LF-17 Condor

THIS ARTICLE FOCUSES ON THE F-E3C VARIANT

The Kenzar Aircraft Manufacturing F-E3 Sentinel II is an all-weather supersonic, twin-engine multirole combat aircraft, designed as a fighter originally but later developed with attack capabilities. Designed by Kenzar Aircraft Manufacturing, the F-E3C was derived from the earlier F-E3A Fighter and F-E3B for use with the LAF and Swedish Air Force respectively.

Origins
In 1985, the Lathistian Air Force found themselves in need of a multirole aircraft that would replace the F-E3A. Kenzar Aircraft then began work on this updated variant. The wings where lengthened slightly and reinforced to support the heavier weight of air-to-ground munitions, the vertical stabilisers had reduced tilt, and the nose was thickened to make room for the larger R-34 radar, one of the most powerful radars mounted to fighter jets. From all of these upgrades, the dry weight was increased by 1 ton, but replacement of its old E-141 engines with the E-141D engine made the weight increase negligible.

Design
The F-E3C is a twin engine, midwing, multimission tactical aircraft. It is highly maneuverable, due to its good thrust-to-weight ratio, digital fly-by-wire control system, and leading-edge extensions, which allow the F-E3C to remain controllable at high angles of attack. The wing is essentially a cross between a swept wing and a cropped delta. The wing has full-span, leading-edge flaps and the trailing edge has single-slotted flaps and ailerons over the entire span.

Entry To Service
The first F-E3 rolled out on october 20th 1988, with a blue-grey paint scheme. Following trials and operational testing, F-E3C's began to be introduced to training squadrons, where pilots are introduced to the F-E3C. The F-E3C entered operational service with the LAF 32rd Fighter Squadron "Tabby's" on 7 december 1988.

The initial fleet reports were complimentary, indicating that the F-E3C's was extraordinarily reliable, a major change from its slow and unwieldy predecessor, the F-E1.