Gladeus Gu-44
| Gu-44 | |
|---|---|
| File:Gu44.jpg | |
| Gu-44 Render | |
| Role | Strategic bomber |
| National origin |  Tarsas
|
| Manufacturer | Gladeus |
| Designer | Eric Vendara |
| First flight | 12 August 2014 |
| Introduction | 2016 |
| Primary user | Tarsas
|
| Produced | 2015- |
| Number built | 7 |
| Unit cost |
1.5 billion harkans
|
The Gladeus Gu-44 is the latest strategic bomber developed after the return of the Strategic Aviation Directive. Development on the aircraft began in 1995 right before the disarmament as a replacement for the Gu-32. The program was cancelled in 1997 and restarted in 2014 amidst changing geopolitical circumstances. The aircraft first flew in 2014 and an undisclosed number will be produced. It is estimated that a number of Gu-24 aircraft will be replaced by these.
Development
The Gu-44 was the dirst bomber developed by Gladeus after it joined the Alliance of Aircraft Manfactuerers. As a result, the company had access to a larger parts bin and additional technology. As a result, the Gu-44 would include a significant amount of stealth technology. Despite the emergence of such technology in other Tarsan aircraft, Gladeus had been slow to adept, sticking to its design philosophy of conventional supersonic bomber aircraft. A non supersonic stealth aircraft marked a significant break from tradition and doctrine. The request for such an aircraft by the Air Legion in 1994 and again in 2012 highlighted the Legion's planned move to stealth technology on many primary aircraft. Another developmental hurdle was the vast expense per aircraft in terms of production. It was decided that the future Gu-44 would be a limited serial production aircraft instead of a full production aircraft. A number of older Gu-24 aircraft were to be replaced by new Gu-44 aircraft in strategic strike and naval attack rolls. Development of the modern aircraft closely followed the development of the 20th century era aircraft. Prior designs were utilised and improved upon to introduce a truly superior aircraft. The initial prototype flew in 2014 and featured full stealth technology and the capability to carry a vast amount of ordinance. Advanced avoinics systems were carried over from the Na series aircraft. The bomber far superseded the Na series in terms of payload and the ability to remain undetected. Limited serial production was approved in 2015.
Design
The Gu-44 is a flying wing design stealth bomber that is capable of long distance strikes on targets. It Is able to carry nuclear ordinance, smart bombs, and large thermobaric weapons. The bomb bays can quickly be configured internally to carry various types of missiles as well. It possesses an advanced avionics package comprising of modern systems and navigation. It is based on the LASI (Large Aircraft Server Infrastructure). This manages the advanced radar, ejector system, hard and soft kill countermeasures, and advanced targeting and weapons management. The RMS signature of the aircraft is estimated to be that of a large bird or small drone. The hull design is capable of absorbing radar waves rather than reflecting them via angled alloys and a coating of special paint. The engine exhaust is cooled by an advanced cryogenic system that sprays liquid refrigerant into the jet stream, cooling the air significantly before it exits the aircraft. This makes the aircraft significantly less prone to thermal detection. This active system can activated and deactivated at will and is fed from four coolant tanks located throughout the wings. Additional features such as active wave cancellation technology and internal cooling systems contribute to the detection reduction. Full internal facilities for the crew to be able to survive long flights sit directly off of the cockpit.
Variants
- Xu-43A - Initial test prototype constructed in 1995. Project was discontinued soon after it flew.
- Xu-44A - Prototype released in 2013 during trial stages after development was restarted. Featured updated AA50 Turbofans over the AA45 models. This prototype never flew but served as a test craft for mechanical and electronic configuration.
- Xu-44B - Additional prototype tested in 2014. Production was greenlighted soon after.
- Gu-44A - 2015 production platform.
- Gu-44B - Introduced in early 2016 with slightly improved computing systems and increased crew space by rearranging Internal systems slightly.
- Gu-44Bn - Naval attack variant proposed in early 2016 equipped with advanced sensors to target and attack ships. Prototype mock ups and testing has been approved by the Legion in order to assess the need for such an aircraft.
Operators
Proposed Operators
- Tarsas - A naval strike variant has been proposed and will be developed and tested.
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 2: pilot and commander (co-pilot)
- Length: 82 ft (25 m)
- Wingspan: 210 ft (64 m)
- Height: 23 ft (7 m)
- Wing area: 5,140 ft² (478 m²)
- Empty weight: 176,000 lb (79,832 kg)
- Loaded weight: 360,500 lb (163,520 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 390,000 lb (176,901 kg)
- Fuel Capacity: 200,000 pounds
- Powerplant: 4 × 4x AA50 non-afterburning turbofans, 20,300 lbf (90.29 kN) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 0.95 (550 knots, 630 mph, 1,010 km/h) at 40,000 ft altitude / Mach 0.95 at sea level
- Cruise speed: Mach 0.85 (487 knots, 560 mph, 900 km/h) at 40,000 ft altitude
- Range: 7,000 nmi ()
- Service ceiling: 64,000 ft (19,507m)
Armament
- 4 internal bays for ordnance