Q-103 Swift: Difference between revisions

The '''Q-107 Swift''' is a single-engine multirole fighter jet designed during the [[Auroran Imperial War]] by the Aerial Warfare Division of Axdel. Originally built to serve primarily as an air superiority fighter, the Q-103 evolved over subsequent variants into a capable multirole aircraft. The aircraft was produced in large numbers, and post-War it was exported to several countries as was the heavily modified Q-103S and its modernised Q-103SE variant, of which both versions remain in service in the present in many countries. In Axdelian service the Q-103SE will be replaced with [[Q-107 Grackle|Q-107A Grackle]] stealth fighters by 2026

In the years immediately following its assertion of independence Axdel instituted a war economy, investing heavily in its military, refining its inventory, building capability and expanding research and development efforts for the expected conflicts with [[Great Morstaybishlia|Morstaybishlia]] in the coming years. Much of the new equipment acquired during this time came in the form of license built foreign designs that were often modified and improved upon for Axdelian use. Among these was the [[East Cerdani|Cerdani]] [[Wikipedia:Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21|DF-21]], which was fitted with a newer engine, a redesigned intake to make room for a larger radar and additional canards control surfaces to allow the heavier fighter to manoeuvre. This aircraft would be put into production in late 1967 as the Q-101 Sparrow fighter-interceptor. However, due to its hasty development the Sparrow would have numerous shortcomings and was in many ways it was considered inferior to its contemporaries, and would suffer from a high accident rate during its career. Additionally there were concerning reports that [[Great Morstaybishlia|Morstaybishlia]] was starting to develop fighters with both high-manoeuvrability and advanced avionics that would render all of the aircraft Axdel had at its disposal obsolete. These fears precipitated in a 1968 requirement given to the newly formed Aerial Warfare Division of Axdel research group demanding a lightweight fighter capable of Mach 2+ speed, adept at dogfighting, and the ability to fire modern radar guided beyond-visual-range missiles.

Design work was aided significantly by agreements forged with the [[Federation of the Southern Coast]], [[Ethalria (Grand Matriarchy)|Ethalria]] and [[Quariin]], which among other things provided the AWDoA with access to cutting edge research on electronics, materials and weapon systems in exchange for anything Axdel developed. Axdelian assets embedded in Morstaybishlia are also known to have provided some information on competing technology being developed by Morstaybishlian defence companies. Despite this assistance, the increasing complexity of the project meant early progress was slow until its priority was ramped up significantly in early 1970 with the outbreak of the Auroran Imperial war. The Prototype Q-103 without radar and fire control achieved its first flight just over a year later in 1971. In mock dogfights it handily outperformed the Q-101 in every aspect but straight line speed, the requirement for which was subsequently pared back as the Yk138 engine could not achieve the expected Mach 2 safely. Despite the successes, the all-electronic flight control was plagued with issues that resulted in several crashes due to loss of control, requiring all new domestically developed systems to address. This issue combined with delays in the digital flight computer meant the fighter took almost two years of further development to reach combat readiness, however it finally reached full production in January 1973.

The Q-103A was well received by pilots transferring from Q-101, and its combat performance of it and its later variants for the remaining duration of the war was very good. Issues with the Q-103A's flight control system persisted into production however, and despite having a lower accident rate its reputation was hampered by reports of both sudden loss of control or excessive pitching up during routine manoeuvres, an issue compounded by the lack of a mechanical backup. This quickly earned the planes nickname of ''<nowiki/>'Filly''' as it bucked like a young horse.