Aetherdyne Ae-16 Fuyuhana (Pacifica)

Ae-16 Fuyuhana
Role	Carrier-based strike fighter
National origin	Pelinai
Manufacturer	Aetherdyne IDB
First flight	November 18, 2004 (2004-11-18)
Introduction	March 7, 2009 (2009-03-07)
Status	In service
Primary user	Royal Pelinese Navy
Produced	August 9, 2003 – present (2003-08-09 – present)
Number built	Approx. 800+ (as of 2023)

The Aetherdyne Ae-16 Fuyuhana is a Pelinese carrier-capable, twin-engine, all-weather strike fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Pelinese aerospace bureau Aetherdyne. The Fuyuhana was developed to provide fleet defense and sea attack capabilities for aircraft carriers of the Royal Pelinese Navy, and is the standard tactical fighter aircraft of the Royal Pelinese Navy Air Service. Low-rate production of the type is ongoing as new airframes cycle in upgraded technology or replace planes lost to accidents, and over 800 airframes of all variants have been produced as of 2023.

The Fuyuhana was the first fixed-wing naval aircraft to be designed in Pelinai and the first to be operated by the Royal Pelinese Navy, with it taking its first flight in 2004 and receiving full adoption in 2009 alongside the newly commissioned KPF Pelograd. Various upgrade packages targeting electronics systems and other areas have allowed the Fuyuhana to maintain technological parity and resolve technical problems present in initial production models, and the type is expected to remain in active RPNAS service well into the 2040s.

Development

Background

The Royal Pelinese Navy first began identifying an outstanding procurement need for a series of fixed-wing naval aircraft in 1997, when it first implemented plans to steer its ongoing modernization initiatives towards the attainment of an carrier-based naval structure. Chief among these was what would later be referred to as the At-Sea Tactical Aircraft (ASTA), which was imagined as a medium-weight fighter that would primarily serve to provide air cover for Pelinese naval vessels while outside the range of land-based fighter support. As the primary aircraft necessitated by a carrier design that was then quickly gravitating towards a STOBAR configuration, the ASTA role was deemed to be the most likely candidate for navy adoption and was allocated the largest share of technical expertise.

Initial proposals for ASTA included searching for a suitable foreign-designed aircraft, as well designing a navalized variant for the currently serving Ae-12 Bara; a foreign aircraft purchase was quickly ruled out, however, and initial design studies concluded that the Bara could not be efficiently adapted to achieve the minimum stall speed and other performance standards necessary for the safe conduct of carrier takeoff and landing operations. Thus, after budgetary and technical considerations, the Pelinese Ministry of Defense opted to fund the development program for a new aircraft type to be operated by the Royal Pelinese Navy.

Initial proposal

In January 1999, the Royal Pelinese Navy’s procurement office published performance requirements for a future naval fighter aircraft to be operated by the RPNAS. Basic parameters included STOBAR capability, a minimum payload capacity of 8,000kg, the ability to carry at least two 3,000kg supersonic cruise missiles, and a combat radius of at least 400km at full payload capacity, as well as all-weather capability in the air superiority and maritime strike roles.

Design

Airframe

The Ae-16 Fuyuhana is a conventional monoplane possessing low aspect ratio cantilever wings, which are mounted high on the fuselage and angled at a slight anhedral configuration. The wings use a rearward-swept delta wing configuration in the shape of a trapezoid, and are paired with both conventionally placed stabilators and large leading-edge root extensions. Two swept tailplanes are mounted above the engines, and are angled to minimize side cross section profiles.

The airframe structure of the Fuyuhana consists of a large number of specialized materials, such as various types of aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, and fiber-reinforced polymer, each of which is matched to an application suitable for its particular strength, stiffness, density, material cost, compatible fabrication & assembly processes, and corrosion, temperature, & fatigue resistances. The forward fuselage structural section of the Fuyuhana is constructed from a metal matrix composite (MMC), consisting of silicon carbide embedded as reinforcing whiskers or fibers inside of a matrix of 7093 high-strength aluminum alloy chosen for its high yield strength and resistance to stress corrosion cracking (SCC). The rear structural section housing the engine bays is manufactured from Ti-6Al-4V, a high-strength α-β phase titanium alloy, using a superplastic forming process, while the engine bays and exhaust ducts themselves are protected from the generated heat of the Fuyuhana’s twin turbofan engines by Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo high-temperature titanium alloy plating. The side fuselage sections connecting the core structure to the wings, along with the primary wing spars, are also constructed from SPF-formed Ti-6Al-4V. The web ribs running along the internal structure of the wings in the transverse direction, along with multiple minor airframe components, are formed from plain 7093 aluminum alloy by a combination of powder metallurgy, extrusion, and die forging processes. The ailerons, rudders, and frames structures for the horizontal and vertical stabilizers are formed from laminated carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy polymer (CFRP) combined with some 7093 aluminum. The external skin and maintenance window covers of the Fuyuhana are primarily made from CFRP coated with anti-UV and anti-radar paints, but are substituted by dielectric materials around certain sensors and by a layered glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP)/aluminum fiber-metal laminate (FML) around highly stressed regions of the aircraft’s semi-monocoque structure. The primary support rods and tailhook of the Fuyuhana’s navalized undercarriage are constructed from 300M ultra high-strength martensitic steel and plated in combination cadmium/chromium anti-corrosion cladding, while smaller linkages and components of the landing gear are formed from Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al titanium for its superior specific strength to standard Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The undercarriage’s brake discs are comprised of carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide for its high thermal resistance.
Frame components of the Fuyuhana are assembled from large sections where possible and are primarily joined using friction stir welding (FSW) technology due to its high joining quality and the resistance of the Fuyuhana’s aluminum and titanium structural alloys to conventional welding techniques, while fasteners such as aircraft-grade rivets and bolts are used where FSW methods are unusable or disassembly capability is required.

Variants

Production models

Ae-16A/B

Initial production variants. The Ae-16A is a single-seat aircraft, while the Ae-16B is twin-seat to support both trainer usage and employment of a WSO. The Ae-16A/B block incorporates relatively simple electronic systems, a PESA radar and conventional HUD.

The Ae-16A/B suffered from myriad technical and structural issues over its eight-year service life, contributing to a low ratio of flight hours to maintenance hours; all airframes of the block received a major overhaul in 2010 to correct a severe structural flaw in the design of the landing gear. Both types, totaling 83 airframes, are fully withdrawn from RPNAS service as of 2017.

Ae-16V/G

The Ae-16V is a single-seat model, while the Ae-16G is twin-seat.

The Block 2 Fuyuhana was designed in order to eliminate many severe issues that had manifested in the Fuyuhana’s initial production run as a result of development difficulties, and both constituent variants exhibit significantly increased reliability; multiple avionics and electronics systems are also upgraded from the A/B variant, including an AESA radar, the addition of a combat networking datalink and an IRST system, an improved ECM suite, and the replacement of the IR-based missile approach warning sensor with one using an IR/UV combination system. Parts of the airframe structure and external panels are also modified in order to improve structural strength and reduce weight.

Ae-16D/E

The single-seat Ae-16D and the twin-seat Ae-16E are the two newest variants of the Ae-16, and comprise the Block 3 Fuyuhana. Block 3 airframes began serial production in 2018 and use both modern flight systems and larger engines, along with more sophisticated integrated weapons targeting systems for use in both air-to-ground and air-to-air missions.

Specifications (Ae-16D)

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 (pilot)
• Length: 17.3 m (56 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
• Height: 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
• Wing area: 45.2 m² (487 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 15,000 kg (33,069 lb)
• Gross weight: 23,000 kg (50,706 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 31,000 kg (68,343 lb)
• Fuel capacity: roughly 8,000kg internally
• Powerplant: 2 × Yuzimashi AF-13V afterburning low-bypass turbofan engines, 76 kN (17,000 lbf) thrust each dry, 124 kN (28,000 lbf) with afterburner

Performance

• Maximum speed: 2,450 km/h (1,520 mph, 1,320 kn)
• Maximum speed: Mach 2.0
• Cruise speed: 1,400 km/h (870 mph, 760 kn)
• Range: 2,600 km (1,600 mi, 1,400 nmi)
• Combat range: 1,100 km (680 mi, 590 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 17,000 m (56,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 290 m/s (57,000 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 508.8 kg/m² (104.2 lb/sq ft)
• Thrust/weight: 1.10

Armament

• Guns: 1 x 30mm autocannon, 160 rounds
• Hardpoints: 4 x external hardpoints, 3 x internal weapons bays with a capacity of 8,000kg,with provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Rockets:
    • S-80 80mm unguided rockets
    • S-120 120mm unguided rockets
    • S-240 240mm unguided rockets
  • Missiles:
    • N06A Ruby short range AAM
    • N11A Spinel BVR AAM
    • N7S/L Crystal ALCM
    • N41S3 Chalcedony ASCM
    • N09S/L Topaz ASM
  • Bombs:
    • BVN-100, BVN-250, BVN-500, BVN-750, BVN-1000 gravity bombs
    • Laser, satellite guided bombs
    • Cluster bombs
    • N91B Prasiolite anti-runway bombs
    • N12B Rose Quartz guided anti-fortification bombs
  • Other: external fuel tanks
• Bombs: 3 internal weapons bays with a maximum capacity of 2,000 kilograms of ordnance.

Avionics

• Sensors:
• Pelektronik ATP-3A AESA radar
• Electro-optical targeting system
• IRST sensor array
• Defensive systems:
• ECM system
• Combination IR/UV missile approach detector
• Radar warning receiver
• Towed radar decoys
• CNI systems:
• High-speed datalink transceiver
• Multifunction radio
• TACAN
• Pilot support systems:
• Helmet-mounted pilot night vision system
• Type 014 helmet-mounted display/sight system