Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A “Tigerhawk” (a.k.a. “נמר / Namer“)

Dizzyfugu · December 19, 2013, 11:45:49 PM

Probably the last one for 2013, but a collaborative piece. What started with this bitmap profile made by fellow user NightHunter...

Northrop F-21C "Tigerhawk", United States Air force (USAF) - whif/kitbashing/tribute work: the original concept by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

...eventually, after two weeks of work, turned into this one (after some slight mutations, see below): the F-24 "Tigerhawk", a.k.a. IAI "Namer":

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Some background:
The Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24 is the latest reincarnation of the USAF "Lightweight Fighter Program" which dates back to the 1950ies and started with the development of Northrop's F-5 "Freedom Fighter".

The 1st generation F-5 became very successful in the export market and saw a long line of development, including the much more powerful F-5E "Tiger II" and the F-20 Tigershark (initially called F-5G). Northrop had high hopes for the F-20 in the international market; however, policy changes following Ronald Reagan's election meant the F-20 had to compete for sales against aircraft like the F-16, the USAF's latest fighter design (which was politically favored). The F-20 development program was eventually abandoned in 1986 after three prototypes had been built and a fourth partially completed.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

But this was not the end for Northrop's Lightweight Fighter. In the early 1980s, two X-29As experimental aircraft were built by Grumman from two existing Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter airframes. The Grumman X-29 was a testbed for forward-swept wings, canard control surfaces, and other novel aircraft technologies. The aerodynamic instability of this arrangement increased agility but required the use of computerized fly-by-wire control. Composite materials were used to control the aeroelastic divergent twisting experienced by forward-swept wings, also reducing the weight. The NASA test program continued from 1984 to 1991 and the X-29s flew 242 times, gathering valuable data and breaking ground for new aerodynamic technologies of 4th and 5th generation fighters.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Even though no service aircraft directly evolved from the X-29, its innovative FBW system as well as the new material technologies also opened the door for an updated F-20 far beyond the 1990ies. It became clear that ever expensive and complex aircraft could not be the answer to modern, asymmetrical warfare in remote corners of the world, with exploding development costs and just a limited number of aircraft in service that could not generate true economies of scale, esp. when their state-of-the-art design would not permit any export.

Anyway, a global market for simpler fighter aircraft was there, as 1st generation F-16s as well as the worldwide, aging F-5E fleet and types of Soviet/Russian origin like the MiG-29 provided the need for a modern, yet light and economical jet fighter. Contemporary types like the Indian HAL Tejas, the Swedish Saab Gripen, the French Dassault Rafale and the Pakistani/Chinese FC-1/JF-17 "Thunder" proved this trend among 4th - 4.5th generation fighter aircraft.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Northrop Grumman (Northrop bought Grumman in 1994) initiated studies and basic design work on a respective New Lightweight Fighter (NLF) as a private venture in 1995. Work on the NLF started at a slow pace, as the company was busy with re-structuring.
The idea of an updated lightweight fighter was fueled by another source, too: Israel. In 1998 IAI started looking in the USA for a development partner for a new, light fighter that would replace its obsolete Kfir fleet and partly relieve its F-16 and F-15 fleet from interception tasks. The domestic project for that role, the IAI Lavi, had been stillborn, but lots of its avionics and research were still at hand and waited for an airframe for completion.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The new aircraft for the IAF was to be superior to the MiG-29, at least on par with the F-16C/D, but easier to maintain, smaller and overall cheaper. Since the performance profiles appeared to be similar to what Northrop Grumman was developing under the NLF label, the US company eventually teamed up with IAI in 2000 and both started the mutual project "Namer" (=נמר, "Tiger" in Hebrew), which eventually lead to the F-24 I for the IAF which kept its project name for service and to the USAF's F-24A "Tigershark".

The F-24, as the NLF, was based on the F-20 airframe, but outwardly showed only little family heritage, onle the forward fuselage around the cockpit reminds of the original F-5 design . Many aerodynamic details, e. g. the air intakes and air ducts, were taken over from the X-29, though, as the experimental aircraft and its components had been developed for extreme maneuvers and extra high agility. Nevertheless, the X-29's forward-swept wing was considered to be too exotic and fragile for a true service aircraft, but the F-24 was to feature an Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) system.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

AAW Technology integrates wing aerodynamics, controls, and structure to harness and control wing aeroelastic twist at high speeds and dynamic pressures. By using multiple leading and trailing edge controls like "aerodynamic tabs", subtle amounts of aeroelastic twist can be controlled to provide large amounts of wing control power, while minimizing maneuver air loads at high wing strain conditions or aerodynamic drag at low wing strain conditions. This system was initially tested on the X-29 and later on the X-53 research aircraft, a modified F-18, until 2006.

Both USAF and IAF versions feature this state-of-the-art aerodynamic technology, but it is uncertain if other customers will receive it. While details concerning the F-24's system have not been published yet, it is assumed that its AAW is so effective that canard foreplanes could be omitted without sacrificing lift and maneuverability, and that drag is effectively minimized as the wing profile can be adjusted according to the aircraft's speed, altitude, payload and mission – much like a VG wing, but without its clumsy and heavy swiveling mechanism which has to bear high g forces. As a result, the F-24 is, compared to the F-20, which could carry an external payload of about 3.5 tons, rumored to be able to carry up to 5 tons of ordnance.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The delta wing shape proved to be a perfect choice for the required surface and flap actuators inside of the wings, and it would also offer a very good compromise between lift and drag for a wide range of performance. Anyway, there was one price to pay: in order to keep the wing profile thin and simple, the F-24's landing gear retracts into the lower fuselage, leaving the aircraft with a relatively narrow track.

Another major design factor for the outstanding performance of this rather small aircraft was weight reduction and structural integrity – combined with simplicity, ruggedness and a modular construction which would allow later upgrades. Instead of "going big" and expensive, the new F-24 was to create its performance through dedicated loss of weight, which was in some part also a compensation for the AAW system in the wings and its periphery.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Weight was saved wherever possible, e .g. a newly developed, lightweight M199A1 gatling gun. This 20mm cannon is a three-barreled, heavily modified version of the already "stripped" M61A2 gun in the USAF's current F-18E and F-22. One of the novel features is a pneumatic drive instead of the traditional electric mechanism, what not only saves weight but also improves trigger response. The new gun weighs only a mere 65kg (the six-barreled M61A2 weighs 92kg, the original M61A1 112 kg), but still reaches a burst rate of fire of 1.800 RPM (about 800 RPM under cyclic fire, standard practice is to fire the cannon in 30 to 50-round bursts, though) and a muzzle velocity of 1.050 metres per second (3,450 ft/s) with a PGU-28/B round.

While the F-16 was and is still made from 80% aluminum alloys and only from 3% composites, the F-24 makes major use of carbon fiber and other lightweight materials, which make up about 40% of the aircraft's structure, plus an increased share of Titanium and Magnesium alloys. As a consequence and through many other weight-saving measures like keeping stealth capabilities to a minimum (even though RAM was deliberately used and many details designed to have a natural low radar signature, resulting in modest radar cross-section (RCS) reductions), a single, relatively small engine, a fuel-efficient F404-GE-402 turbofan, is enough to make the F-24 a fast and very agile aircraft, coupled with a good range. The F-24's thrust/weight ratio is considerably higher than 1, and later versions with a vectored thrust nozzle (see below) will take this level of agility even further – with the pilot becoming the limiting factor for the aircraft's performance.

USAF and IAF F-24s are outfitted with Northrop Grumman's AN/APG-80 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, also used in the F-16 Block 60 aircraft. Other customers might only receive the AN/APG-68, making the F-24 comparable to the F-16C/D.

The first prototype, the YF-24, flew on 8th of March 2008, followed by two more aircraft plus a static airframe until summer 2010. In early 2011 the USAF placed an initial order of 101 aircraft (probably also to stir export sales – the earlier lightweight fighters from Northrop suffered from the fact that the manufacturer's country would not use the aircraft in its own forces). These initial aircraft will replace older F-16 in the interceptor role, or free them for fighter bomber tasks. The USN and USMC also showed interest in the aircraft for their aggressor squadrons, for dissimilar air combat training. A two-seater, called the F-24B, is supposed to follow soon, too, and a later version for 2020 onwards, tentatively designated F-24C, is to feature an even stronger F404 engine and a 3D vectoring nozzle.

Israel is going to produce its own version domestically from late 2014 on, which will exclusively be used by the IAF. These aircraft will be outfitted with different avionics, built by Elta in Israel, and cater to national requirements which focus more on multi-purpose service, while the USAF focusses with its F-24A on aerial combat and interception tasks.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

International interest for the F-24A is already there: in late 2013 Grumman stated that initial talks have been made with various countries, and potential export candidates from 2015 on are Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Finland, Norway, Australia and Japan.

General F-24A characteristics:
Crew: 1 pilot
Length: 47 ft 4 in (14.4 m)
Wingspan: 27 ft 11.9 in / 8.53 m; with wingtip missiles (26 ft 8 in/ 8.13 m; without wingtip missiles)
Height: 13 ft 10 in (4.20 m)
Wing area: 36.55 m² (392 ft²)
Empty weight: 13.150 lb (5.090 kg)
Loaded weight: 15.480 lb (6.830 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 27.530 lb (12.500 kg)

Powerplant
1× General Electric F404-GE-402 turbofan with a dry thrust of 11,000 lbf (48.9 kN) and 17,750 lbf (79.2 kN) with afterburner

Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2+
Combat radius: 300 nmi (345 mi, 556 km); for hi-lo-hi mission with 2 × 330 US gal (1,250 L) drop tanks
Ferry range: 1,490 nmi (1715 mi, 2759 km); with 3 × 330 US gal (1,250 L) drop tanks
Service ceiling: 55,000 ft (16,800 m)
Rate of climb: 52,800 ft/min (255 m/s)
Wing loading: 70.0 lb/ft² (342 kg/m²)
Thrust/weight: 1.09 (1.35 with loaded weight & 50% fuel)

Armament
1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M199A1 3-barreled Gatling cannon in the lower fuselage with 400 RPG
Eleven external hardpoints (two wingtip tails, six underwing hardpoints, three underfuselage hardpoints) and a total capacity of 11.000 lb (4.994 kg) of missiles (incl. AIM 9 Sidewinder and AIM 120 AMRAAM), bombs, rockets, ECM pods and drop tanks for extended range.

The kit and its assembly
A spontaneous project. This major kitbash was inspired by fellow user nighthunter at whatifmodelers.com, who came up with a profile of a mashed-up US fighter, created "out of boredom". The original idea was called F-21C, and it was to be a domestic successor to the IAI Kfirs which had been used by the US as aggressor aircraft in USN and USMC service for a few years.

As a weird(?) coincidence I had many of the necessary ingredients for this fictional aircraft in store, even though some parts and details were later changed. This model here is an interpretation of the original design. The idea was spun further, and the available parts that finally went into the model also had some influence on design and background.

Anyway, I thank nighthunter for sharing the early ideas, inviting me to take the design to the hardware stage (sort of...) and adapting my feedback into new design sketches, too, which, in return, inspired the model building process. Here's an interim stage, after some feedback from me during the WiP period - we were coming closer...

Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר/Namer"), United States Air force (USAF) - whif/kitbashing/tribute work: the evolution by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Well, what went into this thing? To cook up a F-24 à la Dizzyfugu you just need (all in 1:72):
● Fuselage from a Hasegawa X-29, including the cockpit and the landing gear
● Fin and nose cone from an Italeri F-16A
● Inner wings from a (vintage) Hasegawa MiG-21F
● Outer wings from a F-4 (probably a J, Hasegawa or Fujimi)

The wing construction deviates from nighthunter's original idea. The favorite ingredients would have been F-16XL or simple Mirage III wings, but I found the composite wing to be more attractive and "different". The big F-16XL wings, despite their benefit of a unique shape, might also have created scale/size problems with a F-20 style fuselage?
So I built hybrid wings: The MiG-21 landing gear wells were filled with putty and the F-4 outer wings simply glued onto the MiG inner wing sections, which were simply cut down in span. It sounds like an unlikely combo, but these parts fit together almost perfectly! In order to hide the F-4 origins I modified them to carry wingtip launch rails, though, which were also part of nighthunter's original design.

Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר/Namer"), United States Air force (USAF) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The AAW technology detail mentioned in the background came in handy as it explains the complicated wing shape and the fact that the landing gear retracts into the fuselage, not into the wings, which would have been more plausible... Anyway, there's still room for a simpler export version, with Mirage III or Kfir C.2/7 wings, and maybe canards?

Using the X-29 as basis also made fitting the new wings onto the area-ruled fuselage pretty easy, as I could use the wing root parts from the X-29 to bridge the gap. The original, forward-swept wings were just cut away, and the remains used as consoles for the new hybrid delta wings. Took some SERIOUS putty work, but the result is IMHO fine.

Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר/Namer"), United States Air force (USAF) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The bigger/square X-29 air intakes were taken over, and they change the look of the aircraft, making it look less F-5-ish than a true F-20 fuselage. For the same reason I kept the large fairing at the fin base, combining it with a bigger F-16 tail, though, as a counter-balance to the new, bigger wings. Again, the F-16 fin was/is part of nighthunter's idea, so the model stays true to the original concept.

For the same reason I omitted the original X-29 nose, which is rather pointy, sports vanes and a large sensor boom. The F-16 nose was a plausible choice, as the AN/APG-80 is also carried by late Fighting Falcons, and its shape fits well, too.

All around the hull, some small details like radar warning sensors, pitots and air scoops were added. Not really necessary, but such thing add IMHO to the overall impression of such a fictional aircraft beyond the prototype stage.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma / WA; 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma / WA; 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Cockpit and landing gear were taken OOB, I just added a pilot figure and slightly modified the seat.

The ordnance was puzzled together from the scrap box, the AIM-9Ls come from the same F-4 kit which donated its outer wings, the AIM-120s come from an Italeri NATO weapons kit. The drop tanks belong to an F-16.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Painting and markings
At first I considered an F-24I in IAF markings, or even a Japanese aircraft, but then reverted to one of nighthunter's initial, simple ideas: an USAF aircraft in the "Hill II" paint scheme (F-16 style), made up from three shades of gray (FS 36118, 36270 and 36375) with low-viz markings and stencils. Dutch/Turkish NF-5A/Bs in the "Hill II" scheme were used as design benchmarks, too. It's a simple livery, but on this delta wing aircraft it looks pretty interesting. I used enamels, what I had at hand: Humbrol 127 and 126, and Modelmaster's 1723.

A light black ink wash was applied, in order to em,phasize the engraved panel lines, in contrast to that, panels were manually highlighted through dry-brushed, lighter shades of gray (Humbrol 27, 166 and 167).

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma / WA; 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

"Hill II" also adds to a generic, realistic touch for this whif. Doing an exotic air force thing is rather easy, but creating a convincing whif for a huge military machinery like the USAF's takes more subtlety, I think.

The cockpit was painted in medium Gray (Dark Gull Grey, FS 36231, Humbrol 140), as well as the radome. The landing gear and the air intakes were painted white. The radome was painted with Revell 47 and dry-brushed with Humbrol 140.

Decals were puzzled together from various USAF aircraft, including sheets from an Airfix F-117, an Italeri F-15E and even an Academy OV-10D.

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Northrop Grumman-IAI F-24A "Tigerhawk" (a.k.a. "נמר / Namer"), s/n 14-0183 of 318th FIS, United States Air force (USAF); McChord AFB, Tacoma (WA); 2014 (whif/kitbashing/tribute work) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Tadah: a hardware tribute to an idea, born from boredom - and the aircraft does not look even bad at all? What I wanted to achieve was to make the F-24 neither look like a F-20, nor a Saab Gripen clone, as the latter comes close in overall shape, size and design.

Cheers to NightHunter for the early PM inspiration, it was a pleasure "to make dreams come true"

rickshaw · December 20, 2013, 06:52:02 AM

Very nice!

NARSES2 · December 20, 2013, 07:24:17 AM

Another super project

deathjester · December 20, 2013, 11:37:01 AM

Now that's a What If !!

Whiffie in the offing I thinks...

KeiichiRX7 · December 20, 2013, 12:30:44 PM

As a 2008 fighter I have to ask why this jet doesn't use the more powerful F-414 as opposed to the F-404, since they bolt into the same mounts and share a gearbox?

eatthis · December 20, 2013, 01:37:57 PM

this is ace

iv had almost identical idea floating around in my head for a while (probably put the main wing further back and add canards though) and if mine comes out half as good as yours il be a happy bunny

lancer · December 20, 2013, 01:54:59 PM

A very,very nice looking build. As far as the F20 is concerned, I remember reading the Chuck Yagers autobiography, that when he was Northrops chief test pilot he flew the F20 and the F16 and in his opinion the F20 was the far superior aircraft.

Librarian · December 20, 2013, 02:01:14 PM

During one of my Father's "Doos" many moons ago I met a couple of quite high ranking Soviet pilots, one was a test pilot of some renown. I was very interested when they told me that in the period leading up to the end of the Cold War there had been three Western aerial machines that worried them. The A-10, the Apache and the F-20. They were gobsmacked when the latter was cancelled. In sufficient numbers (it was reasonably cheap) it posed a serious threat to them. Don't know how accuarate this is but ....from the horse's mouth.

PR19_Kit · December 20, 2013, 02:47:49 PM

That looks FAR too real to be a Whiff.....

Army of One · December 20, 2013, 03:17:30 PM

Yet again another spanking build......I really love this one.....

....I really like the F20 as well....got a few Hase 1/72 ones and recently aquired a 1/144 one as well....lovely looking aircraft....

eatthis · December 20, 2013, 03:47:49 PM

Quote from: Librarian on December 20, 2013, 02:01:14 PM
During one of my Father's "Doos" many moons ago I met a couple of quite high ranking Soviet pilots, one was a test pilot of some renown. I was very interested when they told me that in the period leading up to the end of the Cold War there had been three Western aerial machines that worried them. The A-10, the Apache and the F-20. They were gobsmacked when the latter was cancelled. In sufficient numbers (it was reasonably cheap) it posed a serious threat to them. Don't know how accuarate this is but ....from the horse's mouth.

im not at all surprised by that list apart from maybe the exclusion of the f15 and f111.
1 of the major failings of the western/capitalist world is that the best doesnt always win! (iv no idea if the f20 was/woulve better than the f16 though)

nighthunter · December 20, 2013, 04:18:37 PM

Dizzy... Damn, just, damn she looks good "in the flesh", so to speak. I am currently working on correcting that WIP drawing I came up with to match your final outcome. Thank you again, so much for making it happen! If I had the same resources as you, I know it wouldn't have come out nearly as good. But, now I am tempted to try to find 1/144 scale models to make this. And this is a wonderful and semi unintentional early birthday present, (my birthday is the 30th of December).

@eatthis, the Soviets got a few captured F-5's, from the Vietnamese, and when they tested them, they out performed and maneuvered the MiG-21s, so the F-20 being an upgraded F-5 probably scared the pants off of them.

rickshaw · December 20, 2013, 04:38:12 PM

Quote from: nighthunter on December 20, 2013, 04:18:37 PM
Dizzy... Damn, just, damn she looks good "in the flesh", so to speak. I am currently working on correcting that WIP drawing I came up with to match your final outcome. Thank you again, so much for making it happen! If I had the same resources as you, I know it wouldn't have come out nearly as good. But, now I am tempted to try to find 1/144 scale models to make this. And this is a wonderful and semi unintentional early birthday present, (my birthday is the 30th of December).

@eatthis, the Soviets got a few captured F-5's, from the Vietnamese, and when they tested them, they out performed and maneuvered the MiG-21s, so the F-20 being an upgraded F-5 probably scared the pants off of them.

Note sure why. They'd already moved beyond the MiG21 by then, into MiG23s/29s and Su27s. The 29 would have been more than a match for the F-20. The other reality is that NATO airforces always preferred quality over quantity. The F-16 and Mirage 2000 were more than a match for the MiG21 anyway.

Weaver · December 20, 2013, 05:58:46 PM

That's a great piece of whatifery, and I'm going to remember that wing combination...

The combination of a tailless cranked-delta wing with a swept fin and a long "naked" rear fuelage also reminds me of the X-31 vectored thrust test aircraft, the major difference being that the latter had a chin intake.

nighthunter · December 20, 2013, 08:38:04 PM

Here is the completed drawing: