Altomare C.11 Spettro

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Athar L-9 Espirito
AtharL9.jpg
Role Air superiority, Multirole combat aircraft
National origin  Temuair
Manufacturer Athar Aviation
First flight May 11, 1999
Introduction November 21, 2010
Status In service
Primary user Imperial Air Force of Temuair

The Athar L-9 Espirito is a single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft built by Athar Aviation for the Imperial Air Force of Temuair. it is set to replace the L/A-3 Sombra stealth aircraft currently in service.

History and development

In 1989, following the success of the Athar A-3 Sombra during Operation Firefly, the Imperial Air Force submitted a request to Athar Aviation to design and produce a multirole tactical fighter aircraft with an emphasis on air combat utilizing similar stealth technologies. In early 1990, Athar Aviation approached the Imperial Air Force with upgraded version of the A-3 aircraft, utilizing newer engines which would give the aircraft afterburning capability, a new and improved ground-attack radar with air to air capability and a larger weapons bay capable of carrying air-to-air missiles, including the Areiva Dardo III, Dardo IV and Frecha missiles, as well as redesigned stabilators and a “double-slotted” trailing edge, granting the aircraft greater handling characteristics than the current production A-3, along with a redesigned cockpit and elevators, and a reduction in wing sweep from 50 degrees to 42 degrees. This design was accepted by the Imperial Air Force in 1994, with 36 aircraft ordered to replace existing Athar A=3 aircraft. A purchase order of 144 additional aircraft was canceled in early 1995 by Coronel Xeneral Abilio Alejandro, then Sky Marshal of the Imperial Air Force, stating that the L/A-3 did not meet the original proposal issued in 1989, and was not suitable for future combat engagements, and that the Imperial Air Force should instead be focusing on an air superiority oriented aircraft utilizing stealth characteristics. Abilio reissued a proposal in 1995 which required a newly designed aircraft to make use of composite materials and lightweight alloys, stealth technology, and demonstrate the ability for supercruise operation while being able to operate from runways no longer than 2,000 feet in length. In 1997, Athar Aviation proposed the initial design for the Athar L-9 and in 1999 the first prototype aircraft, designated X-198910 and often nicknamed Abilio's Angel, flew for the first time from Adrall Field. The 21 minute initial test flight ended in near disaster when test pilot Marta Castrillo was forced to eject from the aircraft. Aircraft X-198910 crashed into a field approximately 97 miles southwest of Adrall Field. A team of engineers and security personnel were sent to remove the wreckage and testified that the plane had almost completely disintegrated. Castrillo noted that the aircraft was extremely difficult to control an that the computer compensation device, designed to make minute adjustments in flight to allow the pilot to more easily control the aircraft, did not seem to function at all.

Athar Aviation returned with a newly designed prototype , the X-199580, in 2003. The aircraft's basic shape had been changed significantly diamond-shaped wing configuration, a profile with substantial area-ruling to reduce aerodynamic drag at transonic speeds, and an all-moving V-tail. All of these modifications were believed to significantly increase the aircraft stability in flight. In regard to the compensation device, Athar brought in several members of the original design team for the Athar A-3's computer-aided system, and a new program was developed which would provide better computer-aided control to the pilot. During the redesign phase, the Imperial Air Force increased the runway operation length from 2,000 feet to 3,000, thereby allowing Athar to remove the aircraft's thrust reversers and reduce the size of the engine nacelle housings, thereby saving weight and allowing for a more aerodynamic design. X-199580, with Marta Castrillo piloting, took off from Ardall Field on March 30th, 2005. The second test flight lasted for 121 minutes and was generally successful. The design as accepted by the Imperial Air Force after further testing, including suitability testing against both ground and air launched missiles, as well as cannon fire from aircraft and ground based systems. In 2009, the Imperial Air Force ordered an initial 36 aircraft, the first of which arrived in January of 2010.

Although initial the L-9 was considered to replace both the Athar L-5H Víbora and newer Athar L-7 Jararaca, its extremely limited air to ground and multi-mission capability forced the Imperial Air Force to reconsider this. As such, it is very likely that the L-9 will serve alongside the L-5H and the L-7 well into the future.

Operational history

72 L-9 aircraft have been delivered as of January 1, 2019. The 32nd Tactical Fighter Wing was activated in January of 2010, just prior to the first deliver of L-9 aircraft. The 15th Tactical Fighter Wing was one of two wings selected to receive the first 72 new L-9 aircraft. All aircraft for the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing were delivered by June of 2013. At the beginning of 2014, the Imperial Air Force ordered a temporary halt in deliveries of the Athar L-9, due to issues regarding the activation of the second selected formation; the 32nd Tactical Fighter Wing.

In November of 2016, with the 32nd Tactical Fighter Wing still not formally activated, the Imperial Air Force ordered that the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing received the next 36 L-9 aircraft to replace their less capable L/A-3 Sombra aircraft. Deliverers of these aircraft began in March of 2017 and were completed by December of 2018.

In February of 2019. the 32nd Tactical Fighter Wing was formally activated by the Imperial Air Force, and orders for an additional 36 Athar L-9 aircraft were placed that same month. The first 12 aircraft are expected for delivery no later than August of 2019, with deliveries completed by November of 2020, bringing the total number of Athar L-9 aircraft in service to 108. The Imperial Air Force expects to have a total of 216 aircraft in service by 2025.

Variants

  • L-9: Production variant
  • L-9A: A planned tandem seat production for training and strike missions. Due to the L-9's poor multi-mission performance, this version was not ordered into production.

Operators

Specifications

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

  • 1 × 30 mm Srad CDR-30/1 cannon
  • Air-to-air mission loadout:
  • Air-to-ground mission loadout:
    • 2 × 450 kg (1,000 lbs) BG-450/97 or 8 × BG-96/06 guided bombs
    • 2 × Frecha II medium-range air-to-air missiles
    • 2 × Dardo IV short-range air-to-air missiles
  • 4× under-wing pylon stations can be fitted to carry drop tanks or weapons, each with a capacity of 5,000 lb (2,270 kg). However, if mounted, external hardpoints will compromise the stealth of the fighter.

Avionics
Graymayre-400 active electronically scanned array radar

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

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