GUNS ONLY The romantic image of WW2 involves two fighters weaving around each other, each desperate to bring guns to bear. The reality of WW2 combat is that successful engagements were typically hit and run. As WW2 ace Erich Hartmann said, “I would attack only if I had 2000 meters of clearance above them, then … Continue reading The Making of a Modern Prop Fighter
Tag: air superiority
Why variable sweep wings or “swing wings” for fighter aircraft are not effective at air superiority
Why not another variable sweep fighter? There seems to be a lot of F-14 nostalgia around. While it may have had a great deal of impact on how the US Navy conducted fleet defense, we have to consider the effectiveness of the concept of variable sweep aircraft. It is human nature to always want to … Continue reading Why variable sweep wings or “swing wings” for fighter aircraft are not effective at air superiority
Air superiority fighter proposal 6 overview
Due to the excessive length of the original article, I have decided to post the overview. For those interested in entire design process and thinking behind the FLX, full article can be found here. Crew: 1 Payload: Length: 13,1 m Wingspan: 8,5 m Height: 3,44 m Wing area: 32,4 m2 Canard area: 1,01 m2 Empty … Continue reading Air superiority fighter proposal 6 overview
Air superiority fighter proposal 4
Design Airframe Canopy will be opened and closed completely manually, which will save 10 kg on actuators. Aerodynamics will be optimized for maneuverability; check the previous version of the article for details since there won't be many changes. Engine Engine will be a single-engine modification of F414-EPE, providing 16.800 lb (74,7 kN, 7.620 kgf) dry … Continue reading Air superiority fighter proposal 4
Air superiority fighter proposal 3
Historical lessons "History is a vast early warning system." Norman Cousins When designing a fighter aircraft - or any weapon - there is a basic question: should one go for simplest solution, or accept a level of complexity in hopes of achieving better performance? How much simple or complex weapon can become before excess simplicity, … Continue reading Air superiority fighter proposal 3
Air superiority fighter proposal (revised)
Introduction This is a revision of previous article, meant to adress several problems that I have either noticed myself or were brought to my attention after posting it. First problem is that while a good design, original FLX still had problems. It simply did not have enough space in the air frame to achieve required … Continue reading Air superiority fighter proposal (revised)
History and War 