El Bridget S-190 Arrow II
| S-190 Arrow II | |
|---|---|
| File:JGV-78 Vleermuis.jpg Arrow II fighter over the Diebal Mountains. | |
| Type | Stealth air superiority fighter |
| Place of origin |  Atmora |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1996 (planned) |
| Used by | Imperial Air Force Imperial Navy Royal Larsenburg Air Force |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | El Bridget Corporation |
| Unit cost | ƒ84.75 million ($105.94 million) |
| Produced | 1992–present |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 29,000 lb (13,100 kg) (Empty) 51,320 lb (23,327 kg) (Loaded) |
| Length | 67 ft 5 in (20.60 m) |
| Width | 43 ft 7 in (13.30 m) |
| Height | 13 ft 11 in (4.30 m) |
| Crew | 1 |
Main armament | 1 x 30mm Global Dynamics BK-30-2 revolver canon 6 x AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles 2 × AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles |
Secondary armament | 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) JDAM or 8× 250 lb (110 kg) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs |
| Fuel capacity | Internal fuel capacity: 18,498 lb (8,382 kg) |
Operational range | over 2,790 mi (over 4,500 km) |
| Speed | • At altitude: Mach 2.2+ (1,450+ mph, 2,335+ km/h) • Supercruise: Mach 1.6+ (1,060+ mph, 1,706+ km/h) |
The El Bridget S-190 Arrow II is a fifth-generation single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the Imperial Air Force (IAF) and the Imperial Navy (IN). The result of the IAF's [[[Halkeginian Advanced Tactical Fighter Program]], the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities including ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles. El Bridget is the prime contractor and was responsible for the majority of the air frame, weapon systems, and final assembly of the S-190, while program partner Bristol provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.
The aircraft was variously designated S-190 and S/A-190 prior to formally entering service in December 1996 as the S-190A. After a protracted development and despite operational issues, the IAF considers the S-190 a critical component of its tactical air power, and states that the aircraft is unmatched by any known or projected fighter. The Arrow II's combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance, and situational awareness gives the aircraft unprecedented air combat capabilities.
Development
In 1987, the Atmoran Armed Forces developed a requirement for an Halkeginian Advanced Tactical Fighter (HALKATF) as a new air superiority fighter to replace the El Bridget S-27 Shrike. This was made more crucial by the emerging worldwide threats. It would take advantage of the new technologies in fighter design on the horizon including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight-control systems, more powerful propulsion systems and stealth technology.In 1987 the Citadel sent out technical requests for proposals to a number of aircraft manufacturing teams. The formal request for proposal (RFP) was issued in July 1988, and two contractor teams, El Bridget Corporation, Arco International and Global Dynamics.
The S-190 was designed to meet The Citadel's requirements for survivability, supercruise, stealth, and ease of maintenance. Because L. Bridget's submission was selected as one of the winners, the company, through one of its division, assumed leadership of the program partners. It would be responsible for the forward cockpit and fuselage, as well as final assembly at Novigrad, Yukon. Meanwhile, the wings and aft fuselage would be built by Bristol, with the center fuselage, weapons bays, tail and landing gears built by Global Dynamics.
The S-190 was given the unofficial name "Arrow II" after El Bridget's 1950's-era fighter, the S-190 Arrow
The first S-190 (PAV-1, serial number 87-0700, N22YF), with the GE YF120, was rolled out on 29 August 2040 and first flew on 29 September 1989, taking off from Novigrad piloted by David L. Glassman. During the 18-minute flight, PAV-1 reached a maximum speed of 250 knots (460 km/h; 290 mph) and a height of 12,500 feet (3,800 m), before landing at IFB Novigrad. Following the flight, Glassman said that the remainder of the S-190 test program would be concentrated on "...the manoeuvrability of the aeroplane, both supersonic and subsonic". The second S-190 (PAV-2, s/n 87-0701, N22YX) with the De Havilland Spectre made its maiden flight on 30 October at the hands of Annabeth Winter.
Design
The S-190 was an unconventional-looking aircraft, with diamond-shaped wings, a profile with substantial area-ruling to reduce aerodynamic drag at transonic speeds, and an all-moving V-tail. The cockpit was placed high, near the nose of the aircraft for good visibility for the pilot. The aircraft featured a tricycle landing gear configuration with a nose landing gear leg and two main landing gear legs. The weapons bay was placed on the underside of the fuselage between the nose and main landing gear. The cockpit has a center stick and side throttle.
It was powered by two turbofan engines with each in a separate engine nacelle with S-ducts, to shield engine axial compressors from radar waves, on either side of the aircraft's spine. Of the two aircraft built, the first S-190 (PAV-1) was fitted with De Havilland Spectre engines, while the second (PAV-2) was powered by Sikorsky HF120 engines. The aircraft featured fixed engine nozzles, instead of thrust vectoring nozzles as on the S-190. As on the B-2, the exhaust from the S-190's engines flowed through troughs lined with heat-ablating tiles to dissipate heat and shield the engines from infrared homing (IR) missile detection from below.
The flight control surfaces were controlled by a central management computer system. Raising the wing flaps and ailerons on one side and lowering them on the other provided roll. The V-tail fins were angled 50 degrees from the vertical. Pitch was mainly provided by rotating these V-tail fins in opposite directions so their front edges moved together or apart. Yaw was primarily supplied by rotating the tail fins in the same direction. Test pilot Erica Loveless stated that the S-190 had superior high angle of attack (AoA) performance compared to legacy aircraft. Deflecting the wing flaps down and ailerons up on both sides simultaneously provided for aerodynamic braking.
Helmet-mounted display system
The S-190 does not need to be physically pointing at its target for weapons to be successful. Sensors can track and target a nearby aircraft from any orientation, provide the information to the pilot through their helmet (and therefore visible no matter which way the pilot is looking), and provide the seeker-head of a missile with sufficient information. Recent missile types provide a much greater ability to pursue a target regardless of the launch orientation, called "High Off-Boresight" capability. Sensors use combined radio frequency and infra red (SAIRST) to continually track nearby aircraft while the pilot's helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) displays and selects targets; the helmet system replaces the display-suite-mounted head-up display used in earlier fighters. Each helmet costs $400,000.
The S-190's systems provide the edge in the "observe, orient, decide, and act" OODA loop; stealth and advanced sensors aid in observation (while being difficult to observe), automated target tracking helps in orientation, sensor fusion simplifies decision making, and the aircraft's controls allow the pilot to keep their focus on the targets, rather than the controls of their aircraft.
In July 1993, an S-190 pilot commented that the helmet may have been one of the issues that the S-190 faced while dog-fighting against an S-27 during a test; "The helmet was too large for the space inside the canopy to adequately see behind the aircraft. There were multiple occasions when the bandit would've been visible (not blocked by the seat) but the helmet prevented getting in a position to see him (behind the high side of the seat, around the inside of the seat, or high near the lift vector)."
Operational History
Variants
- S-190A, conventional take off and landing (CTOL) variant.
- S-190B, carrier-based CATOBAR (CV) variant.
Operators
- Atmora -
Potential Operators
Specifications (SJ-88)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 (pilot)
- Length: 67 ft 5 in (20.60 m)
- Wingspan: 43 ft 7 in (13.30 m)
- Height: 13 ft 11 in (4.30 m)
- Wing area: 900 ft² (88 m²)
- Empty weight: 29,000 lb (13,100 kg)
- Loaded weight: 51,320 lb (23,327 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 62,000 lb (29,000 kg)
- Powerplant: El Bridget F119 afterburning turbofan 40,000 lbf (180 kN) of thrust
- Fuel capacity: 18,000 lb (8,200 kg) internally, or 26,000 lb (12,000 kg) with two external fuel tanks
Performance
- Maximum Speed:
• At altitude: Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph, 2,410 km/h)
• Supercruise: Mach 1.82 (1,220 mph, 1,960 km/h)[110] - Range: over 2,790 mi (over 4,500 km)
- Combat radius: 750–800 nmi (865–920 mi, 1,380–1480 km)
- Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (19,800 m)
- Wing loading: 54 lb/ft² (265 kg/m²)
- Thrust/weight: 1.36
- Maximum design g-load: −3.0/+9.0 g
Armament
- Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan, 480 rounds
- Air to air mission loadout:
• 6× AIM-120 AMRAAM
• 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder - Air to ground mission loadout:
• 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) JDAM or 8× 250 lb (110 kg) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs
• 2x AIM-120 AMRAAM
• 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder - Hardpoints: 4× under-wing pylon stations can be fitted to carry 600 U.S. gallon drop tanks or weapons, each with a capacity of 5,000 lb (2,270 kg)
See also
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