Give a second life to this old warrior
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Purpose of this thread is to see if you can think of a second use /modification of an older cold war era design [1950s -1960s] to make it relevant till the end of the 1980s [ essentially until the cold war ended].
out of the box thinking is encouraged , but keep it realistic gents
My first jet is Gloster Javelin , market is a simpler supersonic fighter for smaller african /latin american countries which cannot get mig-21 [yes i know the pesky f-5 filled that role but maybe these countries want to remain loyal to the empire like chile, ghana , zimbabwe]
Divided on if it should retain the radar [its primitive by 70s and 80s and probably bulky]
modernized to carry sidewinders , and also given a bit of ground attack capability with rockets and 4 x 1000 lb bombs it already carried 4 x cannons.
Another option is SOuth africans who originally got the airplane completely redesign it for CAS role [ any suggestions ?]
out of the box thinking is encouraged , but keep it realistic gents
My first jet is Gloster Javelin , market is a simpler supersonic fighter for smaller african /latin american countries which cannot get mig-21 [yes i know the pesky f-5 filled that role but maybe these countries want to remain loyal to the empire like chile, ghana , zimbabwe]
Divided on if it should retain the radar [its primitive by 70s and 80s and probably bulky]
modernized to carry sidewinders , and also given a bit of ground attack capability with rockets and 4 x 1000 lb bombs it already carried 4 x cannons.
Another option is SOuth africans who originally got the airplane completely redesign it for CAS role [ any suggestions ?]
Last edited by nastle on 18 Apr 2020, 16:44, edited 2 times in total.
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F-106 with pulse doppler radar, multifunction displays, and missile/EW upgrades.
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I'm not sure if it qualifies, but the F-5A upgraded to the F-20 seemed to be the ultimate expression of this.
Yes, I know the F-16 was the preferred export. But the F-20 was the ultimate bargain fighter... It was air to everything, had a great thrust to weight ratio, the most reliable fighter engine in service and quite economical with its CPFH. I always thought of it as the perfect fighter for countries like Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and others in that neck of the woods.
Those countries all had a need for a capable, reliable and multi-role fighter that didn't necessarily need to fly long distances. As a point air defense fighter for say, Israel I think it would have been dynamite. All of those countries also share a coastline, and the F-20 was equipped for the maritime strike mission as well (with Harpoon). Provisions for up to 4 AMRAAM's plus 2 sidewinders would have given it a potent BVR capability. Why they never designed 2 semi-recessed carry AMRAAM's such as those seen on the F-4 or F-14 is beyond me. They would have resulted in miniscule drag, and upped its air to air loadout considerably. It was likewise able to carry many air to ground munitions, and undoubtedly would have benefitted immensely from the AIM-9x, as well as the SDBI and II.
Limitations included short legs, carrying just 5,000lbs of internal fuel. But for those nations with the need for say, a point airfield defense interceptor or an aircraft based close to the front lines, you wouldn't need a lot of range. You'd need precisely what the F-20 was: A simple, affordable aircraft capable of a high sortie rate which performed air to air, air to ground or air to sea missions. It brought a LOT of capablity at a very affordable price, and I'm betting had one of these nations bought it, they'd probably still be flying it!
I wish I had one...
Yes, I know the F-16 was the preferred export. But the F-20 was the ultimate bargain fighter... It was air to everything, had a great thrust to weight ratio, the most reliable fighter engine in service and quite economical with its CPFH. I always thought of it as the perfect fighter for countries like Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and others in that neck of the woods.
Those countries all had a need for a capable, reliable and multi-role fighter that didn't necessarily need to fly long distances. As a point air defense fighter for say, Israel I think it would have been dynamite. All of those countries also share a coastline, and the F-20 was equipped for the maritime strike mission as well (with Harpoon). Provisions for up to 4 AMRAAM's plus 2 sidewinders would have given it a potent BVR capability. Why they never designed 2 semi-recessed carry AMRAAM's such as those seen on the F-4 or F-14 is beyond me. They would have resulted in miniscule drag, and upped its air to air loadout considerably. It was likewise able to carry many air to ground munitions, and undoubtedly would have benefitted immensely from the AIM-9x, as well as the SDBI and II.
Limitations included short legs, carrying just 5,000lbs of internal fuel. But for those nations with the need for say, a point airfield defense interceptor or an aircraft based close to the front lines, you wouldn't need a lot of range. You'd need precisely what the F-20 was: A simple, affordable aircraft capable of a high sortie rate which performed air to air, air to ground or air to sea missions. It brought a LOT of capablity at a very affordable price, and I'm betting had one of these nations bought it, they'd probably still be flying it!
I wish I had one...
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