E-67 Dao

The E-67 Dao is a mulirole fighter employed by the United Nations Space Command's Navy and Air Force branches during the late Human-Covenant War and post-war era, used widely in the Inner Colonies and favored by recon pilots.
The aircraft's development effectively began in 2543 with Nadikom Dynamics, a multinational aircraft corporation that worked to design the aircraft, with the project being designed for the UNSC's Emergency Defense Fighter initiative. However, the E-67 would be cut from the project due to supply issues and diminished funding. A technology demonstration aircraft first flew on the 6th August 2547; a Dao prototype made its maiden flight on 16th of March 2549. The aircraft's name, Dao, was gained from a traditional Chinese blade of the same name.
The end of the Human-Covenant War reduced overall demand for fighter aircraft and led to debate over the aircraft's cost and work share and protracted the Dao's continued production: the E-67 entered operational service in 2551 and is now in service with the UNSC Air Force and Navy, bringing the procurement total to 763 aircraft as of 2561.
The E-67 Dao is a highly agile aircraft, designed to be an effective dogfighter in combat. The aircraft has proven to have been increasingly better equipped to undertake air-to-surface strike missions and to be compatible with a number of different armaments and equipment. The Dao had its combat debut during the Fall of Reach, performing aerial reconnaissance and ground-strike missions. The type has also taken primary responsibility for air-defense duties for the majority of planets it became active on following the onset of numerous post-war conflicts such as the Created Conflict.
== Design ==
The Dao’s design prioritizes aerodynamic performance. Its sleek, angular fuselage minimizes drag, allowing it to cut through the air with precision. The canard delta wing configuration—where the main wings are swept back, and smaller canards are positioned forward—enhances maneuverability. These canards provide additional lift and stability during high-G turns, making the Dao highly agile in dogfights and air-to-air combat.
Internally, the Dao houses a single powerful G1200 fusion engines, giving the jet plume a similar color to those of UNSC capital warships. These afterburning turbofans generate immense thrust, propelling the aircraft to supersonic speeds. The engine setup ensures redundancy—a critical feature for combat aircraft. The exhaust nozzles can vector thrust, allowing the pilot to control the direction of propulsion for optimal performance.
The Dao’s cockpit has a canopy providing excellent visibility, crucial for situational awareness during combat. The multifunctional displays (MFDs) present critical data, including radar information, navigation, and weapon systems status directly into the pilot's helmet visor display. The specially designed controls allow pilots to manage various functions without taking their hands off the controls.
While not a true stealth aircraft, the Dao incorporates features to reduce its radar cross-section. The edges of the fuselage and wings are carefully shaped to scatter radar waves away from the source. Additionally, internal weapon bays hide up to six M4370 Medusa missiles, minimizing external protrusions and preventing possible ammunition from detonating after being struck by a stray shot. However, the Typhoon prioritizes agility over full stealth, unlike dedicated stealth vehicles in the UNSC such as prowlers.
The Dao, sporting a highly customizable loadout. is a true multirole fighter. It can engage both air and ground targets. For air-to-air combat, it carries beyond-visual-range missiles like the M4370 Medusa missiles. When transitioning to ground attack, it can carry precision-guided munitions and bombs.
==Development history==
On Earth, as early as 2543, work commenced on the development of a maneuverable, tactical aircraft to replace numerous aging ship models in the UNSC's air fleet that were getting ripped apart by the far more advanced Covenant fightercraft. Simultaneously, in the Unified German Republic, the idea for a new fighter had resulted in competition between numerous aircraft manufacturing companies to make what ultimately resulted in an unsuccessful design.
In lat 2543, European company Nadikom Dynamics presented a formal proposal to their respective government for a collaboration on designing an aircraft to succeed current designs and enlist the help of numerous nations. The ultimate objective was to have the aircraft enter into and hopefully win the Emergency Defense Fighter initiative competition, and be mass-produced for the UNSC.
The effort eventually failed in 2549 for several reasons, including differing requirements, insistence on "design leadership" and the German preference for a new version of core to power the aircraft versus the general preference for a new battery engine.
Eventually due to lack of confidence, the German government withdrew funding, further delaying manufacturing and procurement of resources. Eventually, various corporations and national governments met to discuss the value of the aircraft, it was agreed that the aircraft would be produced at two sites: A recently-abandoned printing facility on Reach and a colossal factory in Britain.
By late 2549, the aircraft's total manufacturing cost had reached 981 million cR. When the program had started, the cost was supposed to be equally shared by government and industry, but Germany wavered on the agreement and the British government and private finance had to provide 100 million cR to keep the program from ending. In December 2549, the prototype aircraft would be launched and demonstrated later at various locations, including in space. The Dao bears a strong resemblance to the Eurofighter Typhoon, a centuries-old aircraft previously used by various countries in Europe. Initial production numbers were to be over 2,000 aircraft, with production work divided among the separate factory locations in proportion.
By 2551, the final design for the aircraft was settled and in 2551 over sixty aircraft had entered active service within the UNSC, with manufacturing scheduled to continue for another decade, which it did. However, production was halted due to the glassing of Reach in 2552 and the devastation of Britain during the Battle of Earth. Production would be halted once again due to the occupation of Earth in 2558 by the Created, which would see the factories abandoned again, but by 2561, production was back up again and total aircraft numbers for the E-67 numbered at 763 by the end of the year, making it one of the rarer aircraft in the UNSC, used in reservation for defense of the Inner Colonies, primarily the Sol system, though several would be used in the Outer Colonies to protect recently resettled colonies and the discovery of new ones.
==Operational history==
Category:UNSC Aircraft