T-3WM Levantin
| T-3WM Levantin Sosnoupt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | multirole aircraft, air superiority aircraft, tactical attack aircraft |
| National origin | multinational |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Kyrasi Air Force |
| Number built | 12 (Military of Kyras) |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 2017–present |
| Introduction date | January 1st, 2017 |
| Developed from | T-2WM Sosnoupt |
The Levantin Sosnoupt, also known as the Levantin, Sosnoupt or LS for short, is a multinational family of fifth-generation supersonic, twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multi-role aircraft designed for mainly air superiority and tactical strike missions. Known colloquially as the "Srokkyr's big brother", the Levantin performs well in air-to-air combat, and its electronic warfare and intelligence capacities prove more than fit. The aircraft is manufactured by a consortium of Vivi Aerospace, KAE Systems and other Levantine defence companies that conducts the majority of the project through a joint holding company, Levantin Bucket. The Levantin, Srokkyr, and Vofesip Management Agency (LSVMA) manages the project and is the prime customer.
The aircraft's development effectively began in 1983 with the Future Levantin Fighter Aircraft programme, a multicorporational collaboration among several Levantine defence companies. Previously, Vivi Aerospace and KAE Systems had jointly developed and deployed the Vofesip and desired to collaborate on a new project, with additional help from other Levantine companies. However, disagreements over design authority and operational requirements led the company Abarc Abdallah to leave the consortium to develop the Srokkyr independently. Both aircraft serve in the Kyrasi military anyways. A technology demonstration aircraft, the KAE Experimental, first flew on 6 August 1986. Then a Levantin prototype made its maiden flight on 27 March 1994. After two phases of development, it has reached its current form.
Later production aircraft have been increasingly better equipped to undertake air-to-surface strike missions and to be compatible with an increasing number of different armaments and equipment, including Storm Shadow, Brimstone and Marte ER missiles. The Levantin had its combat debut during the 1983 Sansanut insurgency, in which several jihadist militant groups began harassing and abusing the local population, with the Kyrasi Air Force performing aerial reconnaissance and ground-strike missions. It now serves in the Kyrasi and Kanaanite militaries.
Name
The first part of the name is named after the region, Levantin. The second part comes from the Kyrasian words sos and noupt which mean 'brave' and 'wasp' respectively, combining to mean Brave Wasp or Bravewasp. There was a slight disagreement on the aircraft's name; the two proposals were Levantin and Sosnoupt, so they were put together.