TC-14

TC-14
Role	Amphibious anti-submarine seaplane
National origin	Zacapican
Manufacturer	Cuauhquetztia
Designer	Micol Aketzalli (NTT 97)
First flight	17 September 1977
Status	In service
Number built	221

The TC-14 Amiztli is an Zacapine anti-submarine aircraft in service with the Zacapine Navy. It is notable for its unorthodox design created by the Zacapine aeronautic engineer Micol Aketzalli, head of the Zacapine ekranoplan research bureau designated NTT 97. The TC-14 is primarily intended to operate within the ground effect above land and especially over the surface of the ocean. While in the ground effect, the TC-14 can reach speeds in excess of 750 kilometers per hour, cruise at 650 km/h and carry a payload of more than 20,000 kilograms. Unlike other Zacapine surface glider designs, it is also capabale of conventional flight outside of the ground effect albeit with reduced speed and range with a service cieling of roughly 8,000 meters (26,000 ft). The main feature of surface gliders, and the principal advantage of the TC-14 design created by Aketzalli is the capability to carry a heavy payload comparable to that of a ship at speeds competing with those of aircraft due to the aerodynamic advantages of traveling within the ground effect. The TC-14 was the first military surface glider design and the first ground effect vehicle to reach wider success, demonstrating the viability of such a craft and the ambitious prosals of Micol Aketzalli for other uses to the engineering teams of the NTT program and proving the viability of the NTT 97 design bureau.

Design

The design of the TC-14 consists of a cental fuselage connected to two large pontoon structures on either side by large airfoils inside of which are mounted a series of downward facing turbofan engines to allow the craft to take off vertically, while forward propulsion is allocated to just two jet engines mounted on top of fuselage at the rear of the craft. Thanks to additional lift and reduced drag experienced in the ground effect, this would be more that sufficient to propell the large craft at high speeds. The design would lack landing gear, using its pontoons to land on water, marsh, sand, snow or other soft ground surfaces, and utilize its vertical take-off capabilities to operate without a runway or the equivalent aquatic take-off run required by conventional seaplanes. The final weaponized model would be equipped with depth charges, mines, aircraft torpedoes and would also be capable of carrying a payload of conventional aircraft bombs. To detect the advanced submarines that would be its primary targets, it is equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector, deployable sonobuoys, and an advaned trailing dipped hydrophone.

Development

Micol Aketzalli was a strong proponent of the potential of surface glider vehicles since his graduation from Tzopilopan Polytechnic Institute in 1967, but was unable to secure any interest to help develop his concept initially. This changed in 1969 when Aketzalli had entered into service in NTT 99 and gained experience working on amphibious aircraft, which proved valuable in the development of a credible ekranoplan concept. The TC-14 was considered an enormous gamble for Zacapine industry due to the significant jump in the technological manufacturing capabilities that its design would require, including computerized fly-by-wire controls necessary to operate its VTOL system, the complex turbofan engines, and the general unorthodoxy of the revolutionary design which would require extensive development and testing. However, Aketzalli would recieve the resources he needed when naval representatives were impressed with Aketzalli's ekranoplan concepts and pressured the NTT adminsitration to enstate him as the director of the NTT 97 research division which would specialize in ekranoplan development under Aketzalli's direction. Many in the NTT program were personally seceptical of Aketzalli receiving a directorship at a young age, particularly after he revealed to them several plans far more ambitious than his state proposals, including a plan to develop much larger designs such as a truely colossal surface glider that could serve as airborne aircraft carriers that could travel at three or four times the speed of contemporary warships. Aketzalli's personal vices would also play a role in his perception by many in his own team, yet his enthusiasm and charisma paired with his skill as an aeronautic engineer would prove a powerful combination in appeasing his superiors and the naval personnel he met with.

Development began in 1972 and would last until the final prototype was presented to the Zacapine Navy for trials in 1977. While the main engines for forward propulsion were simple modifications of existing turbofan designs for jet airliners, difficulties were encountered almost immediately with the VTOL turbofan engines which the NTT engineers of his unit were not experienced in designing or building. Aketzalli brought in tecnical assistance from an earlier collaborator on the Itz-31 project and Aketzalli's former boss, Tochin Itzcoyotl, in an effort to resolve these issues. Issues were also encountered with the pontoons, which were originally intended to be inflatable using the exhaust from the turbofan engines and used to optionally land on water while the original design would be equipped with landing gear. The landing gear would later be scrapped and the design would go ahead relying only on its pontoons for landing and take-off.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Length: 25.97 m (85 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 30 m (98 ft 5 in)
• Height: 6.79 m (22 ft 3 in)
• Wing area: 217.79 m² (2,344.3 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 24,000 kg (52,911 lb)
• Gross weight: 52,000 kg (114,640 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Zoqoloh F19 turbofan engines, 67 kN (15,000 lbf) thrust each (Cruise)
• Powerplant: 12 × Ihuiloxi X99 S1 turbofan engines, 43 kN (9,700 lbf) thrust each (VTOL)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 775 km/h (482 mph; 418 kn)
• Cruise speed: 650 km/h (404 mph; 351 kn)
• Range: 2,500 km (1,553 mi; 1,350 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,000 ft)

Zacapine aircraft