Jeffersonian Engineering Corporation/F-3 "Dagger"

Design

The F-3 "Dagger" was started in an attempt to directly match Cairhienen's new CF-18 interceptor. The design goals were a longer ranged, faster interceptor with a similar price point.

Airframe

The F-3 uses a delta wing design to reduce friction at high speeds and improve maneuverability.

Powerplant

The F-3 reuses the powerful Hyperion engine of the F-2. The high power of these engines provide a beneficial thrust:weight ratio allowing for fast climbs to target altitude, and the thrust vectoring helps maneuverability.

Armament

The F-3 is armed with a powerful 30mm cannon, with a full minute's worth of rounds, and four internal missile bays. To reduce friction, no external hardpoints are used.

Avionics

The F-3's avionics suite includes a 360* search RADAR, with a range of nearly 150 km, a more powerful forward RADAR with a 10* cone to the fore and a range of over 700 km. Additionally, the F-3 has a Fly-by-wire system identical to that of the F-2, and a powerful jamming suite for both communications and RADAR. Finally, the F-3 includes a forward IR sensor for the AA-2 "Bolt" or AA-4 "Hydra" missiles.

Specifications

• Type: Interceptor
• Length: 20 m
• Wingspan: 12 m
• Height: 5 m
• Propulsion: 2 "Hyperion" Afterburning, 3D Thrust Vectoring Turbofan (200 kN dry, 250 kN wet each) (each weighs ~2,000 kg)
• Total Net Thrust: 400 kN dry, 500 kN wet
• Empty Weight: 14,000 kg
• Maximum Take-Off Weight: 35,000 kg
• Minimum Fuel Weight: 8,750 kg
• Maximum Fuel Weight: 15,750 kg internal, 3,000 kg external, 18,750 kg max
• Normal Payload: 4,646 kg
• Maximum Payload: 5,246 kg
• Normal Combat Weight: 34,396 kg
• Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: 1.19 dry, 1.48 wet
• Combat Range: 1,000 km with drop tanks, 800 km without drop tanks
• Ferry Range: 4,000 km with drop tanks, 3,200 km without drop tanks
• Operational Ceiling/Altitude: 15 km
• Maximum Altitude: 17 km
• Cruising Speed: Mach .9 at sea level, Mach 1.5 at altitude
• Maximum Speed: Mach 1.5 at sea level, Mach 2.9 at altitude
• Crew: 1
• Armaments:
  • 30x164 mm cannon
    • 46 kg cannon mass
    • 1,500 rounds typical, 3,000 rounds max (400 g each, 600 kg typical, 1,200 kg max)
    • 1,500 RPM rate of fire each
  • 4 internal bays for AAMs
  • Centerline hardpoint for 3,000 kg conformal tank
• Fly By Wire System
  • 6 redundant boards each with 2 JP500M processors and 8 GiB RAM on JHB
    • at least 3 are always active, two calculating data and the third comparing results of the other two to counter non-fatal errors

Price

• 25 million credits to manufacture
• 30 million credits for sale