Q-103 Swift: Difference between revisions
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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,
== Development ==
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 from pilots transferring from the faster but less capable 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 its reputation 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 earned the planes nickname of ''<nowiki/>'Filly''' as it bucked like a young horse.▼
▲The Q-103A was well received
The Swift is an extremely agile aircraft, being entirely reliant on a digital fly-by-wire system and integrated circuit based flight computer to regulate the flight envelope of its low wing-loading three-surface design and featuring an enormously powerful Yk138 Koriba-3HI turbofan. Its bubble cockpit allowed pilots a much large field of view than previous fighters, and it could carry a large payload of IR and radar-homing missiles with look-down shoot-down ability as well as bombs and air-to-surface missiles. Later developments which enhanced its ground-attack abilities saw it gain mountings on the lower fuselage for targeting and ECM pods for use with a wider variety of guided munitions, as well as two seat cockpit variants for more effective workload distribution.▼
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▲The Swift is an extremely agile aircraft
== Variants ==
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=== Q-103D ===
(Electronic warfare version with semi-permanently mated EW modules and external fuel tanks)
=== Q-103S Super Swift ===
The Q-103S Super Swift is a heavily modified redesign of the original Swift. Only two seater cockpits were produced to support multirole operations. The fuselage was strengthened with composite materials and enlarged in order to fit improved avionics, larger fuel tanks and increased payload weight. Additionally the wings have been slightly reshaped in order give the aircraft relaxed stability, improving responsiveness and reducing energy loss during manoeuvres. The latter change also allows for supermanoeuvrability, meaning high-AoA post-stall manoeuvres can be performed if necessary.
In 2010 as part of a 2025 life extension programme enacted due to delays in the development of the [[Q-107 Grackle]], a series of upgrades were installed on 52 aircraft to be designated as the
== Operators ==
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