taxi
research for Star Systems and a possible attack submarine, which was delayed shortly after, for Anthon, Inc.
Design began on the so-called ZF-12, first true Zoogie fighter. An effective
fighter with capability of carrying four medium ranged radar-guided R77 Adders and at the same time, 6 short-ranged R73 Archers, the one-engine fighter proved to be very versatile and agile in testing. However, the centerline fuel tank tended to bog down performance, and was replaced with a FLIR-pod instead. The FLIR-pod is now standard of the ZF-12, which is incorporated with the avionics system. With some tweaking, a nation is able to change the FLIR-pod to a fuel tank or bomb, but only if absolutely necessary
Fuel tanks, meanwhile, were kept on the wings, although unnecessary except for
combat air patrol. On either side of a single wing - mounted fuel tank, if needed, could
hold a single R73 on each side. Without the fuel tanks, though, this was still possible.
After a period of time, however, the avionics aged, the agility lagged, the
systems proved to be old. A new generation of aircraft was needed. The Air Force called
on Zoogie Aerospace to make the ZF-12C. The Zoogie People's neighbor, Penguisiana,
meanwhile, was searching for a plane of its own. Sending a team of scientists to
collaborate in the design and upgrading of the ZF-12A, Penguisiana now produces
ZF-12Cs and sells them in a joint license between the two countries.
With upgraded avionics, an enhanced fly-by-wire system, reduced RCS,
supercruise, greater range and fuel efficiency, and limited thrust vectoring technology,
the ZF-12C started several traditions that the Zoogie People's military aircraft have
followed ever since. This was not a mere upgrade of a fighter. The ZF-12C brought the
ZF-12 program into the next generation, and with it, the Zoogie Air Force as well.
Around this time, the Air Force commenced a large-scale upgrade of our F-16Cs, the first
to incorporate thrust vectoring technology after the ZF-12. Production and many avionics
as well as technical details could not have been accomplished in such a short space of
time without the creative minds of Penguisiana's team.

As the ZF-12C testing phase came to a close, its versatility as a fighter
showed that it could also be used as a strike aircraft. Between testing and production,
a new attack configuration was added, in which rather than two Archers or a 400-gallon
tank and two Archers, each wing had two separate hardpoints. Fitted onto these hardpoints
could be a wide assortment of bombs, air-to-surface missiles, rocket pods, anti-ship
missiles, or even the SU-1600 Gun Pod. Agility decreased in general, but in strike,
less agility was needed than in dogfighting. To this day the strike role remains
secondary. There are F-16s already in the air force for that purpose
Several years ago, the ZF-12C began rolling off both Penguisiana and
the Zoogie People's production lines. Nicknamed Penguin, in honor of the great help
Penguisiana gave, the ZF-12C boasted features that would make the legendary ZF-12A cower
in shame. Advanced look-down shoot-down radar, first-look first kill, and nuclear
capability (not that we use it :P) were incorporated along with other extreme advancements
in avionics. The FLIR-system improved greatly as well, and a radar warning system,
coupled with passive radar and an advanced jamming system, helped pilots avert danger.
New to the ZF-12C is a HARM-seeker, to accommodate the ground attack role. The ZF-12C
can be fitted with 4 HARM/Sidearm/ALARM missiles as necessary, in the strike
accommodation, or any other passive radar ASM, for that matter.


ZF-12C


Type: Cost-Effective Aerial Superiority Fighter (with secondary ground attack capability)
Class: Air Force
Manufactured by: Zoogie Aerospace, contracted from Penguisiana
Engines: One afterburning turbofan with 22,550-lb thrust.
Performance: Max speed: Mach 2.2; cruise speed Mach 1.13; ceiling 60,000-ft.;
+/- 15 degrees automated thrust vectoring.
Persona: One
Avionics: RWR, Look-down shoot down Radar, Passive Radar, IR, HARM
Hardpoints: Internal cannon (M61A1 with 750 rounds), centerline-attached FLIR
(Forward-Looking Infra Red)-pod also capable of 600 gallon fuel tank or bomb or
Phoenix-type AA missile, four fuselage hardpoints capable of four air-to-air missiles
(not including Phoenix-type), two inner wing (one on each side) hardpoints capable of
400-gallon fuel tanks with two heat-seeking missiles bundled; wingtip hardpoints with two
IR-missiles only. Ground attack role replaces fuel tanks with 500-lb bombs and adds a
hardpoint on each wing (HARM, JSOW, JDAM, Paveway, Harpoon, 100-gallon tank, or similar).
Domestic Sell Price: $19 million
Export Sell Price: $22 million


http://www.machtres.com/IAI%20KFIR-2.jpg