Ausaine F6M Wasp: Difference between revisions

Ausaine F6M Wasp
	F6M Wasp
Role	Multirole fighter
National origin	Meridon
Manufacturer	Ausaine Aerospace
First flight	14 August 1977
Introduction	3 September 1986
Status	In active service
Primary user	Meridonian Navy ; Meridonian Air Forces
Produced	1979-present
Number built	2,012
Unit cost	51 million MD (F6M2)

Latest revision as of 15:03, 6 January 2025

The Ausaine F6M Wasp is a Meridonian carrier-capable, supersonic, twin engine, two seat, twin tail, multirole jet fighter built by Ausaine Aerospace. Designed to fit the needs of the Meridonian Navy to replace a variety of legacy aircraft conducting strike and air combat roles, particularly the A6M Raider and A7M Cutlass, it was designed to reduce operating costs by combining a large variety of roles into one aircraft. Adopted by the Meridonian Navy and later by the Meridonian Air Forces, the Wasp comprises the 'low' end of the 'high-low' mix of fighter aircraft.

The Wasp is designed and marketed as a multirole fighter aircraft, however it was designed with ground attack missions in mind- a role in which it complements the air warfare-oriented Gruening F5M Lynx in service. Wasp is capable of effectively conducting any missionset expected of a fighter aircraft, and is commonly used as a carrier-based refueler by the Navy. It pioneered a number of advancements, particularly in avionics, which became standard in the Meridonian aircraft. Designed for rugged operations from both carrier and land short fields and ease of maintenance, its well-balanced aerodynamic characteristics and versatility have also made it a popular escort aircraft, forming the mainstay of a number of foreign militaries. Meridonian variants have been upgraded to the F6M2 variant, which includes advanced avionics and the introduction of an infrared search and track system.

Development

]

Design

Pilot cockpit of the F6M production model.

Operational History

Variants

F6M: Initial production and operational variant, entering service with the Meridonian Navy in 1986. All variants serving with the Meridonian Armed Forces were upgraded to F6M2 standard by December of 2022.

F6M2: Upgraded variant of the F6M2 featuring an upgraded cockpit configuration and avionics,an active electronically scanned radar replacing the previous mechanically-steered radar, and an infrared search/track sensor (IRST).

E6M2 Backwave: Dedicated electronic warfare variant designed in tandem with the F6M2 upgrade, produced as new built airframes.

Operators

Current Operators

Meridon- 1,600 have been built for the Meridon Defense Forces. All variants have been upgraded to F6M2 standard.
Seuria- Approximately 300 of both F6M and F6M2 delivered.
Matsumae- 60 F6M2 airframes.
Svetvostok- 160 aircraft in operation in the Navy. Introduced after the collapse of the military regime.

Specifications (F6M2)

Production F6M airframe

General Characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 50 ft 10 in (15.5m)
Wingspan: 39ft 6.6 in (12.05m)
Height: 13 ft 10 in (4.2 m)
Wing Area: 494 sq ft (45.9 m2)
Empty Weight: 26,700 lb (11,203 kg)
Max Takeoff Weight: 62,400lb (28,304 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Hollon FT94E afterburning turbofans, producing 13,500lbf (60 kN) each dry, 20,200lbf (90 kN) in afterburner
Fuel Capacity: 15,500lb internal, up to 5x optional 480gal (3,260lb/1,478kg each) external tanks

Performance

Maximum Speed: Mach 1.34 (1465 km/h, 909 mph) at altitude
Service Ceiling: 50,000 ft (15,240 m) +
Rate of Climb: 45,304 ft/min plus (230 m/s)+
Wing Loading: 126.2 lb/sq ft (617.6 kg/m2)
Thrust/Weight: 0.647 at MGTOW

Armament

Guns: 1 × Mark 40 25mm cannon with 520 rounds
Payload: 13 hardpoints total: 4 per wing, 5 fuselage stations with total capacity of 20,000lbs of payload

Avionics

TA-940C active electronically scanned array radar
AE-161B radar warning receiver
AI-50B infrared search/track
AI-20B missile approach warning system
AE-202C Electronic Warfare/ Defensive Electronic Countermeasures System

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
   |number built    = 2,012
   |program cost    =
-  |unit cost       = 86.2 million MD (F5M7)
+  |unit cost       = 51 million MD (F6M2)
   |developed from  =
   |variants with their own articles =
@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 ==Design==
+[[File:309510main E95-43155-7 full.jpg|thumb|right|Pilot cockpit of the F6M production model. ]]
-The F5M was designed based both on experience flying the F4M Spectre as a naval fighter, and on perceived needs of the carrier air wing in conducting force projection and self-defense operations. Seeing the threat of missile-armed bomber flights as an emerging threat towards the carrier group, the F5M was designed with long range and an air-to-air focus in mind while ground attack missions would be relegated to the F4, a role in which it had proved itself more than capable of performing. Like the F4M, the F5M was designed around a two-crew design with a pilot and radar intercept officer deemed better able to manage air intercepts.
-A number of emerging technologies were included in its design, chief among those its variable geometry wings, which move forward for slower flight and move rearward for faster supersonic flight. It included a number of innovative control surfaces to improve its low-speed handling, which was necessary for carrier operations. Originally it was powered by a pair Altern MG-410 afterburning turbofan engines, which proved to be prone to compressor stall incidents at high angles of attack, and was later replaced by Hollon FT80 engines, which provided a substantial increase in both reliability and performance. Both engines are supplied with rectangular intakes equipped with movable ramps, bleed doors and other such functions. Landing gear is provided in a tricycle arrangement, and is reinforced for carrier landings.
-The Lynx's weapons system was based around the utilization of the TAI-81 X band pulse-doppler radar, the first in use capable of launching using {{wpl|track while scan}}; and the {{wpl|AIM-54 Phoenix|MUA-55 Phoenix}} missile, a very long range air to air missile intended for intercepting targets at ranges in excess of 100 nautical miles. Utilizing the Phoenix for long-range intercepts and the {{wpl|AIM-7 Sparrow|MUA-7 Falcon}} for escort and air intercept missions. From the outset it was armed with the {{wpl|M61 Vulcan|Mark 40 20mm cannon}} in a nose mount with 600 rounds of ammunition. The Lynx carries a radar warning receiver, chaff, flare, and models from the F5M4 and later are integrated with electronics countermeasures systems to defend against incoming missiles.
-The Lynx featured pioneering developments in pilot interface in Meridonian fighter craft, including the first multi-function HUD, hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS), and early multifunction displays, features which would prove instrumental in the design of later combat aircraft.
-[[File:F5m_cockpit.png|thumb|right|550px|Pilot cockpit layouts of the F5M2 (left), F5M5 (center) and F5M7 (right).]]
-Lynx models from the F5M6 and later improve vastly upon the original design of the base model F5Ms (F5M through F5M5). The F5M6 introduced leading-edge extensions (LEX) to the wing root, enhanced visibility cockpit glass, full multifunction glass flight displays, integrated NAV/attack FLIR pods, and HMD integration, as well as allowing for the carrying of standoff weaponry including cruise, anti-satellite, and anti-ship missiles. The so-called "Super Lynx" upgrade vastly improved performance in nearly all aspects over the airframe. F5M7 upgrades, first fielded by the Air Force, feature a full glass display replacing all 'steam gauge' instruments.
 ==Operational History==
-[[File:F5M7_1.png|thumb|left|250px|A pair of Navy Super Lynxes during the [[Marquesan Emergency]], armed with GUB-15 guided bombs and MUA-120 CAIMS air-to-air missiles.]]
-The F5M entered frontline service with the [[Meridonian Navy]] in early 1974, equipping units from 8 Carrier Air Group aboard the carrier ''Anerca''- specifically, 35 Naval Fighter Squadron.
-Following the collapse of the Air Forces' Air Supremacy Initiative in 1977, Gruening received a contract to massively upscale production to fill the capability gap for Air Forces units. The contract led directly to Gruening abandoning civilian sector development as it shifted its efforts entirely to military production of the Lynx, and for a time briefly became the largest single employer in its home [[Mahine Territory]] as it opened plants in Kohaku and TBD to support its Marin Bay operation. The first Air Forces unit to be equipped with Lynxes was 97 Tactical Fighter Squadron of Tactical Fighter Wing 74 in July of 1978.
-Fleet F5M models were well-liked by pilots for their high thrust-to-weight ratios, endurance and range, and payload capacity. Issues with low-speed handling were apparent, however, as the plane was prone to difficult-to-recover flatspins at high yaw/high angle of attack scenarios, and the Altern MG-410 engines that equipped fleet models were prone to compressor stalls at high angles of attack. Maintenance personel found dealing with Lynx models cumbersome due to the complexity of its moving wing and wing vane systems. Some of the issues of early models were addressed in the F5M2 upgrade, however these models were mostly delivered to the Air Forces with the exception of two squadron's worth of planes being delivered to the Navy.
-Navy F5Ms regularly conducted intercepts of Korean, Kaskaidan, Aureumterran and other aircraft sent to probe naval formations in the Marinan and Anagonian oceans. The retirement of carrier-based bomber platforms and the sunsetting of  Chevalier-based photograph reconnaissance platform also saw the shifting of the photo reconnaissance duties of these aircraft onto fleet Lynxes, which were equipped with specially developed Aircraft Reconnaissance Capture Apparatus (ARCA) pods. The size of the ARCA pod required specialized modifications to aircraft to be able to carry them. Of an airwing's two Lynx squadrons, one was equipped with three ARCA capable aircraft. F5M5 and later models came equipped standard with these modifications, allowing flexibility in the employment of the ARCA pod until its sunsetting in 2010 with the advent of more capable and miniaturized targeting pods and other sensors systems such as UAVs.
 ==Variants==
 ;F6M
-:Initial operational variant, first supplied to the Meridonian Navy in 1974. As initially supplied, it was almost purely an interceptor and air superiority aircraft, with marginal ground strike capability added through unguided bombs and rockets only. It was powered by Altern MG-410 afterburning turbofans, which proved unreliable and prone to compressor stalls especially at high AOAs. All F5M models were upgraded to F5M2 standard by 1983.
+:Initial production and operational variant, entering service with the Meridonian Navy in 1986. All variants serving with the Meridonian Armed Forces were upgraded to F6M2 standard by December of 2022.
 ;F6M2
-:Upgraded variant of the initial F5M2 variant addressing numerous concerns by the Navy and adding operational requirements for use by the Air Force. Wing vanes mounted in the glove box were permanently removed, and the addition of a second CRT display for navigation was included. Integration with civilian navigational sources including VOR and ILS were integrated for use, including a HUD approach mode. Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS) capability was added to this model. A total of 103 F5Ms were upgraded, and an additional 242 were produced to F5M2 standard.
+:Upgraded variant of the F6M2 featuring an upgraded cockpit configuration and avionics,an active electronically scanned radar replacing the previous mechanically-steered radar, and an infrared search/track sensor (IRST).
 ;E6M2 Backwave
-:Upgrade program conducted in the mid-late 1980s, its primary improvement was replacing the unreliable Altern MG-410 engines with Hollon FT80s, which themselves were a product of the failed Air Supremacy Initiative. Performance increases were substantial, allowing even a fully-loaded fighter to take off without the use of afterburner, a feat unmatched by any other model of naval fighter before or since. Integration was added for the TANDEM NAVLFIR system, including the employment of laser-guided bombs.
+:Dedicated electronic warfare variant designed in tandem with the F6M2 upgrade, produced as new built airframes.
 ==Operators==
 ===Current Operators===
 * {{flag|Meridon}}- 1,600 have been built for the [[Meridon Defense Forces]]. All variants have been upgraded to F6M2 standard.
+* [[File:Seuriaflagfix.jpg|20px]] '''Seuria'''- Approximately 300 of both F6M and F6M2 delivered.
+* [[File:Matsumaeflag.png|20px]] '''Matsumae'''- 60 F6M2 airframes.
+* {{flag|Svetvostok}}- 160 aircraft in operation in the Navy. Introduced after the collapse of the military regime.
 ==Specifications (F6M2)==

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