F-15 Eagle

[Sauragnmon]

Moritz,

The F-16 MATV variant had a Thrust Vectored nozzle on its F-110, and if I recall it was all right up on the upper section, so I don't see why you couldn't give it the notched petals of a LOAN nozzle.  I plan on doing that with my Super Viper concept.  As to the Super Deuce, I dunno what I'd do with one, but a DSI is a good start, I plan on that for my Super Viper, as I think they just look pretty damn sweet.

The only plans I have immediately for an F-15 are to give it Flanker wings (I'm looking at an Su-34's wings) and modify the vertical tails, and fit the sucker with some AL-31's for sheer kicks and giggles.  The latest plan might have me doing it with a 15E, which should be interesting.  I plan on calling it my Black Eagle project, and I figure the bigger wings might be somewhat interesting, not to mention the altered profile of the aircraft.

[Shasper]

the LOAN nozzle provides all axis TV

Shas

[ElectrikBlue]

the LOAN nozzle provides all axis TV

Shas

Agreed! 

EB

[ChernayaAkula]

Rafa's great F-15M made me think about using the F-15 ACTIVE set-up for the F-15J Kai+ I'm planning. But what about the gun? With the big canards, the gun has to go. This is how it's installed at the moment:



Now, would it be possible to reduce the size oif the ammo drun and move the gun to a streamlined fairing under the belly? Along the lines of what the F-4E/F use? The fighter Eagles have a pretty large ammo drum with 940 rounds of ammunition. Other fighters have to do with a lot less. F-14 has 675 rounds, the F-16 has 545, the F/A-18 has 578. So, reducing the size of the ammo drum could make space for installing the six-shooter below the drum, with only a small portion protruding from the belly in a streamlined fairing.

[tinlail]

Do you have to move the drum? why not turn it upside down and put the gun in a belly fairing beneath it?

[Shasper]

CA,

I've ran into that same problem when considering what to do with the M61 for the F-15F Cheetah of Dale Brown fame. To expand on what comrad Tinlail has mention, what I thought of is moving the gun assembly into a ventral fairing just aft of the nose gear door & situated halfway between the nose gear & the right side intake. Internally the drum feed would be moved to the bottom but everything else would remain unchanged. I havent done any mock ups but if my mental measuring is in the ballpark both the centerline & the intake hardpoints would not be obstructed.

Now if the M61 is just too big, you could always substitute the M197 3 barrel 20mm cannon found on the AH-1W or one of the newer single barrel cannons like the 30mm Hughes found on the Apache or the 25mm bushmaster.


Shas

[Weaver]

CA,

I've ran into that same problem when considering what to do with the M61 for the F-15F Cheetah of Dale Brown fame. To expand on what comrad Tinlail has mention, what I thought of is moving the gun assembly into a ventral fairing just aft of the nose gear door & situated halfway between the nose gear & the right side intake. Internally the drum feed would be moved to the bottom but everything else would remain unchanged. I havent done any mock ups but if my mental measuring is in the ballpark both the centerline & the intake hardpoints would not be obstructed.

Now if the M61 is just too big, you could always substitute the M197 3 barrel 20mm cannon found on the AH-1W or one of the newer single barrel cannons like the 30mm Hughes found on the Apache or the 25mm bushmaster.


Shas

AFAIK, the M-197 has pretty much the same volume as the M-61: it's basically a Vulcan with every other barrel removed, for applications where light weight is more important than RoF. If you want a low-profile, high-RoF gun for a slim, semi-external mounting, then why not go for the GE-225 twin-fixed-barrel revolver gun, which could be mounted in much the same way as Russian GSh-23s? It could go on the centreline with the pylon "overhanging" it in the same way thay MiG-21/23 ones do. It could also have a space-efficent rectangular ammo box instead of the drum, which occupies a slice of prime real-estate in the middle of the aircraft and uses it inefficiently (round peg in a square hole).

[Rafael]

Thanks for your comments, Moritz!!!

I wondered about that with the F-15M, and simply moved the gun to a fairing on top of the fuselage very much where the gun would be on a regular Eagle. But I like the solution Shasper gives. It reminds me of a Gripen's gun installation. Also, I imagine that the nose could be modified to accept a gun fairing á la F-4 Phantom, or even enlarged to accept a F/A-18 like installation

Rafa

[pyro-manic]

What about upgrading to a Mauser BK-27? You get a lower rate of fire, but a much harder-hitting projectile. It's pretty slim as well, so could be shoe-horned in quite easily. IIRC a BK-27 variant was originally looked at for JSF...

[GTX]

Maybe put the gun in a FAST pack?

Regards,

Greg

[ChernayaAkula]

I thought about keeping the Vulcan for reasons of supply logistics. But then again, the other one still using the six-shooter in my story is the F-2, while JMSDF's Rafales and Harriers will both be using "GIAT 30" 30mm cannons.  The Harrier will use one in a pod and the ammo in another pod, as on the GAU-12 of the AV-8B in USMC service. Maybe change all guns to GIATs?

<...> But I like the solution Shasper gives. It reminds me of a Gripen's gun installation. <...>

Sounds good!  I was about to suggest an installation like on the Su-24 Fencer, which also looks similar to the Gripen's. 

Maybe put the gin in a FAST pack? <...>

Good idea, but wouldn't the Fast packs considerably degrade dog-fighting performance?  Just when the gun is needed.

[Shasper]

Having the FASTpacks (aka CFTs) does not degrade the agility of the Eagle (or the F-16) because the tank is "one" with the a/c aerodynamically speaking . . . since they're (for all purposes) apart of the airframe instead of just another pod or store hangin off a pylon there's really no adverse drag or any other negative effects on the airplane except the extra weight of the fuel you're touting around.


HTH, its after 0100 local & I think my marbles are at the local pub

Shas

[Spey_Phantom]

i found something here i just have to show you guys 

as you know there has been a lot of concept art regarding the indian navy's indigenous aircraft carrier,
well i had a close look at the aircraft station on it in the promo images, and they dont look like MIg-29K's to me 

i mean, how plausible is this, maybe the US is developing a STOBAR version of the F-15SE, do i hear F-15SKI 
seriously, take look 

[GTX]

well i had a close look at the aircraft station on it in the promo images, and they dont look like MIg-29K's to me 

Nice spot - definitely some artistic license (or wishful thinking) used there.  A definite F-15.

Indian F-15Es would be possible, though unlikely.  Adapting for STOBAR - extremely unlikely in real world, in whiff though...

Regards,

Greg

[ChernayaAkula]

Maybe an F-15E ACTIVE?  IIRC, part of the ACTIVE programme was to start and land on rather short runways.