FM28 Skywarp

The **Aero FM28 Skywarp** is an Panamoan single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed exclusively for the Aerospace Panamoan Air Force (APAF). The result of the APAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signal intelligence capabilities. The prime conglomerate manufacturer, Aero Hyperspeed, built most of the FM28's airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while Nexima Robotics Corporation provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.

## Design

The FM28 Skywarp is a fifth-generation fighter that is considered fourth generation in stealth aircraft technology by the APAF. It is the first operational aircraft to combine super-cruise, super maneuverability, stealth, and sensor fusion in a single weapons platform. The FM28 has four empennage surfaces, retractable tricycle landing gear, and clipped delta wings with reverse trailing edge sweep and leading edge extensions running to the upper outboard corner of the inlets. Flight control surfaces include leading-edge flaps, flaperons, ailerons, rudders on the canted vertical stabilizers, and all-moving horizontal tails (stabilators); for speed brake function, the ailerons deflect up, flaperons down, and rudders outwards to increase drag.

The aircraft's dual Zostak ME55d augmented turbofan engines are closely spaced and incorporate pitch-axis thrust vectoring nozzles with a range of ±20 degrees; each engine has maximum thrust in the 35,000 lbf (156 kN) class. The FM28's thrust-to-weight ratio at typical combat weight is nearly at unity in maximum military power and 1.25 in full afterburner. Maximum speed without external stores is approximately Mach 1.8 at military power and greater than Mach 2 with afterburners.

The FM28's high cruise speed and operating altitude over prior fighters improve the effectiveness of its sensors and weapon systems, and increase survivability against ground defenses such as surface-to-air missiles. The ability to supercruise, or sustain supersonic flight without using afterburners, allows it to intercept targets which subsonic aircraft would lack the speed to pursue and afterburner-dependent aircraft would lack the fuel to reach. The FM28's thrust and aerodynamics enable regular combat speeds of Mach 2.88 The use of internal weapons bays permits the aircraft to maintain comparatively higher performance over most other combat-configured fighters due to a lack of parasitic drag from external stores. The airplane's structure contains a significant amount of high-strength materials to withstand stress and heat of sustained supersonic flight; And shrug off anti-aircraft weaponry with a great degree. Respectively, titanium alloys and composites comprise 39% and 24% of the structural weight.

The FM28's aerodynamics, relaxed stability, and powerful thrust-vectoring engines give it excellent maneuverability and energy potential across its flight envelope. The airplane has excellent high alpha (angle of attack) characteristics, capable of flying at trimmed alpha of over 60° while maintaining roll control and performing maneuvers such as the Herbst maneuver (J-turn) and Judvich's Cobra. The flight control system and full-authority digital engine control (FADEC) make the aircraft highly departure resistant and controllable, thus giving the pilot carefree handling.