Tlo-35

Tlo-35 Skua
Role	Fighter
Manufacturer	Cuauhquetztia
Designer	NTT 144
First flight	1984
Introduction	1985
Status	In service
Primary user	Zacapican
Produced	367
Developed from	Tlo-26

The Tlo-35 Skua is a supersonic vertical takeoff and landing fleet defense fighter aircraft in service with the Naval Aviation Corps of the Zacapine Navy. It was designed by the renowned NTT-144 design unit at the behest of the Admiralty. While it was being produced, the Tlo-35s were built at the Cuauhquetztia aircraft plant in Tecolotlan in the Zacaco Republic, Zacapican. It is slated to be replaced by the Tlo-55 next generation fighter currently under development. As with other Zacapine VTOL aircraft such as the Tlo-26 or the Itz-31, the primary function of the Tlo-35 is to preform a variety of missions launched from aircraft carriers of the Zacapine Navy, particularly the smaller Mizyaotl and Cuitzeo class carriers which are incapable of launching non-VTOL/STOVL aircraft such as the larger and more modern Tlo-45. Together with the Tlo-45, the Tlo-35 forms the core of Zacapine carrier aviation and by extension is an important component of Zacapine naval power.

Development

The advent of jet aircraft in the 1940s and 50s left the Zacapine Navy with a developing problem of a technical nature. The newer and more powerful jet fighters and bomber aircraft of the era required much longer runways to take off and land compared to their propeller-driven antecedents, pushing the Navy to develop larger and larger aircraft carriers in order in order to continue to field the newest and most capable combat aircraft. However, these ships were large and expensive and could not be pushed into service across the wide variety of roles that the smaller, more numerous aircraft carriers of earlier years had been. Smaller classes of carrier were drafted up to serve as escorts and auxiliaries for the Navy's carrier groups, but these could only operate rotary-wing aircraft which lacked the range and speed of jet aircraft. The Navy desperately needed a jet fighter aircraft capable of being launched and recovered from the decks of these light helicopter carriers, and so the NTT design units were put to the task. NTT 144 alone had two different design teams working on three models of STOVL and VTOL jet fighters, and would eventually produce the Tlo-26 VTOL naval fighter which first flew in 1971.

The Tlo-26 had a variety of performance issues which had come up during its development. Its most significant shortcoming was the engineering unit's failure in developing a solution to the problems it would have faced in supersonic flight, leading to the Tlo-26 being relegated to sub-sonic speeds of Mach 0.95 just below the sound barrier. It was also limited in its carrying capabilities, with a lower maximum takeoff weight which would limit the amount of additional weapons and fuel it would be able to carry on missions. The Tlo-26 was a fully operational domestic VTOL fighter aircraft able to fill most of the Naval Aviation Corps requirements, and was an important feat of engineering and milestone in the development of Zacapine aviation. Nevertheless, its many shortcomings highlighted the necessity to improve upon the Tlo-26, taking the lessons of its design process and creating a more capable aircraft in the same role.

Project 40, as the developmental Tlo-35 was known in internal documents of NTT 144, was based directly in the Tlo-26 design with the main objectives of the engineers being to modernize and improve upon the existing design in many significant ways. Project 40 would use the same arrangement of engines the Tlo-26 used for VTOL, employing a pair of dedicated lifting turbofans set in the central fuselage as well as a single tilt-turbojet main engine just behind the center of gravity similar to the Tlo-26s twin rear engines which could vector its thrust downward to assist in VTOL flight. The complexities of this system would take up the bulk of the development time and tie up the the most skilled NTT 144 engineers for years.

Design

The Tlo-35 has three engines used for its VTOL flight mode, consisting of 2 AT-20 titanium-frame vertical turbojets located behind the cockpit and 1 Nececetililiztli N-300 thrust vectoring turbofan main engine. The AT-20 thruster jets are installed just behind the cockpit at a near-vertical angle, taking in air through a number of spring-operated dorsal flaps and venting exhaust through a ventral door. The main N-300 turbofan would be able to switch between VTOL and conventional flight modes from its mounting between the booms supporting the twin-finned tail. Like most modern Zacapine high performance aircraft, a large part of its airframe is made from titanium and advanced composites to reduce weight and improve the physical characteristics of the aircraft such as heat management. Even so, the Tlo-35 is limited to just over 2 minutes of hovering time in VTOL mode because of heat buildup stemming from the use of the AT-20 jets. This was not considered to be a major problem during the design phase as it would still be able to preform take off and landing in VTOL mode, but it has presented problems during the Tlo-35's service history as it often strains the pilots during delicate VTOL maneuvering.

Because of the inherent danger and potential for accidents while in VTOL mode, the ejection seat for the pilot would be automatically armed when VTOL flight was initiated at low airspeed. The Tlo-35 cockpit offered no rear view because of the obstruction of the AT-20 intakes and elevated spine of the fuselage. The avionics suite in the cockpit was very advanced for its time, but became obsolete in the late 1990s. A number of targeting systems would be added and upgraded in the 2003 modernization of the Tlo-35 fleet. The 2003 upgrade also included a modernized heads-up display and missile guidance system integrated in the pilot's helmet.

Specifications

3Dimensional view

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 18 m (59 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 10.105 m (33 ft 2 in)
• Height: 5 m (16 ft 5 in)
• Wing area: 31 m² (330 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 11,500 kg (25,353 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 20,000 kg (44,092 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Nececetililiztli N-300 afterburning vectoring-nozzle turbofan, 110 kN (25,000 lbf) thrust dry, 155 kN (35,000 lbf) with afterburner
• Powerplant: 2 × AT-20 turbojets, 42 kN (9,400 lbf) thrust each mounted 5 degrees offset from vertical

Performance

• Maximum speed: 1,800 km/h (1,118 mph; 972 kn)
• Range: 2,100 km (1,305 mi; 1,134 nmi)
• Ferry range: 3,000 km (1,864 mi; 1,620 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,900 ft)
• Rate of climb: 250 m/s (49,000 ft/min)

Armament

• Guns: 1 × 30 mm cannon with 120 rounds
• Hardpoints: 4 underwing and 1 fuselage hardpoints with a capacity of 2,600 kg (5,733 lb) of external stores,with provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Missiles: T-77 air-to-air missiles, T-73 AAMs, T-37 AAMs, and TlaT air-launched cruise missiles

Avionics
PESA radar with 400 km range