Fifth Generation Fighter Challenge

[Kiwi Imperialist]

Fighters have dominated the aerial battlefield for more than a century. We have examined fighter aircraft from the end of the First World War to the late Cold War. Now it is time for the Shipbucket community to look ahead to the present and near future. Welcome to the fifth generation fighter challenge! The title is almost self-explanatory. You are to draw a fifth generation fighter. Real world examples include the F-22, F-35, Su-57, and J-20. There are no other requirements. The aircraft may be employed by a nation of your choice, and countries from alternate universes are permitted. It can be an old design which entered service years ago, or something that hasn't event left the drawing board yet. Please read the challenge rules relating to submissions and drawings.

Design Requirements

1. Your submission must depict a fifth generation fighter.

Challenge Rules

1. Each participant may submit up to three images.
2. Every image must be an FD template modified to include the participant’s art. Templates which include a data sheet are allowed.
3. No more than three views are allowed in each image.
4. All views within a single image must depict the same individual aircraft at the same point in time.
5. A textual description accompanying each submission is allowed, but not necessary.
6. Off-topic posts will be reported to the relevant authorities.
7. All drawings should be in FD scale, and follow the same drawing and shading rules as official Shipbucket styles.

This challenge will run until the 4th of March, ending at 23:59 UTC-12 (International Date Line West).
A countdown timer can be found at this link.

A poll will be held after this date. Members of the Shipbucket community will have an opportunity to rate each submission. Please provide honest and meaningful scores for each entry. Responses which grant maximum scores to a select group of entries, and minimum scores to all other entries, will be deleted. Members of the community who manipulate the results in such a fashion may be subject to a permanent ban. Scores will be allocated in three categories, each with a scale of 1 to 10:

• Drawing Quality - The overall quality of the drawing. One might consider detailing, shading, and accuracy.
• Design Realism - How realistic is the design presented? Any accompanying text may be considered.
• Originality - Does the submission present a new and unique design, or is it a copy of an existing one?

[Kiwi Imperialist]

There has been some discussion on Discord regarding the exact nature of a fifth generation fighter. Unfortunately, there is no universal definition. Low observability, super-maneuverability, super-cruise, low probability of intercept radar, sensor fusion, and networked data are often mentioned. However, these traits are not exhibited by all fighters normally considered fifth generation. The F-35, for example, does not possess a true super-cruise capability. The challenge design requirements are broad for this very reason. I want to accommodate as many entries as possible, even if one or two of the commonly accepted fifth generation characteristics are absent. With that said, this is still a fifth generation fighter challenge. If you wish to push the commonly accepted definition of a fifth generation fighter, feel free to ask if your concept is permissible. Acelanceloet asked on Discord if fighter must be manned. Since we are allowing near-future designs, I will permit optionally-manned fighters. Entries must have the option of a human pilot.

In other news, I made a minor modification to Challenge Rule 7. It now reads: "All drawings should be in FD scale, and follow the same drawing and shading rules as official Shipbucket styles."

[JCSTCap]

I find myself a man with ten thousand enemies, but I will not know fear, for the Lord does sustain me
Psalm 3:6, Holy Roman New Century Bible

Following the reopening of hostilities in Holy Roman Europe in the 1992 Spanish-Roman War, it became clear to Roman High Command in the German heartland that the war in the air had progressed beyond the classical dogfight. In 1994, a secret proposal was extended to six aircraft manufacturers- extensive funding from the Hansa for the creation of an aircraft capable of fulfilling the role of ambush predator in air-to-air combat- unseen until the fight is already won. Junkers and Adenauer declared the concept of a radar invisible fighter impractical, and refused to participate, and Dassault failed to contribute due to extensive revolt in Holy Roman France. This left three competitors to produce entries in the contract- German manufacturers Messerschmitt-Heinkel and Dornier, and Fiat from Imperial-occupied Italy.

Due to anti-Italian sentiment in the German-dominated Roman High Command, Fiat failed to receive full funding and was unable to continue research into their expensive electronic countermeasures prototype by 1996, falling out of the race. Messerschmitt-Heinkel and Dornier, fully supported by the Hanseatic Commission, both based their proposals around the mathematics concepts published by socialist physicist Peter Churchill ten years earlier in 1986. Churchill's paper Physical Diffraction Theory in Relation to Edge Wave Methodology was used as the basis for complex computer programs capable of determining the optimal radar cross section for a stealth aircraft.

By 1998, both Messerschmitt-Heinkel and Dornier had developed several flight capable prototypes and submitted final testbed aircraft to the Imperial Proving Wing in Wittmundhafen. Though High Command initially preferred Dornier's supercruise capable Project Have Six, repeated engine setbacks lead to rushed development. This would in turn cause the death of highly decorated Holy Roman test pilot Andre Stolfo, who perished after the Have Six test frame spontaneously caught fire and burned up on landing. The loss of Have Six, Stolfo's death, and Dornier's inability to provide a consistently working supercruise platform lead to a shift in opinion towards Messerschmitt-Heinkel's Project 3060.

Project 3060, codenamed the Man With Ten Thousand Enemies for coincidentally sharing a numerical designation with Psalm 3:6, was a multirole platform rather than a dedicated air superiority fighter. Though it had a higher radar cross section and could only achieve supersonic speed with the costly use of afterburners, the Man With Ten Thousand Enemies was approved for service in the final months of 1999 and adopted by the Holy Roman Air Army as the MeHe 36Z (Z for zerstörer, German for destroyer, denoting its' role as both fighter and attacker) Alptraum.

Though the Cold War never went hot, the emergence of the Alptraum as the first true fifth generation stealth fighter caused great alarm in both the Union of North Sea Socialist Republics and their allies in the North American Treaty Organization, who christened the Alptraum with the reporting name Foolproof. In a theoretical escalation scenario, the Alptraum was to bypass the air defense capabilities the UNSSR's Airnet London and Airnet Copenhagen, allowing for unrestricted air war capability against the North Sea's inferior American-made F-17 Cobra aircraft. As an attacker, the MeHe 36Z had essential strike capabilities against both nuclear launch sites in Scotia and Eire, and vulnerable merchant shipping that was essential for connecting Red Scandinavia and Great Britain.

In 2005, a selection of aircraft were upgraded to the iconic flash-white 36N standard, capable of delivering tactical nuclear payloads deep into the heart of Red England. As of 2021, these remain the only Alptraum fighters in service in the west, with the traditional multiroles having been largely replaced by speciality air superiority fighters firmly entrenched in the fifth generation. An additional wing continues to operate out of Imperial Russia, bought by the Tsar well aged in 2017. Despite being largely retired, the MeHe 36Z remains a well known figure as the first fifth generation fighter aircraft in Holy Roman Europe, and a trendsetter for the development of stealth aircraft worldwide.

[Vossiej]

I am not sure if whether to be more interested in the story of the aircraft, or this alternate history you're describing
Guess I'm launching Europa Universalis IV again...

[Charguizard]

Rowan-Hilgers RhJ.71 Orkaan

In 1982, The Batavian Air Defence Forces Command identified the need to replace all current fighters with newer types designed around digital integration and low observability. It had been common for the Batavians to go for a High-Low mix of assets, giving the Strategic Forces a heavier, more advanced aircraft, and a more robust and limited platform to the frontline forces. Air Defence Forces Command stipulated that development of a more advanced "strategic" aircraft would naturally lead to a cheaper and more robust Light Fighter down the line, and development of a large twin engined fighter with very long range and powerful sensors commenced. The Aerospace Guild was notified and at least four tenders were requested. The Guild responded with three proposals, from Spijker, Koolhoven and Hilgers. The aircraft was to be strictly a fighter, with no efforts spent on air to surface missions. It would have to carry the large K-72 ramjet missile internally for anti-C4ISR missions and an unrefuelled patrol endurance of 6 hours, be capable of supercruise and reach Mach 2.5. Only Hilgers had produced a flying demonstrator, the Hv.411, when the 1990 Den Haag Coup dissolved the Union and integrated the Netherlands into the International Directorate. The other Batavian Republics condemned the coup and quickly banded together into a new Federation. The new economic incentives allowed electronics giant Rowan to buy a conrolling share of Hilgers, forming the Rowan-Hilgers Corporation. The Cape Republic restarted the program in 1993 and soon the other federation members, Nieuw Zeeland, Dvipantara and Tayowan joined the program, local companies taking a share in development. In 1994 Korean industrial giant Samsung was allowed as a strategic partner, bringing the Republic of Korea into the program as well. The aircraft was now called RhJ.71 and received the name Orkaan (Hurricane), flying in preproduction form in 1996, at the hands of test pilot Rina Hilgers.



Software issues and integration slowed down development but a batch of 20 preproduction RhJ.71A-1a, A-1b and A-1c were delivered to the Cape and Indonesian Air Forces in 1999. The aircraft entered limited service in 2006 in its A version, and full clearance for all munitions and air-to-air refuelling was granted in 2008. By this time, the K-72 ordnance was also earmarked for anti-radar and anti-shipping missions, for which the Orkaan proved particularly suitable given the advanced sensor suite and its broad integration with other platforms. Eventually, at the request of the Korean Air Force, the Samsung K-99 cruise missile (already in service with all the other air forces) was also integrated to the RhJ.71, giving the aircraft considerable air to ground firepower.

[RaspingLeech]

Gryzov Gr-59 Fixer:

The Gr-59 is a twin-engine fifth-generation air superiority fighter developed and operated by the Union of Moskrayan Republics following a request for an advanced replacement for the venerable Su-27 in widespread use. It was designed to have supercruise and supermaneuverability capabilities at the expense of all-aspect stealth along with a sophisticated electronic suite and AESA radar.

For internal carriage, the Gr-59 possesses two main internal weapon bays nestled between the engines, and two smaller weapon bays near the wing root. Each wing root bay can carry either R-13M3 or R-13BM air-to-air missiles, advanced all-aspect derivatives of the troubled AIM-9 clone. The main internal bays can be configured for a wide variety of munitions, including R-79 or R-79M air-to-air missiles or the Kh-89 anti-radiation missile among others. A powerful electronic package is currently being developed to be internally carried by the two-seat Gr-59UB, which would grant the fighter an extensive array of electronic warfare systems to monitor and jam frequency bands distinct from those covered by other onboard arrays. The fighter is additionally armed with a 30mm GSh-30-1 autocannon with 150 rounds of ammunition in the port wing root, and possesses two hardpoints on each wing for external weapon storage.

The first Gr-59 airframes were delivered to the Moskrayan Air Force in early 2021, where they were first observed supplementing existing Su-27M squadrons along the nation's eastern border. Upon identification, the Gr-59 was given the CEMA designation "Fixer-A." After the initial delivery to the Air Force, the Moskrayan Navy adopted several Gr-59s for use as land-based interceptors, for which anti-shipping weaponry is currently being developed. Further development of the Gr-59 additionally produced the two-seat Gr-59UB, nominally a trainer platform but possessing limited strike and electronic warfare capabilities. Although several other nations have expressed interest in the Gr-59, export was banned by the Moskrayan government to prevent sensitive technologies from leaking to enemy nations.

[orangepine]

[This contest entry is based on my Kingdom of Sweden AU where literally everything is the same as the present with the exception of the development of manned flight.]


Saab 41 side and front view with ground crew.


Saab 41 of the Martyrs of Gothenburg Squadron during the War on Christmas.

The image(s) above represent a Fighter-Dinosaur (FD) Scale Saab 41 “Hamza” 5th Generation Fighter, as designated by the Swedish Arab Air Force, which defines Fighter Generations as follows:

1st gen: Unassisted flight (jumping from a cliff)
2nd gen: Unsuccessful assisted flight (da Vinci’s flying machine)
3rd gen: Retarded/unpowered flight (early parachute)
4th gen: Lighter than air flight (hot air balloon)
5th gen: Domesticated flight (pterodactyl riders)

The Saab 41 is a single seat super maneuverable fighter with naturally selected low observable markings and sensor fusion/networking via vocal shrieks. Hamzas use quad-redundant optical tracking to find and track targets. Additionally, the Saab 41 is equipped with an olfactory analysis organ which is especially useful on the Finnish border during night operations. Saab 41s are bred for combat, which includes such techniques as reading of The Art of War during mating.

While Saab 41 pilots may complain about relatively low maximum speeds, the Hamza enjoys unparalleled maneuverability with a stall speed of 0 knots per hour. Swedish Arab Air Force pilots are extensively trained in Manokan tactics in order to compensate for the design quirks of the Saab 41. These tactics include using reverse force to store thrust, which can then be unleashed during a turning fight to regain energy. It is due to the Hamza’s excellent WVR combat abilities that it is referred to as the M4 Sherman of the Sky.

Saab 41s can be equipped with a mix of air to air and air to ground ordnance including spears, small rocks, rocks, and big rocks. A typical Saab 41 multi-mission loadout, for operations such as escorting migrant caravans to Malmo, would include two spears and two rocks. Currently, feasibility studies are being conducted to determine whether the Hamza would be able to carry really big rocks or even logs for strategic bombing.

The Saab 41 has been a moderate export success and is currently in service with the Kingdom of Sweden, the Brandenburg Caliphate, and the United Arab Emirates.

[heuhen]

and there we have the winner I am going to give that one, full score, when it's time

[arcticman123]

Are very clear joke canditates allowed?

and there we have the winner I am going to give that one, full score, when it's time

[Ro-Po Max]

Sad Challenge rip for me