Altomare A.86 Ombra

Altomare A.86 Ombra
An Altomare A.86 Ombra strike aircraft of the 77° Stormo "Canaglia"
Role	Stealth attack aircraft
National origin	Luminerra
Manufacturer	Altomare Aviation
First flight	July 11, 1980
Introduction	December 19, 1986
Retired	January 2014
Status	Retired
Primary user	Lumenic Air Force
Produced	1986 - 1992
Number built	47, include combat loss replacements

The Altomare A.86 Ombra (Shadow) is a single seat, stealth attack aircraft designed and developed by Altomare Aviation for the Lumenic Air Force. The Altomare A.86 was the first operational aircraft to be designed around stealth technology developed in Luminerra, with design having begun as early as 1975. The Athar A.86 was intended to penetrate an enemies airspace undetected and conduct strikes against point targets such as surface-to-air missile and early warning radar installations, command and control facilities, bridges, power plants and other infrastructure.

History and development

In the 1960's, scientists from several nations released works indicating that the size of an aircraft's radar cross-section or RCA, the measure of how detectable an object is by radar, was actually more closely related to the edge configuration of that aircraft, and the material used in the construction of the aircraft, than its sheer size, as previously believed. The Royal Defense Research Agency conducted several experiments and determined that the radar cross-section of an aircraft could be determined by taking measurements across its wing surface and along its edge, thereby leading research agents to conclude that even a large aircraft could reduce its detectability by radar by exploiting this principle. The obvious flaw in this theory was that any aircraft built along these principals would have extremely unfavorable flight characteristics, being extremely aerodynamically unstable. The idea was shelved by the IDRA in 1966.

Advances in computer and microprocessing technology allowed the RDRA to take a second look at the design. By utilizing flight computers which would make micro adjustments continuously to the aircraft's flight profile, it was believed that an aerodynamically unstable aircraft utilizing radar detection minimizing edge designs could be made to fly. In addition, computer technology would be required to produce the unique design required the faceted shape made from 2-dimensional flat surfaces that would be required to render the A.86 "invisible" to radar. As more powerful computers, and later super computers, became available, designs with curvsed shapes would be possible, as seen on the Altomare C.11 Spettro air superiority fighter. In addition, the Lumenic Air Force also saw a need for an aircraft to evade surface-to-air missile attacks, would had proven deadly against bomber formations and even more agile fighter aircraft during the Omandan Continental War

The cockpit of an A.86 Ombra

In 1973, RDRA was given authorization by the Lumenic government to initiate a project to construct two aircraft utilizing stealth technologies, code named Luna Nera. Luna Nera was a black project, an ultra-secret program for much of its life: very few people knew the program even existed until a finished and operational A.86 was photographed by reporter Nevio Capito in 1987 and published in the Villel Centenario. RDRA contracted with Altomare Aviation and commissioned them to construct two small scale aircraft models utilizing stealth principals. Athar responded by taking several pieces of already existing technology, including engines and environmental systems, and the fly-by-wire control system of the Prévoyance-Scorza Albatros. The two models were completed by 1977 and delivered to RDRA. Both models were first flown on September 21, 1977, and both were lost during subsequent testing. However, though the models were destroyed, the data collected indicated that there was merit to the program, and the Lumenic Air Force agreed to proceed.

Having produced successful models, Athar was awarded the contract for what would become the A.86 in January of 1978. That same year, Altomare was allowed to take possession of Adrall Field, a former civilian airport that had been taken over by the Lumenic Air Force in 1955 as a testing range. Adrall Field was located about 110 miles from Illora Royal Air Force Base, which is located near the city of Villel in Sibari. Altomare brought in a team of consultants, including several mathematicians and computer scientists, and charged them with creating a computer program to design an airplane with flat panels, called facets, which were arranged so as to scatter the majority of radar emissions which strike it. It took 22 months to complete the program, and an additional 7 months to built the first operational A.86 aircraft, which received no official designation, and was referred to in internal communications as Project 92177. The resulting unusual design surprised and puzzled experienced pilots. According to a 1990 interview with Discorso Tecnico a popular Lumenic science magazine, Maggiore Alejo Herron, one of the first aviators to pilot the aircraft, stated "They brought us all into a classified conference and informed us we'd be transitioning aircraft, moving away from the I-36, I had heard about the new C.79's, so I assumed that's what they were going to give us. Then they showed us this picture of the Ombra and I started laughing, because I assumed the entire thing was some kind of joke. There was no way that thing could fly, I thought."

The new design was also one of the first Lumenic aircraft to utilize the Stella Nord satellite navigation system, as well as an improved version of the Capri Seguire inertial navigation and navigation/attack system first installed on the B.54. As with the prototypes, parts for other aircraft were used as often as possible to save costs. These parts were often invoiced as spares for existing aircraft to hide their true destination and intended use. Missions are coordinated by an automated planning system that can automatically perform all aspects of an attack mission, including weapons release. The AAB-900/84 laser-guided bomb was specially developed for the A.86's internal weapons bays. It was developed from the older AAB-925/76 guided bombs already in service. To decrease detectable emissions, no radar set was included in the design of the A.86, instead targets are acquired by a thermal imaging infrared system which is slaved to a laser designator that finds the range and designates targets for AAB-910/82. To reduce the aircraft's heat signature, especially from its exhaust plume, and protect it from both air and ground launched infrared homing missiles, the design of the A.86s tail pipe is a non-circular shape, often described as a a slit shape, to minimize the exhaust cross-sectional volume and maximize the mixing of hot exhaust with cool ambient air. The A.86 was designed without any afterburners, because the hot exhaust would increase the infrared signature, and breaking the sound barrier would produce an obvious sonic boom, as well as surface heating of the aircraft skin which also increases the infrared footprint. An afterburner, and the obvious drawbacks inherent with the decision, was considered unimportant in the case of this aircraft since it was designed for strike missions.

A.86 Ombra fighters of the 77° Stormo "Canaglia" circa 1999

In July of 1980, Project 92177 flew for the first time, taking off from Adrall Field on July 11th. The finished model was able to scatter nearly 99% of radar emissions that struck it, giving it an RCS of 0.003 m², the approximate radar return of a hummingbird. The test flight was timed so that no known enemy reconnaissance satellites would be operating in the airspace over Adrall Field.

The first production Athar A.86 was delivered to the 77° Stormo A total of 36 aircraft were built between 1986 and 1988. Prior to its declassification, the aircraft was not allowed to be flown during daylight hours, and were required to be kept in hardened shelters when not in operation. The images released by the reporter Nevio Capito show one aircraft in its redoubt, and a second one taxiing along a taxiway in broad daylight. This photograph led to an investigation of the 77° Stormo's commander, Colonnello Santos Degollado. He testified that the aircraft was being moved from one shelter to another after a small fire had erupted in the maintenance area in the former shelter, and that he felt it necessary to move the highly expensive aircraft away from the area before the fire or the fire fighting efforts could damage or destroy it. In 1989, he was charged with dereliction of duty and disobedience of orders, an offense he could have received a dishonorable discharge from Lumenic service for. He was convicted on the charge of disobedience, but acquitted on the charge of dereliction. The court martial judge, Capitano generale Fionnán Guajardo stated that the fire, deemed to be a danger to the aircraft, mitigated the circumstances of his disobedience to the point that a dishonorable discharge was uncalled for. Guajardo felt that Degollado had acted in the best way possible given the situation, and in a rare move, allowed that, while guilty of a crime, no sentence of punishment would be passed. It is widely believed that the Lumenic Air Force's decision to declassify the existence of the A.86 Ombra in mid-1988 influence this decision.

A ceremony was held Illora Royal Air Force Base in January 2014 to celebrate the aircraft's distinguished service history proceeding its retirement for active service. One aircraft was delivered to the Museum of Military Aviation in early 2016 and is currently on display. Another aircraft was stripped of useful parts and classified materials and has been placed on static display at Illora Royal Air Force Base. The remaining aircraft, unlike other decommissioned air frames, are being stored in several purpose built climate controlled hangers at Adrall Field. As of 2016, the 104° Stormo's The 11041° Squadrone Supporto Forza is headquartered at Ardall Field, and is responsible for the maintenance of the base and the A.86 aircraft that are stored there.  

Operational history

The first images captured of the A.86 Ombra and released to the public in 1987. The image was illegally captured by reporter Nevio Capito.

The existence of the A.86 Ombra was kept strictly classified even after it entered active duty service in 1986, with the Lumenic Air Force not publicly acknowledging its existence until 1988. The 77° Stormo was officially assigned to Illora Royal Air Force Base near the city of Villel in Sibari and equipped with Licanan Defense Industries M-33 aircraft. The unit was actually operating out of Adrall Field, a former civilian airport that had been taken over by the Lumenic Air Force in 1955 as a testing range. Adrall Field was located about 110 miles from Illora Royal Air Force Base, with most of the pilots from the 77° Stormo living either on base or in the nearby Villel metropolitan area. Because of this, personnel assigned to the wing had to be shuttled to and from the base, either by military transport aircraft or bus. In late 1986, the Lumenic Air Force constructed a small barracks facility at the base and mandated that one of the three squadrons of the 77° Stormo must remain at the base at all times, serving as an alert squadron.

Noting this strange activity, as well as decrease of activity of the 77° Stormo at Illora Royal Air Force Base, a reporter for the Villel Centenario, Nevio Capito, began inquiries. He was told by the 77° Stormo public relations office that members of the wing had been give a temporary duty assignment away from the base for advanced training. Capito determined this was false, however, after inquiring with friends and family of service members of the 77° Stormo, as well as asking around in entertainment establishments frequented by service members. During his investigation, Capito noted that he would often see several members of the unit in these establishment, who would this vanish for some time, only reappearing on weekends infrequently. However, he noted many of the units commanding officers were often frequently present within the city. Capito decided to follow one of the transport buses as it traversed between Illora and Adrall Field, and followed up to to a manned guard post proclaiming the area beyond was restricted to civilian traffic. Approaching the gate, he was ordered to turn away and return down the road he'd approached on by several members of the Lumenic Air Force's security forces. Further, Capito noted a marked Air Force security forces vehicle tailed him back to the main highway. Capito elected to travel on foot into the area, and was able to penetrate the bases perimeter fence without raising an alarm. Moving up a small raise, he was able to get a clear view of the distant flight line. He took several pictures of the distant aircraft before retreating and returning to Villel.

He published his story the following week, depicting the secret base and unknown aircraft he had seen operating at Adrall Field, describing them as "strange triangle shaped fighter jets". Capito was taken into custody by the Lumenic Royal Investigative Service the day after the story was released, and was handed over to the Air Force's Office of Criminal Investigation. He was charged with espionage and held at Zona Prison in Sparti. Further, there was no notification sent to his family or friends that he had been arrested. However, after a through investigation of Capito, his family and associates, the formal espionage charges were dropped in favor of charges of trespassing on government property and gathering, transmitting or losing defense information. He was tried under these charges in military court in July of 1988, and found guilty on both counts. He was sentenced to ten years and 6 months in prison, the maximum allowable sentence, and fined 150,000 Astrums . In addition, the Luemnic Convention on Military Authority and Justice requires that all information and monetary assets gained by the transfer or publication of classified materials be forfeit to the government. As such, all of the photographs taken by Capito at Adrall Field were confiscated by the Office of Criminal Investigation, and all pay accrued during his incarceration were incorporated into the fine imposed by the court. Capito was released from prison in 1994 after serving only 6 years, by order of King Lorenzo II, who stated that, though Capito's actions were ill-conceived and damaging to the national security of Luminerra, he did not act with malice or ill-intent. Though he was released from prison, Capito was still required to pay the 150,000 Leone fine.

The A.86 was first deployed operationally in 1986 during Operation Firefly against Soviet Order forces as Allied forces continued to advance against weakening Soviet positions in northern Omand. While the presence of stealth aircraft came as no surprise to Soviet Forces, as the Republic of Licana had been utilizing stealth aircraft such as the YI-42 against Soviet Order forces since the mid to late 1970's, Soviet forces we're caught unawares by the attck. The Licanan Air Force had they had only used its aircraft in an air superiority role, and Soviet intelligence had not learned that any stealth aircraft development roles were ongoing in any other allied nation.

The A.86 was used by the Lumenic Air Force to attack Soviet early warning radar installations, command and control facilities including brigade, divisional and corps level command posts, as well as bridges, power plants and other infrastructure to delay and disrupt Soviet reinforcements and logistical efforts. Though the aircraft were still vulnerable to both infrared homing missiles, such as the man portable 9K32 Strela-2 antiaircraft launcher as well several Soviet surface-to-air missile systems whose systems included backup infrared or optical guidance systems. In addition, Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles took a toll on A.86 aircraft. A total of 11 aircraft were lost between 1986 and 1993

Variants

• A.86: Initial production version
• X.88: Proposed carrier-based strike craft. Deemed to be infeasible and never developed.
• A.86A/CA.86: Multirole combat aircraft based on the A.86 design with larger internal weapons bays and air to air mission capability. None built

Operators

Former

• Luminerra
  • Lumenic Air Force - The 77° Stormo "Canaglia" operated the A.86 Ombra from 1986 until its retirement in 2014. The unit has since transitioned to the Scorza C.96 Squalo.

Specifications (A.86)

Schematic diagram and size comparison of Athar A-4 Sombra

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 65 ft 11 in (20.09 m)
• Wingspan: 43 ft 4 in (13.21 m)
• Height: 12 ft 9.5 in (3.90 m)
• Wing area: 780 ft² (72.5 m²)
• Empty weight: 29,500 lb (13,380 kg)
• Loaded weight: 52,500 lb (23,800 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Vaccari AE-4010 turbofans, 10,600 lbf (48.0 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 0.92 (617 mph, 993 km/h)
• Cruise speed: Mach 0.92
• Range: 930 nmi (1720 km)
• Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,716 m)
• Wing loading: 67.3 lb/ft² (329 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.40

Armament

• 2 × internal weapons bays with one hardpoint each for a total of two weapons totaling 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) of ordinance including
  • AAB-900/84 laser-guided bombs

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era