General Statistics
Crew: 1 in F-39E, 2 in F-39F Length: 15.2 m for F-39E; 15.9 m for F-39F Wingspan: 8.6 m Height: 4.5 m Wing area: 30 m2 Empty weight: 8,000 kg Max takeoff weight: 16,500 kg Fuel capacity: 3,400 kg (7,500 lb) (internal); 4535 L (3537 Kg) External with 3 drop tanks (2x1700L + 1x1135L) Payload: 5,100 kg (11,200 lb) Powerplant: 1 × F414-GE-39E afterburning turbofan engine, 61.8kN (13,900 lbf) thrust dry, 98 kN (22,000 lbf) with afterburner Maximum speed: 2,460 km/h (1,330 kn) + Maximum speed: Mach 2 Combat range: 1,500 km (810 nmi) + Ferry range: 4,000 km (2,200 nmi) + Service ceiling: 16,000 m (52,000 ft) g limits: +9, -3 Wing loading: 283 kg/m2 (58 lb/sq ft) Thrust/weight: 1.04 Takeoff distance: 500 m (1,640 ft) Landing distance: 600 m (1,969 ft) |
The modern air battle often requires stealthy, extraordinary aircraft capable of winning the battle. The Xuande-Xiphoian brings these aircraft to bear, but while they are required for those roles, our nation also requires an air fleet capable or performing missions including air policing, air support, and winning the air battle in situations where Xuande-Xiphoi and coalitions hold air supremacy.
The Griffin is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft utilising a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stability design and fly-by-wire flight controls. The Griffin is a multirole fighter aircraft, intended as a light-weight and agile aerial platform with advanced, highly adaptable avionics. It has canard control surfaces that contribute a positive lift force at all speeds, while the generous lift from the delta wing compensates for the rear stabiliser producing negative lift at high speeds, increasing induced drag. Being intentionally unstable and employing digital fly-by-wire flight controls to maintain stability removes many flight restrictions, improves manoeuvrability, and reduces drag. The Griffin was designed to be flexible, so that newly developed sensors, computers, and armaments could be integrated as technology advances. All of the Gripen's avionics are fully integrated using five MIL-STD-1553B digital data buses, providing the aircraft with "sensor fusion". The total integration of the avionics makes the Gripen a "programmable" aircraft, allowing software updates to be introduced over time to increase performance and allow for additional operational roles and equipment. Much of the data generated from the onboard sensors and by cockpit activity is digitally recorded throughout the length of an entire mission. This information can be replayed in the cockpit or easily extracted for detailed post-mission analysis using a data transfer unit that can also be used to insert mission data to the aircraft. The Gripen's Ternav tactical navigation system combines information from multiple onboard systems such as the air data computer, radar altimeter, and GPS to continuously calculate the Gripen's location. Like all Xuande-Xiphoian air combat systems, it communicates securely with the full range of Xuande-Xiphoian Armed Services assets from space to submarine. The F-39E/F utilises the Raven ES-05 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. The radar is capable of scanning over a large field of view and improved range. Griffin integrates the Skyward-G Infra-red search and track (IRST) sensor, which is capable of passively detecting thermal emissions from air and ground targets in the aircraft's vicinity. The sensors have increased ability to detect radar cross-section (RCS) targets at beyond visual range. Targets are tracked by a "best sensor dominates" system, either by onboard sensors or through the Transmitter Auxiliary Unit (TAU) data link function of the radar, which provides a wide range of possible analysis methods for aircraft computers based on the mission set. The aircraft utilises the F414G engine, which is the same engine utilised by the Cobalt Hornet and Cobalt Growler aircraft also in Xuande-Xiphoian service. The F414G can produce 20% greater thrust than the previous model engine, enabling the Griffin to supercruise (fly at supersonic speed without the use of afterburners) at a speed of Mach 1.1 while carrying an air-to-air combat payload. Griffin is capable of using the same systems and weapons that are common across the Xuande-Xiphoian Armed Services. The Griffin is designed with good short takeoff performance, being able to maintain a high sink rate and strengthened to withstand the stresses of short landings. A pair of air brakes are located on the sides of the rear fuselage; the canards also angle downward to act as air brakes and decrease landing distance. It is capable of flying at a 70–80 degrees angle of attack. This capability is at the core of Griffin’s operational deployments. Griffin has the ability to take off from snow-covered landing strips of only 800 metres (2,600 ft), and shorter in emergent situations. Xuande-Xiphoian Air Force pilots train regularly on operations from the nation’s highways. Griffin can be deployed from on emission to another with a short-turnaround time of just ten minutes, during which a team composed of six mechanical technicians will be able to re-arm, refuel, and perform basic inspections and servicing inside that time window before returning to flight for air-to-air missions. For air-to-ground missions this turnaround time using the same resource is slightly longer at twenty minutes. For moving important components and personnel, the minimum logistics footprint can be as small as a properly outfitted Flyer vehicle. For long range deployments, the entire basic logistics footprint for a flight of 10 aircraft can be moved on a single C-400 Atlas cargo aircraft. |