Ocypete

Ocypete
An Ocypete of the 2nd Fighter Regiment patrols near Chryse, 2006.
Role	Fighter aircraft
National origin	Æþurheim Syara
Introduction	1991
Status	In limited service
Primary user	Commonality Air Force Realm Defense Forces of Syara
Number built	326

The Ocypete is a Syaran version of the Æþurheim JF13 Vandrende.

The Syaran Army Air Corps had desired to replace the aging Erinys fighter with a more modern light fighter in the 1980s, but the outbreak of the Refusal War and the dissolution of the Republic of Syara saw these plans curtailed. Following the establishment of the Commonality Air Force (ZVS) the need for a light fighter rose once more. The ZVSs' needs emphasized low cost, ease of maintenance, and multi-role capability. Early bids in the 1990s came from a variety of sources both foreign and domestic, but initial efforts to revitalize Syara's aviation industry forestalled local development programs and turned attention outward.

In 1990 the Government of Syara negotiated the acquisition of the JF13 Vandrende for licensed production in Syara. The JF13, an upgraded aircraft based on the Erinys, matched the needs for operational cost and production began the next year. The ease of maintaining the Ocypete was a welcome respite to the Syaran airforce, especially in light of the previous decades spent managing the notorious "twin hangar queens" of the Nephele fighter and Coronis bomber. In 1993 however the Ocypete began facing competition for budgetary and resource allocation from the Celaeno, another single engine supersonic multi-role fighter that had originated in 1982 but only flew for the first time in 1993. Like the Ocypete the Celaeno was intended as a cheap light fighter but with greater emphasis on multi-role capabilities, especially air-to-ground. With greater thrust and payload for only marginally higher costs, the Celaenos' additional benefit of being a home-grown fighter eventually won it over to the ZVS, who shifted funding from the Ocypete and cut production levels to below 500, far underneath the expected 1,000 to be built.

Despite being superseded by its rival the Ocypete remained in Syaran service, where it was prized by pilots for its' easy handling and by staff for its' high levels of readiness and low service needs. The Ocypete was gradually phased out of active service with the ZVS and transferred to the Syaran National Forces, and later the Realm Defense Forces of Syara beginning in 2004. The outbreak of the Zemplen War saw many aircraft pressed back into service, and while outclassed by the air superiority fighters fielded by both Syara and Ruvelka, the Ocypete eventually carved out a variety of roles including electronic warfare, "bait" for other fighter squadrons, and ground attack. A total of 101 Ocypetes were lost over the course of the war.

The Ocypete remains in service as a trainer, aggressor, and utility aircraft for the Commonality Air Force. It remains in service with the Realm Defense Forces, with a total of 150-160 airframes remaining in use.