TCA 217 Super Aquila

The Twin Crown Aerospace 217 Super Aquila is a medium-heavy-weight tactical fighter aircraft designed by Stardust. It was originally a modification of the FF-215 Aquila.

Project GOLDENROD HARPY and Air Supremacy Program no. 9
Twin Crown Aerospace Industries - Air Supremacy Project no. 9 was an internal TCA requisition for a conventional twin-engined combat aircraft with good all-around performance for air-to-air combat. ASP-9 was originally conceived of as a drone, and therefore engineering the aircraft was the responsibility of Advanced Combat Systems Division (ACSD). Development on ASP-9 was slow at the time of the internal program's introduction.

During its slow development, the [JS5] fighter program became active, and TCA submitted a few designs to the competition. TCA's initial submission was its ASP-7 aircraft (FF-215; Project GOLDENROD HARPY and TERMINATOR HARPY), which was similarly designed with the attributes of "twin-engine fighter aircraft", but it was pulled due to its mediocre performance. In its place, ASP-11 (FF-219) was submitted, an aircraft designed by TCA's rising Combat Aircraft Design Bureau (CADB). FF-219's flight performance was so notable for a convetional airframe, that ACSD took the FF-219 airframe and mated it to TCA's test UCAV body to create the now-venerable STARDUST-I combat testing drone.

FF-219 failed [JS5] trials, forcing TCA to return to the drawing board, with many options at its fingertips, but all very under-developed. ASP-9 was completed during this time and became the STARDUST-II, which itself proved to be a capable combat test drone. Seeing the potential in the ASP-9 airframe, CADB was given the task of taking the airframe and turning it into a manned aircraft with a cockpit. This was the beginning of ASP-9-2 (which probably should have been ASP-7 Extended due to the project being a twin-engined manned fighter, but internal documentation at this time suffered from a recent large fire in TCA's facilities, creating large disruptions in program organization).

CADB's conversion of the STARDUST-II airframe into a manned design did not take long, and ASP-9-2 received the official designation FF-217. Multiple design iterations and variants of the FF-217 airframe would be made before its first official combat deployment in a [JS5]-compliant configuration, using the FF-217J variant. The FF-217J Super Aquila featured additional auxiliary engines for increased combat TWR, breaking from the original twin-engine design outline to a 2-2 engine configuration.

Super Aquila
FF-217J would be the first airframe variant to see multiple blocks/subvariants, mainly J-5, J-6, J-7, and J-8, though the combat records of these are still unclear. Known configurations other than [JS5] are [RT]/[RT1], [FD], [FC], and [RP2]. FF-217K existed as a lengthened airframe for greater range and payload capacity.

Development of the 217 airframe would cease for a while as no new technologies could be applied to the project that would result in any noticeable improvement. Minor efforts at airframe enhancements were made, such as additional wing fuel tanks and lift area, but there would be no significant development variant until the introduction of new construction methods present in the next competition, RT2.

Round Table II - Project Revival, Major Update 'M' Variant
Eventually, the long-awaited [RT2] fighter program arrived. This contract was addressed with a number of Air Supremacy Programs, with ACSD winning the first TCA internal selection bid with its advanced ASP-22 (FF-241), as well as the second bid with ASP-22 Extended (FF-242) when FF-241 failed the initial tests of the fighter program.

The [RT2] development program continued after an attack on the Round Table, with TCA development programs accelerating after the acquistion of new weapons and flight technologies. Both CADB and ACSD went through multiple semi-satisfactory FFX programs, with both suffering multiple setbacks. After some time, it soon eventually seemed that ACSD would win the internal TCA selection yet again with an upgraded 241 and a newer fighter, [DATA REDACTED], especially after CADB suffered from multiple unsatisfactory FFX24x series aircraft.

CADB was recommended to return to its standard affairs with more conventional airframes. The department decided to address its aging 217 airframe by upgrading it with modern materials and technologies, producing the 217M variant. The 217M features the largest airframe out of all 217s produced thus far, and is constructed with new airframe construction methods. The “augmented twin-jet” layout has benefited from far more powerful engine options, with [RT2]-specification J-119 engines as the primary engine set and TCA’s own TFJ-200 (High Output, Narrow Engine-60) engines as the augmentation engines. (The TFJ-200s actually provide more power at cruising speeds than the J-119s.)



This variant, in [RT2] competition flight testing, proved surprisingly very effective, overtaking the ACSD projects in results, which themselves ran into teething problems. The lack of stealth was compensated by the airframe’s flight performance capabilities and payload capacity.

FF-217M proved to be an immense success, even without final verdict if it becomes the [RT2] final selection. CADB’s reputation and engineering experience was boosted by the 217M project, and the department has since gone on to design a number of other successful test airframes.

FF-217N has been produced as an option for buyers looking for a modernized 217 but with the form factor and size of the 217J or 217K, to ease operations management and transitioning. However, it comes at the cost of somewhat reduced maneuverability from the 217M.

Replacement
Final experiences from RT2 prompted the development of a newer clean-sheet design, though still heavily based off of Air Supremacy Program no. 9; this project was called ASP 9-3, culminating in the FF-230 Gryphon.

Operational History (Lore)
The 217 platform was designed as a generalist medium-weight fighter aircraft with good flight performance characteristics above all else. This design outline has produced an aircraft that has flown in various forms across the years, and has been able to receive continuous upgrades to match its peers in every era.

Jet Showdown 5


A three-ship formation of FF-217J Super Aquilas flown by Mirage Squadron were deployed to Jet Showdown 5. They were defeated in combat by the Shark Mk. IIIb.

While each aircraft had were planned to fire their HEKVs in staggered timing, the Shark was too stealthy to be locked at the start, which immediately lost the FF-217Js the initiative, and were swiftly defeated by HEKVs routing them for the entire, short fight.

Round Table I
While never deployed in any capacity into RT1, versions of the FF-217J and FF-217K were fitted for potential combat in RT1 as more "conventional" fighter alternatives. However, TCA's place in RT1 had already been secured by the PEGASys-K11.

Round Table II


FF-217M first appeared in Round Table II during the intense Summer 2021 testing period. It made an impressive first showing upon entry into the battlefield, immediately becoming a baseline for other aircraft to compare against.

In the Round of 16, the FI-217M interceptor variant was deployed as part of the two-ship flight from Mirage Squadron, piloted by "Swan".

In the Round of 4 that followed, the FI-217M encountered difficulties due to a BD AI update that broke the extension behavior it relied upon, and its place in the Mirage flight was replaced by an FF-217M, flown by "Vixen".

FAS II
FF-217Ms only made brief appearances in FAS2, quickly superceded by the lighter FF-215M, back-developed from the 217M. As FAS2 did not define weapon payload by total craft mass, the 20 tonne combat weight of the 217M lost its last benefit to the aircraft. The 217M up to this point was already suffering against its most modern peers in maneuverability, due lack of comparable lift-to-weight ratio.

The addition of and subsequent uprating of the DroidCorp Thrust Enhancement Device (TED) made removing the auxiliary Typhoon engines on the 217M viable, as it would result in an overall lighter airframe, thereby improving maneuverability and control responsiveness. Testing deployments have since been relegated to the 215M, which have been successful.

The role of a high-thrust, heavier-weight combatant has been shifted to the 217's successor, the 230 Gryphon.

Potential Retirement
Based off of combat experiences and continued improvements in construction experience, the 217 Super Aquila has been considered for retirement, to be replaced by its evolutionary successor, the FF-230A Gryphon. However, replacement discussion is still ongoing, as the aerodynamic balance of the 217 airframe is still notably better than the 230's.

The continued service or future retirement of the 217M relies entirely on the parts available to aircraft in future combat environments, and whether the 217M's aerodynamic layout provides better flight performance over the 230's front-heavy nature.

Design (Real Life)
The FF-215 Aquila is based off of the F-15 Eagle, as is very clearly evident in its appearance and designation/name, "aquila" being the Latin word for "eagle". This naming was also partially in reference to the cancelled FF-215 Aquila fighter version which took on much more of a Sukhoi Su-37 Flanker/Terminator appearance, the iconic plane of the "Yellow Squadron" from Ace Combat 04, or officially, the 156th Tactical Fighter Wing "Aquila".

The FF-217 variant was created for FJS S5, after determining that the TWR of a twin-Saturn jet was still a bit too low compared to the competition. It should be noted that, at this time, the Saturn engine in BDA weighed in at a ludicrous 0.65t, and the meta was firmly in Saturn trijet territory, save for the highly-refined Shark MkIII, which made do with two Saturn engines. Tiger engines, however, were the second-best engine in standard BDA air combat mod sets, and the addition of two Tigers to the Aquila gave an extra boost to help the plane perform.

Interestingly, as the FF-217M variant progressed through its creation, it started taking on more F/A-18 Super Hornet qualities. While the NMB F/A-18 cockpit had always been present, the canted tails were not on the earlier FF-217s, and as the search for more lift progressed, the 217M gained LERXs to increse the lift area of the central wing pieces. The rebuild also allowed for the addition of leading-edge flaps, which the Eagle lacks, and while by design, the 217M only has a single large flaperon on each wing (similar to an F-35), this results in similar flap behavior to the Super Hornet as well.

The First True "Missile Rail Frame" Aircraft
The FF-217M rebuild happened after the FF-241F Bellerophon and FFX244 Sleipnir were undergoing trials in the July 2021 FJRT Josue supertests. While the 241F and 244 had missile rails integrated into the internals in such a way to "prevent" the appearance of floating parts, the Super Aquila was built with a true missile rail airframe at its core, with all of its main component sections attached to the rails.

The FF-217M uses a parallel rail system, 3 full-length missile rails long. It provides durability benefit over older, traditional construction methods, where parts were typically either built in a progressive "stack" (as per standard KSP node construction) or a simple centralized system where the root part of much of the craft was something like an exposed tail cone that was large and easy to hit. While the Aquila traditionally had a covered internal core where pieces were built off of, the missile rail frame was a far more elegant solution to true hierarchal building.

The "3 rail length" has also ended up creating the "FJRT2 Standard" fighter jet size and proportions.

The MF-21 Phoenix IV, which was a TCA-consulted design (read: built on an independent whim to see the Phoenix in its intended form) is literally built from pieces taken from the FF-230A, which itself was built from pieces pulled off of the FF-217M.

Major Variants

 * FF-217J
 * Initial variant, derived from FF-215J modification


 * FF-217K
 * Enlarged airframe for greater fuel capacity


 * FF-217M
 * Major airframe variant; rebuilt airframe with PWings, upgraded auxiliary engines to TCA TFJ-200 'Typhoon'


 * FI-217M
 * Interceptor variant; primary engines replaced with B9 turbojets for high-mach cruise, primary armament replaced by single Arclight EML


 * FF-217N
 * 217M-derived variant, scaled down to the proportions of the original 217J. Lighter weight resulted in higher TWR. Ultimately unsuccessful, as the shrunken airframe had reduced maneuverability from the 217M.

Prototypes

 * FF-217M-0
 * Block 0 was fitted with two Saturn engines as the original powerplant, before being replaced by Cheetah engines on 217M Block 1.


 * FI-21700X Hyper Aquila
 * Created by Ace. Up-engined FI-217M with OPT ramjets. Extremely fast.


 * FF-217J Block 20
 * Modernization of the FF-217J airframe with Typhoon auxiliary engines. Due to requisite additional fuel load, the aircraft considered overweight and impractical.