Your Nation's Air Force Mark III: Best Korea Edition

[North Viet Cong]

No one cares apparently

People tend to act that way around here. Sorry about that. It does look good though.

In the second one people actually responded. Now it seams that no one really cares. Thanks. I tried to make my airforce realistic.

[Pavelania]

So what do you guys think would be a good RF-4E Replacement? We fly them, but we're retiring them by 2025, and currently I'm thinking of 4 aircraft as a possible RF-4E Replacement:

F-35A Lightning II

F/A-18F Advanced Super Hornet

F-15SE Silent Eagle

JAS-39F Gripen NG

What do you guys think?

[Gallia-]

How long (months leftward) do you suppose a USAF base is equipped to keep c130s operating without resupply of spare parts?

Modern militaries have more or less adopted just in time logistics

One of many Great Mistakes.

[Connori Pilgrims]

So what do you guys think would be a good RF-4E Replacement? We fly them, but we're retiring them by 2025, and currently I'm thinking of 4 aircraft as a possible RF-4E Replacement:

F-35A Lightning II

F/A-18F Advanced Super Hornet

F-15SE Silent Eagle

JAS-39F Gripen NG

What do you guys think?

F-35A Lightning II - This is probably the best overall choice - provided you've got the money to burn and your current air combat doctrine emphasizes BVR combat

F/A-18F Advanced Super Hornet - if you want more capability but are to cheap/politically compromised to buy F-35, then maybe this may be more up your alley.

F-15SE Silent Eagle - don't bother IMO; the limited stealth features aren't enough to justify the cost. Just buy regular F-15K Slam Eagle or the Advanced Super Hornet.

JAS-39F Gripen NG - buy this only if you're too cash strapped for the other options above.

[The Technocratic Syndicalists]

So what do you guys think would be a good RF-4E Replacement? We fly them, but we're retiring them by 2025, and currently I'm thinking of 4 aircraft as a possible RF-4E Replacement:

F-35A Lightning II

F/A-18F Advanced Super Hornet

F-15SE Silent Eagle

JAS-39F Gripen NG

What do you guys think?

F-15SE for your AF and F/A-18F for your navy. The F/A-18F/E can carry the SHARP pod which has both EO and SAR reconnaissance sensors. The F-15E currently has the AN/ASQ-236 pod which contains a ku band AESA radar pod and the "Ophir" reconnaissance pod (used by the IAF) which has several cameras and a datalink. You could maybe try to put some cameras or radars in the internal weapons bay

F-35A Lightning II - This is probably the best overall choice - provided you've got the money to burn and your current air combat doctrine emphasizes BVR combat

F/A-18F Advanced Super Hornet - if you want more capability but are to cheap/politically compromised to buy F-35, then maybe this may be more up your alley.

F-15SE Silent Eagle - don't bother IMO; the limited stealth features aren't enough to justify the cost. Just buy regular F-15K Slam Eagle or the Advanced Super Hornet.

JAS-39F Gripen NG - buy this only if you're too cash strapped for the other options above.

F-35 currently lacks any kind of side looking high resolution cameras or radars that would make it useful for RF-4E type missions (mostly bomb damage assessment). You could conceivably attach a SHARP to the fuselage hardpoint but that would degrade your RCS which kind of defeats the point of the F-35. If you wanted to use the F-35 for recce you'd have to design some kind of stealthy pod (like the one for the external gun on the B and C versions) which would contain cameras and/or SAR radar.

An F-22 would be better because you could conceivably put cameras and/or radars in the side-facing sidewinder bays and/or where the cheek arrays for the APG-77 were supposed to be.

[Pavelania]

So what do you guys think would be a good RF-4E Replacement? We fly them, but we're retiring them by 2025, and currently I'm thinking of 4 aircraft as a possible RF-4E Replacement:

F-35A Lightning II

F/A-18F Advanced Super Hornet

F-15SE Silent Eagle

JAS-39F Gripen NG

What do you guys think?

F-15SE for your AF and F/A-18F for your navy. The F/A-18F/E can carry the SHARP pod which has both EO and SAR reconnaissance sensors. The F-15E currently has the AN/ASQ-236 pod which contains a ku band AESA radar pod and the "Ophir" reconnaissance pod (used by the IAF) which has several cameras and a datalink.

That is probably what we're going to do. Our F-4Es retiring next year are being replaced by the F-15SE, so might as well replace the RF-4E with the F-15SE as well. F-15SE may be the best fit cause I want something with speed like the RF-4 and 2 seats so the pilot in the back is dedicated to the recon/camera equipment.

Our Navy doesn't operate the RF-4E, but they operate a Recon variant of the Fisker/Flying Fish called the "Spying Fish" (pun intended ). F/A-18F ASH looks good as a replacement as well!

[The Technocratic Syndicalists]

It would make sense to just look into acquiring a single integrated reconnaissance pod that you could attach to any of your fighters for recce missions (instead of having a dedicated recce aircraft which would be less flexible). Look into TARS, ATARS, SHARP, RAPTOR, etc.

If you want a dedicated reconnaissance aircraft it should be something "high performance" in terms of speed/altitude/range/endurance when compared to a fighter jet, something like an SR-71, U-2, global hawk, etc. You've already posted your design for a mach 3+ interceptor, you could also make a dedicated reconnaissance version of that like what the soviets did with the Mig-25R.

[Pavelania]

It would make sense to just look into acquiring a single integrated reconnaissance pod that you could attach to any of your fighters for recce missions (instead of having a dedicated recce aircraft which would be less flexible). Look into TARS, ATARS, SHARP, RAPTOR, etc.

If you want a dedicated reconnaissance aircraft it should be something "high performance" in terms of speed/altitude/range/endurance when compared to a fighter jet, something like an SR-71, U-2, global hawk, etc. You've already posted your design for a mach 3+ interceptor, you could also make a dedicated reconnaissance version of that like what the soviets did with the Mig-25R.

Yea that's what I was about to say about my interceptor. And the F-15SE wouldn't be a dedicated recon jet. I still want 2 seats though as the back seat pilot could handle the weapon systems and operate the camera pod if equipped. With the F-15SE, Our RF-4E squadrons will go from a recon squadron, to a multi-role squadron.

[Allanea]

Meanwhile, at the Zhukovsky Aviation Design Bureau...

[Husseinarti]

Meanwhile, at the Zhukovsky Aviation Design Bureau...

(Image)

confirmed for kerbal space program?

[Rich and Corporations]

Meanwhile, at the Zhukovsky Aviation Design Bureau...

(Image)

... ekranoplane?

[Allanea]

Meanwhile, at the Zhukovsky Aviation Design Bureau...

(Image)

... ekranoplane?

Dual-mode cargo aircraft. Travels in WIG over oceans and other vaguely-flat terrain, then rises and flies towards airports and lands there.

[IceBuddha]

Question for the thread:

What orbital launch vehicle does your nation use?

[Crookfur]

... ekranoplane?

Dual-mode cargo aircraft. Travels in WIG over oceans and other vaguely-flat terrain, then rises and flies towards airports and lands there.

So similar to the boeing pelican and the big beriev proposals?

Edit:

As to launch vehicles I never really fleshed it out beyond Irn-Bru bottle shaped rockets from the sponsorship issue and some waffle about launching rockets from specially adapted jetliners that I totally didn't lift from Dale Brown and the RL pegasus system.

[Allanea]

So similar to the boeing pelican and the big beriev proposals?

Yes but powered by LPG and with shipping containers stored in those flat 'wing'-like things.

[The Corparation]

Question for the thread:

What orbital launch vehicle does your nation use?

Backbone of my space capability is the Vega family, roughly comparable to Atlas V although it has versions capable of lofting heavier payloads:

[IceBuddha]

Question for the thread:

What orbital launch vehicle does your nation use?

Backbone of my space capability is the Vega family, roughly comparable to Atlas V although it has versions capable of lofting heavier payloads:

The general appearance kind of reminds me of the Delta IV or H-IIA.

Any stats or info on the stages/engines? I'm guessing you're using LOX/LH2 on all stages (except the SRBs, of course)

[Taihei Tengoku]

Question for the thread:

What orbital launch vehicle does your nation use?

s e a d r a g o n

[Pavelania]

Currently we don't have a space agency, but we would like to place an orbital laser or orbital kinetic rod strike platform in orbit (aka rods from god). Our only real super weapon we ever had was the Kraken-Class Flying Heavy Command cruiser which could deploy 16 P-51D-sized aircraft into combat, and could carry a big enough bomb load to wipe out airfields and cities. All 5 remaining FHCCs (1 lost in combat) were retired by 1987. We heavily oppose nuclear weapons so if we do employ another super weapon, it would be an orbital laser, orbital kinetic rod strike platform, or another flying aircraft carrier.

[Taihei Tengoku]

... ekranoplane?

Dual-mode cargo aircraft. Travels in WIG over oceans and other vaguely-flat terrain, then rises and flies towards airports and lands there.

The B-1 of cargo transport

[Austria-Bohemia-Hungary]

an orbital laser or orbital kinetic rod strike platform in orbit (aka rods from god).

Riplo. If it isn't capable of annihilating the Solar System at its maximum power setting and is equipped with Dead Hand to do so when credibly threatened it's pointless.

[The Technocratic Syndicalists]

Meanwhile, at the Zhukovsky Aviation Design Bureau...

(Image)

ayyy fam you need some tanks moved?

Currently we don't have a space agency, but we would like to place an orbital laser or orbital kinetic rod strike platform in orbit (aka rods from god). Our only real super weapon we ever had was the Kraken-Class Flying Heavy Command cruiser which could deploy 16 P-51D-sized aircraft into combat, and could carry a big enough bomb load to wipe out airfields and cities. All 5 remaining FHCCs (1 lost in combat) were retired by 1987. We heavily oppose nuclear weapons so if we do employ another super weapon, it would be an orbital laser, orbital kinetic rod strike platform, or another flying aircraft carrier.

Just put GPS/INS guided MARVs with tungsten flechette warheads on an SLBM (or maybe ICBM) with and call it a day. 100% USN approved.

[New Vihenia]

Question for the thread:

What orbital launch vehicle does your nation use?

Energia Vulkan for heavy launch vehicle.

Soyuz and Proton for more generalized payload.

Decommissioned ICBM's

[Minroz]

an orbital laser or orbital kinetic rod strike platform in orbit (aka rods from god).

Riplo. If it isn't capable of annihilating the Solar System at its maximum power setting and is equipped with Dead Hand to do so when credibly threatened it's pointless.

Btw, is there are Chinese/Russian versions of these anti-satellite missiles?

[Allanea]

Riplo. If it isn't capable of annihilating the Solar System at its maximum power setting and is equipped with Dead Hand to do so when credibly threatened it's pointless.

Btw, is there are Chinese/Russian versions of these anti-satellite missiles?

China has tested some manner of ASAT missile but I don't know much beyond that.

Russia used to have deployed in orbit weapons which they called 'satellite fighters', and were essentially satellites that carried a HE-F charge and were meant to maneuver next to enemy satellites and detonate themselves. They also wanted to have an ASAT weapon launched off a MiG-31 but developement was canceled with the death of the USSR. Various contraptions are currently in testing.