Bae Super Harrier

[Archibald]

Bae Systems Super Harrier

The 11th July 2008 was nearly a tragic day for the USA. French terrorists had planned a camembert bombing in NY. Thanks to Yann Boec, the conspiracy failed...

But this caused a major review in defence programs. The Pentagon understood that the future of warfare now layed in counter-terrorism, no conventional wars fight with carriers, tanks and... combat aircrafts.
So the Raptor, Superbug and...F-35 were again reviewed. The aim was to cut costs in conventional weapons in favor of intelligence.

The Super Bug was vital for the USN, beeing defensor of the fleet and main fighter bomber. Without the Raptor, the USAF was at the level of a 3rd world country, with aeging F-16s and F-15s.  
So the two were saved... this meant that costs savings would apply to the JSF.

The program was subject to more and more criticism, but it could not be cancelled. The aim was to drastically reduce its cost... the 3 variants were scrutinised, and some controversial decisions were taken.

First, the USAF aircraft become a land based USN variant. Only differences now layed in the undercarriage (of course, naval equipments such as the arrestor hook were deleted). Wings, cockpit, engine were similar.

This allowed big costs saving, but Congress judged that insufficient.

Target was now the less performing, more expensive variant, the V/STOL F-35C. Exports orders for this plane were insignifiant... but the USMC complained loudly.

After hot debate, it was decided that the service would receive Super Hornets to replace its F-18D, the Harrier would not be replaced. More helicopters would be bought for CAS... LPH returned to the amphibious/ helicopter carrier role, loosing their fighter bomber component.

The GAO also criticised the development of two engines, the F-135 and F-136. In the end, it was decided to scrap the F-136.

These decisions came as a shock in GB, which had cancelled CVF in late 2007 because of its high cost. Decision has been taken to upgrade Ark Royal and Illustrious, extending their useful lives up to 2030.
This meant that the V/STOL JSF was badly needed for the service to replace Sea Harriers and RAF GR.9 operating from the ships. But the V/STOL JSF was not be resurected.
After some months of hot debate, GB and the RN faced a major crisis. The risk was to stay with helicopter carriers at long term.
Lockheed offered to Bae systems to continue the V/STOL variant of F-35 alone, but it was too expensive without the US Gvt and USMC backing.

In 2009,the last Hawk rolled out of the production line. This was the end of British national military aircrafts... situation seemed to be deseperate. The Harrier replacement problem became more and more accute...

And Bae system made a proposal. They had analysed the main default of the Harrier

- subsonic speed
- single seater, overlading the pilot in A2G missions
- engine accessibility by removing the wing.

Their proposal was based on a heavily modified Harrier T.10. The aim was to improve vastly the good old Harrier using some F-35 and F-136 stuff.

To make a Harrier supersonic, old files from the closed Kingston plant were opened (P.1150, 1154, 1179...)
They showed the way to follow : PCB, pointed nose, and squarred intakes would allow a Harrier derivative to go supersonic in level flight. Bae feeled that a top speed of mach 1.5 would be sufficient.

Supersonic flight implied a new wing and tail : aerodynamic studies made for the
F-22, F-23 and F-35 were used.
The fuselage was streched from 2 meters (between the nozzles) to allow more fuel to be carried. A vast door was design on the back, to remove the engine without removing the wing.
Engine was still the Pegasus, but vastly improved with F-136 technology. It was boosted to 14500 kgp, sufficient to push a Harrier derivative to mach 1.5.

The plane was fitted with an upgraded variant of the excellent Blue Vixen radar mounted on the Sea Harrier. It was made compatible with the Meteor long range AAM.

The plane was offered as a V/STOL strike fighter to replace the GR.11 of the RAF, and long range supersonic interceptor for RN.

British governement proved enthusiastic, and 200 aircrafts were bought. Later, Italy Spain and Thailand also bought the aircraft to replace their AV-8.
After Kim Young Ill detonate an A-bomb on the DMZ in 2012, Japan, South Korea and Australia also bought a batch of aircrafts for their LPH.

[B777LR]

that is.........different! And nice! And beutiful!    

[F-32]

WOW! :dum:  

[Archibald]

As you can see, I had a problem with putty...    

[Rafael]

SUPERB!!!!![/size]

I'm a candidate for Knitting and mudpies.....

Rafa

[Archibald]

Thanks for the cheers comments!

This is an Airfix Harrier T-10 bought for cheap three months ago. The aim : changing it into a kind of "V/STOL Tomcat".( In the sense of two-seat, powerfull radar, supersonic performances, more AAMs... )

The wings and tail are made from a styrene sheet. I took my F-22, and drawn the wing on the sheet with a pen. Then, cut the plastic sheet... V-tail is a scaled down
YF-23.

My subconscient played an important role in this building... watch the fuselage and cockpit: it looks a bit  like the two-seat P.1154 of the RN...

At the beginning, I had build a huge dorsal spine, but this looked very bad. I had to destroy the back of the aircraft, and replace it by a plastic bit coming from the pod of a B-58 Hustler. It fit nicely into the big hole left...

Armement planned is four AMRAAMs, and gun pods.  

[Tophe]

I like the tail of this new one...
For the air intakes, it seems difficult to imagine what you will do. Uneasy for sure.

[Archibald]

These are Phantom intakes... the one that I changed into a P.141.
Much work still to do!!!  

[Brian da Basher]

Very cool Archie! Your ingenuity never ceases to impress me! I can't wait to see her all finished and painted up.

Brian da Basher

[Archibald]

Here we are... first coat of paint! Looks slighty better like that...


I bought one of these cheap (and crap!) Airfix Lightnings (7 euros!) just for the decals, spares and Red Top AAMs...

[John Howling Mouse]

Coooool!

[Archibald]

JHM, you are part of this success   you contributed to the wings and V tail...

I still have this TIALD pod (which was orginally planned for a certain vulcan).

[Archibald]

It now stand on its undercarriage... no mods to the two boggies, but outriggers have been relocated closer to the fuselage.
This plane is now supersonic, so the archaic outriggers of the AV-8B (the wheels are not covered!!!  :dum: ) are no way.
I used the bombs (of the box) to make new outriggers fairings. This worked quite well. Main boggies were glued slighty out of their boxes, to have more ground clearance. Due to some problems with putty, situation looked quite desesperate yesterday morning. But today was really a nice day, and this thing now looks quite better...







 (lot of fun with this smiley)  

[Archibald]

I'm still building this one (at slow pace, its christmas holidays now).
Added undercarriage doors, gun pods below the intakes, and plenty other stuff... but the paint is too old and crap...

[seavixen]

but the paint is too old and crap...

Have you tried using a paint brush Archibald?