Fictional military aircraft
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Fictional military aircraft are imagined aircraft which are used in fiction, in its various media, but do not exist in the real world. These aircraft may be conjectured variants of real-world aircraft or they may be completely fabricated by the author.
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[edit] Fictional fighters
[edit] F-19 Stealth
In the 1980s, a gap appeared in the designation system for US military aircraft, between the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-20 Tigershark. This unseen F-19 was speculated to be a top-secret stealth fighter in US service. Various depictions of F-19s have since appeared in fictional works, as well as in the usually accurate Jane's All the World's Aircraft publication (as the Lockheed RF-19 and XST).
American model airplane manufacturers Testors and Monogram have both released hypothetical model kits of the F-19, the former quickly becoming the best-selling model airplane kit ever.
There are many theories as to why no publicly-known aircraft has been designated F-19. One theory claims that Northrop requested to skip the number for their F-20 Tigershark in order to avoid confusion with the MiG-19 on the export market. Although there may be an actual F-19 aircraft still unknown to the general public, the designation may very well be an obsolete designation for the F-117 Nighthawk. In fact the F-117 designation was a ruse in itself. In the early 1960s the department of defense took over the deignation of arms. Where previously the using services had assigned numerical numbers (Air Force, Navy, etc.) By the time that the F-117 was developed, the U.S. Air Force was already well into the newer low numbers such as F-4, F-5, F-15, F-16. The F-117 designation was used to mask the aircraft's identity as a brand new design. The Testor's F-19 model bore no resemblance to the F-117.
[edit] XFA-24A Apalis
The XFA-24A Apalis is a single-seat, twin-engine, canard-delta winged strike fighter in the video game Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception. Its engines allow it to accelerate straight up, and it is capable of toting large loads into combat. Its official "popular name" is a genus of songbirds. In an air to air configuration it carries AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, it is also compatible with the Mark 82 bomb and Maverick missile
[edit] F/A-37 Talon
The F/A-37 Talon is a fictional fighter aircraft of the U.S. Navy in the 2005 film Stealth. The Talon is capable of hypersonic flight with combined Pulse Detonation/Scramjet engines. As the movie's title suggests, the Talon has stealth capability, along with switchblade wings, a single cannon for close range attacks (possibly a 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer), and an internal rotary launcher for air-to-air and air-to-ground ordnance, including AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles, Blue Ferret penetration rockets, and Truncheon implosion bombs.
It has a Common Integrated Processor (CIP), a central "brain" capable of making damage assessments, not just on enemy forces, but on collateral and civilian casualties as well. The CIP can make complex calculations, like estimating nuclear fallout, or projecting odds of survival.
The Talon is capable of precise attacks with minimal destruction. Only three Talons existed and flew as a trio. Each pilot has a viewscreen for each wingman. Controls are streamlined; the computer communicates through voice and projection displays. The Talons had transponders that directly linked with the pilots homebase or a carrier's advanced flight center. The Talon has a self-destruct system in case of system failure.
There are several aircraft that seem to have influenced the design of the Talon. One is the Sukhoi Su-47 prototype fighter, which also features forward swept wings; however, the Su-47 features fixed wings, whereas the Talon has variable-geometry "switchblade" wings. Another plane the Talon resembles is the fictional X-02 Wyvern, from the Ace Combat video game series. Both have switchblade wings, stealth characteristics and similar overall shapes. Yet another plane sharing design characteristics with the Talon is the Northrop Switchblade technology demonstrator.
Technically, the F/A-37 should be called "Talon II", as the name "Talon" has already been assigned to the T-38 trainer aircraft.
The game Empire Earth features a fighter called the Talon in the "Digital Age Epoch". It is almost identical to the F/A-37, although it is a white land-based fighter instead of a black carrier-based one.
It is interesting to note that while the name "Talon" is used throughout the film, it is not even once referred to as the "F/A-37".
Specifications
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Range: 4000 nm
- Powerplant: 2 × Pulse Detonation/Scramjet engines
- Max Speed: Mach 5+
[edit] UCAV EDI
The UCAV EDI (Extreme Deep Invader) is a joint program in relation to the F/A-37 Talon. EDI is smaller than the Talon and has a downward canted delta plaform. Despite its designation as an Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV), it retains a cockpit for maintenance and emergencies. Among the new features are V/STOL capability, a Cermet (metal ceramic) composite exoskeleton, and aeroelastic wings. The engine is described as a Pulse Detonation Engine with twin Hybrid Scramjet Turbos fueled by catalyzed A1 methane.
EDI's computer is more powerful than a standard Talon's at 10 tera-bits/second. It also has an Artificial Intelligence system with Quantum processing achieved by a neural net. EDI is capable of identifying a target 5 miles away or by using a satellite uplink. EDI can identify a human target by fingerprints, voice analysis, or by face recognition. The most striking feature of the A.I. was its ability to learn at an exponential rate, and its ability to develop emotional feelings. EDI is similar in some ways to Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
EDI is pronounced "Eddie". It is also known by the call sign "Tin Man".
[edit] Metyor Mt-179
The Metyor Mt-179 is an advanced fighter-bomber version of the Fiskious Fi-170 found in Dale Brown's novel Night of the Hawk. The aircraft is designed with a forward swept wing and an extremely thin fuselage section.
The aircraft uses an internal bomb bay to carry laser-guided bombs and R-27 missiles. It houses four R-60 missiles in the leading edge of the wings; however, these are omitted due to corrosion of the wing. The crew of two consists of a pilot and a weapons operator.
Bought by oil broker Pavel Kazakov, the aircraft is used to influence his East European neighbors, almost starting a number of conflicts. The aircraft finally turned in on USAF forces in Turkey. Fortunately, the chief designer sent the aircraft's heat signature to the USAF in Turkey allowing Patrick McLanahan and his team of EB-1C Vampire II to destroy it.
The aircraft resembles and advanced version of the Sukhoi Su-47.
[edit] Messerschmitt Me 263
- This is about a fictional aircraft. For the real aircraft of this designation, see Messerschmitt Me 263.
The Messerschmitt Me 263 is a fictional jet fighter aircraft in the movie Aces: Iron Eagle III, supposedly developed by the Germans towards the end of World War II and flown by the drug-dealing ex-Nazi villain. It is in fact a Scaled Composites ARES, repainted in German Luftwaffe colors.
[edit] MiG-28
Fictional aircraft codenamed MiG-28 (МиГ-28 in Cyrillic script) have appeared in several different works. It is interesting to note that these works are completely unrelated and the aircraft themselves share nothing in common but a name, although it has also often even been given the NATO reporting name, Finback, although in reality this codename is assigned to the Shenyang J-8, a Chinese fighter based on the MiG-21.
The first instance of an aircraft being designated the MiG-28 is in the 1978 book The Sinkiang Executive written by Elleston Trevor. Referred to in the work as the MiG-28D, it was an aircraft that resembled a somewhat modified MiG-25, but with sharper air intakes and swept wings.
The next instance, and probably the most well-known, was in the 1986 movie Top Gun. Here called only the MiG-28, its role in the film is actually performed by an American aircraft, the Northrop F-5, which was at that time being used as an aggressor aircraft for dissimilar air combat training at the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School. These aircraft retained the paint scheme seen in the movie after its release.[1] While the identity of "the enemy" is not stated in the movie, it is often assumed to be the Soviet Union or another Communist state. The audio commentary on the Special Edition DVD release of Top Gun states that the enemy was originally intended to be North Korea, although this was evidently removed from the final film. In video games licensed from the movies, the enemy planes are clearly Soviet MiG-29s.
The final version of the MiG-28 is seen in the 1988 ABC television series Supercarrier. This MiG-28 was a fictional Soviet stealth fighter.
It should be noted that the designation "MiG-28" is inconsistent with RAC MiG's practice of giving fighter designs odd numbers. This may have been done so that the aircraft's appearance could not possibly contradict any future MiG fighters.
[edit] Mikoyan MiG-31 (fictional)
- For the real aircraft of this designation, see Mikoyan MiG-31.
The MiG-31 (МиГ-31 in Cyrillic script), NATO reporting name "Firefox", is a fictional aircraft appearing in Craig Thomas' novels Firefox and Firefox Down, as well as the movie based on the former.
The Firefox is an interceptor aircraft with stealth capabilities, to the point that it is invisible to radar. It is powered by two incredibly powerful Tumansky turbojet engines that permit flight at hypersonic speeds, but their exhaust gives the Firefox a prominent infrared signature. The Firefox's most famous feature is its Thought-Controlled Weapons System, which uses signals from the pilot's brain to target enemies and fire weapons; however, it only responds to thought commands in Russian. The Firefox's weapons consist of up to eight AA-3 Anab air-to-air missiles (modified for thought guidance), two 23 mm cannons, and four Rear Defense Pods, which fire an explosive charge at a pursuing aircraft or missile.
Other capabilities of the Firefox include a 3,000 mile range and a flight ceiling over 120,000 feet.
Two production prototypes were built before it was to be deployed into active service for the Soviet Air Force. The first prototype was stolen by Mitchell Gant operating on behalf of the Western intelligence community. The second prototype intercepted Gant and the two aircraft entered into combat with Gant destroying his adversary.
In Firefox Down, it is revealed the remaining prototype's fuel lines were ruptured in the dogfight that concluded the previous novel and the aircraft crash-lands in Finland. One of the plot lines of Firefox Down is the race between the Soviets and Western Intelligence to recover the aircraft submerged in a frozen Finnish lake.
The Firefox's appearance differs between the first novel and film. The version in the novel resembles a MiG-25 Foxbat, much like the real MiG-31 Foxhound. In the film, it has an appearance unlike any other Mikoyan-Gurevich fighter, seen in the above image.
[edit] MiG-37
The Mikoyan MiG-37 (fictional NATO reporting name Ferret E) is a fictional stealth aircraft produced in kit form by Italian model manufacturer Italeri, in co-operation with American model company Testors. The kit was a follow-up to Testors' highly successful (and fictional)"F-19 Stealth" model kit.
The MiG-37 is a stealth fighter designed using advances in technology from the Soviet Union's space and aviation programs as a reaction to the American F-19 stealth project.
[edit] XF-15F Cheetah
The XF-15F Cheetah is a fictional aircraft from the Dale Brown novel Day of the Cheetah. It is a heavily-modified F-15E Strike Eagle, bearing a distinct resemblance to the F-15S/MTD.
[edit] XF-34A DreamStar
The XF-34A DreamStar is a fictional aircraft from the Dale Brown novel Day of the Cheetah. It is a single-engine forward-swept wing fighter similar to the Grumman X-29; however, it is completely thought-controlled by its pilot through a semi-artificially-intelligent computer called the Advanced Neural Transfer And Response System, or ANTARES. It was stolen by its pilot, who had been a Soviet mole planted into the US Air Force years earlier; his handlers wished to reverse-engineer the plane and redesignate it the MiG-39 Zavtra (Russian for "tomorrow.")
[edit] Conquest X-30
The Conquest X-30 is a fictional aircraft from the G.I. Joe line of toys, comic books and cartoon series. It is a single-seat, twin-engined forward swept wing air superiority fighter, and is used by the fictional U.S. Air Force of that universe. The Conquest is designed solely for air combat and carries no air to ground weaponry (although its "Light Sparrow" missiles can be fired against ground targets, as seen in the cartoon series). It is armed with four "AIM-12 Light Sparrow" missiles, carries "11k" (presumably 11,000 pounds) internal fuel and two 350 gal. external fuel tanks. Its gun armament consists of two 25 mm revolver cannon.[2] Despite its higher series number, it is succeeded by the Phantom X-19 (see below). It uses square jet engine nozzles that, curiously, do not appear to be thrust-vectoring.
[edit] Phantom X-19
The Phantom X-19 is a fictional aircraft from the G.I. Joe line of toys, comic books and cartoon series. It is a twin-seat, twin-engine stealth strike fighter aircraft, and is used by the fictional U.S. Air Force of that universe. The Phantom's purpose is to use strike and destroy Cobra targets of interest. It is the preferred aircraft of the G.I. Joe pilot known as "Ghostrider". The Phantom is armed with twin Sparrow missiles, laser-guided bombs, and twin machine guns. Despite its lower series number, it is a successor to the Conquest X-30.
[edit] Savoia S.21
The Savoia S.21 is a fictional seaplane fighter that appears in the anime film Porco Rosso, directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
While the plane depicted in the movie never existed, Savoia was an actual Italian aircraft maker which produced a considerable number of flying boats in the 1920s, during which the movie is set. An actual Savoia S.21 even existed, though the fictional one does not closely resemble it — the Macchi M.33 is probably the closest real-life match.
The S.21 was a custom-built fighter seaplane with a single parasol wing, above which was mounted a single engine nacelle. It had a flying-boat hull and outrigger floats, and carried two machine guns in the nose. In the film, there are two versions of the S.21. The initial version was powered by an Isotta-Fraschini Asso liquid-cooled V-12 engine; the later version mounted a Fiat A.S.2 "Folgore" V-12 with a modified radiator configuration. In addition to the engine, the new version had a tiny forward cockpit.
In The Age of the Flying Boat, the book on which the movie is based, the modified version takes a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine. The aircraft was painted bright red with Italian tricolor stripes on the wings and tail.
Specifications
- Crew: initial version, 1 pilot; second version, additional 1 passenger
- Length: 7.92 m
- Wingspan: 10 m
- Powerplant: 430 HP
- Maximum Speed: 330 km/h
- Armament: 2 × 7.92 mm Spandau machine-guns
[edit] Fictional bombers
[edit] B-3
The B-3 is a fictional advanced stealth bomber modeled after the B-2 Spirit in the movie Broken Arrow. It is more streamlined than the B-2 Spirit and has supersonic capability.
A B-3 is also implemented in the game Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour. If one looks closely at an awkward angle at the plane's model in the World Builder tool, "B-3" is clearly visible.
The B3 is also humorously referred to repeatedly in the film Wag the Dog, when the President of the United States fakes a war to get re-elected.
[edit] EB-52 Megafortress
Dale Brown has used various modified variants of the B-52 Stratofortress, which in reality is used by the US Air Force as their heavy strategic bomber. These variants are usually referred to as the B-52 Megafortress. The Megafortress first appears in Dale Brown's Flight of the Old Dog and is expanded and upgraded in all his later books. It has all the latest technology (such as an advanced on-board computer and detailed HUD) and carries all the latest weapons, such as the AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, along with various anti-ship missiles, anti-tank guided missiles and even more fancifull weapons such as plasma-yield warheads. It also uses an advanced layout, having a long SST nose and twin V-type tails. In later books, the eight engines of the B-52A-H are replaced by four larger and more powerful turbofans. Coincidentally, this is an upgrade that has been considered for the real-world B-52H fleet
In Flight of the Old Dog, the first book in the series, the aircraft is designated the B-52I Megafortress. B-52M Megafortress Plus is later introduced Day of the Cheetah and the EB-52 designation is first used in Sky Masters. In reality, the EB-52H (or B-52J) was a planned upgrade to the USAF's current fleet of Stratofortresses, allowing them to act as "stand-off jammers", with jamming pods replacing the B-52's wing-mounted external fuel tanks.
One final version, the AL-52 Dragon, was introduced in Wings of Fire. The Dragon is an airborne laser platform; the actual laser is a chemical system (a COIL, or chlorine-oxygen-iodine laser). One prototype, however, is refitted with a plasma-pumped solid-state laser (the technology is based on the plasma-yield warheads mentioned above). Both Dragon variants are devastating against aerial targets; however, the plasma-pumped laser's sheer power makes it effective against surface targets as well.
[edit] B-7A Silhouette
The B-7A Silhouette is a fictional prototype US Air Force fighter-bomber in the book Ice Station by Matthew Reilly. It is said to be powered by a plutonium core. The plutonium core powers its stealth mechanism. The Silhouette is able to become invisible not only to radar, but to the human eye. The stealth mechanism on the Silhouette is said to work by distorting the air around the aircraft. All other features of the Silhouette run on normal jet fuel.
The Silhouette also has VTOL capability thanks to retro-firing jets on its underside, as well as multiple-launch BVR air-to-air and air-to-ground missile capability, with a range of 200 nautical miles. In the book a code was needed to open the door to get inside the aircraft.
As well as missiles the Silhouette has wing-mounted machine-guns controlled by the gunner for armament. The plane has a two-person cockpit - the pilot, who sits in a seat forward and to the right of the cockpit, and the gunner/radar operator, who sits above and to the left of the pilot. In the book, people entering the plane are required to open the main door using a code and step inside the missile bay, before going forward into the cockpit.
It is said to have been built in 1979, and was apparently the losing competitor in the B-2 stealth bomber project.
[edit] Fiskious Fi-170
The Fiskious Fi-170 Tuman is a fictional Russian Stealth bomber prototype in military thriller author Dale Brown's book Night of the Hawk. The Fi-170 is the Russian eqivualant to the EB-52 Megafortress, developed by captured and brainwashed American engineer Dave Luger. The aircraft is notable in having a super-critical wing and Russian equvialants to American weapons such as the AIM-120 and Stinger missiles.
The Fi-170 is developed at the Fiskious institute in Lithuania and is stolen by a team of commandos lead by pilot-hero Patrick McLanahan who also rescue Dave Luger the same night. The Fi-170 is flown to an undisclosed location in Scotland after destroying multiple enemy targets in Belarus. The Fi-170 is analyzed and dismantled in Scotland having been found a no better than a Russian copy of the EB-52.
The Fi-170 appears in the book Warrior Class as the Metyor Mt-179 with a forward-swept wing and more advanced avionics, making it comparable to the Sukhoi Su-47.
[edit] Fictional helicopters
[edit] AH-73M Thunderhawk
The playable attack helicopter in the futuristic Core design video game from 1991. The AH-73M seems to be based on the AH-64 Apache, but with more weapons and more advanced technology. A typical loadout for the AH-73 in the game is 16 Hellfire-like missiles, 76 unguided rockets, 8 Stinger-like air-to-air missiles and a cannon with unlimited ammunition.
[edit] Airwolf
Airwolf is the star of a 1984 TV series of the same name. It is capable of supersonic flight and carries multiple anti-aircraft cannons and missiles in retractable weapons pods. The helicopter used in the series is a modified Bell 222.
[edit] Blue Thunder
A fictional police helicopter from the movie with the same name. The helicopter is armed with a powerful head-tracked gatling gun in the nose, a stealth mode which makes it quiet and surveillance equipment like sensitive microphones and an infrared camera. The helicopter used in the movie is a Aérospatiale Gazelle with a new nose section bolted on.
[edit] Scorpion Attack Helicopter
The Scorpion Attack Helicopter is a fictional attack helicopter of unspecified origin that appears in the 1990 movie Fire Birds. At least one of the type was shown being used by a South American drug cartel and piloted by highly skilled mercenaries, along with a pair of Saab Draken fighters. The Scorpion has superior agility and speed compared to most other helicopters, notabaly the AH-1 Cobra and the UH-60 Black Hawk, easily destroying the aforementioned helicopters. Armed with unguided rockets and machine guns, it is roughly equal in air combat capabilities to the AH-64 Apache.
The real helicopter used for the film was a Hughes H-6 derivative, probably a Boeing MD500 Defender. It was fitted with weapon pods and a nose mounted scope.
[edit] Super Apache
The Super Apache is a fictional attack helicopter derived from the AH-64 Apache, and first appears in the Strike series of video games by Electronic Arts, specifically Soviet Strike and Nuclear Strike. Designed for special operations, the Super Apache serves as the player's primary vehicle.
The Super Apache looks identical to its real-world counterpart minus the tail, which looks like it was based off the RAH-66 Comanche(this is slightly strange due to the fact that the RAH-66 was built in 1995, three years after Desert Strike). It is a sophisticated two-seat attack helicopter armed with advanced electronics and air-ground weapons. However, to aid gameplay, there are some notable enhancments:
- Optional AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. There have been proposals to equip the real AH-64 with Sidewinder missiles. So far, no real Apaches have been equipped with the AIM-9.
- Self-repairing "smart armor" that repairs and re-aligns damaged portions of the helicopter.
- A passenger compartment capable of carrying up to six people. It is also accessible from the cockpit. In order to have room for the passengers the Super Apache must be significantly larger than the real-world Apache, since it looks identical externally. This makes the Super Apache similar to the real Mil Mi-28 Havoc, which has a small cargo compartment, intended to be used for rescue.
- A cargo winch to load passengers, fuel, and ammunition. The Super Apache also has significant load-carrying abilities, capable of carrying loads as heavy as multiple ICBMs- a feat far beyond any modern aircraft, even the C-17.
- Unlike the "normal" AH-64, the Super Apache does not need a separate gunner. It only requires one pilot to operate and engage the enemy effectively. The second crew member seems to simply be a co-pilot.
Remarkably, the Super Apache appears to lack the fire control Radar seen on the AH-64D Longbow. Instead, it relies on sophisticated communications systems (called Strike-Net) and unseen assets such as AWACS and Satellite imagery.
There is also a navalized variant called the Sea Apache, capable of carrying naval mines. It can be deployed from Sea Shadow-type warships.
[edit] Other fictional aircraft
[edit] Ace Combat series
The Ace Combat series of video games, set on an alternate Earth, is well-equipped with modern fighter jets of several nations (fully licensed by their actual manufacturers), as well as several aircraft designed specifically for the game series.
[edit] Simoun and Simile-Simoun series
The Simoun and Simile-Simoun series are fictional fighters that appears in the anime-film Simoun.
A Simoun requires two pilots to lift-off and steer in the air and, moreover, both of them must have not yet chosen their permanent sex (refer to background for explanation), since having done so permanently disqualifies a person from further piloting. Because of its sacred status in Simulacrum, only young priestesses of the Tempus Spatium faith are recruited as Simoun pilots and granted the title Simoun Sibyllae (シムーン・シヴュラ Shimūn Shivyura?).
Originally, Simouns were produced by Simuracrum nation's engineers and designers for ceremonial craft pray to Goddess "Temps-Spatium" (of their religion).
But, due to the main lift "Helical Motor", it was envied by other nations and a war broke out to obtain that technology. Thus, Simouns are armed with miniguns and Ri Mājon, and appear as enormous luminous glyphs in the sky, which, once completed, conjure magical effects of tremendous power.
The Similes are scaled-down simple model versions of Simouns, which were mainly used for training. But with the war raging, Simile-Simouns were armed with machine guns or miniguns and had single and dual cockpit configurations. They have similar designs, but with only a single, and somewhat, simpler Helical Motor.
The Simouns and Similes are apparently derived from bumblebees or similar insects.
[edit] Yukikaze
[edit] References
[edit] External links
F/A-37 Talon
MiG-37
