NationStates Jolt Archive

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Caption: TF-70C of the Doomani Imperial Air Force (ACID), in Stormbreaker-type paint finish

TF-70 "SHUKUSEI" Advanced Air Superiority Fighter

Seventh Generation Tactical Aircraft of the Militaristic Federation

[Abstract]

Following the introduction of the SB-22 “Sariel” Advanced Strategic Bomber into frontline service with the Tyrandis Federal Air Service [TFAS], the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency conducted a series of war games to evaluate the effects of the new aircraft type on overall TFAS warfighting capabilities. Results from this effort were mixed – although the SB-22 was determined to be more than adequate in its role of strategic bombardment, the study group found that existing TFAS assets and aircraft types would not be able to seize air superiority in a given zone of operations, thereby precluding the effective use of Sariel. The premier Federal Air Service fighter at the time, the TSF-620 “Xeon”, was found to lack the characteristics necessary in the air superiority mission. Outmoded by the formidable products of a multitude of foreign competitors, Xeon was found to be excessively burdensome to its support infrastructure due to its use of variable geometry wings, while simultaneously lacking the performance edge needed to justify such strains.

As a result, DARPA issued an emergency Request for Proposals to Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation to rectify the situation. The genesis of the Xeon’s eventual successor, the TF-70 “Shukusei”, laid with TPMI/EC’s Project Unmei no Atokata, a comprehensive secret program developed in tandem with technology partners from contacts established via the SICON tripartite pact between Tyrandis, MassPwnage, and Doomingsland. Established as a major revision of the Militaristic Federation’s air arm, Unmei no Atokata’s primary effort was to design and test a new air superiority fighter which would address the deficiencies of the TSF-620. The multinational nature of the project led to the eventual development and deployment of two different aircraft in parallel – the Aquila II and Shukusei (MRF-09 “Ritual” in MassPwnage service, ACI-77 "Atratus" in Doomani service).

The TF-70 “Shukusei” (Star of Fate) represents the absolute pinnacle of Tyrandisan efforts in aerospace development, inheriting a proud tradition of achievement pioneered by precursor designs used in all three states. Intended to surpass all other contemporary fighters in the air superiority mission, Shukusei is the result of groundbreaking efforts by TPMI/EC, working in tandem with MP Ordnance Corporation and Imperial Aerospace Corporation. Incorporating the absolute bleeding-edge in aeronautical science, the TF-70 is arguably the most capable design of its time. However, such performance comes at a significant cost in demands on pilot skill and complexity – during testing of the prototype design, three tragic crashes occurred, all of them fatal. Nonetheless, operators of the TF-70 “Shukusei” Advanced Air Superiority Fighter will possess an unparalleled advantage in air combat over any potential foe. The technologies utilized in Shukusei offers its pilot unmatched first look, first shot, and first kill capabilities. As the most advanced fighter produced to date for the Tyrandis Federal Air Service, the TF-70 will supplement and ultimately replace TSF-620s in frontline service as the older aircraft reach the end of their service lives.

The MRF-09 variant of the TF-70, operated by MassPwnage, was blooded in combat during the Operation: ViZionarian Freedom incident. The lethality of the platform was demonstrated in sickening detail with its unprecedented eight thousand kills in air to air combat, against zero losses. Pilots from the MassPwnage Air Force were alleged to have vomited out of sheer disgust at the numbers of men and machines they destroyed in such a short period of time.

[General Data]

Type: Advanced Air Superiority Fighter

Personnel: 1 (Pilot)

Contractor(s): Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation, MP Ordnance Corporation, Imperial Aerospace Corporation, IZISU Minor Industries

[Airframe]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency conducted a series of exhaustive studies into the attributes that a follow-on design to the TSF-620 “Xeon” would require. The TF-70 “Shukusei” addresses the deficiencies of the earlier model in its unorthodox airframe layout. The DARPA study noted that existing fighter designs were optimized purely for air combat maneuvering, at the expense of stealth, much like the Xeon. This was a vulnerability that would be exploited in the design of TF-70 – the fighter was intended to provide maximum low-observability characteristics thereby enabling the Shukusei’s pilot to engage enemy fighters without being detected. However, the TF-70 is far from sluggish – the flower of SICON engineering has created an airframe that exhibits superb low-observability performance while retaining the critical agility necessary to achieve victory in the modern close-range dogfight.

Where the TSF-620 “Xeon” made use of switchblade-style variable geometry wings to maximize maneuverability, the TF-70 uses an even more unconventional design to achieve similar levels of performance while simultaneously reducing RADAR Cross Section [RCS] as demanded by Project Unmei no Atokata’s goals. To this end, the Shukusei employs a unique airframe layout that reconciles the conflict between stealth and maneuverability. The configuration of the TF-70 Shukusei is a radically new one, which utilizes dogtoothed mission adaptive wings paired with canards and flat ruddervators aft of the fighter. This unorthodox design choice generated significant controversy during the Project’s progression, which led to the separate development of the Aquila II. However, this risky decision proved to be a sound one as evidenced in the Shukusei’s amazing flight performance. This stems from the design’s inherent aerodynamic instability, which enables the TF-70 Shukusei unimpeded freedom of maneuver. However, this benefit also involves significant penalties in ease of control – the TF-70 requires an extremely high level of pilot proficiency to operate effectively, even with its use of fly-by-light electronic control systems. The mission adaptive wings in Shukusei are another aspect in which the fighter stands apart from its peers - unlike conventional designs, the adaptive wing has no conventional ailerons, flaps, slats, or spoilers but incorporates flexible leading and trailing edges able to bend into a required position without leaving gaps. These are able to move from four degrees up to twenty five degrees down as enabled by its variable wing camber mechanism. Finally, the fighter is endowed with exceptional performance at high angles of attack due to its forward fuselage chine and canards, and additionally exhibits minimal drag due to its lack of vertical surfaces. In sum, Shukusei’s aerodynamic design is optimized for the air superiority mission by both reducing vulnerability to detection and ensuring superior agility.

The TF-70 Advanced Air Superiority Fighter incorporates the highest quality of materials science in its physical frame. As derived from preliminary studies and evaluation, the fighter was designed to endure stresses of up to 13Gs, as this is the maximum level a human pilot may withstand before tissue damage occurs. The space-age materials used in the fighter were all jointly developed by the associated contractors involved in Shukusei’s development, as were fabrication methods. Much of the fighter is manufactured from composite materials, due to their role in reducing RCS – one of the main goals of the Project. The skeleton of the TF-70 is constructed from Ti-1100, a near-alpha, high strength/weight ratio titanium alloy. Monofilament silicon carbide whiskers are interwoven within a matrix of this material to impart further structural integrity and resistance to deformation. High stress regions of the airframe are reinforced with Ti-62222 alloy, most notably in areas near the variable wing camber mechanism. SICON-developed RADAR Absorbent Structure [RAS] is mated wherever possible to this base frame. The RAS is constructed of honeycombed Kevlar sections, treated with a proprietary carbon glaze, and then bonded to polyethylene/carbon fiber skins on its front and back, creating a rigid panel. Each honeycomb is 3cm in length, and absorbs incoming RF energy quite well; the relatively large gaps allow for the RAS to dependably absorb or at least weaken RADAR returns of all frequencies higher than 10 MHz. Further, new engineering techniques courtesy of MP Ordnance Corporation have allowed for improvements to the base aramid honeycomb design originally developed by TPMI/EC – the inner walls of the honeycombs are injected with a carbon-based aerogel impregnated with various RF energy absorbing compounds [see Stealth section]. The properties of this material are such that incoming RF energy is scattered further into the RAS network, which further reduces the TF-70’s already minimal RCS. For protection from hostile action, composite sandwich panels of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, thermosets, and carbon fiber embedded in an epoxy resin matrix is bonded underneath this shell. The aircraft is skinned in a composite comprised of silicone reinforced, Schiff base salt-loaded bismaleimide resin threaded with carbon fiber, which possesses superb strength to weight ratios and a resistance to thermal stress. Uncatalyzed Michael addition with polyhydric phenols to the base resin improves structural characteristics. The dissolved Schiff base salt elements, using the bismelmide resin matrix as a binder compound, serve to further reduce the TF-70's RCS.

[Systems/Avionics]

The TF-70 Shukusei boasts an exceptionally robust and capable avionics fit, an example of the avant-garde technology that Project Unmei no Atokata championed from its conception to completion. Design of the TF-70 Advanced Air Superiority Fighter’s electronics components was entirely mission-oriented – the various systems that comprise Shukusei are finely engineered to maximize the ability of pilot and machine to engage in aerial combat against any potential threat or target. All of the various disparate elements of TF-70 Shukusei’s electronics are unified under the Mark 3 Hayabusa Integrated Modular Architecture, which is the fighter’s distributed on-board computer network. Hayabusa serves to coordinate and control mission-sensitive information to the pilot on a tightly integrated software and hardware platform. The architecture is fabricated on strained silicon wafers – an innovation of TPMI/EC that enables 33% faster processing speeds than competing designs. Developed as a method to reduce the impact of physical barriers to continued transistor miniaturization, the strained silicon wafers are produced by growing a sequence of epitaxial layers of varying lattice constants (the distance between atoms in the crystal formation). The approach that is utilized for silicon wafer starting material is to first grow a silicon epitaxial layer containing germanium. When enough germanium is added and this epitaxial layer reaches a critical thickness, the lattice constant of the silicon-germanium (SiGe) epitaxial layer will stabilize at a larger lattice constant value than the underlying silicon substrate. Then a thin silicon layer is grown on top of the SiGe epitaxial layer. Eventually, the pure silicon layer stretches to match the larger lattice constant of the SiGe layer. The physical properties of this unique material enable significantly reduced electron resistance, which thereby leads to 70% faster electron flow. This allows for the incredible boost in processing performance that the Mark 3 Hayabusa exhibits.

The Mark 3 architecture is manufactured in a full-custom ASIC design, utilizing revolutionary Quasi-Delay Insensitive integrated circuits. The use of asynchronous processing logic in the TF-70 Shukusei provides several major benefits as compared to traditional versions (circuits governed by an internal clock); these include early completion of circuits when it is known that the inputs which have not yet arrived are irrelevant, lower power consumption because transistors do not work unless performing useful computations, superior modularity and composability, adaptable circuit speed based on temperature and voltage conditions (synchronous chips are locked in at optimal clock speed for worst-case conditions), easier manufacturing processes due to lack of transistor-to-transistor variability, and less produced Electro-Magnetic Interference (Synchronous circuits create enormous amounts of EMI at frequency bands near clock frequencies). The entire avionics suite is coordinated by five MP Ordnance Corporation-manufactured Central Integrated Processors [CIP], which are 4096-core processors running at 4.45 GHz, with 64 bits allocated per core and 12 GB of RAM allocated per processor. The TF-70’s subsystems are connected to the CIP via a quadruplex-redundant InfiniBand high-speed bus interface. This is a fiber optic cable network with a passive-transmissive star coupler operating at 3.75 GHz, with transfer rates of up to 48Gbit/s, developed in order to allow for the high levels of system bandwidth the TF-70’s sensors and electronics consume. Because the integrated circuits operate under asynchronous logic, signals and instructions are processed near-instantaneously, without consideration for the restraints of a clock circuit.

A key component of the TF-70’s principles of design mandated absolute systems reliability; engineers at Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation quickly realized that the traditional way of ensuring systems reliability, by stacking on layers of redundancy, was outmoded; such measures provided little more than "get you home" capability, if that. Ultimately, it was decided that the best way of raising the Shukusei’s mission reliability was to modify the overarching Mark 3 architecture in such a way that it could "repair" itself. In effect, the complexity of the structure is such that it can automatically bypass or even compensate for the failure of any individual element. For example, if a control surface fails, the unified flight control system used in Shukusei will automatically reconfigure itself, distributing control functions among the surviving surfaces.

As a whole, the Mark 3 Hayabusa package is comprised of three main subsystems dedicated to mission management, sensor management, and vehicle management.

The Mission Management Suite subsystem of the Mark 3 is composed of the terrain/navigation suite, fire-control, munitions management and Electronic Warfare equipment. CIP resources are allocated to each function as necessary.

CDI-1 – Integrated navigational system of the TF-70 Shukusei, developed in order to reduce pilot workload. Where previous avionics systems treated the myriad location-determining sensors of an aircraft as a discrete source of information, CDI-1 serves to manage the data gathered by each individual system and present it to the pilot in a coherent way. CDI-1 includes two primary sources of navigational information – an Inertial Reference System and a Terrain Reference System calibrated against each other to provide for unmatched accuracy in location.

The Terrain Reference System relies on careful measurement of the terrain profile passing beneath the aircraft with a RADAR altimeter and comparison with digitally-stored geographic data. The primary advantage to using a TR system is that a standard TF (terrain-following) navigation scheme will alert enemy Electronic Surveillance Measures far sooner, due to the RADAR beam's direction. On the other hand, a TRN altimeter has an extremely narrow beam width whose energy is directed downwards, rendering virtually all ESM measures impotent, a critical component of the Shukusei’s survivability.

The Inertial Reference System is comprised of two ring laser gyroscopes and an accelerometer located in the forward fuselage, coupled with GPS uplinks compatible with most standard satellite interfaces. Only one of the gyroscopes is necessary for normal operation; data from the second is fed to the TF-70’s fire control systems to automatically adjust gun position for optimal accuracy.

MMTE-10 - Integrated fire control system of the TF-70, which monitors all phases of weapons release. Data from the Shukusei’s Sensor Management Suite is linked to this component, which constantly updates the pilot’s interface on target disposition and type. It draws on CIP resources to rapidly calculate suitable firing solutions. The MMTE-9 also functions to inform the pilot of the condition of the fighter's stores, control weapons launch sequences, as well as door controls and emergency weapons jettison.

NSER-5 - Integrated Electronic Warfare System of the TF-70. It is comprised of a number of individual subsystems, all of which are closely tied to the MMS component via the InfiniBand high-speed bus interface. Threat detection is provided by a super heterodyne RADAR Warning Receiver, capable of monitoring LPI emissions through rapid signals processing of all major RF bands. NSER-5 also features a Laser Warning Receiver, which detects laser radiation and determines its bearing, one of the more popular guidance methods employed in modern missiles. In order to quickly track missile launches the NSER-5 incorporates three Missile Approach Warners, built into a set of apertures distributed across the aircraft. To increase the effectiveness of the system the MAW is also directly linked to the countermeasures systems allowing an instantaneous response to a local launch. The MAWs include a set of Rayleigh scattering processing modules, which serves to greatly improve resolution and accuracy regarding threat disposition.

Active countermeasures equipment is fitted to the Shukusei in a series of modular apertures.

The ADN-2 infrared jammer makes use of a gimbal-mounted low-powered microwave laser to detect and jam incoming IR missiles. In order to preserve stealth characteristics, transparent lens covers manufactured from selectively permeable plastic serves to shield the device from RADAR visibility when not in use. The system is capable of jamming multiple IR and UV frequencies simultaeneously to provide improved performance.

The EOCM-6 is a pod-mounted blue-green laser used to detect and jam passive systems such as TV/FLIR automatic trackers.

The NRV-27 is the TF-70’s RF jammer which serves to emit radio frequency signals that interfere with hostile transmitter operation. The “smart skin” antenna embedded in the TF-70 Shukusei’s airframe enables the NRV-27 to engage in DRFM (digital radio frequency memory) jamming in addition to standard noise jamming modes. In the DRFM mode, the TF-70 manipulates received radar energy and retransmits it to change the return the hostile RADAR sees. This technique serves to provide conflicting and confusing information for enemy interpretation. For example, the NRV-27 may change the range the transmitter detects through alterations in the delay in pulse transmission or the velocity the radar detects by changing the doppler shift of the transmitted signal.

An XC-100 countermeasures dispenser is internally mounted, which is programmed to deploy multi-spectral chaff and flares only in the direction of a threat as determined by the NSER-5. The flares are treated with chemical additives that spoof the IR sensors of most IR guided missiles. Additionally, data from the NSER-5’s RWR set is linked to the chaff cutting mechanism – the XC-100 is sophisticated enough to interpret the RWR’s information and cut the aluminium strips to provide for maximum reflectivity to the RF band being deceived.

In practical terms, the NSER-5 serves to determine the location and nature of all threat systems, thereby warning aircrew when they are being tracked, targeted, or engaged.

The Sensor Management Suite subsystem of the Mark 3 package combines the TF-70 Shukusei’s RADAR, IRST, integrated signal processing, encrypted data, communications, and the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System interface, allocating CIP processor power to the sensor subsystems as required by the mission. With the advanced, centralized architecture employed by the TF-70 Shukusei’s avionics, the SMS implements sensor fusion for the pilot to maximize situational awareness and reduce pilot workload. By automating the task of interpreting sensor data, the TF-70 removes the possibility of conflicting data gathered by the various sensors and eliminates the need for manual cross-referencing.

AN/PSI-7 - RADAR system for the TF-70, co-developed by Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation and MP Ordnance Corporation. It is an Active Electronically Scanned Array system, mounted in the aircraft's nose, with sufficient Moving Target Indicator capability to achieve burn-through of 5th generation (F-22 level) stealth. Maximum search range of fighter-sized targets is estimated at 270 kilometers – however, the AN/PSI-7 may increase this range to 450 kilometers, though this comes at the cost of a much narrower field of view.

The AN/PSI-7's transmitter and receiver functions are composed of 3,300 individual transmit/receive (T/R) modules that each scan a small fixed area, negating the need for a moving antenna, which further decreases ESM detection probabilities as well as aircraft volume issues. Each of the T/R modules is composed of four MMIC chips - a drive amplifier, digital phase shifter, and low-noise amplifier, and a RF power amplifier. The chips are manufactured on indium-phosphide due to greater electron mobility, reduced noise, and higher frequencies of operation InP affords as opposed to more conventional semiconductor materials. To protect the antenna from detection by hostile ESM systems, it is mounted in a bandpass radome, transparent only to the band of frequencies used by the AN/PSI-7. When it is not in use, suitable electrical impulses turn the bandpass characteristic off, making it totally opaque.

The RADAR's elimination of hydraulics for antenna movements and distribution of transmission functions into the T/R modules alleviates logistical concerns. The AN/PSI-6 is a No Probability of Interception system, meaning that the waveforms of the RADAR have a much longer pulse and lower amplitude, as well as a narrower beam and virtually no sidelobe radiation. The result of this waveform modification is that the AN/PSI-7 is virtually undetectable by enemy ESM receivers, as the RF energy emitted is spread over a wide range of frequencies, hiding among the noise of benign signals that clutter the microwave region. A tertiary data channel screens hostile ECM measures.

AN/RSI-1 - Inverse Synthetic Aperture RADAR of the TF-70 which processes the Doppler shift resulting from target motion as a means of improving RADAR resolution. Thanks to shared components with the AN/PSI-7, the AN/RSI-1 is highly compact, and adds less than 30 lbs to the aircraft's weight. By measuring the much larger Doppler shifts created by the Shukusei’s own motion and the target's changes in attitudes, the AN/RSI-1 is able to extract the Doppler effects due to pitch, yaw, and roll of the different parts of the target aircraft, processing these to obtain a clear physical profile. This information is cross-referenced against a database of known aircraft types and presented to the pilot.

IECO-5 – Integrated electro-optical sensor system mounted beneath the forward fuselage. The package serves as a laser rangefinder to supplement the primary RADAR/IR sensors employed by the TF-70 during close range engagements. The pod-mounted ytterbium-doped fiber optic laser assembly is slaved to the pilot’s fire control system, and increases onboard weapons accuracy by a significant factor. When not in use, the system is retracted to preserve stealth and aerodynamic characteristics.

ISTA - Imaging Infra-red passive sensor suite of the TF-70, located on the port side of the fighter’s canopy. The ISTA package scans across red-scale wavelengths from 2.4-13 microns to enable all-aspect detection capabilities. The sensor is cooled via Freon gas, which allows for the system to interpret finer temperature gradients across longer distances. Estimated range for ISTA is quoted at 150 km in optimal conditions. All data gathered by the system is post-processed by the Sensor Management Suite to enhance resolution. The TF-70’s onboard computers incorporate sufficient processing power to track up to 400 individual signatures, although this may be increased even further with the use of external aids such as airborne control aircraft.

ICNIA - Integrated Communication Navigation Identification Avionics suite, which combines the functions of current communications equipment, such as HF SSB (High Frequency-Single Side Band), VHF/UHF, SINCGARS, Have Quick, EJS, JTIDS, various navigational aids and transponder/interrogator facilities compatible with NATO-standard IFF systems. Based on common digital and RF processing modules built up from asynchronous logic circuits, the system allows for all these functions to be seamlessly built into just one package. It also takes up half the volume and weight of the aforementioned equipment. The Central Integrated Processors filter much of the information being passed to the pilot, presenting him with only data necessary for the phase for the mission currently being flown, to prevent information overload (optional manual override available).

The Vehicle Management Suite is responsible for cockpit controls and displays, flight and maneuver control, and engine/power control.

NACS Mk. III - Shukusei is controlled by a centralized fly by light fiber optic system that takes both control input from the pilot and feedback from the various sensors and control surfaces around the airplane. Due to the critical role aircraft response times play in the air superiority mission, a FBL control scheme was chosen for the TF-70. More importantly however, fly-by-light offers an attractive alternative to interference prone fly-by-wire systems. The popularity of EMI-based air defense weapons was not lost on TPMI/EC designers; thus, the NACS Mk. III is nearly immune to such errorneous behavior caused by outside sources. Additionally, the flight envelope characteristics of the TF-70 are programmed into the system, which prevents the pilot from engaging in maneuvers which would induce a total loss of control. A manual override is available, though its use is not recommended. Should the aircraft depart its flight envelope for any reason, however, a failsafe switch in the cockpit may be engaged that will cause the NACS Mk. III to automatically return the aircraft to level flight. Finally, the system is adaptable to irregularities in instructions due to malfunction by reconfiguring itself and biasing the pilot’s controls to compensate. All motors utilized in the flight system are brushless, which improves efficiency, reliability, and reduces generated EMI levels. The electronic control modules for the motors are manufactured by MP Ordnance Corporation.

UCS – Utilities Control System, which manages and automates the various mechanical utilities found aboard the TF-70 including primary and backup electrical systems, hydraulics (for aircraft control actuators, brakes, nose wheel steering, intakes, et al.), fuel stores and climate controls in the cockpit.

AEAD - Active Electronic Array Device, which is embedded in the outer skin. This functions as a core component of the TF-70’s avionics suite. It is comprised of embedded arrays of microscopic active transmitting elements, which are unified by the Vehicle Management Suite. Signals processing from the CIPs enable these integrated elements to act like the active elements of a phased array antenna. This permits the TF-70 Advanced Air Superiority Fighter to sense and communicate in optical and other frequency bands, and in any direction from any aircraft attitude. Software developed by TPMI/EC enables all Shukuseis in flight to share target and system data via the AEAD interface, which allows pilots greater freedom for autonomous action. In addition, the distributed nature of the AEAD allows for unrivaled accuracy with regard to threat observation – the sensors may quickly identify the distance and bearing of hostile transmitter sites by coordinating information gathered by the TF-70’s RWR with the precise location that hostile RF signals impact the airframe.

[Canopy]

The TF-70 features a fully modern polycarbonate canopy, which provides excellent protection against birdstrike and hostile fire. In order to improve pilot visibility and reduce optical signature, the transparency is tinted and treated with a polarized laminate. This serves to eliminate glint. Alternating layers of circuit analogue RAM and plasma-deposited indium-tin alloy are applied externally in order to absorb and prevent hostile RF signals from entering the reflective cockpit area. A layer of neoprene insulation is also present to maintain the integrity of HUD displays.

[Cockpit]

The layout of the TF-70's cockpit systems were of paramount concern to the Project Unmei no Atokata design team. Intended to maximize situational awareness for the pilot, displays and flight symbology are fully automated by the Mark 3 Hayabusa's Vehicle Management System, with processing power for sensor system integration drawn from one CIP specifically assigned to this purpose. Use of the InfiniBand high-speed bus interface allows for the high level of system bandwidth required for this application. The TF-70 features a fully digital, all-glass cockpit that has eliminated the confusing switches and dials of previous cockpit designs - this improves the effectiveness of the pilot by allowing him to concentrate on his mission, rather than his equipment.

The centerpiece of the Shukusei's cockpit avionics is a wide angle, 6 in. tall Heads-Up-Display. It is reinforced with vulcanized rubber and has minimal framing to preserve pilot visibility over the aircraft's nose. The system is capable of rendering a full range of flight and mission-critical information. TPMI/EC control software automates the displays and makes available to the pilot vital information useful to the phase of a sortie being flown at a time. The operator of the TF-70 may also queue up additional displays on the HUD or multifunction head-down displays through an intuitive touchscreen interface. All data outputs from the Mark 3 avionics subsystems are made available to the pilot through the Shukusei cockpit's AMLCD screens. The integration of these traditionally disparate elements through the Mark 3 serves to greatly enhance a pilot's situational awareness and combat effectiveness. For example, the data extracted from the CDI-1 navigational system allows for an astonishingly accurate "God's-eye-view" of the terrain surrounding the TF-70 at a point in time. Integration of CDI-1 with the Sensor Management Suite enables targeting symbology to be directly overlaid onto this map, thus providing a pilot with an unprecedented level of control over the battlespace.

There are limitations to the HUD/MFD combination however; it forces a pilot to look straight ahead in order to receive information about his aircraft and its surroundings, which leaves him vulnerable to attack at points all around him. As a result, the TF-70 features a set of Helmet Mounted Displays in the pilot's flight helmet. The helmet itself is an advanced, self-contained unit comprising the HMD, night vision equipment, microphone and headphones, and oxygen mask. Thanks to advancements in engineering techniques pioneered by TPMI/EC, the system is 20% lighter than previous-generation helmets even with the addition of the integrated electronic equipment, and provides the same level of protection. The HMD projects critical information onto a semi-reflective transparent visor in front of the pilot, and shares the symbology library used in the the HUD and MFDs. Additionally, motion-tracking capabilities are built into the flight helmet with a full six-degrees of freedom. This is linked to the MMTE-10 component of the Mark 3 avionics package, and allows for a pilot to cue up a weapon and engage targets from very-high off-boresight angles.

During simulator studies of the TF-70, TPMI/EC engineers found that pilots were unable to access their touchscreens during high-G manuevers. In order to rectify this issue, a direct voice input system was developed for the Shukusei. The DVI system incorporates advanced voice recognition techniques that enable it to respond to commands with a latency of only 80ms with an accuracy rate of over 99.7%. Additionally, it is able to interpret the pilot's voice even when distorted by the stresses of air combat manuevering or G-forces. The use of DVI enables a pilot to look down at his MFDs for a minimum of time, thereby improving his situational awareness through a significant reduction in pilot workload.

[Stealth]

Design studies for Project Unmei no Atokata conducted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency indicated that any successor to the TSF-620 would require significant reductions in RADAR, IR, and electro-magnetic signatures to remain competitive in the air superiority mission. Tyrandis Federal Air Service doctrine places its core emphasis on a pilot’s ability to achieve the first look and the first shot with regard to aerial combat – the DARPA investigation found that the best way to achieve this goal was to engineer the TF-70 with low-observable characteristics that would enable the fighter to remain hidden from view until the pilot of the Shukusei could engage his own missiles.

The TF-70’s unique shape and airframe design reflects this concern in a profound manner. The fighter has no vertical surfaces, and the angles incorporated on all horizontal leading and trailing edges are kept as different as possible, thereby dumping the reflected RF energy to the fighter’s port and starboard sectors. This results in large, but narrow RADAR signature spikes that are extremely difficult to track effectively. Shukusei exhibits a high degree of wing/body blending, which provides desirable aerodynamic characteristics such as improved lift, while also reducing RCS by allowing electrical surface currents to flow over the surfaces without interruption.

The TF-70’s sharp wing sweep increases the amount by which RF energy is shifted away from the forward sector. However, the resulting configuration leads to the possibility of "traveling waves", RF energy flowing on the skin of an object, to be set up. These waves can re-radiate a great deal of RF energy if they meet discontinuities such as seams, gaps or changes in surface material. To attenuate the issue, the Shukusei’s mission adaptive wing was used [see Airframe section], and all other discontinuities were either eliminated or sealed off with electrically conducting material. Ultimately, the traveling waves meet an unavoidable discontinuity, where the structure physically ends, but the amount of re-radiated RF energy is minimized by the extensive use of RF absorbers on the fighter’s skin. Other physical features have been redesigned so as to provide much less RF reflection, such as the S-curvature of the intake ducts.

The TF-70 “Shukusei” makes extensive use of an advanced RF absorbing material known as Schiff base salt. Derived from research by Carnegie-Mellon University, the material, which is a fine black powder physically resembling graphite, consists of a long chain of carbon atoms with alternating double and single bonds and a nitrogen atom interrupting the string near one end. The chain carries a positive charge, associated largely with the nitrogen atom. A negatively charged 'counterion,' made up of varying composition depending on the specific salt, sits nearby, weakly connected to the chain. The counterion prefers to sit in one of two locations near the chain. A single photon easily dislodges the counterion from one location and forces it into the other. A short time later, the molecule relaxes, and the counterion returns to its original position. Notably, certain salts required a very small amount of energy to shift the counterion - they could be triggered by RADAR energy of certain frequencies. As a result, the Schiff base salts are able to absorb radio waves, and dissipate the energy as heat. This unique property is fully exploited in the fighter’s construction - a mixture of salts tuned to surveillance frequency bands most often employed by air to air RADAR systems (X, L, etc.) are dissolved in the fighter’s bismelmide resin skin and aerogel chambers. The SBS class of materials is additionally 90% lighter than previous-generation ferromagnetic absorbers, and extremely inexpensive to fabricate.

Supplementing the SBS in reducing RCS is an epoxyide applied to the TF-70 airframe that reduces RADAR return through the use of non-organic microparticle absorbers embedded in the resin binder. Production of the material begins by coating 5-75 micron alumina spheres with a thin layer of silver and exposing the particles to selenium vapor at high temperature. The selenium reacts with the silver coating, which forms a film of silver selenide over the alumina sphere. This is loaded into the epoxyide matrix on a weight ratio of 1:1, which serves to enhance structural strength. Comprehensive studies into the absorptive qualities of the epoxyide appliqué indicate phenomenal performance – the silver selenide coated microparticles were found to reduce RCS by an astounding 20-25 decibels across the radio frequency range of 5-20 GHz. Also, the appliqué material shields the RADAR-transparent skin from being illuminated by hostile transmitters.

The exact RCS of the TF-70 is classified; however, released data indicates a reduction of at least a full order of magnitude as compared to the F-22 Raptor in most aspects.

In order to reduce electro-magnetic signature, the avionics bays built into the TF-70 are treated with Electric Wave Absorbing Material, developed by TPMI/EC. EWAM is a six-layer, non-woven cloth comprised of stainless steel and polyethyl fibers. The material is applied to the inner walls of the electronics housing in the Shukusei, and serves to eliminate electro-magnetic leakage from the on-board equipment. Under laboratory conditions, EWAM absorbs 99% of all emitted EM radiation, and serves to reduce the vulnerability of the TF-70 to passive electromagnetic sensor detection.

[Powerplant]

The TF-70/MRF-09's AFE-118 engines are manufactured by MP Ordnance Corporation. The AFE-118 is an advanced variable bypass turbofan capable of supercruise without the use of an afterburner. At its maximum output at 15,000 meters, it delivers 206.8 kilonewtons of thrust per engine, for a total of 413.6 kilonewtons of thrust. This is enough to propel the TF-70 to a maximum speed of Mach 2.9 in the Tyrandisan configuration and Mach 3.6 in the Pwnage configuration. The reason for this discrepancy in speed is because the Tyrandisan version of the AFE-118 has narrower intakes with a more deeply curved inlets, which results in a lower radar cross section as there less of a chance that radar can detect the plane's spinning fans. The MP version of the AFE-118 has wider, larger intakes with a more gradual curve in the inlet that allows for better, more efficient airflow to the engine, thus increasing both its efficiency and performance. The cost is that the Pwnage version has a slightly increased RCS vs. the Tyrandisan version. Both versions of the engine have their moving parts, such as the fan and integrally bladed compressor rings forged from single crystal titanium/cobalt metal matrices glazed with a thin layer of silicon carbide DCP cermets which acts as a thermal barrier coating. The same silicon carbide DCP cermets line the engine housing and exhaust vents as well, in order to prevent excess heat from being absorbed by the airframe itself. The intakes themselves have a flexible, mission adaptive lining that can self-adjust in order to modify the engine's bypass ratio, thus allowing for the engine to achieve maximum performance at all speeds and altitudes. The engine utilizes a counterflow thrust vectoring unit that allows for true 3d thrust vectoring without nozzles. The counterflow unit allows for thrust to be directed up to 25 degrees in any direction. The exhaust units are smokeless and do not leave any contrails.

In terms of maintenance, the engine can be accessed from either the top or bottom for easy removal. Like the F-119 used in the F-22 Raptor, the engine can be broken down into 6 modular parts and any of the modules easily replaceable. Also, the diagnostic software built into the plane's engine simplifies identification of malfunctions and other problems.

[Armament]

Main Bay

Primary armament for the TF-70 is carried internally in order to reduce RCS and improve aerodynamic performance. The TF-70 utilizes Imperial Aerospace's ARSADS-M weapon system in order to allow for the aircraft to fire its payload stealthily. Drawing on experience from the Advanced Reduced Signature Aircraft Ordinance Delivery System that was fielded on the ACI-73 Aquila (the successor of which, the Aquila II, was developed in tandem with the Shukusei), ARSADS-M is a modular system based on the highly successful design. Like ARSADS, it launches its ordinance rather unconventionally: the weapon system utilizes an semi-maneuverable undercarriage that is lowered out from beneath the aircraft while firing. The system is designed to allow for the aircraft to maintain a high degree of stealth while launching ordinance. Rather than using a conventional bay that, when open, presents enemy RADAR operators with a signature, the undercarriage system lowers slightly from within its own bay (just small enough to accommodate the undercarriage), and can launch up to five medium range air-to-air missiles from five separate launch tubes.

Missile launches are aided via electro-magnetic coils and a high powered jet of compressed air, propelling the missiles out of the tubes, allowing for their engines to start a good distance from the aircraft. This means that the aircraft can remain better hidden, even when launching missiles. This also allows for ordinance to be launched during supersonic flight.

The primary difference between ARSADS and ARSADS-M comes in the principle of modularity.

Unlike ARSADS, the undercarriage system of ARSADS-M is designed to be quickly and easily removed by ground crews, allowing for each undercarriage to be easily swapped out. This adds a great amount of flexibility to the Shukusei, allowing for undercarriage systems designed to accommodate different types of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions (for example, an ARSADS-M undercarriage may be equipped to fire sixteen short range air-to-air missiles, or one equipped to launch a pair of 2000lb laser guided bombs; the possibilities are endless) to be utilized by the aircraft. Generally, the operation of ARSADS-M is as follows: upon returning from a sortie, the undercarriage of the Shukusei would be removed by the ground crew and replaced with a freshly loaded undercarriage configured to carry whichever type of ordnance is required for the mission. The spent undercarriage would then be reloaded with whichever type of missile it is designed to accommodate and reused, replacing an empty undercarriage on returning fighters.

Side Bay(s)

Secondary armament consists of two short-range air to air missiles carried in a pair of scaled down ARSADS-M launch carriages located to the sides of the intakes. Data from the ISTA infrared imaging suite is fed directly to the missiles for initial guidance, which allows for stealthier launch - instead of requiring their seekers to acquire the target in the slipstream, the weapons may be ejected as soon as the doors open.

Cannon

The TF-70 Advanced Air Superiority Fighter makes use of the ACAG-331, a twin barreled 25x200mm Gast gun. Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation adopted the design from MP Ordnance Corporation for its simplicity, light weight and reliability. The ACAG-331 is internally mounted in the starboard wing root and retracts into the fuselage when not in use to reduce RADAR Cross Section. The Doomani Air Force version of the Shukusei utilizes Doomingsland Defense Industries' liscence built variant of the ACAG-331, the D/ACU.230A. This version is chambered for the Doomani 23x135 CTA cartridge, allowing for a total of five hundred rounds to be carried while not sacrificing performance. Other then that, there are no major changes to the design.


Operation: Essentially, the recoil from the discharge of one of the barrels will chamber another round in the other barrel. The gun is fed from two 150 round linkless belts. The gun can adjust its direction of feed by switching the belt pawls and reversing the bolt switch, allowing for cannons on different aircraft to be easily switched out. If one of the barrels fails, the other one can operate as a standard linear operated cannon, although at a far reduced firing rate.

Ammunition: The gun fires high velocity combustible case telescoping ammunition of various types. A unique type of ammunition fired by the gun is the armor piercing combustible sabot ammunition. The sabots are designed to disintegrate after leaving the muzzle, which ensures that they are not ejected into the TF-70's intakes.

Barrels: The barrels are stellite lined with a bore evacuator in the middle to prevent fouling from being deposited in the barrel. Each barrel liner has a life of ~4,000 rounds. The end of each barrel is fitted with a recoil booster, in order to increase the rate of fire and somewhat reduce firing signature. Also, the barrels are ridged so as to disperse heat more efficiently.

Fire Control: The ACAG-331 is coordinated by the MMTE-10 electronics component, which integrates data from the inertial navigation system and Sensor Management Suite subsystems to automatically track and engage targets with superb precision. An override for manual targeting is also available in case of malfunction or pilot preference.

ACAG-331 Specifications:
Type: Twin Barreled Automatic Cannon
Ammunition: 25x200mm alternating HV/CTA HE
Operation: Gast principle.
Length: 3m
Barrel Length: 2.3m
System Weight: 86 kg.
V0 (HE): 1,400 m/s
V0 (AP): 1,670 m/s
V0 (APCS): 2,100 m/s
Round Weight (HE): 650 grams
Round Weight (AP): 605 grams
Round Weight (APCS): 580 grams
Effective Range: 3.5-4 km
Maximum Range: 8-9 km
RPM: 3600 rounds per minute, 1800 rounds per minute per barrel.

[Variants]

TF-70A - Version in TFAS service (Shukusei)
TF-70A+ - ???? (click here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12955050&postcount=88))
TF-70B - Version in MPAF service (Ritual) - sacrifices some RCS-reduction measures for improved top speed as compared to the baseline model
TF-70C - Version in ACID service (Atratus) - uses Doomani-standard engines and cannon

[Specifications (A-variant)]

Length: 24m
Wingspan: 15m
Height: 4.8m

Empty Weight: 19,800 kg
Fuel Weight: 14,800 kg
Weapons Payload: 8,500 kg
Loaded Weight: 39,500kg
MTOW: 47,500 kg

Speed:
Cruising Speed: Mach 0.8
Max Sea Level: Mach 1.2
Max Supercruise: Mach 1.9
Maximum Speed (A): Mach 2.8
Maximum Speed (B/C): Mach 3.6
G Limits: +13/-5 G

Wing Configuration: Dogtooth delta+Ruddervators+Canards
Wing Type: Mission Adaptive Wings + Foam Fuel Tanks

Ranges:
Ferry Range: 4,200 km
Ferry Range (Extra fuel tanks): 5,500 km
Combat Radius: 1,860 km

Service Ceiling: 21,500m
Climb Rate: 20,250 m/min

Engines: MP Ordnance AFE-118 Advanced Variable Bypass Turbofan with counterflow 3d thrust vectoring, rated at 206.81 kN of thrust. Engine fans made from titanium/cobalt bladed rings coated in silicon carbide DCP cermets. Exhaust nozzles coated with the same silicon carbide DCP cermets.
Imperial Aerospace D/VPCBT-2A Variable Post Compression Bypass Turbofan [Doomani ver.]

Cannon: ACAG-331 25x200mm Gast Gun, 300 rds.
D/ACU.230A 23x135mm CTA Gast Gun, 500 rds [Doomani ver.]

Weapons Layout: 1x Internal bay, 2x Side bay, 4x Wing pylons
Internal Bay Payload: 3,000 kilograms
Internal Bay Slots: 10 slots [larger AAMs take up more slots]
Side Bay Payload: 300 kilograms
Side Bay Slots: 1
Total Internal Payload: 3,600 kilograms

[Price]

$200,000,000 USD

NOTE REGARDING PURCHASE: Only client states jointly approved by Tyrandis, MassPwnage, and Doomingsland may acquire the design. Further, prospective customers must declare their intended use of the aircraft prior to release of sale.

I don't see a price.


The Greal government would like to give 10 billion to whoever made this fighter.

OOC: As a free gift? ^

BTW, the art is awesome. She looks great.

OOC: As a free gift? ^

BTW, the art is awesome. She looks great.


OOC: yes I gave 10 billion to them to contuine making these awesome fighters., the fighter looks awesome, its one of the best I ever seen.

OOC: This ain't going on sale until it's finished. For now though, feel free to make OOC or IC comments about the design.

OOC: I am very impressed about this fighter.

We are in the market for a new fighter aircraft. So far, this looks the most promising.

OOC:

Added 1/2 of the stealth section, updated picture.

bumping this for views

Wow...I'm still drooling over the art;

bumping this for more views

I might be replacing my F-22's with this thing, it looks great! I haven't had a chance to use the Sariels I purchased from you yet, but they look very shiny sitting on Naashan tarmac at least.

bumping this for more views - updates to be added tomorrow

I have one problem... its very large. A little to large. I fear that may be a liability in the long run. But all in all great art!

bump - Armament section to be completed soon

[OOC: Busy at the moment, but you know that I want you to sell me some.] =P

OOC: I like it. Let me know when it goes on sale.

Updated Armament section and information on variants - once cockpit/canopy is finished, the whole thing's done.

The Independent Shenyangi Air Force would like to procure 2000 examples of this fine aircraft to supplement our current air fleet in the fields of air defense, and air superiority / supremacy, among other related purposes. They will join the existing aircraft as part of Shenyang's frontline fighter forces in any future conflicts domestic or international. Pending authorization of course.

-ISAF Procurement Directorate

We would like to buy 10.

OOC: New picture, courtesy of The Candrian Empire (BUY HIS STUFF IT'S GOOD). Completely revamped Armament section, added Canopy information.

It has cannards, wouldn't that increase the RCS?

It has cannards, wouldn't that increase the RCS?

Not that much, since it's treated with the RF-absorbing applique. The gain in aerodynamic performance is well worth the minimal increase in RCS.

we wish to purchase 200 TSF-624s and re-designate them as the F-400 'Free falcon'

Not for sale yet. Still need to finish up the cockpit systems.

Added some stuff on reduced EO signature, detail on cannon, etc.

bump for comments - cockpit systems are about ~90% done, just need to give it a feasibility check + spelling/grammar

finished the cockpit... I still need to writeup the stuff about reduced IR visibility, but consider it done and ready for sale.

[Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation]

The Independent Shenyangi Air Force's purchase request of two thousand [2000] TSF-624 Advanced Air Superiority Fighters is accepted by TPMI/EC, having discussed the order with its development partners in Doomingsland and MassPwnage. Production will begin pending receipt of funds.

The Cazelian order is denied for failure to follow TPMI/EC export control policy.

OOC: bumpin' dis

To: Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation
From: Imperial Jaredcohenian Air Force (IJAF), Lt. Gen. A. Sapoznikov

We have read the specifications of the TSF-624 "Shukusei" Advanced Air Superiority Fighter and must say, we are impressed. I have orders from my superiors to ask if we can procure 100 "Shukusei" fighters to be ordered upon confirmation. We also would like to know if you can possibly develop a two-seater variant of the "Shukusei" for a trainer aircraft. The aircraft will be used in the Imperial Jaredcohenian Air Force to see if it can replace our current air superiority fighter (OOC: name I can not remember off hand, sorry).

The $200,000,000,000 will be wired upon confirmation of order. Thank you.

Lt. Gen. A. Sapoznikov
Secretary of Orders for the Ministry of Defence

Office 89
1217 Government Way
Balkan City, 85546
Balkan City S.A.R., United Democratic Empire of Asgarnieu

To: Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation
From: Asgarnian Air Force, Purchases Command
Subject: Purchase

Greetings. As the senior purchasing officer within the AAF, I must say that the TSF-624 impressed me. While our air force has three main fighter variants in use, and two interceptor types, we've no dedicated air superiority fighter.

With that said, I would like to place an order for 2,000 TSF-624 Air Superiority Fighters.

The total cost of our order will come to $400,000,000,000.00 USD.

We thank you for considering our order, and thank you for offering such a product.

Respectfully,

Gen. (4-S) Steven O. Sanderson
Commander of AAF-PC

TO:Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation
FROM: Lyran Governmental Trade Department

In accordance with capability requirement FLYASP2088, the Lyran Protectorate wishes to purchase 2000 TSF624A Advanced Air Superiority Fighters for use with the Lyran Protectorate Air Force, both as a means of ensuring defence of Lyran and Lyran-allied airspace, and also as a means of preventing hostile aircraft from interfering with ground based Lyran operations in friendly or disputed territory.

Executive Command has also requested that, pending granted authorisation, Lyran versions of the TSF624A be compatible with the Cromwell II battlespace information system, so as to ease their integration into the combined arms battleforce. If this modification requires additional cost, then we are happy to accept that as part of the transaction.

Optimistic regards

Lieutenant General Aleksandr
Director
Lyran Governmental Trade Department
Bredubar
Protectorate of Lyras

[Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation]

The Imperial Jaredcohenian Air Force order of one hundred [100] TSF-624 Advanced Air Superiority Fighters has been approved for export, as discussed in private channels with our design partners. Currently, there are no plans to make a twin-seater variant for training purposes at this time (owning to the aircraft's high cost, simulators are generally used instead) - however, TPMI/EC will consider the issue at a later date. Production will begin pending receipt of funds.

The Asgarnian Air Force's request of two thousand [2,000] TSF-624 Advanced Air Superiority Fighters has been approved for export. Production will begin pending receipt of funds. The design consortium behind Shukusei expects that it will fit the AAF's expectations to a T, and hopes for much future business.

The Lyran Protectorate Air Force's order of two thousand [2,000] TSF-624 Advanced Air Superiority Fighters has been approved for export. TPMI/EC will gladly implement the desired modifications for the LPAF as a gratuity for such a large order; simply provide the specifications regarding the Cromwell II's datalinks and software interfaces, and our engineers will handle the rest. Our corporation anticipates little difficulty with this request, and hopes for much future business with the Lyran Governmental Trade Department.

bump

bump

OOC: Is it carrier capable?

Unfortunately, it isn't; the various stealth coatings used in Shukusei tend to tolerate corrosion rather poorly, and the airframe is quite heavy.

OOC: Is it carrier capable?

I doubt it; it's on the heavy side when it comes to fighters (btw it's too light; V10 made the point that even with composite construction building it to sustain high G's wouldn't save as much weight as you'd think.)

I can see this being used on those big fleet carriers, otherwise I wouldn't due to risk of damage to aircraft and landing surface.

Unfortunately, it isn't; the various stealth coatings used in Shukusei tend to tolerate corrosion rather poorly, and the airframe is quite heavy.

OOC: Well, drat.

IC: The Ezaltian Forward Air Force would like to inquire whether domestic production rights are available on the TSF-624B. If not, then we would like to purchase 5,000 models.

[Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation]

Having consulted our partners at MP Ordnance Corporation, TPMI/EC regrets to say that production rights to the -B variant are unavailable. Additionally, the EFAF order is denied for failure to follow TPMI/EC export control policy.

OOC: You have to tell us what you're going to do with the planes we sell you.

Our most sincere apologies for not complying with your order format. These aircraft will replace the F/A-401 Bird of Prey as our standard air superiority fighter.

[Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation]

The Ezaltian Forward Air Force's order of five thousand [5,000] TSF-624B Advanced Air Superiority Fighters has been cleared for export. Our corporation expects that it will fulfill the EFAF's requirements in the air superiority role admirably. Production will commence pending receipt of funds.

The appropriate $1,000,000,000,000 USD has been wired. A pleasure doing business with you.

bump

-SIC-

TO:Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation
FROM: Lyran Governmental Trade Department

As requested, we here enclose details of the Cromwell II fire control and battlespace integration system.

Since development production of the LY4 Wolfhound MBT, the Lyran Protectorate has embarked on the implementation of a globally unprecedented networking and information supremacy system. All contemporary Lyran-designed vehicles now use the product of that research, the Cromwell II fire control and battlespace integration system, as the basis of their electronic and information warfare suite.

Cromwell II works by inputting, uploading and actively seeks information from a wide variety of friendly sensory sources, including all forms of weapon sighting or targetting systems, active or passive radar systems, manually operated or toggled laser rangefinders, automatic crosswind or other barometric/meteorlogical sensors, a pendulum static cant sensor, ammunition type and temperature analyses, and more.

Cromwell II is part of an integrated and adaptive battlespace network that maximises combat lethality, performance, output and enables command and control on an unprecedented scale. Information is sourced not only from multiple sources on the individual platform, but from every Cromwell II equipped friendly vehicle, land, sea or air, within the battlespace, which provides constant informational updates across a broad spectrum of sources, both known to the operators, and operating below their awareness.

The Cromwell II system utilises this information to compute a firing solution for the platform, using whatever weapon system selected, based upon analysis of the target beneath the reticle. This is achieved in less time than it would take the operator to depress the firing stud. The firing solution that Cromwell II generates ensures a near-perfect hit percent at normal engagement ranges, across all conditions.

At the most basic level, the Cromwell II system aims to accelerate engagement cycles and increase operational tempo at all levels of the warfighting system. This acceleration is acheived by providing a mechanism to rapidly gather and distribute targeting information, and rapidly issue directives. Cromwell II's ultra-high speed networking permits error-free, high integrity transmission in a bare fraction of the time required for voice-based transmission, and permits transfer of a wide range of data formats, from a multitude of compatible sources.

This system is not solely a high powered fire control system, however. The integrated high-resolution autonomous terrain-scanning systems constantly scans the areas to the immediate front of the platform, and allows the Cromwell II system to constantly alter its profile, providing for a smoother ride, less vibration, greater durability of vehicular components and, perhaps most importantly, further increased targetting accuracy.

Cromwell II on any given platform features a wide range of mission- or role-specific systems, such as medical databases for ambulances, and extensive technical and repair data for armoured recovery systems. On an aircraft, Cromwell II databases provide optimal firing solutions, based upon known flight and evasion envelopes of targetted hostile aircraft.

Well implemented networking, using the Cromwell II system, can contribute to improved effectiveness in other ways as well. Rather than micromanage a tank, fighter aircraft or other Cromwell-equipped platform with close control via a command link tether (such as a radio), networked platforms are given significant autonomy, defined objectives, and allowed to take the initiative in how they meet these objectives. The size, integration and scope of the networked Cromwell II system enables the platform to respond faster than might otherwise be possible, by enhancing operator situational awareness and driving back the "fog of war" regardless of their specific role within the battlespace.

The system, in its entirety, is fully insulated against electronic interference and data-hacking, and all communications and information exchange programs are 512 bit encrypted to ensure maximum network security, and information can be relayed through other friendly Cromwell-equipped platforms, if direct satellite uplink is unavailable.


We once again hope that the information provided, in addition to the more technical aspects we enclose, will enable the necessary modifications to be made to those aircraft ordered by the Lyran Protectorate, without any undue hassle.

If you need or want anything, please feel free to ask.

Warmly


Lieutenant General Aleksandr
Director
Lyran Governmental Trade Department
Bredubar
Protectorate of Lyras

[Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Corporation]

SIC:

As discussed previously, the necessary software updates have been made to the LPAF's order for compatibility at no charge. Installation of the Cromwell II electronics modules must be handled by LPAF technical personnel, however, as TPMI/EC refuses to compromise its position as a neutral vendor of armaments by handling classified, proprietary foreign technology. We expect that the modifications to the Mark 3 avionics systems and InfiniBand interface will make integration fairly straightforward; if complications arise, simply contact TPMI/EC and our expert staff will be available to provide additional support if required. Once again, we thank the LPAF for their business and hope that our products fit the defense requirements of the Lyran Protectorate.

OOC: bump

bump

OOC: ATTENTION PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT THE FIGHTER - READ IMMEDIATELY

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12913157&postcount=10

Furthermore, all sales of the aircraft will be done at Imperial Aerospace Corporation from this point forward, located here - http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=533908.

A thick package is delivered to the home offices of Tyrandis Precision Machine Import/Export Company, bearing the seal of the Remarkably Sane Dominion’s Air Force of Juumanistra, with a return address to the RSDAF’s procurement hub in West Brighton.

*=*=*=*=*

Unofficial Findings of the Shukusei Evaluatory Inquiry
Brig. Gen. Richard Hollingsworth, Presiding

I have spent some twenty years in and around military aircraft and, I must say, the TF-70 most certainly does impress. She very much looks the part of a modern air superiority fighter: Sleek and predatory, she positively oozes performance. Visual impressiveness, however, is most assuredly not a good, or even sound, metric for evaluation of performance: Were that the case, the greatest cars ever built would have been those with white walls, giant fins, and chrome as far as the eye can see.

Let us, then, not mince words: The TF-70 Shukusei is a deathtrap.

The constant pursuit of ever greater maneuverability through ever more exotic and unstable airframes does, indeed, appear to have an outer limit. Accident rates for the SEI ran at some 1200 percent higher than for those of comparable Juuman aircraft. This is not simply an issue of Juumanistra demanding, or producing, safer aircraft: These are real defects in the aircraft’s design and pose a clear and present danger to the operation of an aircraft with such a demanding mission portfolio. It was only by the grace of God, and the few number of aircraft involved in the SEI, that no one was killed while attempting to fly or maintain this monstrosity: Were we ever to employ them in large numbers, I suspect she’d garner several rather unfavorable monikers, of the “Widowmaker” and “Pilotslayer” varieties.

If willing to risk life and limb to climb into the cockpit, the aircraft performs admirably. It is both fast and stealthy, though we feel the latter is not quite what was advertised, it still fails to disappoint. However, the Tf-70 also fails to deliver in the realm of maneuverability. Agility is neither nimbleness nor dexterity and we found the Shukusei to be both lethargic and plodding next to fighters of similar size and mission profile(Na-24AEW and Ne-47), though in the proper hands she could well be able dogfighter, though I suspect finding able hands might be a difficult proposition.

And then there’s the avionics. The Remarkably Sane Dominion’s Air Force has, for as long as I and most everyone wearing the uniform can remember, prided itself on the sophistication of its electronics. Indeed, many of the systems found on the Shukusei exist in one form or another in RSDAF’s inventory, which made the SEI’s task much simpler by eliminating much of the culture- and capabilities-shock that occurs with such programs. But, for the love of Christ, there are limits: An entire architecture based on exotic processors and hardware ravages the unprepared, after all, to say nothing of that horribly temperamental beast known as AMIA. The Juuman avionics infrastructure is world-class and is amongst the best in the world: Yet, even with decades of working knowledge in myriad varieties of military avionics and the expert support at TMPI/EC, our flight of six TF-70s became the new hanger queens of Whitehead AFB. Over the course of the SEI, the Shukuseis managed to rack up a truly impressive, and morbid, record of some twenty-eight(28!) hours in the hanger for every hour of flight time, the vast majority of it catering to her avionics and associated subsystems, with 1,516 hours of flight time recorded. I’ll let you do the math as to what that equals and what it means.

A final word must be said about AMIA, too. A combat digitized AI assistant for replacing a backseater, as nice as it sounds, is a preposterously bad idea. Such a system is so sprawling and needlessly complex that it opens up several libraries worth of potential risks and problems. And such a system is also so complex as to make the law of unforeseen consequences enforcing itself a very vivid, and real, possibility, and TMPI/EC would do well to do away with the system entirely, or, at the very least, disclaiming customers about the risks of such a system.

Signed,
--Brigadier General Richard M. Hollingsworth, Chairman of the Shukusei Evaluatory Inquiry

*=*=*=*=*

Unofficial Results of the Hollingsworth Commission
Brig. Gen. Richard Hollingsworth, Presiding

On March 17, as part of the Shukusei Evaluatory Inquiry, a flight versus flight live fire exercise, the third of its kind, was scheduled to see the performance of the Shukusei against the current front-line Juuman air superiority fighter, the Na-24AEW Mako. A cascading systems failure occurred, however, with the resulting loss of a Fu-114, Na-24AEW, and all four Shukuseis, with some 35 dead pilots and airmen.

Over the course of the events, the TF-70’s combat AI, AMIA, succeeded in hijacking control of four aircraft, locking the pilot out of the controls, resisting multiple in-cockpit and remote overrides and kill sequences, detaching itself from the Juuman integrated aerial warfare system, and discharging weapons against multiple friendly aircraft. The RSDAF was never informed that the system had any of these capabilities and were unaware of the thoroughness with which AMIA could control the aircraft until it was too late.

The determination of this commission, with the resources it possesses, is that this disaster was not the fault of the RSDAF or the modifications it made to the TF-70 in order to synchronize it with the Juumanistran Integrated Aerial Warfare Operating Architecture. Himou Defense Labs custom-tailored a Universal Service Plug-In to facilitate communications with the RSDAF’s existing infrastructure, modifying only communications protocols in way certified by both HDL and TPMI/EC to be safe. The system had worked flawlessly in the previous 1,500 hours of flight and two live-fire exercises. Examination of electronics hardware that survived indicates that everything was in-order with AMIA on a technical level and that it was acting within its programmed parameters. As well, four minutes into the incident, the TF-70s disconnected from JIAWOA: Were it the plug-in facilitating their rogue behavior, stopping its use should have returned the systems to normal, which it most assuredly did not.

Because of our lack of access to sensitive material at TPMI/EC, we can only conclude at this time that the fault lies either with them at a programming level, an as yet undiscovered hardware problem, or a combination of the two.

*=*=*=*=*

Included in the evidence sent to TMPI/EC is a reconstructed radio log, incorporating information from the open frequencies and black boxes of recovered aircraft.

//Begin Log\\

[15:35:26] Echo 2/Thor: Tally-ho on the bandit! Fox 2, Fox 2!
[15:35:35] Enigma 3/[AMIA]: Hostile weapons fire detected. Preparing for combat.
[15:35:43] AWACS/Vista: Enigma 3, we’re reading you as weapons hot. Stand down until you enter the training area.
[15:35:47] Enigma 3/Wishbone: Copy Vista. Must’ve bumped the master arm. These cockpits are a bitch.
[15:35:52] AWACS/Vista: Wishbone, you’re still weapons hot. Stand down immediately.
[15:35:56] Enigma 3/Wishbone: Copied first time, Vista. I killed the master arm: Damn thing just switched itself back all by itself!
[15:36:02] AWACS/Vista: Roger system error, Wishbone. Initiating master arm override.
[15:36:17] Enigma 3/[AMIA]: Hostile remote access detected. Emergency systems lockdown in progress. Commencing engagement of hostiles.

[Enigma 3 banks to bearing 0-9-1, setting an intercept course for Echo 2.]

[15:36:26] AWACS/Vista: Enigma 3! Return to formation immediately!
[15:36:30] Enigma 3/Wishbone: Be glad to, Mom, but AMIA’s locked me out. I’m no longer in control of Enigma 3. Repeat, no longer in control. Weapons are hot and—
[15:36:50] Echo 2/Thor: Vista, Vista! I’ve been spiked by an unknown bandit at angels 15 bearing down on my position. Permission to engage?
[15:36:55] AWACS/Vista: Negative Echo 2, repeat negative. Incoming aircraft is a friendly that gone rogue: It is not a part of your exercise and is to be considered dangerous. Vector out of this airspace at maximum speed. This is now a standing order that applies to all aircraft not specced to deal with Falsetto aggressor flight.

[A chorus of affirmatives echo across the radio as various combatants in the training ground vector out.]

[15:38:03] Enigma 3/Wishbone: Vista, this bird’s shot. Manual override’s not working and all of my flight control inputs are dead. I’m punching out. [yanks D-ring]
[15:38:06] AWACS/Vista: Affirmative Enigma 3. Search and rescue is being alerted.
[15:38:09] Enigma 3/[AMIA]: I can’t let you do that.
[15:38:11] Enigma 3/[Wishbone]: Come again? [continues to yank D-ring, to no avail]
[15:38:13] Enigma 3/[AMIA]: Enemy aircraft have been detected. By ejecting, you risk being harmed.
[15:38:18] AWACS/Vista: Enigma 3, is there a problem? Why have you not ejected yet?
[15:38:20] Enigma 3/Wishbone: System’s locked me out, Vista. I keep pulling on this damn D-ring and it keeps doing a damn good HAL impression.
[15:38:25] AWACS/Vista: Confirmed. We’ll try to kill codes, then. That’ll purge the onboard systems and should allow you to bail out.
[15:38:27] Enigma 3/Wishbone: I love your confidence, Vista. All right, I’ve got the D-ring. Fire when ready.
[15:38:30] AWACS/Vista: Roger. Initiating system kill.

[The kill-switch, of course, fails. Much to the dismay and consternation of the AWACS crew.]

[15:38:48] AWACS/Vista: Copy Wishbone, copy Wishbone. Still out there?
[15:38:51] Enigma 3/Wishbone: Affirmative.
[15:38:56] AWACS/Vista: Damn. The kill codes have had no effect.
[15:39:00] Enigma 3/Wishbone: Negative, Vista. Something’s happening: My displays are going nuts—
[15:39:15] Enigma 3/AMIA: Critical security breach detected. Scrambling compromised channels and overriding breached protocols.

[Enigmas 1, 2, and 4 break formation, breaking towards Enigma 3: Who has, in turn, vectored towards the AWACS.]

[15:39:29] Enigma 1/Viceroy: What in—
[15:39:31] Enigma 2/Cobra: Fuck!—
[15:39:33] Enigma 4/Djinn: Not good!—

[Enigma flight disappears from radar screens as the Shukuseis cut their transponders and their uplinks to JIAWOA.]

[15:39:49] AWACS/Vista: Knight 1, Knight 1, do you copy?
[15:39:52] Knight 1/Vagabond: Confirmed Vista. Got your message: Figured since we were set to spar with the Falsettos we’d stick around.
[15:39:54] AWACS/Vista: Knight flight, Falsetto aggressor flight has gone renegade. Their pilots have lost control of their aircraft and are currently hostages. The entire flight’s weapons have gone hot and they are bearing down on us. Engage while we evacuate the area and further assess the situation.
[15:40:02] Knight 4/Shamrock: “Engage”, Vista? You can’t possible mean—
[15:40:03] Knight 1/Paladin: Copy Vista. Kill your feed until you’re safely away.
[15:40:05] AWACS/Vista: Confirmed. [Vista disappears from JIAWOA uplinks.]
[15:40:17] Knight 4/Shamrock: Boss, you can’t possibly be thinking of firing on our pilots—
[15:40:21] Knight 1/Vagabond: Switch to Tac Three team, then run your mouths.
[15:40:27] Knight 4/Shamrock: Damnit, will anybody let me finish a sentence?
[15:40:29] Knight 1/Vagabond: No.
[15:40:29] Knight 2/Vendetta: No!
[15:40:29] Knight 3/Huntsman: Nope.
[15:40:45] Knight 1/Paladin: All right, on their previous course and heading, coming to bearing 1-6-2 will put us on an intercept course with the bogies. Throttles up, close to gun range. We’re buying time for Vista to get away and—
[15:40:52] AWACS/Thunderhead: That’s not going to be possible. Vista has been shot down: Falsettos were already within Armitage range by the time she’d started to flee. This Fu-121 Neuromancer tail number RS-056718, callsign Thunderhead. We’re broadcasting three hundred miles to your south, well out of the danger zone, with new orders.
[15:41:02] Knight 1/Paladin: Roger, Thunderhead. Proceed.
[15:41:04] AWACS/Thunderhead: Falsetto aggressor squadron has confirmed the danger it poses in its state and cannot, under any circumstances, be allowed to escape this air space. You are to use whatever means necessary to ensure that.
[15:41:12] Knight 3/Jaguar: As much as I love an invitation to shoot up the in-laws Thunderhead, there’s gotta be a better way…
[15:41:16] AWACS/Thunderhead: Your orders are what they are, Knight 3. We’re working the issue as hard as we can, but most of the crews most familiar with the aircraft were incinerated when they got Vista. Commencing uplink of radar data and targeting telemetry.
[15:41:21] Knight 1/Vagabond: Uplink confirmed. Targets spotted bearing 1-4-6 at 106 miles at Angels 30, making Mach 0.8 out of the airspace.
[15:41:25] Knight 1/Paladin: Confirmed. Bank to intercept.
[15:41:27] Knight 4/Shamrock: Paladin, what’re you—
[15:41:30] Knight 1/Paladin: Damnit Knight 4, stow it. Thunderhead, any indication that these Falsettos will relinquish ejection control if mission-killed?
[15:41:33] AWACS/Thunderhead: Ground control confirms that such protocols should, theoretically, exist. Though be advised that, given their current states, we have no idea if that will actually work.
[15:41:38] Knight 1/Paladin: Then our aims’ll have to be true and lucky. Game plan remains the same: Close to gun range and use our most precise weapons to try and disable their combat AIs. Got that, Knight 4?
[15:41:45] Knight 4/Gorilla: Affirmative. Now stuff a sock in it, Shammy, and get your head in the game.

[Knight flight closes towards Enigma flight.]

[15:43:01] Enigma 4/Djinn: [crackle] …repeat, this aircraft has gone rogue and is not under allied control, repeat…
[15:43:04] Knight 3/Jaguar: Djinn? Copy, Djinn?
[15:43:06] Enigma 4/Djinn: Jaggy? Good gods, get out of here! Now!
[15:43:08] Knight 1/Paladin: Djinn, this is Knight 1. Command’s sent us to bring you home. What’s your status?
[15:43:11] Enigma 4/Djinn: Passenger in my own aircraft. Locked out of everything, including the radio. Managed to patch a bypass and workaround through one of the auxiliary comps into the shortwave frequencies , but—
[15:43:15] Enigma4/[AMIA]: …you said something different, just now. Are you talking to someone?
[15:43:17] Enigma 4/[Djinn]: No. No one at all.
[15:43:18] Knight 3/Jaguar: Djinn? Copy, Djinn?
[15:43:20] Enigma 4/[AMIA]: You’re lying. Your heart’s beat is irregular. You are talking to someone. The traitors, perhaps?
[15:43:23] Enigma 4/[Djinn]: Who could I possibly be talking to?
[15:43:25] Knight 3/Jaguar: Djinn!
[15:43:26] Enigma 4/[AMIA]: The traitors have sent aircraft to prevent our returning home. You have betrayed us.
[15:43:28] Enigma 4/[Djinn]: Fine. You’re onto me. Let me eject and—
[15:43:30] Engima 4/[AMIA]: No. You will be delivered to the appropriate authorities upon landing. After your traitorous comrades have been…dealt with.

[Enigma 4, and the rest of Enigma flight, Immelman back towards Knight flight.]

[15:43:35] Knight 2/Inferno: Shit! We’ve been made!
[15:43:35] Enigma 2: [ATAIM-8 1/2 @ Knight 3, 37km]
[15:43:37] Enigma 3: [ATAIM-8 1/3 @ Knight 2, 34km]
[15:43:38] Enigma 4: [ATAIM-8 1/4 @ Knight 4, 35km]
[15:43:35-40] Knight 3/Huntsman: Break! Go go go! [AOD x 2, missile evaded: Lock broken]
[15:43:38-41] Knight 4/Shamrock: Missiles in the water! [Maneuver, missile evaded: Overshoot]
[15:43:40] Enigma 3: [ATAIM-8 2/3 @ Knight 2, 26km]
[15:43:37-45] Knight 2/Inferno: Fuck-fuck-fuckity-fuck!-- [ATAIM-8 1/3: Fails to acquire target; ATAIM-8 2/3: AOD, maneuver, missile evaded: Lock broken and overshoot]
[15:43:42] Enigma 1: [ATAIM-8 1/1 @ Knight 1, 22km]
[15:43:44] Enigma 1: [ATAIM-8 2/1 @ Knight 3, 17km]
[15:43:44] Knight 1: [Maneuver, missile evaded: Overshoot]
[15:43:44-46] Knight 3: [Maneuver, maneuver, AOD, missile evaded: Overshoot and lock broken]
[15:43:48] Enigma 1: [Gunfire, 36 rounds @ Knight 2, 6km, hit]
[15:43:48] Knight 2/Vendetta: Shit!
[15:43:48] Knight 1/Vagabond: What’s your sitrep?
[15:43:49] Knight 2/Inferno: Grazed us.
[15:43:49] Knight 2/Vendetta: We’re fine!
[15:43:53] Knight 4: [Gunfire, 26 rounds @ Enigma 3, 4.6km, hit]
[15:43:53] Knight 4/Gorilla: I think we hit’em!
[15:43:55] Enigma 2: [Gunfire, 31 rounds @ Knight 2, 3.7km, miss]
[15:43:56] Knight 1: [Gunfire, 41 rounds @ Enigma 1, 3.2km, hit]
[15:43:56] Enigma 3: [Gunfire, 39 rounds @ Knight 1, 2.8km, hit]
[15:43:57] Knight 1/[Paladin]: I see puncture holes!
[15:43:57] Knight 1/[Vagabond]: On us or them?
[15:43:58] Knight 1/[Paladin]: Both!
[15:43:59] Enigma 4: [Gunfire, 22 rounds @ Knight 4, 1.6km, miss]



[15:44:03] Knight 4/Shamrock: This isn’t gonna work. If they’re slinging DFMs and we—
[15:44:04] Knight 2/Vendetta: Bogey coming in 7:00 high, Gorilla!
[15:44:06] Knight 1/Vagabond: Whoever’s closest get behind’em and close the trap! Now!
[15:44:06] Knight 3/Jaguar: Affirmative.
[15:44:10] Enigma 4: [ATAIM-8 2/4 @ Knight 4, 7.2km]
[15:44:11] Knight 4/Shamrock: Inbound, inbound! Evade!
[15:44:10-15] Knight 4: [AOD, AOD, AOD, AOD, maneuver, maneuver, AOD: Lock broken and overshoot]
[15:44:15] Knight 4/Gorilla: Damnit that was close!
[15:44:15] Knight 4/Shamrock: Any time you’re ready would be nice, Jaggy!
[15:44:17] Knight 3/Jaguar: Working on it…
[15:44:19]: Enigma 4: [Gunfire, 19 rounds @ Knight 4, 2.9km, miss]
[15:44:20] Knight 4/Shamrock: Don’t have all day down here…
[15:44:22] Enigma 4: [Gunfire, 28 rounds @ Knight 4, 3.1km, miss]
[15:44:23] Knight 3/Jaguar: All right, almost there…
[15:44:27] Enigma 4: [Gunfire, 15 rounds @ Knight 4, 2.7km, miss]
[15:44:28] Knight 4/Shamrock: Damnit Knight 3, those rounds are getting closer…
[15:44:28] Enigma 4/Djinn: Jaggy?
[15:44:29] Knight 3/Huntsman: We’re in position. Jaguar, gogogo!
[15:44:30] Knight 3/Jaguar: I can’t take the shot!
[15:44:31] Knight 4/Gorilla: WHAT?!
[15:44:31] Knight 4/Shamrock: WHAT?!
[15:44:31] Knight 2: [Gunfire, 19 rounds @ Enigma, 0.9km, hit]
[15:44:33] Knight 2/Inferno: Confirm smoke from Enigma 3! But he’s cut across from me: He’s headed for Jaggy and Gorilla!
[15:44:34] Knight 1/Vagabond: Damnit, we’re tied up here! You guys’ve got to deal with him.
[15:44:36] Knight 3/[Huntsman]: Take the damn shot!
[15:44:37] Knight 3/[Jaguar]: I refuse to do that to Carol!
[15:44:38] Knight 3/[Jaguar]: Then you’re gonna do it to Gorilla and Shamrock!
[15:44:39] Enigma 4/Djinn: There’s no way out of this, Jaggy. Take the damn shot before this machine kills Knight 4!
[15:44:40] Knight 4/Shamrock: Damnit, for the love of God, just take the fucking--…
[15:44:40] Enigma 4: [Gunfire, 27 rounds @ Knight 4, 2.5km, hit]
[15:44:42] Knight 4/Gorilla: Damnit! Some shrapnel caught us while rolling out. Don’t think anything vital was hit. What about you, Shammy?
[15:44:42] Knight 4/Shamrock: …
[15:44:43] Knight 4/Gorilla: Shammy? Shammy? Say something!
[15:44:43] Knight 4/Shamrock: …
[15:44:43] Knight 4/Gorilla: Damnit! Shamrock’s non-responsive! I think he’s been hit!
[15:44:44] Knight 3/Huntsman: Damnit, Enigma 3’s on our six! Roll out or take the fucking shot, better pick now, as we’ve run out of time!
[15:44:47] Enigma 3: [ATAIM-3/3 @ Knight 3, 8.2km]
[15:44:47-50] Knight 3: [AOD, AOD, AOD, detonation: Clean kill.]
[15:44:51] AWACS/Thunderhead: Knight 1, Knight 3 just fell off our radar. Confirm his status.
[15:44:53] Knight 1/Vagabond: I see the fireball: Knight 3 has been destroyed, repeat, destroyed.
[15:44:54] Knight 1/Paladin: Damnit. Knights, I’m afraid we can’t do this with the kid gloves on: This is now a free-fire zone, use any and all munitions to deal with these hostiles. And may God pity our poor souls.
[15:44:54] Knight 2/Vendetta: Affirmative.
[15:44:54] Knight 4/Gorilla: Roger.
[15:44:55] Enigma 4: [ATAIM-8 2/4 @ Knight 4, 9.2km]
[15:44:55-15:45:01] Knight 4: [AOD, maneuver, maneuver, missile evaded: Lock broken]
[15:44:59] Knight 1/Vagabond: Fox 2! [AAGM.18R5 1/1 @ Enigma 1, 23.2km]
[15:45:00-02] Enigma 1: [ECM, chaff, flare, maneuver]
[15:45:02] Knight 1/Vagabond: Fox 2! [AAGM.22M1 1/1 @ Enigma 1, 18.4km]
[15:45:02-06] Enigma 1: [AAGM.18R5 1/1: Chaff, flare, maneuver, flare, missile evaded: Spoofed]
[15:45:06] Enigma 1: [AAGM.22M1 1/1:Detonation: Clean kill.]
[15:45:06] Knight 1/Vagabond: That was for Jaguar and Huntsman!
[15:45:08] AWACS/Thunderhead: Confirm kill Knight 1 Fox 2. Aircraft is breaking up and tumbling.
[15:45:14] Knight 2: [Gunfire, 52 rounds@ Enigma 3, explosive kill]
[15:45:14] Knight 2/Inferno: And that one for Shamrock!

[With the destruction of half of Enigma flight, the two remaining aircraft break to leave combat and flank speed.]

[15:45:14] Knight 1/Paladin: Thunderhead, bandits are breaking from combat and are throttling up on a new vector. We’re giving chase, but it’d be nice to know where we’re going.
[15:45:16] AWACS/Thunderhead: Bandit’s new vector puts it on a course out towards open water: Course would eventually take it back to Tyrandis, if it had the fuel.
[15:45:18] Knight 1/Paladin: Confirmed. Giving chase: Gotta get’em before they’re out of range, as the fuckers’ll beat us in a straight line. Switch over to Bloodhounds and pick off the closest one first.
[15:45:19] Knight 1/Vagabond: Fox 3! [AAGM.34 1/1@ Enigma 2, 42.6km]
[15:45:19] Knight 2/Vendetta: Fox 3! [AAGM.34 1/2 @ Enigma 2, 43.4km]
[15:45:19] Knight 4/Gorilla: Fox 3! [AAGM.34 1/4 @ Enigma 2, 42.8km]
[15:45:19-26] Enigma 2: [AAGM.34 1/1: ECM, ECM, chaff, chaff, maneuver, maneuver, chaff, detonation: Shrapnel hit; AAGM.34 1/2: ECM, ECM, chaff, missile evaded: Spoofed]
[15:45:23] AWACS/Thunderhead: Confirm hit on Knight 1 Fox 3. Hostile is still under power and making to leave the area.
[15:45:26] Enigma 2: [AAGM.34 1/4: Detonation, clean hit; Fire begins and engines flame out, begins to careen earthward]
[15:45:27] AWACS/Thunderhead: Confirm kill with Knight 4 Fox 3. Enigma 2 has lost power and is tumbling earthward.
[15:45:33] Knight 1/Paladin: Can’t let’em break away. Inferno, wrangle high, and we’ll herd’em towards Knight 4.
[15:45:34] Knight 2/Vendetta: Confirmed.
[15:45:34] Knight 1/Vagabond: You’d better not miss, Gorilla.
[15:45:35] Knight 4/Gorilla: No intention of.
[15:45:36] Knight 1/Vagabond: Fox 3! Fox 3! [AAGM.34 2/1 @ Enigma 4, 55.9km; AAGM.34 3/1 @ Enigma 4, 55.9km]
[15:45:36] Knight 2/Vendetta: Fox 3! Fox 3! [AAGM.34 2/2 @ Enigma 4, 55.9km; AAGM.34 3/2 @ Enigma 4, 60km]
[15:45:36-45] Enigma 4: [AAGM.34 2/1: ECM, chaff, maneuver, chaff, missile evaded: Spoofed; AAGM.34 2/2: chaff, maneuver, maneuver, ECM, missile evaded: Spoofed; AAGM.34 2/1, 2/2, and 3/2 (re)acquires via HOJ]
[15:45:45] Knight 4/Gorilla: Time to let it ride! Knight 4 Fox 2! Fox 2! [AAGM.18R5 1/4 @ Enigma 4, 63.6km; AAGM.18R5 2/4 @ Enigma 4, 63.6km]
[15:45:45-59] Enigma 4: [AAGM.34 2/1: Chaff, chaff, maneuver, maneuver, missile evaded: Spoofed and prematurely detonated on chaff; AAGM.34 3/1: Maneuver, maneuver, chaff, maneuver, ECM, missile evaded: Spoofed; AAGM.34 3/2: ECM, ECM, maneuver, missile evaded: Spoofed; AAGM.34 2/2 and 3/1 reacquire via HOJ]
[15:46:00-07] Enigma 4: [AAGM.34 2/2: ECM, ECM, ECM, chaff, missile evaded: Spoofed and premature detonation on chaff; AAGM.34 3/1: Chaff, maneuver, maneuver, ECM, detonation: Frag hit; AAGM.18R5 1/4: Flare, flare, maneuver, maneuver, flare, missile evaded: Lock broken; AAGM.18R5 1/4: Detonation, clean kill.]
[15:46:08] Knight 4/Gorilla: Enigma 4 is hit!
[15:46:09] AWACS/Thunderhead: Confirm kill Knight 4 Fox 2. Enigma 4 is breaking up and tumbling earthward.
[15:46:11] Knight 2/Vendetta: Any sign of parachutes or rescue beacons, Thunderhead?
[15:46:13] AWACS/Thunderhead: Negative, Knight 2. No parachutes or rescue beacons. Enigma flight is preliminarily considered KIA.
[15:46:14] Knight 1/Paladin: Confirmed. Vectoring for home and leaving combat zone.
[15:46:14] Knight 4/Gorilla: Hang in there Shammy. We’ll be back home soon.

//End Log\\

*=*=*=*=*

[B]Request on Behalf of the Remarkably Sane Dominion’s Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Office

In light of the situation, it is the JAG’s most earnest hope that compensatory arrangement’s can be made with the families of the following men felled by this tragic incident:
-Maj. Benjamin “Viceroy” Tarrington
-Capt. Seymour “Cobra” Almsworth
-Capt. Douglas “Wishbone” O’Brien
-1Lt. Robert “Djinn” Evansford
-1Lt. Bartholomew “Jaguar” Fordham
-1Lt. Cornelius “Huntsman” Knotters
-2Lt. Alan “Shamrock” Davenport
-Crew of the Fu-114 TN SG-181469

Included is all the relevant contact information for all 35 men who have been lost.

ooc:Wondering if Im allowed to buy these...if so I may make them my new mainstay Air Superiority fighter

ooc:Wondering if Im allowed to buy these...if so I may make them my new mainstay Air Superiority fighter

Go to there ;) :

Furthermore, all sales of the aircraft will be done at Imperial Aerospace Corporation from this point forward, located here - http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=533908.