Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano

Fighter Aircraft October 21, 2020

Embraer EMB-314 Super Tucano

Efran Syah       Comment   

The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, also named ALX or A-29, is a Brazilian turboprop light attack aircraft designed and built by Embraer as a development of the Embraer EMB 312 Tucano.

The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano carries a wide variety of weapons, including precision-guided munitions, and was designed to be a low-cost system operated in low-threat environments.

The Embraer 314, first appeared in the light as the Emb-312H in the early '90s, it was essentially a larger version of the coach Embraer 312 (Tucano). Although it looks very much like the trainer aircraft that preceded it, the 314 is a very different plane, which stands out for its size.

The Super Tucano is longer and taller than its predecessor, due to the need to accommodate a more powerful engine, which allows for more power and greater speeds. And thus making it more appropriate to the tasks for which it was designed.

The Super Tucano was evolved into two distinct airframes. The single-seat version was known as the A-29A and achieved first flight on June 2nd, 1999. This model was a dedicated light attack and armed reconnaissance platform and could fulfill the offensive needs required by the Brazilian Air Force. The twin-seat derivative became the dual-control A-29B and achieved first flight on October 22nd of that same year. This particular model could be equally suited up for the task of light attack and armed reconnaissance or double suitably as a surveillance mount if called upon while also acting as a two-seat trainer for an instructor and student seated in tandem (the addition of the second cockpit deletes an internal fuel tank as found on the A-29A model).

All Super Tucanos also feature Martin-Baker "zero-zero" ejection seats. The Super Tucano was accepted into Brazilian service in 2003 to which some 88 examples have since been produced with many more on order, either locally and from interested parties throughout South America. More than half of Brazil's orders have been of the two-seat variant. If the Super Tucano follows the same legacy as that of the original Tucano, the system should be in world-wide use before her history is written.

The EMB-314, will operate for many years in the Amazon and its characteristics make it an interesting possibility for the air forces of South America, where there are problems of narco-trafficking and terrorism, as in Colombia with the FARC. How advanced trainer, their characteristics, capabilities, and electronics, EMB-314/ALX is one of the best aircraft currently on the market.

Developed with affordability in mind, the Super Tucano has already proven to be a global success with operators numbering nearly twenty.

The Super Tucano cockpits are of an all-modern, ergonomic design putting all applicable system and mission controls within easy reach. The rear position is dominated by three full-color Multi-Function Displays (MFDs) designed to ease operation and workload.

The Super Tucano is cleared to use all manner of modern, in-service missiles and bombs as well as rocket and gun pods. This showcases an inherent versatility required of counter-insurgency platforms sought after by global powers to fight today's wars.

A second crewman in the tandem seating arrangement reduces pilot load and increases situational awareness - therefore longer mission times and enhanced survivability can be had.

In addition to its manufacture in Brazil, Embraer has set up a production line in the United States in conjunction with Sierra Nevada Corporation for the manufacture of EMB-314 Super Tucanos to many export customers.

Specifications (EMB 314 Super Tucano)

General characteristics

• Year: 2003
• Manufacturer: Embraer Defense and Security (Embraer SA) - Brazil
• Crew: 2 (Pilot plus one navigator/student in tandem on Martin Baker Mk 10 LCX zero-zero ejection seats)
• Length: 11.38 m (37 ft 4 in)
• Wingspan: 11.14 m (36 ft 7 in)
• Width: 11.15 meters
• Height: 3.97 m (13 ft 0 in)
• Empty weight: 3,200 kg (7,055 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 5,400 kg (11,905 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 x Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-68C turboprop engine developing 1,604 horsepower driving a five-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Performance

• Maximum speed: 590 km/h (370 mph, 320 kn)
• Cruise speed: 520 km/h (320 mph, 280 kn)
• Stall speed: 148 km/h (92 mph, 80 kn)
• Range: 1,330 km (830 mi, 720 nmi)
• Combat range: 550 km (340 mi, 300 nmi) (hi-lo-hi profile, 1,500 kg (3,307 lb) of external stores)
• Ferry range: 2,855 km (1,774 mi, 1,542 nmi)
• Endurance: 8 hours 24 minutes
• Service ceiling: 10,668 m (35,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 16.4 m/s (3,230 ft/min)

Armament

2 x 12.7mm FN Herstal M3P Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in wing (one per wing); Externally-held ordnance across four underwing hardpoints (two hardpoints to a wing) and 1 x Fuselage centerline hardpoint. Armament types include Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs), Air-to-Surface Missiles (ASMs), rocket pods, gun pods, cannon pods, precision-guided bombs, conventional drop bombs, and jettisonable fuel stores.

Operators

Afghanistan; Angola; Brazil; Burkina Faso; Chile; Colombia; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Ghana; Honduras; Indonesia; Lebanon; Mali; Mauritania; Nigeria; Philippines; Senegal; United States

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McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Supersonic Jet Interceptor

Fighter Aircraft October 19, 2020

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Supersonic Jet Interceptor

Efran Syah       Comment   

A U.S. Air Force McDonnell F-4D Phantom II taking off from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida (USA), on 27 August 1987. (SRA David Holt, U.S. Air Force)

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft.

Holloman AFB F-4 Phantom II, 18 November 2008. (USAF)

It first entered service in 1961 with the Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their air arms.

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II. (USAF Museum)

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2 (2716 km/h). It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, 25 July 2015. (wallycacsabre)

The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was initially designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record.

A U.S. Navy Northrop F-5E Tiger II flies in formation with a McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II on 1 July 1985. (LCdr. David Baranak, USN)

The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War. It served as the principal air superiority fighter for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war.

A U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4G Phantom II aircraft launches an AGM-45 Shrike missile on 1 August 1988. (TSgt. Bob Simons, USAF)

During the Vietnam War, one U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs), one U.S. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft. 

A flight of U.S. Air Force McDonnell F-4C Phantom II fighters refuel from a Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker aircraft before making a strike against targets in North Vietnam, 1966. (USAF)

The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force, the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

An F-4 Phantom II aircraft lands during exercise FROST '83, 26 January 1983. (SRA Perry Heimer)

The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the United States Air Force Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the United States Navy Blue Angels (F-4J).

An air-to-air left side view of an F-4 Phantom II aircraft during Exercise Gallant Eagle '82, 1 April 1982. (Garfield F. Jones)

The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms, acquired before the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War.

Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft. As of 2020, 62 years after its first flight, the F-4 remains in service with Iran, Japan, South Korea, Greece, and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East.

F-4 Phantom II (Luftwaffe). (Bomberpilot)

The Phantom gathered a number of nicknames during its career. Some of these names included "Snoopy", "Rhino", "Double Ugly", "Old Smokey", the "Flying Anvil", "Flying Footlocker", "Flying Brick", "Lead Sled", the "Big Iron Sled", and the "St. Louis Slugger". In recognition of its record of downing large numbers of Soviet-built MiGs, it was called the "World's Leading Distributor of MiG Parts". As a reflection of excellent performance in spite of its bulk, the F-4 was dubbed "the triumph of thrust over aerodynamics." German Luftwaffe crews called their F-4s the Eisenschwein ("Iron Pig"), Fliegender Ziegelstein ("Flying Brick") and Luftverteidigungsdiesel ("Air Defense Diesel").

F-4 Phantom II (Luftwaffe). (Bomberpilot)

Variants

• F-4A, B, J, N and S. Variants for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. F-4B was upgraded to F-4N, and F-4J was upgraded to F-4S.
• F-110 Spectre, F-4C, D and E. Variants for the U.S. Air Force. F-4E introduced an internal M61 Vulcan cannon. The F-4D and E were the most numerously built, widely exported, and also extensively used under the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) U.S. air defense system.
• F-4G Wild Weasel V. A dedicated SEAD variant for the U.S. Air Force with updated radar and avionics, converted from F-4E. The designation F-4G was applied earlier to an entirely different U.S. Navy Phantom.
• F-4K and M. Variants for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, respectively, re-engined with Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines.
• F-4EJ. Simplified F-4E exported to and license-built in Japan.
• F-4F. Simplified F-4E exported to Germany.
• QRF-4C, QF-4B, E, G, N and S. Retired aircraft converted into remote-controlled target drones used for weapons and defensive systems research by USAF and USN / USMC.
• RF-4B, C, and E. Tactical reconnaissance variants.

12 February 2002 - A formation of F-4 Phantom II fighter aircraft fly in formation during a heritage flight demonstration here. The heritage flight program was established in 1997 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force. (MSgt Michael Ammons / USAF)

Specifications (F-4E)

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 19.2 m
• Wingspan: 11.7 m
• Height: 5 m
• Wing area: 49.2 m2
• Empty weight: 13,757 kg
• Gross weight: 18,824 kg
• Max takeoff weight: 28,030 kg
• Maximum landing weight: 16,706 kg
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J79-GE-17A after-burning turbojet engines, 11,905 lbf (52.96 kN) thrust each dry, 17,845 lbf (79.38 kN) with afterburner

Performance

• Maximum speed: 1,470 mph (2,370 km/h) at 12,000 m
• Maximum speed: Mach 2.23
• Cruise speed: 580 mph (940 km/h)
• Combat range: 420 mi (680 km)
• Ferry range: 1,677 mi (2,699 km)
• Service ceiling: 18,000 m
• Rate of climb: 210 m/s

Armament

• E-model has a 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan cannon mounted internally under the nose, 640 rounds
• Up to 18,650 lb (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including general-purpose bombs, cluster bombs, TV- and laser-guided bombs, rocket pods, air-to-ground missiles, anti-ship missiles, gun pods, and nuclear weapons. Reconnaissance, targeting, electronic countermeasures and baggage pods, and external fuel tanks may also be carried.
• 4× AIM-9 Sidewinders on wing pylons, Israeli F-4 Kurnass 2000 carried Python-3, Japanese F-4EJ Kai carry AAM-3
• 4× AIM-7 Sparrow in fuselage recesses, upgraded Hellenic F-4E and German F-4F ICE carry AIM-120 AMRAAM, UK Phantoms carried Skyflash missiles
• 6× AGM-65 Maverick
• 4× AGM-62 Walleye
• 4× AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-88 HARM, AGM-78 Standard ARM
• 4× GBU-15
• 18× Mk.82, GBU-12
• 5× Mk.84, GBU-10, GBU-14
• 18× CBU-87, CBU-89, CBU-58
• Nuclear weapons, including the B28EX, B61, B43 and B57

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MiG-25 "Foxbat" Supersonic Interceptor

Fighter Aircraft October 05, 2020

MiG-25 "Foxbat" Supersonic Interceptor

Efran Syah       Comment   

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 "Foxbat" is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that was among the fastest military aircraft to enter service.

It was designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau and is one of the few combat aircraft built primarily using stainless steel. It was the last plane designed by Mikhail Gurevich before his retirement.

The first prototype flew in 1964, and the aircraft entered service in 1970. It has an operational top speed of Mach 2.83 (Mach 3.6 is possible but at risk of significant damage to the aircraft and its engines) and features a powerful radar and four air-to-air missiles.

When first seen in reconnaissance photography, the large wings suggested an enormous and highly maneuverable fighter, at a time when U.S. design theories were also evolving towards higher maneuverability due to combat performance in the Vietnam War.

The Foxbat sought to answer the Soviet Union’s need to protect its airspace from fast, high-flying U.S. bombers. The most prominent example was the B-58 Hustler, a Mach-2-capable nuclear bomber that entered service in 1960, but on the horizon loomed the B-70 Valkyrie, a futuristic bomber capable of penetrating Soviet airspace at speeds in excess of Mach 3. Armed with long-range missiles, a large radar and powerful engines, the Soviets designed the Foxbat to catch and kill these fast bombers.

The Foxbat is a high-performance, high-altitude interceptor. There are several versions of this aircraft: A (basic interceptor); B (reconnaissance); C (two-seat trainer); D (reconnaissance with a modified radar); and E.

The Foxbat A aircraft, originally designed to counter high-altitude threats, has been converted to Foxbat E, providing a limited low-altitude look-down and shoot-down capabilities somewhat comparable to Flogger (MiG-23).

The wings are high-mounted, swept-back, and tapered with square tips. The aircraft has two turbojet engines and large rectangular air intakes below the canopy and forward of the wing roots. There are dual exhaust. The fuselage is long and slender with solid, pointed nose.

The aircraft is box-like from the air intakes to rear section. It has a bubble canopy. On the tail are twin, sweptback, and tapered fins with angular tips. There are flats mid- to low-mounted on fuselage, swept-back, and tapered with angular tips.

The MiG-25 capabilities were, and are, eye-popping. It can make Mach 2.83 in sustained flight, and can go over Mach 3 in bursts if no one cares about the destruction of the engines. It can reach an altitude of over sixty-five thousand feet.

Foxbats designed for reconnaissance missions carried sophisticated electronic and photographic equipment, and could reach even higher ceilings. A few Foxbats were optimized for high-speed strike roles.

The MiG-25 aircraft is armed with four R-40 (Nato codename AA-6 Acrid) air-to-air missiles equipped with infrared and radar homing heads. The range of these missiles is 2-60 km.The missiles are suspended from four underwing pylons. It may also be fitted with two R-40 and four R-60 (AA-8 Aphid), or two R-23 (AA-Apex) and four R-73 (AA-11 Archer). The MiG-25 is not fitted with a gun.

MiG-25 aircraft is powered by two R-15B-300 single-shaft turbojets, arranged in the tail section of the fuselage. The engines develop 11,200 kgf of thrust with fully selected afterburner. The engines provide a maximum speed of 3,000 km/hour at high altitude.

The maximum speed at low altitude is 1,200 km/hour. The aircraft has a service ceiling of 22,500 m. The range at altitudes between 9-11 km with speed of Mach 0.85 is 1,950 km. At higher altitudes between 20-21 km and speed Mach 2.35, the range is 1,650 km. The maximum in-service g-load is 4.5g.

The appearance of the MiG-25 sparked serious concern in the West and prompted dramatic increases in performance for the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle then under development in the late 1960s.

The capabilities of the MiG-25 were better understood by the west in 1976 when Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko defected in a MiG-25 to the United States via Japan. It turned out that the aircraft's weight necessitated its large wings.

Production of the MiG-25 series ended in 1984 after completion of 1,186 aircraft. A symbol of the Cold War, the MiG-25 flew with Soviet allies and former Soviet republics, remaining in limited service in several export customers.

It is one of the highest-flying military aircraft, one of the fastest serially produced interceptor aircraft, and the second-fastest serially produced aircraft after the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft that was built in very small series compared to the MiG-25.

As of 2018, the MiG-25 remains the fastest manned serially produced aircraft in operational use and the fastest plane that was offered for supersonic flights and edge-of-space flights to civilian customers.

In contrast with its older cousin, the MiG-21, a very limited number of Foxbats remain in service. Most of these fly in the Algerian Air Force and the Syrian Arab Air Force, although some reports have emerged of a MiG-25 returning to service in Libya.

Most Foxbats retired shortly after the end of the Soviet Union, with a few serving for a time in successor state air forces. Iraqi MiG-25s were largely destroyed in the Gulf War, with the survivors eliminated in Operation Desert Storm.

In the USSR, the MiG-25 would eventually become the MiG-31 Foxhound, a variant/rebuild that resolved many of the problems with the original, while retaining its key characteristics. The Foxhound does have a look down/shoot down radar, which gives it a fighting chance of tracking and destroying low-flying bombers and cruise missiles.

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 23.82 m
• Wingspan: 14.01 m
• Height: 6.1 m
• Wing area: 61.4 m2
• Empty weight: 20,000 kg
• Gross weight: 36,720 kg

Performance

• Maximum speed: 3,000 km/h (1,900 mph, 1,600 kn) / Mach 2.83 at high altitude
• Range: 1,860 km (1,160 mi) at Mach 0.9
• Ferry range: 2,575 km (1,600 mi)
• Service ceiling: 24,000 m (78,740 ft) with two missiles
• Rate of climb: 208 m/s

Armament

• Missiles:
• 4 × R-40RD/TD air-to-air missiles
• 2 × R-23 AAMs
• 4 × R-60 AAMs
• 4 × R-73A AAMs

Avionics

• RP-25 (Smerch A-4) radar based on vacuum tube electronics, for early MiG-25P. RP-25MN (Saphir-25) radar based on semiconductor electronics, for later MiG-25PD
• A RV-UM or a RV-4 radar altimeter

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Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Fighter Aircraft September 24, 2020

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II

Efran Syah       Comment   

Pacific Ocean (Nov. 3, 2014) An F-35C Lightning II carrier variant joint strike fighter conducts approaches the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) for an arrested landing. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin by Andy Wolfe/Released)

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

Beaufort, S.C. (March 8, 2016) An F-35B Lightning II performs a vertical landing aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The F-35B is the short takeoff and vertical landing variant of the jet which uses a jet propulsion system to execute the landing. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Jonah Lovy/Released)

Lockheed Martin is the prime F-35 contractor, with principal partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. The aircraft has three main variants: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the carrier-based F-35C (CV/CATOBAR).

Beaufort, S.C. (March 8, 2016) An F-35B Lightning II prepares to take-off aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Cpl. Jonah Lovy/Released)

The F-35B entered service with the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2015, followed by the U.S. Air Force F-35A in August 2016 and the U.S. Navy F-35C in February 2019. The F-35 was first used in combat in 2018 by the Israeli Air Force.

The U.S. plans to buy 2,456 F-35s through 2044, which will represent the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for several decades. The aircraft is projected to operate until 2070.

The "Adir" jets first flight in Israel. (Major Ofer)

The F-35 is a family of single-engine, supersonic, stealth multirole fighters. The second fifth generation fighter to enter US service and the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter, the F-35 emphasizes low observables, advanced avionics and sensor fusion that enable a high level of situational awareness and long range lethality; the USAF considers the aircraft its primary strike fighter for conducting suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) missions, owing to the advanced sensors and mission systems.

The carrier variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter flies with external weapons. (National Museum of the U.S. Navy)

The F-35 has a wing-tail configuration with two vertical stabilizers canted for stealth. Flight control surfaces include leading-edge flaps, flaperons, rudders, and all-moving horizontal tails (stabilators); leading edge root extensions also run forwards to the inlets.

The relatively short 35-foot wingspan of the F-35A and F-35B is set by the requirement to fit inside USN amphibious assault ship parking areas and elevators; the F-35C's larger wing is more fuel efficient.

F-35 performs a weapons bay doors pass during an F-35 Demo practice at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Jan. 16, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexander Cook)

The F-35's mission systems are among the most complex aspects of the aircraft. The avionics and sensor fusion are designed to enhance the pilot's situational awareness and command and control capabilities and facilitate network-centric warfare.

Key sensors include the Northrop Grumman AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda electronic warfare system, Northrop Grumman/Raytheon AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS), Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-40 Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) and Northrop Grumman AN/ASQ-242 Communications, Navigation, and Identification (CNI) suite.

The F-35 was designed with sensor intercommunication to provide a cohesive image of the local battlespace and availability for any possible use and combination with one another; for example, the APG-81 radar also acts as a part of the electronic warfare system.

The F-35B Lightning II fifth generation combat aircraft performs a vertical landing at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Beaufort, S.C. (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images)

Stealth is a key aspect of the F-35's design, and radar cross-section (RCS) is minimized through careful shaping of the airframe and the use of radar-absorbent materials (RAM); visible measures to reduce RCS include alignment of edges, serration of skin panels, and the masking of the engine face and turbine. Additionally, the F-35's diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) uses a compression bump and forward-swept cowl rather than a splitter gap or bleed system to divert the boundary layer away from the inlet duct, eliminating the diverter cavity and further reducing radar signature.

U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen)

The glass cockpit was designed to give the pilot good situational awareness. The main display is a 20- by 8-inch (50 by 20 cm) panoramic touchscreen, which shows flight instruments, stores management, CNI information, and integrated caution and warnings; the pilot can customize the arrangement of the information. Below the main display is a smaller stand-by display.

The cockpit has a speech-recognition system developed by Adacel. The F-35 does not have a head-up display; instead, flight and combat information is displayed on the visor of the pilot's helmet in a helmet-mounted display system (HMDS).

(Image via DVIDShub)

To preserve its stealth shaping, the F-35 has two internal weapons bays with four weapons stations. The two outboard weapon stations each can carry ordnance up to 2,500 lb (1,100 kg), or 1,500 lb (680 kg) for F-35B, while the two inboard stations carry air-to-air missiles.

Air-to-surface weapons for the outboard station include the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), Paveway series of bombs, Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), and cluster munitions (Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser).

The station can also carry multiple smaller munitions such as the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), GBU-53/B SDB II, and the SPEAR 3 anti-tank missiles; up to four SDBs can be carried per station for the F-35A and F-35C, and three for F-35B. The inboard station can carry the AIM-120 AMRAAM. Two compartments behind the weapons bays contain flares, chaff, and towed decoys.

(Aug. 1, 2013) Capt. Michael Kingen, a test pilot, flies a BF-1, an F-35B Lightning II, during a 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided weapon separation test. BF-1 dropped the GBU-12 over the Atlantic Test Ranges from an internal weapons bay. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin by Dane Wiedmann/Released)

The single-engine aircraft is powered by the Pratt & Whitney F135 low-bypass augmented turbofan with rated thrust of 43,000 lbf (191 kN). Derived from the Pratt & Whitney F119 used by the F-22, the F135 has a larger fan and higher bypass ratio to increase subsonic fuel efficiency, and unlike the F119, is not optimized for supercruise.

The engine contributes to the F-35's stealth by having a low-observable augmenter, or afterburner, that incorporates fuel injectors into thick curved vanes; these vanes are covered by ceramic radar-absorbent materials and mask the turbine. The stealthy augmenter had problems with pressure pulsations, or "screech", at low altitude and high speed early in its development.

The low-observable axisymmetric nozzle consists of 15 partially overlapping flaps that create a sawtooth pattern at the trailing edge, which reduces radar signature and creates shed vortices that reduce the infrared signature of the exhaust plume. Due to the engine's large dimensions, the USN had to modify its underway replenishment system to facilitate at-sea logistics support.

(US Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Madelyn Brown)

The F-35 is designed to require less maintenance than earlier stealth aircraft. Some 95% of all field-replaceable parts are "one deep"—that is, nothing else need be removed to reach the desired part; for instance, the ejection seat can be replaced without removing the canopy.

The F-35 has a fibermat radar-absorbent material (RAM) baked into the skin, which is more durable, easier to work with, and faster to cure than older RAM coatings; similar coatings are currently being considered for application on older stealth aircraft such as the F-22. Skin corrosion on the F-22 led the F-35's designers to use a less galvanic corrosion-inducing skin gap filler and to use fewer gaps in the airframe skin needing filler and better drainage.

The flight control system uses electro-hydrostatic actuators rather than traditional hydraulic systems; these controls can be powered by lithium-ion batteries in case of emergency. Commonality between the different variants allowed the USMC to create their first aircraft maintenance Field Training Detachment to apply the USAF's lessons to their F-35 operations.

Air Force Fly By, Beaches of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Israel 71st Independence day, 9 May 2019. (Deror Avi)

Specifications (F-35A)

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 15.7 m
• Wingspan: 11 m
• Height: 4.4 m
• Empty weight: 13,290 kg
• Gross weight: 22,471 kg
• Max takeoff weight: 31,751 kg
• Fuel capacity: 8,278 kg
• Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 afterburning turbofan, 28,000 lbf (120 kN) thrust dry, 43,000 lbf (190 kN) with afterburner

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 1.6 at altitude
• 700 kn (806 mph; 1,296 km/h) at sea level
• Range: 1,500 nmi (1,700 mi, 2,800 km)
• Combat range: 669 nmi (770 mi, 1,239 km) on internal fuel
• 760 nmi (870 mi; 1,410 km) interdiction mission on internal fuel, for internal air to air configuration
• Service ceiling: 15,000 m
• g limits: +9.0
• Wing loading: 107.7 lb/sq ft (526 kg/m2) at gross weight
• Thrust/weight: 0.87 at gross weight (1.07 at loaded weight with 50% internal fuel)

Armament

• Guns: 1 × 25 mm (0.984 in) GAU-22/A 4-barrel rotary cannon, 180 rounds
• Hardpoints: 4 × internal stations, 6 × external stations on wings with a capacity of 5,700 pounds (2,600 kg) internal, 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) external, 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) total weapons payload,with provisions to carry combinations of missiles and bombs

Avionics

• AN/APG-81 AESA radar
• AAQ-40 E/O Targeting System (EOTS)
• AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) missile warning system
• AN/ASQ-239 Barracuda electronic warfare system
• AN/ASQ-242 CNI suite

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Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Multirole Fighter Aircraft

Fighter Aircraft September 22, 2020

Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Multirole Fighter Aircraft

Efran Syah       Comment   

Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. (Dale Coleman)

The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet.

RAAF Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet - Day 1 Avalon 2011 Australian International Airshow. (Robert Frola)

The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is an attack aircraft as well as a fighter through selected use of external equipment and advanced networking capabilities to accomplish specific missions. 

Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet. (Alan Wilson)

This “force multiplier” capability of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet gives the operational commander more flexibility in employing tactical aircraft in a rapidly changing battle scenario. In its fighter mode, it serves as escort and fleet air defense. In its attack mode, it provides force projection, interdiction, and close and deep air support.

Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet during Australian International Airshow 10-15 March 2009. (Robert Frola)

Super Hornet is about 25% larger than its predecessor the F/A-18C/D, but contains 42% fewer structural parts.

The single-seat F/A-18/E and the two-seat F/A-18/F fly greater ranges with heavier payloads, have more powerful engines and provide greater survivability.

Boeing F:A-18F Super Hornet. (Ronnie Macdonald)

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighter performs traditional missions of fighter escort and fleet air defense, interdiction, and close air support, while still retaining excellent fighter and self-defense capabilities. The F/A-18E/F was designed to replace the F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft.

Also, the Super Hornet has a secondary mission as carrier-based aerial tanking aircraft - this capability used to be provided by the now retired S-3B Viking.

Boeing F:A-18F Super Hornet, 14 July 2016. (Ronnie Macdonald)

The cockpit in the F/A-18E/F is equipped with a touch-sensitive control display and a larger multi-purpose liquid crystal colour display, which shows tactical information, two monochrome displays and a new engine fuel display.

The aircraft retains the mission software and a high proportion of the avionics found in the C/D models. The cockpit also has a colour digital map and the pilots are equipped with night-vision goggles.

The zero / zero ejection seat is the SJU-5/6 supplied by the Martin Baker Aircraft Company in the UK.

Boeing F:A-18F Super Hornet. 14 July 2016. (Ronnie Macdonald)

The Super Hornet has 11 weapon stations, which include two additional wing store stations and will support a full range of armaments including AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.

It also possesses guided air-to-ground weapons capabilities such as Harpoon, SLAM/SLAM-ER, GBU-10, GBU-51, HARM and Maverick, as well as free-fall air-to-ground bombs, Mk-76, BDU-48, Mk-82LD, Mk-82HD and Mk-84.

The aircraft can also carry the GPS / inertially guided JDAM Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), joint stand-off weapon (JSOW) and joint air-to-surface stand-off missile (JASSM).

RAAF Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet and McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet. The Super Hornet is largely a new aircraft. (Robert Frola)

The aircraft’s power is provided by two F414-GE-400 turbofan engines from General Electric. The engines are an advanced derivative of the GE F404 engines installed on the Hornet.

The air inlets have been enlarged to provide increased airflow into the engines.

Each engine provides 22,000lb thrust, with afterburn giving a maximum speed in excess of Mach 1.8.

The structural changes to the airframe on the F/E variant of the aircraft increase the internal fuel capacity by 3,600lb, a 33% higher fuel capacity than the F-18C/D variant.

This extends the mission radius by up to 40%.

U.S. Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. (Anna Zvereva)

The Super Hornet is equipped with the APG-73 radar manufactured by Raytheon. The APG-73 radar has an upgraded processor with increased speed and memory capacity in comparison to the AN/APG-65, which was installed on the earlier builds of the Hornet.

The modes of the APG-73 include air-to-ground tracking, air-to-air velocity search mode, range while search and track while scan.

Raytheon’s AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) fire control radar increases the F/A-18’s air-to-air target detection and tracking range, and provide higher resolution air-to-ground mapping at longer ranges.

The AN/APG-79 AESA entered Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) in September 2003 and began Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) in July 2006. It is fitted to block 2 aircraft and retrofitted to 135 block 1 aircraft.

Boeing F:A-18F Super Hornet. (Ronnie Macdonald)

The F/A-18E/F began its maiden operational deployment on board USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in July 2002. Super Hornet made its combat entry in November the same year, striking air defence sites in Southern Iraq with Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM). The aircraft was also deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.

Boeing FA-18F Super Hornet. (Ronnie Macdonald)

Variants

• F/A-18E Super Hornet: single seat variant.
• F/A-18F Super Hornet: two-seat variant.
• NEA-18G: Two F/A-18Fs modified as prototypes of the EA-18G Growler.
• EA-18G Growler: Electronic warfare variant of the F/A-18F to replace the U.S. Navy's Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler.
• Advanced Super Hornet: Variant of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet with Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFT) and has a further reduced radar cross section (RCS), with the option of a stealthy enclosed weapons pod and built-in IRST21 sensor system.

U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets deploy heat flares during a combat patrol over Afghanistan. Trust between joint terminal attack controllers and pilots serves as an important aspect of close-air support. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)

Specifications (F/A-18E/F)

General characteristics

• Crew: F/A-18E: 1 (pilot), F/A-18F: 2 (pilot and weapon systems officer)
• Length: 60 ft 1.25 in (18.31 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft 8.5 in (13.62 m)
• Height: 16 ft 0 in (4.88 m)
• Wing area: 500 sq ft (46.5 m2)
• Empty weight: 32,081 lb (14,552 kg)
• Gross weight: 47,000 lb (21,320 kg) (equipped as fighter)
• Max takeoff weight: 66,000 lb (29,937 kg)
• Internal fuel capacity: F/A-18E: 14,700 lb (6,667 kg), F/A-18F: 13,760 lb (6,241 kg)
• External fuel capacity: Up to 4 × 480 gal tanks, totaling 13,040 lb (5,914 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric F414-GE-400 turbofans, 13,000 lbf (58 kN) thrust each dry, 22,000 lbf (98 kN) with afterburner

Performance

• Maximum speed: 1,030 kn (1,190 mph, 1,915 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
• Maximum speed: Mach 1.6
• Range: 1,275 nmi (1,458 mi, 2,346 km) with armament of two AIM-9s
• Combat range: 390 nmi (449 mi, 722 km) for interdiction
• Ferry range: 1,800 nmi (2,070 mi, 3,330 km)
• Service ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,000 m) at least
• Rate of climb: 44,882 ft/min (228 m/s)
• Wing loading: 94.0 lb/sq ft (459 kg/m2)
• Thrust/weight: 0.93

Armament

• Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A2 Vulcan, 412 rounds
• Hardpoints: 11 (2× wingtips, 6× under-wing, and 3× under-fuselage) with a capacity of Max payload: 17,750 lb (8,050 kg). Carrier Bringback Payload: F/A-18E: 9,900 lb (4,491 kg), F/A-18F: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg),with provisions to carry combinations of:
• Missiles:
• 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder
• 12× AIM-120 AMRAAM
• 4× AIM-7 Sparrow
• 6× AGM-65 E/F Maverick
• 4× AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER)
• 6× AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation missile (ARM)
• 4× AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
• AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile
• 2× AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile
• AGM-158C Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), in the future
• Bombs:
• JDAM (up to 10× GBU-32/35/38/54 or 4× GBU-31)
• Paveway series of laser-guided bombs
• Mk 80 series unguided bombs
• CBU-78 Gator mine system
• Mk 20 Rockeye II cluster bomb
• Mk-62/63/65 Quick Strike Naval mine
• Other:
• SUU-42A/A Flares/infrared decoy dispenser pod and chaff pod
• AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system pod
• AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR Targeting pods
• up to 4× 480 US gal (1,800 l; 400 imp gal) drop tanks and 1× A/A42R-1 Aerial Refueling Store pod for aerial refueling.
• 12× ADM-141C TALD decoys
• AWW-13 Advanced data link pod

Avionics

• Hughes APG-73 or Raytheon APG-79 Radar
• Northrop Grumman/ITT ALQ-165 self-protection jammer system or BAE Systems AN/ALE-214 integrated defensive electronic countermeasures system
• Raytheon AN/ALE-50 or BAE Systems AN/ALE-55 towed decoy
• Raytheon AN/ALR-67(V)3 radar warning receiver
• MIDS LVT or MIDS JTRS datalink transceiver

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