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RSW-285 Cormorant
RTS-225 Cronus.png
Dorsal diagram of the RSW-280 Cormorant family.
Role Carrier onboard delivery/Carrier support aircraft
National origin  Carthage
Manufacturer Bissau Corporation
Designer Bissau Corporation
First flight 2008
Introduction 2014
Status In service
Primary user Punic Navy
Produced 2011-present
Number built 468
Unit cost
NSD$70 million (flyaway cost, (FY2019))

The Bissau RSW-285 Cormorant is a family of twin-engine, high-wing multi-role aircraft designed to support Carthaginian aircraft carriers in the carrier onboard delivery, airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), and maritime patrol roles. The Cormorant family was developed in the 2000s to 2010s to replace the previous and increasingly obsolete Type-66 Gull family of aircraft with a more modern and more capable platform.

The first RSW-285 Cormorant prototype flew in 2008 and entered production in 2011, with the REC-285 Cormorant AEW&C following two years later and the RMP-285 Cormorant following an additional year later. At current production rates, the Cormorant platform is expected to fully replace the remaining Gulls by 2028.

Development

Design

The RSW-285 is a high-wing aircraft powered by two Elissa-Arishat TE-290-60N high-bypass turbofans producing up to 60 kN (13,500 lbf) of thrust. As a carrier-based aircraft, the RSW-285 is equipped with a tail hook for recovery and the nose gear can be attached to a catapult shuttle for takeoff. The outer wings are capable of folding in order to reduce the aircraft's deck space requirements. All variants require a flight crew composed of a pilot and copilot and may embark additional mission crew depending on configuration. Two fully plumbed pylons are installed outboard of the engines in all variants, which are normally used for auxiliary fuel tanks.

Unlike the previous Type-66E Gull AEW&C, the REC-285 Cormorant AEW&C variant uses conformal radar arrays to eliminate the need for a large rotodome and the accompanying drag. The forward arrays are mounted behind the leading edges of the wing under aerodynamic fairings while the rear-facing array is mounted in the horizontal stabilizer. Additional sensor and communications equipment is housed in pods on the vertical stabilizers, wing tips, and on the underside of the fuselage. In addition to the AEW&C mission undertaken by the Gull AEW&C, the Cormorant AEW&C has expanded capabilities for cooperative engagement, including more advanced communications capabilities and networked fire control for different elements of the battlegroup.

The RMP-285 is equipped with a fuselage-mounted surface search radar, a forward-looking infrared camera in the nose, and a electronic support measures (ESM) emitter-location system in order to detect ships and submarines. It also has two additional external hardpoints located on the folding wings as well as an internal bomb bay capable of carrying up to 3,200 kg (7,100 lb) of ordnance. The Cormorant MPA/ASW is also capable of carrying and deploying up to 64 sonobuoys, but due to changes in mission profile it lacks the magnetic anomaly detector found in the Type-66S Gull ASW.

Variants

RSW-285 Cormorant COD

Carrier onboard delivery variant with room for up to 32 passengers or 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) of cargo. Under normal circumstances, aircraft are configured for a mix of passengers and cargo.

REC-285 Cormorant AEW&C

Airborne early warning and control variant equipped with a conformal AESA radar, IFF interrogator, and communications relays. A mission crew of four operators is required to operate all systems, and additional jump seats are available for relief crews.

RMP-285 Cormorant MPA/ASW

Maritime patrol and anti-submarine variant equipped with surface search radar, forward-looking infrared, sonobuoys, an internal bomb bay, and additional external hardpoints for anti-submarine and anti-ship weapons. A mission crew of four operators is required to operate all systems, and additional jump seats are available for relief crews.

Specifications (RSW-285 Cormorant)

General Characteristics

  • Crew: 2 flight crew
    • RSW-280 Cormorant: 2 loadmasters
    • REC-285 Cormorant AEW&C: 4 mission crew
    • RMP-285 Cormorant MPA/ASW: 4 mission crew
  • Capacity:
    • Up to 32 passengers or 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) of cargo
  • Length: 17.91 m (58.8 ft)
  • Wingspan: 25.61 m (84.0 ft) (extended); 10.18 m (33.4 ft) (folded)
  • Height: 4.84 m (15.9 ft)
  • Wing area: 654 m2 (7,040 sq ft)
  • Empty Weight: 16,370 kg (36,090 lb)
  • Loaded Weight: 24,195 kg (53,341 lb)
  • Max Takeoff Weight: 31,670 kg (69,820 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 x Elissa-Arishat TE-290-60N high-bypass turbofans, 60 kN (13,500 lbf) each
  • Fuel Capacity: 19,500 liters (5,200 U.S. gal)

Performance

  • Maximum Speed: Mach 0.84 (481 kn, 553 mph, 890 km/h)
  • Cruise Speed: Mach 0.82 (469 kn, 539 mph, 868 km/h)
  • Range: 1,700 nmi (3,100 km) with a 6,000 kg (13,000 lb) payload
  • Service Ceiling: 12,000 m (39,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 26 m/s
  • Wing Loading: 340 kg/m2 (72 lb/ft2)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, type, and era

Break

RBS-235 Falarica
RBS 235 Falarica.png
Dorsal diagram of the RBS-235 Falarica.
Role Supersonic strategic bomber
National origin  Carthage
Manufacturer Special Project Team 𐤑 (Tsade)
Designer Air Forces Research Laboratory
First flight 2013
Introduction 2018
Status In service
Primary user Carthage Air Forces
Produced 2016-present
Number built 88
Unit cost
NSD$950 million (flyaway cost, (FY2022))

The Air Forces Research Laboratory RBS-235 Falarica is a Carthaginian supersonic heavy bomber designed to penetrate advanced anti-aircraft defenses. It is designed around the strategic nuclear strike role but has also been certified to deploy a range of conventional weapons in a tactical role. It is the only supersonic heavy bomber in the Carthage Air Forces fleet, serving alongside the subsonic RBL-230 Condor and RBM-233 Phantom.

Development for the RBS-235 began in 2003 under Special Requirement 01-432A as a replacement for the RBS-231 Super Merlin, of which the last bomber variants had been retired in 1993. Due to the significant engineering and maintenance challenges faced by the RBS-231 fleet in order to maintain its designed maximum speeds above Mach 3, the design requirements for the RBS-235 were relaxed to a maximum speed of Mach 2.8 and a cruise speed of Mach 2.2, with much greater emphasis on a low observable design and electronic countermeasures to compensate for the reduction in survivability due to the lower speed. The development of the RBS-235 was one of the largest black projects in Carthaginian history and the existence of the program was not officially confirmed to the public until 2017, over a year after the first aircraft had started flight testing.

The complexity of the design requirements led to several years of delays and escalating costs, though procurement under the Critical Defense Program authority of the National Defense Procurement Act shielded the program from certain levels of legislative oversight until after the program was announced to the public. Initially planned to enter service in 2015, cumulative delays pushed its entry date back to 2018, and program development costs increased from $49 billion to $62 billion, with flyaway costs increasing from $750 million to $950 million. The final appearance of the aircraft was unveiled to the public on June 3, 2018, the same date the aircraft entered service.

The RBS-235 is capable of all-weather operations with an unrefueled range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) on internal fuel and a service ceiling above 27,000 meters (89,000 ft). It entered service in 2018 and 88 aircraft have been produced to date out of a planned production run of 440. Though capable of conventional strike missions, the RBS-235 has not been deployed to active combat as of 2022 due to the extremely sensitive nature of its design.

Development

Design

Engines

The RBS-235 is powered by four Cordoba Turbomechanics TJC-300-260S afterburning turbojets, each providing 220 kN (50,000 lbf) thrust dry and 260 kN (58,450 lbf) with afterburner. The TJC-300-260S is a new engine designed specifically for the RBS-235 and optimized for supersonic flight, with maximum efficiency reached at a cruising speed of Mach 2.2. The four engines are capable of maintaining speeds of up to Mach 2.4 without the use of afterburners, which are only used when accelerating through the transonic and lower supersonic regimes up to approximately Mach 1.7 and when sprinting above Mach 2.4.

The engines are mounted in pairs within the fuselage and each pair is fed by a top-mounted intake with an advanced inlet control system to slow incoming air to subsonic speeds and regulate distortion to prevent engine surge. The use of top-mounted inlets was influenced by the desire to limit the radar and infrared signature to ground-based sensors. The integrated propulsion management system is responsible for monitoring and controlling both the intakes and the engines to maintain desired thrust and respond to engine emergencies. Exhaust is channeled through a pair of troughs lined with heat-ablating ceramic tiles to reduce infrared visibility from below.

Due to the high operating altitude and use of fuel in the active cooling system, the engines are fed with a special variant of the common SFT-08 jet fuel, STF-08SP2. This variant has improved low temperature and high temperature stability and is less expensive than the unique SFT-06A used in the RBS-231 for similar purposes. Similar to other supersonic and stealth aircraft, trim is controlled through the movement of fuel within the internal tanks to adjust the center of gravity and eliminate the need for aerodynamic trim tabs. Like most large Carthaginian military aircraft, the RBS-235 is capable of aerial refueling using the flying boom system.

Armament

The RBS-235 has five internal weapons bays, consisting of four large bays for ground attack ordnance and a single smaller bay designed for self-defense air-to-air missiles. The four primary bays can collectively carry up to 45,000 kilograms (99,000 lb) of ordnance using either rotary launchers or bomb racks. Due to the demands of low observability and high speed flight, the RGB-235 does not have any external hardpoints.

From the outset, the RGB-235 was designed around the use of the existing SMN-802 Alpinia and the in-development SMN-804 Lycoris nuclear missiles as its primary armament, enabling standoff attacks on targets without the need for overflight. The new Mark 18 rotary launcher was developed to fit the larger bomb bays of the RBS-235, carrying up to ten SMN-802s or -804s per launcher for a total of up to 40 missiles per sortie, compared to eight missiles per launcher and a total of 24 missiles in the largest previous bombers.

Despite a focus on the nuclear mission, provisions were made during the development process for the use of conventional weapons, to be qualified for use at a later date.

Life support

The four crewmembers are seated in a sealed pod accessible from below the aircraft while on the ground. Unlike the RBS-231, the RBS-235's crew pod is pressurized to an altitude of 2,800 meters (9,200 ft), which allows the crew to safely open their suit visors in order to eat, drink, or rest. Despite the lower cabin altitude, all crewmembers are still required to wear pressure suits similar to other high altitude aircraft to protect them in the event of a depressurization event. The current Mark VI suit designed for use with the RBS-235 has a lower weight and more ergonomic design than previous generations. The crew cabin is actively cooled to maintain comfortable working temperatures despite the high surface temperatures due to drag at supersonic speeds.

Due to the high speed and altitude, the entire crew pod is designed to eject from the aircraft in an emergency, powered by a series of rockets and equipped with a series of large parachutes for landing. The capsule is also capable of floatation and serving as a life raft during a water landing.

Specifications

General Characteristics

  • Crew: 4 (pilot, co-pilot, offensive systems officer, defensive systems officer)
  • Length: 56.48 m (185.3 ft)
  • Wingspan: 55.06 m (180.6 ft)
  • Height: 12.4 m (41 ft)
  • Wing area: 402 m2 (4,330 sq ft)
  • Empty Weight: 100,000 kg (220,000 lb)
  • Loaded Weight: 220,000 kg (490,000 lb)
  • Max Takeoff Weight: 295,000 kg (650,000 lb)
  • Powerplant: 4 x Cordoba Turbomechanics TJC-300-260S afterburning turbojets, 220 kN (50,000 lbf) thrust each dry, 260 kN (58,450 lbf) with afterburner
  • Fuel Capacity: 145,000 liters (38,000 U.S. gal)

Performance

  • Maximum Speed: Mach 2.8 (1,600 kn, 1,900 mph, 3,000 km/h)
  • Cruise Speed: Mach 2.2 (1,250 kn, 1,500 mph, 2,360 km/h)
  • Range: 8,000 nmi (15,000 km) with a 25,000 kg (55,000 lb) payload
  • Combat range: 4,600 nmi (8,500 km)
  • Service Ceiling: 27,000 m (89,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 30 m/s
  • Wing Loading: 700 kg/m2 (143 lb/ft2)
  • Thrust/weight: 0.48

Armament

  • Bombs: 4 internal bomb bays for 45,000 kilograms (99,000 lb) of ordnance
    • LGU-121X Red Magic series general purpose bombs
      • EGI-55X Hourai series multi-mode guided bomb kits
      • EGS-56X Mysterium series satellite guided bomb kits
    • LCU-1240 Starbow Break cluster munition delivery system
    • LGM-123X Stardust Reverie series glide bombs
    • LBU-122X Duplex Barrier series deep penetration bombs
    • SWR-787 Yakumo anti-ship missile
    • SMN-788 Sakuya cruise missile
    • SMN-802 Alpinia nuclear air-to-surface missile
    • SMN-804 Lycoris nuclear air-to-surface missile
    • LBN-910AM3 nuclear glide bomb
  • Self-defense: 1 internal weapons bay for up to 8 SAR-775 Nagisa air-to-air missiles

Avionics

  • Sensors
  • Electronic protection measures
    • AW/EWI-326 Four Seasons electronic defense suite
    • AE/EWA-327 Spring Dream electronic attack system
    • AW/EDS-562 Multipurpose Countermeasure Dispenser
  • Communications
    • AW/ENI-1702 Advanced Datalink System

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, type, and era

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