MZF-13
1 Development
2 Design
3 Operational History
4 Variants
5 Specifications
The JF-13 is a long-range, twin-engine swing-wing interceptor. It's first flight was on 14.12.2012. It is an indigenious design to replace the JF-85.
Development
In the late nineties, the Laywenranian Airforce searched for a replacement for it's JF-85. While multiple foreign designs were proposed, none could fully satisfy the needs of the LSK. Therefore the work for an own design started. The goal was to incorporate most modern technology to create a 5th generation jet with advanced stealth and radar technology, while keeping traditional design aspects of Laywenranian fighters, like STOL and long range.
It should take advantage of new composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems, more powerful propulsion and newest radar technology.
The aircraft was designed by WK after receiving a request from the Ministry of Defense to project a replacement for the JF-95 and JBF currently in service. Due to the high expectations and limited experience in stealth technology, WK and the WATIK undertook a long and intense phase of research, which included multiple mockups to test different shapes and weapon arrangements.
While a prototype featured a delta-wing configuration with four internal weapon bays, the LSK refused this variant, as it didn't carry enough missiles and many preferred a swing-wing design to achieve STOL instead of lift jets. Therefore the design was altered to meet LSK requirements, which included the ability to carry at minimum 6 missiles, better at least 8, to use a swing-wing design and the capability to perform both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. WK made multiple changes to the second prototype, which was presented to the LSK about a year later. It now incorporated a swing-wing design, the capability to carry up to 10 missiles, bombs, rocket pods and standoff-ammunition, two engines and rearward facing radar.
Further research was performed to reduce the RCS, to increase the range and to achieve supercruise. The first prototype performed it's maiden flight on 14.12.2012. It took off, performed a 49 minute cruise, achieved 650 km/h and landed safely back at the airfield. On 07.09.2013 four prototypes amassed about 190 flight hours, during which supersonic flight was achieved with afterburner and without (therefore meeting the requirement of supercruise).
Design
Many Informations regarding the MZF-13 are still classified. The MZF-13 has a blended wing body, swing-wings, all-moving horizontal stabilisers, incorporates thrust-vectoring and has adjustable leading edge vortex controllers to control vortices generated by the LERX. Through it's thrust-vectoring nozzles, advanced flight control system and adjustable sweep angle, the aircraft is highly maneuverable. Composite materials compromise 30-35% of the aircrafts structural weight, structural fibre mats are used as durable and low-maintenance stealth-technology. Similar to other stealth fighters, the airframe incorporates planform edge alignment to reduce its radar cross-section (RCS); the leading and trailing edges of the wings and control surfaces and the serrated edges of skin panels are carefully aligned at several specific angles in order to reduce the number of directions the radar waves can be reflected. The IRST housing is turned backwards when not in use, and its rear is treated with radar-absorbent material (RAM) to reduce its radar return. To mask the significant RCS contribution of the engine face, the serpentine inlet obscures all of the engine's fan and inlet guide-vanes (IGV). The production aircraft incorporates radar blockers in front of the engine fan to hide it from all angles. The aircraft uses RAM to absorb radar emissions and reduce their reflection back to the source, and the canopy is treated with a coating to minimize the radar return of the cockpit and pilot. Automatic slats are mounted on the leading edges of the wings; they are five-segments. On the trailing edge, there are maneuvering flaps and wingtip ailerons. The wings are swept automatically by a computer into the best angle for the current flight situation without input from the pilot, but the pilot can manually control the wing sweep. The airframe is stressed for up to 10-g maneuvers. The controls have soft limiters to prevent the pilot from exceeding g and alpha limits, the limiters can be disabled manually. The pilot sits in a K-38 zero-zero ejection seat which has impressive performance in emergency and the SOZhE-50 life support system, which comprises the anti-g and oxygen generating system. The 30 kg oxygen generating system will provide the pilot with unlimited oxygen supply. The life support system will enable pilots to perform 9-g maneuvers for up to 30 seconds at a time, and the new VKK-17 partial pressure suit will allow safe ejection at altitudes of up to 23 km.
The engines are cited to have 164 kN of maxmimum thrust in afterburner regime and 110 kN of dry thrust. The thrust vectoring nozzles can produce thrust vectoring moments about all three rotational axes. The engines are fed air by variable intake ramps and incorporate RCS and infrared reduction measures. Compared to the engines used in the JF-85 the new JA-10 uses fewer compressor and fan stages, increases thrust and fuel efficiency and is more reliable.
The aircraft is armed with an internally mounted 30 mm SMK-30-1 cannon and has two main weapon bays (approximately 4,6 m long and 1 m wide) and two smaller, triangular weapon bays near the wing roots. For a typical air-to-air mission requiring stealth, the two main bays are usually loaded with two LLR-10 BVR missiles, while the smaller bays carry LAR-15 short-range missiles. For missions requiring less stealth and more payload, the MZF-13 can carry up to 10 additional missiles on externally mounted pylons (with two dual mounts for short-range missiles). The main bays can accomodate air-to-ground-missiles as the X-29 or multiple guided or unguided bombs.
The cockpit is equipped with two 40 cm multifunctional LCDs, which are backed up by an analogue instrument suite. Additionally the cockpit is equipped with a wide-angle HUD, four smaller control panels and a helmet-mounted sight. Primary controls consist out of a control-stick and a pair of throttles (HOTAS-principle).
The main avionics systems are the Sh121 multifunctional integrated radio electronic system (MIRES) and the 101KS Atoll electro-optical system. The Sh121 consists of the N036 Byelka radar system and L402 Steul electronic countermeasures system. Developed by Tikhomirov NIIP Institute, the N036 consists of the main nose-mounted N036-1-01 X band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, or active phased array radar (Russian: Активная фазированная антенная решётка, Aktivnaya Fazirovannaya Antennaya Reshotka, Russian: АФАР, AFAR) in Russian nomenclature, with 1,552 T/R modules and two side-looking N036B-1-01 X-band AESA radars with 358 T/R modules embedded in the cheeks of the forward fuselage for increased angular coverage. The suite also has two N036L-1-01 L band transceivers on the wing's leading edge extensions that are not only used to handle the N036Sh Pokosnik (Reaper) friend-or-foe identification system but also for electronic warfare purposes. Computer processing of the X- and L-band signals by the N036UVS computer and processor enable the systems information to be significantly enhanced.
< br> The radar will reduce pilot load and make use of a new data link to share information between aircraft. The MZF-13 will have secure communication links to share data with all other friendly aircraft in the area, as well as airborne and ground-based control points. In 2012 ground tests of the N036 radar began on the third MZF-13 aircraft. The L402 electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite made by the KNIRTI institute uses both its own arrays and that of the N036 radar system. One of its arrays is mounted in the dorsal sting between the two engines. The system was mounted on the aircraft in 2014.
The UOMZ 101KS Atoll electro-optical system includes the 101KS-V infra-red search and track turret mounted on the starboard side in front of the cockpit. This sensor can detect, identify, and track multiple airborne targets simultaneously. The 101KS-O infrared countermeasure system has sensors housed in turrets mounted on the dorsal spine and forward fuselage and uses laser-based countermeasures against heat-seeking missiles. The Atoll complex also includes the 101KS-U ultraviolet missile warning sensors and 101KS-N navigation and targeting pod. (text from wikipedia - PAK FA)
Specifications
- Maximum takeoff weigth: 29,3 tonnes
- Empty weigth: 18,4 tonnes
- Length: 19,27 m
- Wingspan: 8,36 - 16,21 m
- Height: 5,72 m
- Powerplant: 2 x JA-10 afterburning turbofans, dry thrust 110 kN each, thrust with afterburner 164 kN each
- Maximum speed: Mach 2,35; Mach 1,25 on ground heigth; Supercruise: Mach 1,6
- Service ceiling: 20'000 m
- Rate of climb: 335 m/s
- Range: 3000 km subsonic (ferry range 5500 km with three drop tanks)
Armament:
- 1 x SMK-30-1 cannon with 150 rounds
- 2 main weapon bays, 2 small weapon bays, 4 under-fuselage hardpoints, 4 swivelling under-wing (the two inner wing pylons have shoulder launch rails for 2x Short Range AAM each)
- Bombs: up to 500 kg, unguided, laser guided, TV guided. High Explosive, cluster, FAE
- Rockets: 57 mm to 250 mm rockets, unguided and laser guided
- Missiles, Air-to-Air: K-74M2, R-77 and similar
- Missiles, Air-to-Surface: all missiles in the Laywenranian inventory