Lockheed F5V Mithras:
In the mid-1970s, a request was issued by the United States Navy for a lightweight fighter with no strike capability to supplement the more expensive Liberty F6L fighter, as well as combat the IJN's recently-adopted Nakajima A13N1 fighter. Boeing, Liberty, Lockheed, McDonnell-Grumman, and Wright-Northrop all sumbitted competing designs, with Lockheed's being selected for production.
The F5V "Mithras" is a twin engine multirole fighter intended as a lightweight platform with advanced avionics. Featuring a delta-canard configuration, the design is intentionally unstable in order to improve maneuverability and reduce drag. Early F5Vs could be armed with up to six AIM-5 Lanceheads and two AIM-8 Wrens, with more recent versions supporting the AIM-77 AMRAAM and AIM-102 BVRAAM. Air-to-ground capabilities were given to the F5V in 1989 as a stopgap measure in order to replace ageing attack aircraft while a new multirole strike fighter could be adopted. At the same time Lockheed marketed a redesigned F6V Super Mithras to the USN in 1991, but was cancelled in favor of VLO requirements. By the time production ended in 1999, approximately 600 F5Vs of all variants had been built.
The first Lockheed XF5V was rolled out on October 3rd, 1980 wearing a high visibility orange and white prototype scheme, and made its maiden flight on Novermber 3, 1980. In total six prototype aircraft were produced, all of which were tested and flown at NAS Patuxent River. Following trials and operational testing by the Navy's evaluation squadrons, the F5V entered service with the Navy in January 1984 and with the Marines in March of that same year.
Other than the United States, the F5V serves in the armed forces of four other nations: the Republic of Australia, Empire of Brazil, Kingdom of Italy, and Liberia.
And rumor has it that more
paranormal elements may operate the F5V as well... (Happy Halloween
)
General Characteristics
- Crew: 1-2
- Length: 15.02m
- Width: 10.09m
- Height: 3.44m (4.39m gear down)
- Wing area: 32.74m²
- Empty Weight: 10,160 kg
- Maximum Takeoff Weight: 21,926 kg
- Powerplant: 2x General Electric F404 afterburning turbojet engines (49 kN (11,000 lbf) each dry, 79 kN (17,750 lbf) each wet
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 1.8
- Combat radius: 800km air-to-air mission
- Service ceiling: 14,000m
- Maximum g-load: +9/-3g
Armament
- Guns: 1x 20mm M47 rotary cannon, 511 rounds
- Hardpoints: 9 total: 2x wingtip missile launch rails, 4x under-wing, and 3x under-fuselage with a capacity of 6,000 kg
- Missiles: 2x AIM-5 and 6x AIM-8 or 6x AIM-77 or 6x AIM-102
- Bombs: Various types
- Rockets: Various types
For my (still upcoming) Southern Victory AU, vaguely based on Northrop's N-335 HATOL design reimagined as a CATOBAR fighter.