Aegis A-5
| Aegis A-5 | |
|---|---|
| |
| An Aegis A-5 of 113th Fighter Squadron | |
| Role | Multirole strike fighter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Aegis Aerodynamics |
| First flight | 11 December 1986 |
| Introduction | 1988 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary users | Ibican Air Force Merona Air Defense Force Keflistan Air Force |
| Produced | 1985–present |
| Unit cost |
A-5: I$35.1 Million
|
The Aegis Aerodynamics A-5 Fighter is an Ibica all-weather multirole strike fighter. The A-5 was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic-warfare aircraft. Ibica Air Force (IAF) A-5's can be generally distinguished from other variants by darker aircraft camouflage, conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) mounted along the engine intake ramps (although CFTs can also be mounted on earlier A-5 variants) and a tandem-seat cockpit.
The Strike Eagle has been deployed for military operations in Ibican interventions since 1985. During these operations, the strike fighter has carried out deep strikes against high-value targets and combat air patrols, and provided close air support for coalition troops. It has also been exported to several countries.
Development
Origins
The A-5 was introduced by the IAF to replace its fleet of A-4 Phantom IIs. Unlike the A-4, the A-5 was designed for the air superiority mission with little consideration for a ground-attack role; the A-5 Special Project Office opposed the idea of A-5s performing the interdiction mission, giving rise to the phrase "Not a pound for air to ground." In service, the A-5 has been a successful fighter, scoring over 100 aerial combat victories and zero losses in air-to-air combat as of 2007.
Design
The A-5's deep-strike mission is a radical departure from the original intent of the A-5 since it was designed as an air-superiority fighter under the mantra "not a pound for air-to-ground." The basic airframe, however, proved versatile enough to produce a very capable strike fighter. The A-5, while designed for ground attack, retains the air-to-air lethality of the A-5, and can defend itself against enemy aircraft.
The A-5 prototype was a modification of the two-seat A-5B. Despite its origins, it includes significant structural changes as well as more powerful engines. The aft fuselage was designed to incorporate the more powerful engines with advanced engine bay structures and doors, which incorporate Superplastic forming and diffusion bonding technologies. The back seat is equipped for a weapon systems officer (WSO, pronounced "wizzo") to work the air-to-ground avionics via multiple screens; these view the radar, electronic warfare, or thermographic cameras, monitor aircraft or weapons status and possible threats, select targets, and use an electronic moving map to navigate. Two hand controls are used to select new displays and to refine targeting information; displays can be moved from one screen to another using a menu of display options. Unlike previous two-place jets, whose back seat omitted flying controls, the A-5's back seat is equipped with its own stick and throttle so the WSO can take over flying, albeit with reduced visibility.
For extended range, the A-5 is fitted with two conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) that hug the fuselage to produce lower drag than conventional underwing/underbelly drop tanks. They carry 750 gallons (2,800 L) of fuel, and house six weapons hardpoints in two rows of three in tandem. Unlike conventional drop tanks, CFTs cannot be jettisoned, thus the increased range is offset by the increased drag and weight compared to a "clean" configuration.
The APG-70 radar allows crews to detect ground targets from longer ranges; one feature is that, after a sweep of a target area, the crew may freeze the air-to-ground map then switch to air-to-air mode to scan for aerial threats. During air-to-surface weapon delivery, the pilot is capable of detecting, targeting, and engaging air-to-air targets while the WSO designates ground targets. The APG-70 is to be replaced by the AN/APG-82(v)1 active electronically scanned array radar, which began flight tests in January 2010 with initial operational capability expected in 2014.
Its inertial navigation system uses a laser gyroscope to continuously monitor the aircraft's position and provide information to the central computer and other systems, including a digital moving map in both cockpits. The low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night system is mounted externally under the engine intakes; it allows the aircraft to fly at low altitudes, at night, and in any weather conditions, to attack ground targets with a variety of precision-guided and unguided weapons. The LANTIRN system gives the A-5 exceptional accuracy in weapons delivery day or night and in poor weather, and consists of two pods attached to the exterior of the aircraft. At night, the video picture from the LANTIRN can be projected on the head-up display (HUD), producing an infrared image of the ground.
Operators
- Merona Air Defense Force – 100 A-5 aircraft in use as of January 2020
- Keflistan Air Force – 50 A-5s in service in 2021
- Ibican Air Force – 345 A-5s in operation as of April 2021
Specifications (F-15E)
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 (pilot and weapon systems officer)
- Length: 63 ft 9.6 in (19.446 m)
- Wingspan: 42 ft 9.6 in (13.045 m)
- Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)
- Wing area: 608 sq ft (56.5 m2)
- Airfoil: root: NACA 64A006.6; tip: NACA 64A203
- Empty weight: 31,700 lb (14,379 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 81,000 lb (36,741 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 afterburning turbofan, 14,590 lbf (64.9 kN) thrust each dry, 23,770 lbf (105.7 kN) with afterburner
(or 2 × F100-PW-229, thrust: 17,800 lb dry; 29,160 lb with afterburner each)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,434 kn (1,650 mph; 2,656 km/h) / M2.5+ at high altitude
- 782 kn (900 mph; 1,448 km/h) / M1.2 at low altitude
- Combat range: 687 nmi (791 mi; 1,272 km)
- Ferry range: 2,100 nmi (2,417 mi; 3,889 km) with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
- Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
- g limits: +9
- Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (250 m/s) +
- Thrust/weight: 0.93
Armament
- Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon, 500 rounds of either M-56 or PGU-28 ammunition
- Hardpoints: 4 wing pylons, fuselage pylons, bomb racks on CFTs with a capacity of 23,000 lb (10,400 kg) of external fuel and ordnance,
- Missiles:
- Air-to-air missiles:
- 4× AIM-7 Sparrow
- 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder
- 8× AIM-120 AMRAAM
- Air-to-surface missiles:
- 6× AGM-65 Maverick
- 2× AGM-84 Harpoon
- 2× AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER
- AGM-130
- AGM-154 JSOW
- AGM-158 JASSM
- Air-to-air missiles:
- Bombs:
- Mark 82 bomb
- Mark 84 bomb
- GBU-15
- GBU-10 Paveway II
- GBU-12 Paveway II
- GBU-24 Paveway III
- GBU-27 Paveway III
- GBU-28 (Bunker buster)
- GBU-31 or GBU-38 {8 GBU-31s or 16 GBU-38s} (JDAM)
- GBU-54 Laser JDAM (LJDAM)
- GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)
- B61 or B83 nuclear bomb
- CBU-87 or CBU-103 (CEM)
- CBU-89 or CBU-104 (GATOR)
- CBU-97 or CBU-105 (SFW)
- CBU-107 Passive Attack Weapon
- BLU-107 Durandal
- Others:
- up to 3× 600 US gallons (2,300 L) external drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time
- 1x 1,800 litres (480 US gal) Super cruise drop tank.
Avionics
- Radar:
- AN/APG-70 or AN/APG-82
- AN/ASQ-236 Radar Pod
- Targeting pods:
- LANTIRN or LITENING targeting pods
- Countermeasures:
- AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pod
- AN/APX-76 orAN/APX-119 Identify Friend/Foe (IFF) interrogator
- AN/ALQ-128 Electronic Warfare Warning Set (EWWS) – part of Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (TEWS)
- AN/ALR-56 Radar warning receivers (RWR) – part of TEWS
- ALQ-135 Internal Countermeasures System (ICS) – part of TEWS
- AN/ALE-45 Chaff/Flares dispenser system – part of TEWS