F-41G Broadsword

The Fighter-41C Broadsword is a UNSC light fighter, designed for high speed and agile engagements against opposing enemy targets in both atmospheric and space conditions. More agile than the Super Sabre and Seraph-class Fighters, the Broadsword fills a unique role in both Navy and Air Force units, providing intercept, strike and air superiority roles. 
==Description==
The F-41G is the newest iteration of the Broadsword fighter, evolving significantly from its inception. Numerous flaws, such as the ineffectual stealth profile, and poor armament have been rectified, allowing it to maintain an edge against most other star fighters of a similar class. Improvements to it's reactor, and upgraded avionics make it the best performing of all previous variants.
===History===
===Variants===
===Armament===
The primary dog-fighting armament of the Broadsword consists of two forward facing gun. It mounts two M1075 ASW/AC 35mm cannons, using a coil gun to fire a metallic slug at high velocity. The gun sacrifices velocity for rate of fire, allowing it to fire powerful short ranged bursts. The guns are mounted on retracting arms that can fold back into the body when not in use. Typically, these coil guns are usually loaded with a mixture of Kinetic Core Penetrator (Tungsten Carbide) and Kinetic Penetrator Incendiary rounds, in a 4:1 mixture. This gives it excellent damage against shielding and armour, allowing it to incur a significant amount of damage in a short space of time. 
The Broadsword is also fitted with 2 light cyclic launchers. These are carried internally and are fired through the hatches on the port and starboard side of the craft. These can carry 6 Gorgon or Quicksilver missiles, or 3 Copperhead or Snakebite missiles, for various engagements. They can also carry air to ground missiles, bombs or other ordnance. It also carries six external medium pylons capable of taking a variety of missiles, at the cost of stealth profile. As such, it is often used during exceptionally dangerous missions to mount interception missiles, such as the Gorgon, Quicksilver, Copperhead or Snakebite missiles, allowing it to defend itself in close ranged dogfights.
As a defensive weapon against pursuing aircraft, the Broadsword has a SUBTERFUGE Mine Dispenser, capable of launching five mines from the rear of the ship, which actively monitor the IFF of the incoming contact, and detonate proximity based explosions, capable of knocking down shielding of pursuing craft, or destroying unshielded aircraft outright. 
===Airframe and Armour===
The 's airframe is constructed from a basis of superplastic-shaped diffusion-adhered metal matrix composites. These light, oxidation resistant light-matrix composites are formed from high modulus and high strength gold doped zirconium oxide fibres and a titanium/aluminium laminate matrix, formed by heat bonding layers of titanium, aluminium and titanium aluminide, forming high strength crystal matrices, the results forming a high strength, yet flexible and light airframe. The skin is formed from four layered plates attached to the frame. The inside layer is a high strength carbon nanotube nanobud mesh composite, which does not melt on re-entry and protects the ship and occupants. Above this is an environmental layer, which regulates internal and external heat, preventing layers from outright melting or freezing, and protecting the occupants. The third layer is a resin bonded layer of structural titanium aluminide with a titanium mesh insert. The fourth layer is an outer layer of AEGIS tiles, built on a non-newtonian shock absorbing layer, providing thermal and oxidation protection. The cockpit is situated in titanium-AEGIS compound armoured 'tubs'. These give limited protection against enemy fire. The windscreen is bullet-proof diffusion-bonded self-regenerating single crystal quartz, with a coating of liquid glass, with a variable electronically controlled gold tinted setting, which protects it from solar rays, laser dazzles and electronic interference. These give limited protection against enemy fire. The skin is painted with thermal diffusing paint, heat controlled hull to generate a black body exterior, infra-red suppressors on the engines, RADAR absorbent paint, liquid glass composites and LASER absorbent laminates, which when compounded with its stealth design, gives it excellent stealth abilities in all spectrums.
===Electronic System===
The Broadsword is fitted with a variety of sensors, allowing it to track and engage hundreds of contacts at once. It carries six active electronically scanned array RADARS, covering all aspects of the fighter, with two on the upward facing aspect of the spacecraft, two facing downwards, a rear facing one and one forward facing RADAR, giving full 360 degree RADAR visibility, and excellent threat tracking, being capable of tracking enemy fighters and missiles, as well as providing navigational data. Supporting these is a 360-degree coverage of infra-red and optical cameras, capable of tracking designated targets, other spacecraft, missiles and navigational hazards around them, with a larger sensor cluster on the front facing aspect. Supporting these are a number of LASER sensor clusters, capable of LIDAR and range finding duties and a PAVE CROW magnetic array, capable of detecting distant magnetic signals, such as reactors, plasma weapons, shields and large metal concentrations.
The Broadsword is outfitted with a Generation 3 Flight Assistance Intelligence (Gen. III Valkyrie FAI) produced by JOTUN Intelligence Engineering. The Valkyrie is a Flight Assistance Intelligence, designed to speed up the reaction times and improving the sensory awareness of the crew. The FAI is an autistic intelligence unit, dedicated solely to aiding the crew. The FAI is directly linked into all the flight systems but is incapable of receiving or delivering digital outputs to other craft outside of the conventional datalinks or analogue systems. The FAI has a number of roles with the crew, its first be increasing the sensory awareness of the pilot, using the onboard flight systems to track threats such as enemy craft, weapon systems or projectiles and prioritising then displaying this information in holographic feeds on the HUD to the crew and advising on the best possible course of action, providing augmented reality adjustments to the HUD to display threats and evasive course action, as well as attune the settings of the onboard countermeasures to allow optimum deployment and protection. Its next function is flight control, being used as an auto-pilot. By utilising the onboard sensors, topographical information and mission parameters it can navigate at low altitude to perform landings or return to base commands (RTB). As well as that, during flight, it can advise on routes and manoeuvres, using GPS, topographical, meteorological and sensor assets. Its last function is autonomous control of the craft. Should the pilot or tactical officer be incapacitated in combat, the FAI can take over their roles, using the onboard systems to either pilot the craft, use the weapon systems or deploy the tactical systems. Should both crew members be incapacitated, the FAI will then take control of all the Broadsword's systems, allowing it to autonomously operate the entire craft. The FAI will then perform an advisory check with the nearest commanding AI and decide on the best course of action, whether it should complete it's given mission or perform an RTB. In this mode, it can operate all the combat systems and defend itself, being a capable combatant, but no match for a trained and experienced human combatant. The Last feature of the FAI is as a data management system, managing the flow of data to and from the Broadsword, prioritising targeting information and command data, as well as providing sensory data to ground side units and airborne units. As well as this, it can control the Broadsword's cyber protection systems, allowing it to protect the Broadsword from cyber warfare attack through a variety of methods, both aggressive and passive, legal and outlawed. The FAI is entirely autistic, meaning the only way to perform a successful hack attempt on it is to manually interface with it via a hardwire link. The FAI is equipped with a limited self-learning neural net, allowing it to grow in experience and control. The FAI is fitted with a two way Direct Voice Input Control, allowing the pilot to verbally command the FAI, as well as allowing the FAI to verbally respond and alert the pilot. FAI's usually develop a 'surface' persona in the first two weeks of instalment, with a limited visual avatar and self-awareness, but little depth, being no match for a fully fledged AI.
The Broadsword is also fitted with an Adaptive Flight Control System to provide optimal flight capabilities, keep the Broadsword flying and balanced and learn to adapt to the flight properties. For Atmospheric and exoatmospheric combat, the Broadsword is fitted with a variety of thrusters, allowing excellent agility, and control surfaces, allowing it to perform high-speed manoeuvres.
The Broadsword has a number of countermeasure systems, the most prominent being the DECEPTION Countermeasure launcher. There are five of these located on the Broadsword, to cover all aspects of it against threats. These contained a three-barrelled loader, with each barrel capable of being loaded with a different munition. It is fitted with a magazine containing multiple caseless munitions, including chaff launchers to confuse RADAR, infra-red flares, capable of creating lifelike decoys in both the infra-red and ultra-violet spectrums, or just outright blinding the sensor of the missile, smoke projecting munition to blind optical sensors, or miniature jammers to jam the RADAR incoming missiles or spacecraft, feed electronic false targets to incoming missiles or provide a decoy for jam homing missiles. 
===Role===
The Broadsword is an all-weather, day/night atmospheric and exoatmospheric fighter. As a stand-alone fighter, it can perform a wide variety of roles, including air superiority, interception, air to ground strike and escort. While slower than the high-speed Sabre, it is much more agile, with manoeuvrability unmatched by any other fighter in known space, in any environment. It is most often used for air defence roles, protecting a warship against attack, or taking control of airspace ahead of battle. 
==Trivia==
Category:UNSC Aircraft