Mystery Plane - X-02 Wyvern

[cbale2000]

Has anyone ever heard of or seen a picture of an experemental plane called the X-02? Not the old one from like twenty years ago, the one I'm talking about is new and has backwards folding wings. If anyone has a pictures of it that would be even better.

[Eagle]

The original X-2 was fifty years ago btw. By backwards folding do you mean swing-wing like the F-14? Or folding like the Wildcat, Hellcat, Bearcat and Avenger? (hmm all the aircraft i mentioned are Grumman built Navy birds )

[Eagle]

Perhaps you are refering to this? http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/pl ... 192b.shtml

[cbale2000]

Yes, that is exactly what I'm talking about! I heard from a air force recruiter who said that they were develpoing something like that but was a little confused as to how I could have possibly found out about it. I was just wondering if anyone else knew anything about it. If you come across any other pictures of the X-02 or the YF-25A please post them along with any other information you might know about it.

[Eagle]

The aircraft is not real. It is from a video game. The recuiter might be thinking about the switchblade that was in Popular Mechanics a few years ago, but that is just a rumor. Or he was pulling your leg . If I might ask: How old are you?

[cbale2000]

I own the game you are speaking of, It was were I first found out about the plane. I questioned weather it was real or not becouse it looked to cool to be real but every other plane on the game IS real so it kind of confused me. By the way, I'm 16.

[Eagle]

I'm 20. It's a little late now but welcome to the board.

[OscarAustin]

The X-02 pic is a "kitbashed" model I'm sure of an aircraft found in the Ace Combat 4 and now 5 video games. I've thought since I first played the game, much like Peter, it is YF-23 + Su-35 + JSF. From the main wing struts it actually has forward swept wings that swing out at low speeds (in this high speed form they are stored inside the wing you can see), as well as the tail surfaces pitch up to about 45º; it's a naval aircraft. Being "the best plane in the game," it of course has 3d TV nozzles, internal weapons carriage, DSI inlets a la JSF, and all other new aircraft technologies.

Fun aircraft, despite a bit unrealistic. It'd have next to no space for fuel (i.e. the main wep bay runs 2/3 the way down the middle of the aircraft longways)

[PetervanStigt]

The X-02 looks too complicated to really do the trick, three sets of wing surfaces. It should be able to cope with just two, the aft ones a bit canted upward to act as a Fouga-type butterfly tail as well. Then maybe in the real world it might work.

[OscarAustin]

X-02 with it's wings spread.

[PetervanStigt]

sh*t, so it has already a butterfly tail... Looks like a big sucker.

[cbale2000]

The 3 wing surfaces seem unneccesary but in the video game they give the X-02 awesome maneuverability! Aside from that it also has the fastest speed in the game and can carry the most weapons (though all the planes in ace combat can carry an unrealistic amount of weapons: 50-100 missles). It would be cool if the X-02 were real.

[Runningman]

The X-02 pic is a "kitbashed" model I'm sure of an aircraft found in the Ace Combat 4 and now 5 video games. I've thought since I first played the game, much like Peter, it is YF-23 + Su-35 + JSF.

maybe it was modeled after this aircraft??
http://www.air-attack.com/page.php?pid=9

btw is this aircraft even plausible?

[OscarAustin]

maybe it was modeled after this aircraft??
http://www.air-attack.com/page.php?pid=9

btw is this aircraft even plausible?

Yea, I'd meant to mention the wing is a blend between the YF-23 diamond shape with the Switchblades style swing wing coming out.

If you look at the X-02 long enough you can start to see the surfaces of lots of other aircraft that air reused on it.

• The obvious YF-23 wing and tail shapes (though wing is a bit further back, and hence modified for the tails to fit) First two paint schemes in the game are first grey, and then black, the colors of the two YF-23 demonstrators. 3rd "ace" color scheme seems very NASAish, with a stylized EASA red logo on a solid white body. (Other aces have FEAF, noting this one is "special") This Nasaness makes sense as one of the YF-23s is at Dryden now.
• Su-37 engine exhausts w/ multi-dimensional thrust vectoring (although the "nacelles" housing the engines on the body are much like the YF-23 again.) The fuselage generally seems to be Russian/Sukhoi Flanker-esque overall as well.
• X-32. the canards bare much resemblence to the stub wings of the remodelled "preferred weapons system concept" of their JSF entry. Also, the intakes, (which we don't have a good shot of on here) although the X-02 has two, they are each similar in shape to the X-32 demonstrators Divertless Supersonic Inlet design.
• Switchblade, swinging out style of the wings. Although the X-02 only has two positions for its wings not 3 like the switchblade.

The wing is where i see the most improbability. In order for the wing to swing out, the front part of the wing opens, exposing the inside of the front of the wing. I would think this would throw the plane into a stall, or at least a violent jolt of air speed lost. At the least it would have to be done at slow speeds (In the game I believe it is around 285mph so I suppose it would be slow enough, though i really have no idea) Other feasible issues: fuel space, really would be very limited, but i mentioned that in a prior posting.

Not a problem for feasibility, but thought I'd mention it for those w/o the game. The regular missiles, short range all-purpose in the game probably actually sidewinders, are stored in the the intake construction, and the whole section drops down, (think of a box section coming down on trapeze instead of just the missile) and then the missile is launched out of that. The large munitions are carried Tomcat style, in the middle of the aircraft between the two inlet structures, although internally.Doors operate just like on an F/A-22, drop the weapon out and it launches.

Couple pics of my rambling about the design:



***Addition***
With Ace Combat 5, and the return of the X-02 in the game, they have brandished it now with a name, "Wyvern"

[SwedgeII]

you know some of those models have givven me some great Kit-Bashing Ideas!! supposedly the X-02 is a real plastic kit in Japan, I looked for it on Goggle but had no luck.. would make a neat addition to my collection if it was in 1/72 scale.