Songrim SR-8

The Songrim SR-8 is a twin-engine, all-weather multirole strike fighter based on the Glasic Iolar air superiority fighter. It is produced under license in Menghe by the Songrim Aviation Design Bureau, and has developed into a series of independent variants in a variety of roles. Over 400 airframes were produced between 1999 and 2019, making Menghe the second-largest operator of the Iolar family after Tír Glas.

Licensing and development

Import competition

The Menghean Ministry of National Defense began examining candidates for a twin-engine heavyweight fighter in the early 1990s, seeking a platform that would fit between the DS-5's poor range and the SR-7's poor maneuverability. As sanctions on Menghe had been lifted following its regime change and the nuclear disarmament, foreign imports or license deals were once again on the table, and the MoND viewed them as a practical way to cut development costs and speed up availability.

The two finalists in the procurement competition were the Letnian Or-27 and the Glasic Iolar, both of which matched the MoND's requirements. The decision between the two became a high-stakes one, not only because of the planes' capabilities, but because it could affect Menghe's geopolitical alignment for years to come. For much of 1994 the Or-27 seemed to be the preferred option, but the Letnian government pressured Orlov to export it with downgraded radar systems, angering the Menghean representatives. Tír Glas, hoping to exploit this break, offered to the Iolar-F with its APG-70 radar. As a further guarantee, GAC exported APR-70 kits for use on SR-7 upgrades, and held out the possibility of technology transfers for future domestic Iolar improvements. These promises won Menghe over, and in 1995 the MoD ordered 40 Iolar airframes for training and evaluation, with a production license under negotiation. The OR-27 was still held out as an option if the Iolar did poorly, but the deal nevertheless marked a key milestone in Menghe's transition away from Letnian military equipment.

Iolar-M

The forty airframes delivered to Menghe in 1995 and 1996 were manufactured in Tír Glas under the designation "Iolar-M," with M denoting Menghe. They were based on the Iolar-F, and came with the still-new APG-70 radar system, but incorporated some downgrades to protect sensitive technology. The ECM system and radar warning receivers were both last-generation models, but otherwise the onboard systems were up-to-date. Some custom changes were applied to the hardpoints, allowing compatibility with the YGG-5 missile and Menghean GP-series bombs. The basic airframe was entirely original.

Menghe's Iolar-Ms were assigned to the 56th Operational Testing Squadron, which compared their capabilities against those of the SR-7 and a single Or-27 purchased for testing. Pilots trained on the SR-7 roundly praised the new aircraft's thrust and agility, as well as its impressive radar suite. The Or-27 was found to have better agility, but the difference was deemed minor, and the Iolar's high thrust-to-weight ratio and full multirole capability easily counterbalanced it.

After 18 months of flight testing, the commanders of the 56th Operational Testing Squadron formally approved the Iolar-M, but presented Songrim with a list of desired changes for the licensed version. Songrim engineers, who had broken down one airframe for study, concurred.

Domestic production changes

License production of the Menghean domestic variant began in 1999, with deliveries starting in 2000. In line with previous aircraft of foreign origin - like the DS-1 and SR-3 - it was given a domestic manufacturer designation, Songrim SR-8G.

Based on feedback from flight trials with the Iolar-M, the Songrim design team made a number of changes to the airframe. A retractable, telescoping refueling probe was added to the left wing root in place of the original boom receptacle, as Menghe's tanker aircraft all used trailing drogues. In a nod to the Or-27, two variable-angle grated screens were added on the intake floors, to tilt up on takeoffs and landings to prevent foreign objects from being sucked into the turbines. An IRST scanner was added just forward of the canopy, with both air-search and ground-mapping modes. Some other changes were made to the avionics, navigation lights, and ECM system.

Due to the addition of integral terrain-following capability and IRST imaging, the SR-8G no longer needed the separate features of the AN/AAQ-13 navigation pod. As Menghe had already purchased ATLIS-II and PDL-CT laser targeting pods from Sieuxerr, these were used in place of the AN/AAQ-14. Domestic sensor pods replaced both of these in the 2000s. Owing to these changes, Menghean SR-8s never carried the LANTIRN targeting pods ubiquitous on ground-attack outfits of the Glasic and Dayashinese Iolars.