Cold War Attack Aircraft Challenge

[Mitchell van Os]

fisker aerospace av-30 waverider

The Fryssians navy VTOL aircraft till she got replaced by the FA/25 --->https://i.imgur.com/LLdWK6I.png


Start of procuring: 1961
First trials on land: 1967
First trials on board (RFNS Fokke CL81): 1970
Service start date: 1971
Replaced in service by FA/25: 2015
Last in service flight: 2018
In service with:
Frissia:
Royal Fryssian Navy
Royal Fryssian Marines
Royal Fryssian Air Force
Benelux:
Royal Benelux Navy
France:
Marine Nationale
Spain:
Spanish armada

The Frissians wanted a VTOL aircraft for onboard of smaller ships and to relieve aircraft carriers of roles in amphibious operations.

The Frissians started procuring this aircraft for never build LPH's. The aircraft started their service instead on aviation cruisers of the Worcester class.
After many land based trials and barge trials, they finally started flying on and off the cruisers.
Each cruiser had a squadron of 3 onboard during missions that required aircraft support.
After the trials where completed they also started flying off the recently converted ex Centaur class aircraft carrier.
The navy later procured new LHC (Landing Helicopter Carriers) that took many of these AV30s on board.

During the financial crisis in 2008 half of the fleet got grounded and reduced to non active hulls.
Maintenance wasnt planned on these hulls aswell, this resulted in them never flying again.
Their official replacement came only in 2015 in the form of the FA/25 https://i.imgur.com/LLdWK6I.png.
This aircraft replaced multiple type of aircraft for all branches.
In 2018 all hulls where grounded and decommisioned in service in all branches of the Fryssian armed forces.
Only a few remained in reserve hangars or museums.
The rest of all hulls got disposed of in form of scrapping or taken apart for spares for other nation users.


The aircraft has 2 rear nozzles that can turn coupled with a center fan for VTOL.
2 large inlets front and 2 inlets at the wings. These inlets in the middle cant be closed and opened upon need.
They also have wingtip and nose/tail nozzles to manouvre in hover flight.

[LtMaverick114]

Fisker & Hansen A-9 Buzzard



The Fisker & Hansen A-9C Buzzard attack aircraft was developed in the late 1970's as replacement of the Douglas A-4D Skyhawk of the Royal Fryssian Air Force (Koninklik Loftmacht), in tandem a 2 seater attack/trainer version was made called the A-9D Buzzard and replaced the Cessna T-37 Tweet. It made its first flight on the 5th of July in 1982 and entered active service on the 8th of March 1984. The A-9C served the RFAF in combat over Iraq in the Gulf War and also served over Afghanistan in the war against terror. After 2008 its role was cut back to jet trainer only and most of the aircraft were retired. As of 2020 the RFAF operates 18 A-9C single seaters and 30 A-9D dual seaters. The A-9's in their role as attack aircraft were replaced by the Embraer A-29B Super Tucano and the trainer role will be replaced in 2022 by the Boeing-Saab T-7 Redhawk (which will be license build by Fisker & Hansen).

Specs:
Crew: one or two
Length: 11,2 meters
Wingspan: 9 meters
Height: 3,6 meters
Powerplant: 2xGeneral Electric J85-GE-21 (non afterburning)
Speed: 1,100 km/h
Range: 2,750 km (ferry range with 2x 310L drop tanks), 550-950 km (combat range, with underwing weapons and a single 100L belly tank)
Service ceiling: 14,500 meter
Weapons: 2x Pontiac M39A2 20mm canons (internal), 5 hardpoints for a total of 2,750 kg of weaponry or 2 310L droptanks and a 100L belly tank. This weaponry includes Mk 80 series bombs, AGM-65 Maverick, AIM-9L Sidewinders, HVAR rocket pods and gunpods.
Operators:
Royal Fryssian Air Force
Benelux Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
Argentinian Air Force

[Kiwi Imperialist]

It’s great to see a VTOL aircraft. As this is an FD scale challenge, I hope you don’t mind if the Shipbucket scale representation of your aircraft is excluded from the poll when it is created.

Another great drawing. Unfortunately, choosing to include ‘blank’ views of your aircraft has pushed you over the number of views allowed per drawing. It also clashes with the restriction that all views within a drawing must depict the same aircraft at the same point in time.

[KIKE92]

Aerotécnica A-7 Pantera

The Aerotécnica A-7 Pantera (Panther) is a Venezuelan attack aircraft originally used by the Venezuelan Air Force and Naval Aviation in the close air support and nuclear strike role. It is still in service in significantly upgraded form with the several Air Forces. It was developed by Aerotécnica for the Venezuelan Navy and Air Force respectively in the mid-1960s. Development began in 1964 in response to a requirement issued by the Venezuelan Navy for a supersonic attack aircraft to replace the A-4 Skyhawks in service since 1960. Aerotécnica’s design was a high wing monoplane powered by the same engine as the C-12 Halcón, this helped reduce costs and increased commonality with other aircraft already in service. At the same time the Air Force was looking for a replacement for the venerable but aging C-10 Tigre and its Canberra bombers. Recognizing the potential of its airframe Aerotécnica offered a variant of its attack aircraft to the air force.



The first of eight prototypes flew for the first time on 20 September 1967. Service deliveries began to the Venezuelan Navy in 1970 and the Air Force in 1971, by which time the Air Force had discovered the aircrafts potential as a fighter and requested the development of dedicated fighter variant. The first 216 Panthers delivered to the Naval Aviation comprised 162 A-7A single seaters and 54 two seat A-7Bs. The A-7A featured an advanced nav/attack system and laser rangefinder in the nose and twin 30mm cannons. The Air Force took delivery of 180 single seaters (A-7Cs) and 60 trainers (A-7Ds). In 1972 Argentina became the first export customer, it’s A-7As were delivered with twin DEFA cannons.



In 1978 Argentina requested a specialized anti-ship variant for use on its aircraft carriers for this purpose they were fitted with the Agave radar and adapted to fire the Exocet anti-ship missiles. This variant became known as the A-7E and entered service with the Argentine Naval Aviation in 1981, a total o 60 aircraft where delivered equipping three squadrons. The A-7s baptism of fire came during the Falklands war where the Agave equipped A-7Es escorted by Mirage 4000s proved lethal against the British fleet.



General characteristics
Crew: 1 or 2
Length: 13.77 m
Wingspan: 8.4 m
Height: 5.1 m
Empty weight: 5.809 kg
Gross weight: 9.561 kg
Max takeoff weight: 14.446 kg
Powerplant: 1 × VeneAvia TR-6 -18A axial compressor turbojets, 12,900 lbf dry thrust , 18,800 lbf in afterburner

Performance
Maximum speed: 1,915 km/h
Maximum speed: Mach 1.8
Cruise speed: 1,060 km/h
Range: 2.017 km
Ferry range: 4.300 km
Service ceiling: 46,000 ft
Thrust/weight: 0.89

[Hood]

Hawker Siddeley HS.1179 Sparrowhawk GR.Mk.1




Following the cancellation of the Hawker Siddeley P.1154 supersonic V/STOL fighter in February 1965, the RAF began to look for another ground attack aircraft. With the P.1127 Kestrel having proven itself in evaluation testing with the RAF, USAF and Luftwaffe, it looked to be the natural successor but after West Germany withdrew from the programme, the Labour government still looking to cut defence spending due to economic problems, cancelled any further development of the airframe. The RAF looked towards the Sepecat Jaguar and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms as ground attack platforms. These supersonic aircraft were expensive however and looked vulnerable at low levels against the array of Warpac anti-aircraft systems arrayed along the Iron Curtain. Hawker Siddeley's design team at Kingston were busy sketching early ideas for the HS.1182 Hawk trainer, when they decided to look at ways of developing a similar airframe into a dedicated ground attack aircraft - so was born the Sparrowhawk.

The airframe was designed for low-altitude, precision ground attack. The pilot had good all-round vision and sat in an armoured 'bathtub', the nose housed a FLIR and LRMTS for all-weather attack and use of laser-guided bombs. The avionics and fuel were all carried above the wing structure to shield them from fire from below and were fitted with fire supression. The two 5,250 lbf Rolls-Royce RB.153-3 turbofans were mounted on the rear fuselage where their exhaust plume was shielded by the tailplanes from below and they also has extended and vented tailpipes to reduce the IR signature. The wings had flaps, ailerons and spoilers and were designed for STOL performance from rough fields, as was the undercarriage. The weapons capability was excellent for such a small aircraft and for self-defence the aircraft was fitted with RWR and two chaff/flare dispensers in the lower fuselage. Although only 90 were brought by the RAF to equip four RAF squadrons in West Germany from 1976, the type sold well to export nations who wanted a modern and dependable ground attack and COIN aircraft.

General characteristics

Crew: 1 (pilot)
Length: 11.18 m (excluding nose probe)
Wingspan: 9.82 m (including wing tip missile rails)
Height: 3.89 m (undercarriage down)
Empty weight: 10,480 lb
Max. takeoff weight: 22,000 lb
Powerplant: 2x Rolls-Royce RB.153-4 Lune turbofans
Dry thrust: 5,250 lbf each

Performance

Maximum speed: At altitude Mach M 0.89, at sea level Mach 0.80
Combat range: 1,200 nm on internal fuel
Service ceiling: 45,000 ft
Rate of climb: 9,700 ft/min

Armament

Cannon: 2x 30mm ADEN with 600 rounds per gun
1x ventral fuselage hardpoint: can carry 1x BL.755 cluster bomb, 1x GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb or 1x 1,000lb or 500lb HE bomb
4x underwing hardpoints: each can carry 1x BL.755 cluster bomb, 1x GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, 1x 1,000lb or 500lb HE bomb or 1x Matra 2in rocket pod or other combinations of smaller bombs and or/rocket pods and machine-gun pods
2x wing tip hardpoints: each can carry 1x BAe SRAAM 'Taildog' IR-guided air-to-air missile fired from a pod, or 1x AIM-9 Sidewinder IR-guided air-to-air missile

[odysseus1980]

A very realistic aircraft. Only comment is that the engine should be named by a river in United Kingdom.

[ForceA1]

Hawker Siddeley HS.1179 Sparrowhawk GR.Mk.1

Is it a combination of one of the Hawk preliminary designs with the HS.1182-AJS design for AST.396?

A very realistic aircraft. Only comment is that the engine should be named by a river in United Kingdom.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Lune

[odysseus1980]

Ok, thanks for the information!

[Toxic Loki]

HISPANO AVIACION HA-500 Alacrán (Scorpion)


General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 11.64 m
Wingspan: 11.77 m
Height: 4.2 m
Empty weight: 5.000 kg
Gross weight: 9.200 kg
Max takeoff weight: 12.600 kg
Powerplant: 2 x Bristol Siddeley SB 358 / 2 x turbofán Pratt & Whitney JT-15D-5 / 2 x turbofán SNECMA M-49 LARZAC

Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 0.86
Cruise speed: 950 km/h
Range: 2.017 km
Ferry range: 3,500 km
Service ceiling: 26,000 ft
Thrust/weight: 0.89

[Hood]

Is it a combination of one of the Hawk preliminary designs with the HS.1182-AJS design for AST.396?

It is based on early studies for the HS.1182 but with mods, in no way should this be seen as a Hawk, its shape is similar but its a different beast.