Talk:AFOH/@comment-14850713-20161001053248

IC:

Coming from recent battle experience over Southern Africa and Antarctica, the High Command has initiated a program to replace the venerable Diable FA-6M atmospheric fighter in frontline service. Based on the successful Aigle FB-14S strike fighter, the XFA-16M project has been given challenging requirements: hypersonic cruise speed, near-cloke stealth, extreme agility, improved protection and greater firepower.

The initial prototype looks like a more compact Aigle without the saw-tooth trailing edges and with more conventional-looking control surfaces. It is powered by a super-cruising turbofan/scramjet hybrid (burning synthetic fuel) boosting the aircraft to a listed speed of Mach 6. The highly-advanced engine control system (ECS) alternates between the turbofan and scramjet in all flight regimes for efficient thrust, and allows the aircraft to operate for short periods in low Earth orbit. Super-maneuverability is enabled by fluidic thrust vectoring (FTV) in the twin nozzles and movable vents top and bottom which divert supersonic compressed air controlled by the ECS, which also automatically connects the vents to the turbofan for VSTOL operation.

To approximate the Aigle's internal weapons capacity on a smaller airframe, the XFA-16M drops the standard LRC-2 "8-shot" rotary launcher for the new LSM-5 conveyor launcher with multiple stacked missile/bomb racks and hydraulic arms, enabling carriage of up to 28 missiles/bombs (vs. 16 for the Diable which is equipped with 2 rotary launchers, and 32 for the larger Aigle which has 4). The primary gun is a rapid-firing 105mm railgun to penetrate the armor of heavy USSR atmospheric and aerospace fighters, and developed from the Griffon ground-attack fighter's tank-busting conventional gun, on the starboard wing root. The gun's muzzle is covered by a retractable door to maintain stealth, as is the 25mm dog-fighting cannon's on the port wing root. Up to 80 railgun rounds and 3,000 25mm rounds are carried.

Avionics is composed of an advanced AESA radar and electro-optical/IR detection system that seamless integrates with Tiger Arc. The cockpit and vital areas are protected by composite armor underneath the aircraft's titanium skin, which allows it to undertake close ground-support missions, making it a true multi-role fighter.