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 landing gear were re-designed, the vertical stabilisers had reduced tilt, and the nose was thickened to make room for the larger R-34/AESRA 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.

Avionics
A multimission avionics system includes a helmet-mounted display (HMD), advanced radar, inertial guidance system, flight instruments, ultra high frequency communications, and tactical air navigation system and instrument landing system receivers. It also has an internally mounted, tactical electronic warfare system, Identification friend or foe system, an electronic countermeasures suite, and a central digital computer. The HMD allows the pilot to lock onto opposing aircraft in a 360 degree area, unlike other aircraft which require the opposing aircraft to be in front of the nose.

Weaponry
A variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry can be carried by the F-E3C. An automated weapon system enables the pilot to release weapons effectively and safely, using the helmet-mounted display and the avionics and weapons controls located on the engine throttles or control stick. When the pilot changes from one weapon system to another, visual guidance for the selected weapon automatically appears on the head-up display.

The F-E3C can be armed with combinations of three different air-to-air weapons: AIM-12 ALRAAM advanced Long-range Air to Air Missiles, AIM-25 ASRDM Advanced Short Range Dogfighting Missiles, and JAG (Joint Air & Ground) Missiles on its lower fuselage, or on six pylons under the wings, and an internal 20 mm (0.79 in) Gatling gun in the left leading edge root extension.

The F-E3C can also carry 2 specialty weapons, the AS-32 Anti-Ship missile, and the NM-23 Checkmate air-launched nuclear-tipped ballistic missile.

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 Cats" 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.

Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm
The first combat the the F-E3C ever faced was when the LAF began deploying F-E3C aircraft to the Persian Gulf region in September 4th 1990 for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. During the Gulf War, the F-E3C accounted for 43 of the 45 air-to-air victories by Lathistian Air Force against Iraqi forces. The F-E3C fighters were used in both the air-superiority role and in minor air-to-ground attacks mainly at night, hunting modified Scud missile launchers and artillery sites using the LANTIRN system, while the A-E4 primarily did strike missions. According to the LAF, its F-E3's had 43 confirmed kills of Iraqi aircraft during the 1991 Gulf War, most of them by missile fire: ten Mikoyan MiG-29s, four MiG-25s, four MiG-23s, two MiG-21s, four Sukhoi Su-25s, six Sukhoi Su-22s, one Sukhoi Su-7, eight Dassault Mirage F1s, one Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft, and three Mil Mi-8 helicopters. Air superiority was achieved in the first three days of the conflict; many of the later kills were reportedly of Iraqi aircraft fleeing to Iran, rather than engaging American aircraft. No F-E3C's where shot down durning this conflict, or ever.