The FX-31A Jupiter.
(Click to enlarge)
FX-31 Multirole Stealth Fighter
The Neptune during a training flight.
(Click to enlarge)
Type: Multirole Stealth Fighter
Place of origin:The Commonwealth of Sankji
First Flight: 2012
Introduction: 2017
Status: In active service
Designed: 2005 - 2016
Produced: 2012—present
Number built: 250+
Unit cost:
- FX-31A Jupiter:
$93 Million NSD- FX-31B Jupiter:
$96.5 Million NSD- NFX-31C Neptune :
$95 Million NSD- NFX-31D Neptune:
$98.5 Million NSD
Overview
The FX-31 Jupiter is twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for both the Sankian Air Force and Navy. Originally the FX-31 was designed as an air superiority fighter but has been further developed to be a multirole fighter, capable of operation in all fronts. It can preform ground attack, electronic warfare, and signal intelligence capabilities, fighter escort, fleet air defense, Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD), air interdiction, close air support and aerial reconnaissance. It is a highly agile aircraft at both supersonic and low speeds, achieved through having an intentionally relaxed stability design.
The FX-31 is capable of carrying a wide variety of bombs and missiles, including air-to-air and air-to-ground, supplemented by the 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan cannon. Additional fuel can be carried in up to four external fuel tanks and the aircraft can be configured as an airborne tanker by adding an external air refueling system.
Many of the aircraft's avionics and features, such as direct voice input, the PS8B4 AA active electronically scanned array radar, active electronically scanned array radar, frontal infra-red search and track sensor, were indigenously developed and produced for the FX programme. Originally scheduled to enter service in 2014, changes in priorities contributed to significant delays of the programme. The FX-31 made it's first flight in 2012 and was introduced in 2017, it has been marketed for export to several countries.
The FX-31 is designed to be supermaneuverable, originally designed as a air superiority fighter rather than a multirole fighter, its combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance, and situational awareness gives the aircraft unprecedented air combat capabilities.
Introduced in 2017, the FX-31 is being produced for both the Sankian Airforce and carrier borne operations in the Sankian Navy. As of 2017 four official variants have been released. The Airforce variants known as the FX-31A/B Jupiter, named after the Roman god of the sky, the A variant is a single seat aircraft while the B variant is two-seat version. The carrier capable version is called the NFX-31C/D Neptune, named after the Roman god of the sea. Similar to the A/B variants the C variant being a single seat aircraft and the D version being a two-seat aircraft. The FX-31B Jupiter and NFX-31D Neptune for the airforce and navy respectively are both fully combat capable, and can be used as trainer aircraft. The space for the two-seat cockpit is provided by a relocation of avionics equipment and a 6% reduction in internal fuel. The "missionized" twin-seat model rear seat is configured for a Weapons and Sensors Officer to assist in operating the weapons systems. It is primarily operated in the night attack and Forward Air Controller (Airborne) (FAC(A)) roles.
Origins
The FX-31 was born out of the FX program. As the requirement for a new air superiority fighter grew during the early 2000s as a replacement for the American made F-15 Eagle, the Sankian department of national defense decided to develop an indigenous fighter rather than look for a suitable aircraft overseas. And so the FX program was born in 2005, after several delays, and changes in the program, shift from an air superiority to a multirole combat aircraft was made. The prototype called the FX-AA did not take its maiden flight until 2012. Officials seemed impressed with the design and it was decided to add more variants of the aircraft, including fully carrier capable planes.
The last design changes and upgrades were made to the aircraft in 2016 when it was officially dubbed the FX-31 Jupiter after the Roman god of the sky, and the naval variant the NFX-31 Neptune after the Roman god of the sea. The final trials ended in 2017, after which the FX-31 was officially adopted by the Sankian military.
The FX-31 was meant to replace the current fourth generation fighters and just some improvements over current-generation fighter aircraft are:
- Durable, low-maintenance stealth technology, using structural fiber mat instead of the high-maintenance coatings of legacy stealth platforms.
- Integrated avionics and sensor fusion that combine information from off- and on-board sensors to increase the pilot's situational awareness and improve target identification and weapon delivery, and to relay information quickly to other command and control.
- High speed data networking including IEEE 1394b and Fibre Channel.
- The Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment , Autonomic Logistics Information System and Computerized Maintenance Management System are claimed to help ensure aircraft uptime with minimal maintenance manpower.
- Reduced maintenance time and cost.
- Electrohydrostatic actuators run by a power-by-wire flight-control system.
Airframe Overview
The FX-31 is a fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter, it combines supercruise, supermaneuverability, stealth, and sensor fusion in a single aircraft. The FX-31 has clipped delta wings with a reverse sweep on the rear. The advanced flight control system and thrust vectoring nozzles make the aircraft departure resistant and highly manoeuvrable in both pitch and yaw, enabling the aircraft to perform very high angles of attack maneuvers, along with doing flat rotations with little altitude loss. Roll control is primarily achieved by use of the wing flaperons.
It has a quadruplex digital fly-by-wire control system providing artificial stability, as manual operation alone could not compensate for the inherent instability. The fly-by-wire system is described as "carefree", and prevents the pilot from exceeding the permitted manoeuvre envelope.
The FX-31 is capable of supercruise, and sustain supersonic flight without using fuel-inefficient afterburners; it can intercept targets which subsonic aircraft would lack the speed to pursue and an afterburner-dependent aircraft would lack the fuel to reach. Its high operating altitude is also a significant tactical advantage over prior fighters. The FX-31 has two tandem internal weapon bays, internal carriage of weapons preserves the aircraft's stealth and significantly reduces aerodynamic drag, thus maintaining a comparatively higher performance over most other combat-configured fighters Both internal bays have two hardpoints each. Additionally two hardpoints are placed under each wing.
The FX-31 is uniquely equipped with cutting edge processing power, synthetic aperture radar integration techniques, and advanced target recognition. The FX-31 has favourable flight characteristics, such as low drag properties, which enables faster and more efficient flight, as well as either increased range or a larger equipment payload. To allow operations from short strips, it is capable of maintaining a fast sink rate and is strengthened to withstand the stresses of conducting short landings. One measure used to decrease landing distance is the canards, which can be angled downwards to act as air brakes. The main wing is also fitted with flaps and elevons to change the flow of air around the wing.
Armament
The FX-31 includes an internally mounted 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan cannon, with 480 rounds It is equipped with a state of the art BBS-14X multi-mission pod (MMP), which could be used for different equipment, such as electronic warfare equipment, reconnaissance equipment, or rearward-facing radar.
The FX-31 has two internal weapons bays, each equipped with two hard-points. Missile launches require the bay doors to be open for less than a second, during which hydraulic arms push missiles clear of the aircraft; this is to reduce vulnerability to detection and to deploy missiles during high speed flight. Internal air-to-surface ordnance is limited to 2,000 lb (910 kg).
While the FX-31 typically carries weapons internally, the wings include four hardpoints, each rated to handle 5,000 lb (2,300 kg). Each hardpoint can accommodate a pylon that can carry a detachable 600-gallon (2,270 L) external fuel tank or a launcher holding two air-to-air missiles.The use of external stores degrades the aircraft's stealth and kinematic performance; after releasing stores the external attachments can be jettisoned to restore those characteristics.
Stealth and Signature
The FX-31 has been designed to have a low radar cross section primarily due to the shape of the aircraft and the use of stealthy materials used in construction, including fiber-mat. Unlike the previous generation of fighters, the FX-31 was designed with a shape for low-observable characteristics. The small bumps just forward of the engine air intakes form part of the diverterless supersonic inlet (DSI) which is a simpler, lighter means to ensure high-quality airflow to the engine over a wide range of conditions. These inlets also crucially improve the aircraft's low-observable characteristics.
The FX-31 relies less on maintenance-intensive radar absorbent coatings than previous stealth designs. These materials are susceptible to adverse weather conditions. The FX-31 can undergo repairs on the flight line or in a normal hangar. It features a Signature Assessment System which delivers warnings when the radar signature is degraded and has necessitated repair.
Cockpit
The FX-31 Cockpit with
panoramic cockpit display
(Click to enlarge)
The FX-31 features a full-panel-width "panoramic cockpit display" (PCD) glass cockpit, with dimensions of 20 by 8 inches (50 by 20 centimeters). It is equipped with a cockpit speech-recognition system (Direct Voice Input) to improve the pilot's ability to operate the aircraft over the current-generation interface. it is the first Sankian operational fixed-wing aircraft to use this system. A helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) will be fitted to all models of the FX-31. While some fighters have offered HMDS along with a head up display (HUD), this will be the first time in several decades that a front line tactical jet fighter has been designed without a HUD.
The MRES-17 ejection seat is used in all FX-31 variants. The MRES seat design balances major performance requirements, including safe-terrain-clearance limits, pilot-load limits, and pilot size. It uses a twin-catapult system that is housed in side rails.
Helmet-Mounted Display System
The FX-31 does not need to be physically pointing at its target for weapons to be successful. This is possible because of sensors that can track and target a nearby aircraft from any orientation, provide the information to the pilot through his helmet (and therefore visible no matter which way they are looking), and provide the seeker-head of a missile with sufficient information. Recent missile types provide a much greater ability to pursue a target regardless of the launch orientation, called "High Off-Boresight" capability, although the speed and direction in which the munition is launched affect the effective range of the weapon. Sensors use combined radio frequency and infra red (SAIRST) to continually track nearby aircraft while the pilot's helmet-mounted display system (HMDS) displays and selects targets.
The helmet system replaces the display suite-mounted head-up display used in earlier fighters. The Vanguards systems provide the edge in the "observe, orient, decide, and act" OODA loop; stealth and advanced sensors aid in observation (while being difficult to observe), automated target tracking helps in orientation, sensor fusion simplifies decision making, and the aircraft's controls allow the pilot to keep their focus on the targets, rather than the controls of their aircraft.
Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System
The NFX-31C/D Neptune carrier borne variants are launched by a Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), as opposed to older steam-powered catapults. The EMALS is more efficient, smaller, lighter, more powerful, and easier to control. Increased control means that EMALS will be able to launch heavier and lighter aircraft than the steam catapult. Also, the use of a controlled force will reduce the stress on airframes, resulting in less maintenance and a longer lifetime for the aircraft.
Avionics
The main avionics systems are the SP103 multifunctional integrated radio electronic system and the SPS115 Atoll electro-optical system. The SP103 consists of a sophisticated radar system and state of the art electronic countermeasures system. The radar reduces pilot load and makes use of a data link to share information between aircraft. It has a secure communication links to share data with all other friendly aircraft in the area, as well as airborne and ground-based control points. The FX-31 has been designed for survivability and is comes equipped with complex ultraviolet missile warning sensors and navigation and targeting pod. The FX-31 is equipped with new next-generation integrated avionics.
Variants
The FX-31 features both single-seat aswell as tandem twin-seat variants. Single-seat fighters were well suited to air-to-air combat missions while dual-seat fighters were favored for complex strike missions against heavy air and ground defenses in adverse weather. The "missionized" twin-seat model rear seat is configured for a Weapons and Sensors Officer to assist in operating the weapons systems. It is primarily operated in the night attack and Forward Air Controller (Airborne) (FAC(A)) roles.
For carrier operations, the NFX-31C/D Neptune models have a strengthened airframe, longer nose gear leg to provide a more nose-up attitude, larger tailhook between the engines, and a built-in boarding ladder. Consequently, they weigh about 500 kg (1,100 lb) more than the A/B Jupiter models.
FX-31A Jupiter: The single-seat Conventional Take off and Landing variant, designed for the airforce.
FX-31B Jupiter: The twin-seat Conventional Take off and Landing variant, designed for the airforce.
NFX-31C Neptune: The single-seat Carrier-Based Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) variant, designed for the navy.
NFX-31D Neptune The twin-seat Carrier-Based Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) variant, designed for the navy.
Characteristics:
- - Crew Members: 1 (FX-31A/NFX-31C or 2 (FX-31B/NFX-31D)
- Length: 18.4 m (60.3 ft)
- Wingspan: 12.8 m (42.1 ft)
Top view of the FX-31
(Click to enlarge)
- Height: 4.85 m (15.9 ft)
- Empty weight: 18,400 kg (40,565 lbs)
- Loaded weight: 29.750 kg (65,587 lbs)
- Max. takeoff weight: 37,200 kg (82,011 lbs)
- Powerplant: 2 × Ledger HA-4000 afterburning turbofans with thrust vectoring in pitch-axis
- Dry thrust: 24,000 each
- Thrust with afterburner: 32,000 each
- Internal fuel capacity: 7,500 kg (16,534 lbs) internally, or 16,000 kg (35,273 lbs) with four external fuel tanks
- - Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (2,400 km/h, 1491 mph)
- Range: 1700 km on internal fuel
- Combat radius: 1000 km on internal fuel
- Ferry range: 1900 km
- Service ceiling: >20,000 m (65,000 ft)
Guns:
- - 1x Internally mounted 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan cannon with 480 rounds
- - 4× external pylons on wings with a capacity of 2,300 kg each
- 2x internal bays with two pylons each for a total weapons payload of 5,0000 kg
Capable of carrying: American, European, Israeli, Chinese and Russian made armaments
