New Jet Fighters

Upon taking office in 2003 Lula da Silva scrapped plans to replace aging Mirage jets, saying he would use the money to feed the poor.

CG concept design

Usually I find myself doing design work for TV cartoons in toon style or fuzzy little characters living in some version of a cute world . It was very nice to have a chance to draw some good old sci-fi for a change . These are a few of many rough thumbnails for some jet designs for a TV series in development .

F-18 Hornet

Type Multirole fighter, strike fighter Manufacturer Boeing Integrated Defense Systems Designed by McDonnell Douglas Maiden flight 1995-11-29 Introduction 1999 Primary user United States Navy Produced 1995-present Number built 300 Unit cost US$57 million (F/A-18E) US$59 million (F/A-18F) Developed from F/A-18 Hornet Variants EA-18 Growler

 

F-15S/MTD

The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is an all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It was developed for the U.S. Air Force, and first flew in July 1972. The F-15E Strike Eagle derivative is an all-weather strike fighter that entered service in 1989.

The Eagle's air superiority is achieved through a mixture of unprecedented maneuverability and acceleration, range, weapons and avionics. It can penetrate enemy defense and outperform and outfight any current enemy aircraft. The F-15 has electronic systems and weaponry to detect, acquire, track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace. The weapons and flight control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform air-to-air combat.

The F-15's superior maneuverability and acceleration are achieved through high engine thrust-to-weight ratio and low wing loading. Low wing-loading (the ratio of aircraft weight to its wing area) is a vital factor in maneuverability and, combined with the high thrust-to-weight ratio, enables the aircraft to turn tightly without losing airspeed.

 

Achievements

* The F-15 Eagle has a perfect combat record of 101 victories and zero defeats. * During the Balkan conflict, the F-15E was the only fighter able to attack ground targets around the clock, in all weather conditions.

F-4 fighter

Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Korea has developed the latest stealth technology for radar-evading stealth fighters. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) is preparing for a test flight of an F-4 fighter equipped with this new advanced technology. South Korea has a plan to begin purchasing up to 60 stealth fighter jets, like F-22s or F-35s, in 2012 for deployment until 2019.

F-22 new fighter

They began developing this new fighter after their requests for the from the U.S were met with lukewarm responses. The Americans were concerned about security and technology leaks should they sell a few F-22s to the Japanese. And since Japan is geographically close to China and Russia, the leak scenario they have conjured up may seem to look valid. As it is the Americans are ahead in stealth technology by 20 years and I’m sure they want it to stay that way for a very long time.

This pisses the Japanese off because one of the main reasons they wanted to upgrade from their F-15 is in light of other countries around them building up their armed forces. China is for one building their forces at an alarming rate.

So they decided to make a stealth fighter of their own. The new fighter will be made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. If anyone remembers, MHI is the company that was responsible for building one of the most feared WW II fighters, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter.

The only fighter Japan has designed and built post WW II was the . It was a small support fighter to complement its F-15 fleet.

The new stealth fighter - which does not have a designation yet - will be small, sleek and fast too. Typical of. Unlike the Americans that likes to make big bad ass mofo planes. Japan will probably apply their car making principles to the new fighter. The Japanese fighter will probably be fuel efficient, requires much less maintenance, rarely breaks down and easy to handle. The mock-up had already gone stealth technology testing in France and was given a high stealth rating by the French.

I for one love the look of the Japanese stealth fighter. And I think it is only a matter of time before someday a Japanese fighter will be shocking the world by transforming mid air into mechs, pull out a gun pod and start blasting every other fighter in the sky while performing physics-defying maneuvers.