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Profiles and Pixels / Re: Apophenia's Offerings
« Last post by apophenia on Today at 05:14:04 AM »I'm still on that SPF-inspired SEA air superiority fighter though-experiment. This one was prompted mainly by the earlier 'recycling' of the F-107 designation.
That got me wondering if anything was to be gleaned from that earlier NA-212/F-107A project. My conclusion was: not much. But the raising of the wings seemed to offer promise. The XF-107/F-107A's main undercarriage was moved to the fuselage ... potentially freeing-up wing space for more pylons.
My first go (top) retained the F-100 nose and tail surfaces. But that raised wing means a major redesign of the central fuselage. So, why not go further and redesign for a smaller and more powerful J79 engine? That goofy F-107A dorsal intake was dictated by separation issues for the ventral weapons package.
I took the opportunity to create a 'sunken' fuel tank - not exactly a 'drop' tank, more a conformal fuel tank which could be jettisoned in an emergency (pinching an idea for 1930s PZL fighters). Other than being lower-drag, would such an arrangement have any utility in a 1960s fighter? Dunno.
Other detail changes are a portside M61 Vulcan gun, a gun-ranging radar, and an IRST turret. The M61 Vulcan gatling gun replaces the F-100's four prone-to-jam cannons. The Texas Instruments AAA-4 IRST seeker can be used for 'silent' (ie: non-emitting) intercepts but is really there just in case the VPAF should introduce jet bombers into the conflict.
My second go (bottom) takes the raised-wing F-100 concept out another notch. Here, the obvious change is the large, nose-mounted search radar. The new forward fuselage also introduces a new ventral intake which, in turn, results in the cockpit being raised slightly. The latter should somewhat improve pilot visibility to the rear as well. For fun alone, I've also enlarged the vertical tail. This is now almost an entirely new airframe ... which seems to rather defeat the purpose of exercise.
That got me wondering if anything was to be gleaned from that earlier NA-212/F-107A project. My conclusion was: not much. But the raising of the wings seemed to offer promise. The XF-107/F-107A's main undercarriage was moved to the fuselage ... potentially freeing-up wing space for more pylons.
My first go (top) retained the F-100 nose and tail surfaces. But that raised wing means a major redesign of the central fuselage. So, why not go further and redesign for a smaller and more powerful J79 engine? That goofy F-107A dorsal intake was dictated by separation issues for the ventral weapons package.
I took the opportunity to create a 'sunken' fuel tank - not exactly a 'drop' tank, more a conformal fuel tank which could be jettisoned in an emergency (pinching an idea for 1930s PZL fighters). Other than being lower-drag, would such an arrangement have any utility in a 1960s fighter? Dunno.
Other detail changes are a portside M61 Vulcan gun, a gun-ranging radar, and an IRST turret. The M61 Vulcan gatling gun replaces the F-100's four prone-to-jam cannons. The Texas Instruments AAA-4 IRST seeker can be used for 'silent' (ie: non-emitting) intercepts but is really there just in case the VPAF should introduce jet bombers into the conflict.
My second go (bottom) takes the raised-wing F-100 concept out another notch. Here, the obvious change is the large, nose-mounted search radar. The new forward fuselage also introduces a new ventral intake which, in turn, results in the cockpit being raised slightly. The latter should somewhat improve pilot visibility to the rear as well. For fun alone, I've also enlarged the vertical tail. This is now almost an entirely new airframe ... which seems to rather defeat the purpose of exercise.
