Celaeno

Celaeno
A Celaeno in flight.
Role	Fighter/Bomber
National origin	Syara
First flight	1993
Introduction	1995
Status	In service
Primary user	Commonality Air Force
Number built	1,300+

The Celaeno is a Syaran supersonic, single-engine, multi-role fighter/ground attack aircraft.

The Celaeno was originally planned in 1982 by the Republic of Syara as a replacement for the Erinys to serve as a light, mulit-role fighter that could take over a variety of missions and leave Syara's fleet of Nephele fighter/interceptors free to engage in conducting air superiority operations. The dissolution of the Republic during the Refusal War put these plans on hold, and the Celaeno was nearly scrapped. In the aftermath of the founding of the Commonality however the Commonality Air Force expressed a desire to revisit the concept. The Celaeno was reborn starting in 1992 and proceeded quickly due to the work already done by the Syaran Army Air Corps. The Celaeno's first flight was in 1993, and the aircraft entered service two years later in 1995.

The Celaeno's role as a fighter/bomber came into prominence during the Zemplen War, where the cheap, multi-role aircraft was pressed into a variety of functions during the war. The Celaeno was the most common Syaran fighter during the conflict and played a major role in virtually every major operation. A total of 146 were shot down over the course of the war, the most of any fighter aircraft. After the war the Celaeno underwent various upgrades to capitalize on experience and knowledge gained. The Celaeno is expected to serve until the 2030s.