Dassault Fencer
| Fencer (Escrimeur) | |
|---|---|
| File:FencerDassault.png | |
| Role | Interceptor and air superiority fighter |
| Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation |
| Designer | Dassault Aviation |
| First flight | 2011 |
| Introduction | 2018 |
| Status | In-Service |
| Primary user | Sieuxerrian Air Force |
| Number built | 18+5 prototypes |
| Unit cost |
$125,000,000
|
The Dassault Fencer (Escrimeur) is a Sieuxerrian-designed 5th generation air superiority and interception aircraft.
Development
As the final preparations for the acceptance and mass production of the Rafale were underway, a commission on the development of the next generation of fighter aircraft after the Rafale was created by the Sieuxerrian Air Force. This was spurred on by intelligence reports of the OS Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft in 1986, which was reported to be an air superiority fighter by initial misunderstandings of its design. The Navy would create its own commission in 1988, a year after the air force would do so. The two programs would be unified in 1992 as the Next Generation Fighter Jet Program (Programme de Avion de Chasse de Nouvelle Génération, PACNG).
The program began but did not receive much attention until the first prototype designs from the Organized States' Advanced Tactical Fighter competition were unveiled and flew by the early 1990s. These new aircraft, which promised a number of very advanced technologies caused great distress in the air force and navy air arm, who until that point had enjoyed considerable parity with OS in terms of fighter aircraft technology.
The newly merged and renamed program, PACNG, began to work along with Dassault in the development of a new 5th generation fighter. The program slowly moved on, plagued with a number of financial problems as funding placed mostly into production of the new Rafale fleet and modernization of the Mirage 4000 fleet. A flying prototype would be produced in 2010 and flew in 2011. Five more pre-production aircraft would be produced and would accumulate thousands of flight hours. They would have a number of differences and modifications done to them during the development. One would crash in 2015, with the pilot surviving.
Design
Opposed to the F-22, the Fencer uses a mixture of radar-absorbent material and non-metal materials such as composites and kevlar to minimize its' radar cross section. It is reported to have a RCS (radar cross section) that comparable to the F-35 or F-117 from the frontal aspect, as the majority of its RAM is located at the front of the craft. However the RCS will increase when the aircraft is scanned by radars at different angels and perspectives due to the changing dimensions of the craft and changing materials. To an extent, it can be related to the F-15SE 'Silent Eagle' due to its emphasis on frontal limited radar detection.
It is equipped with two large three dimensional thrust-vectoring engines, SNECMA M3000s, capable of generating upwards of 113kN (25,500lbf) to 165kN (37,000lbf) thrust. The later number is done so only in afterburner. These two engines allow the Fencer to have a max speed of Mach 2.2+ and a supercruise speed of Mach 1.8 with internal weaponry.
Its weaponry is stored in internal bays and the aircraft has three of these. Two are located under each of the air intakes and fold open and are able to hold 2~4 MICA air-to-air missiles. The third bay is located between the intakes and can carry upto six Meteor long-range air-breathing air-to-air missiles. A GIAT 30mm gun with 125 rounds of ammunition is located on the right side of the pilot and has a retractable hatch that opens up when fired.