Meet the Falchion

TUPL's first aircraft dedicated to the Crestan Conflict...

Overview

The F-33 Falchion (fahl-chuhn) is a fourth generation fighter jet built by TUPL Aerospace Divison. It was originally built to deal with Soviet Air threats, but after that role was taken by other fighters, the F-33 was temporarily abandoned before being picked back up to be a lower-tech but still powerful fighter jet for the Crestan Conflict. Rumor also suggests it will see use in the Siren War as well.

Development

The Falchion's development dates far back to 1989. In order to counter the Soviet Su-27, TUPL began developing the F-33A. Its main concepts were speed, agility, and damage, although armor was considered as well.
Development allegedly started off smoothly, with the first prototype being tested at the (at the time unclaimed) Yeager Airport.

Above: The YF-33A prototype flies under a bridge at Yeager, demonstrating its agility.

Sometime later in development, though, the Northrop YF-23 and Dassault Rafale were put operation and proved highly capable of standing up to the Flanker, meaning there was little demand for the F-33, and as such the project was put on hiatus.

However, the F-33's story didn't end there. In 2024, shortly after the events of the Monarchii War (and during the Siren War), the MGLA members CrestelAeronautics and FOXHOUND26 broke into a civil war with each other. TUPL was planning to provide mutual support to both sides, but there were a few issues. For starters, TUPL didn't want to risk losing high-tech aircraft in the conflict, and a watered-down Anti-OP treaty furthered this. However, the few aircraft TUPL did have that he was willing to sacrifice were mostly too weak, aside from the Intimidator which was best known for its numbers, and the F/A-32A Striker, which saw limited use due to both its cost, and less need for it due to the Intimidator getting the job done mostly. Thankfully, though, the YF-33A was already a proven concept, and was put into production shortly after final performance tests proving it to be an aircraft fit for the Crestan Conflict.

Above: The first F-33A ever put into service. Uniquely, F-33As didn't have visible serial numbers, with it being hidden somewhere on the landing gear.

Once the base YF-33A was approved by TUPL's design department, it was quickly put into production with a staggering 25 F-33As being made in a single day. The F-33As are currently under production and will later be exported to FOXHOUND and Crestel. Additional, upgraded variants are currently planned, with three in the foreseeable future, but success in the Crestan Conflict could see more F-33 variants. (Refer to variants)

Operational Service

So far, the F-33A has yet to see real combat. None have been exported yet, and TUPL hasn't expressed plans or interest to use them for himself. However, they are planned to enter combat in the Crestan Conflict very soon, and will likely enter combat in the Siren War once the F-33B Air-to-Surface variant is completed.

However, several training exercises have been conducted with the F-33A, including collaborative formation flying/splitting and live-fire practices conducted over Yeager Airport where unmanned Intimidator fighter jets were shot down by the F-33A's FRCM S-25 missile. Exact numbers aren't confirmed, but the photographer on the scene said he saw at least three Intimdators get shot down. TUPL has also expressed interest in training F-33A pilots in mock-dogfights with the T-39B Guru.

Above: A drone Intimidator is obliterated in the distance by an F-33A's missile, demonstrating the Falchion's power.

Flight Manual

Unofficial Falchion Flight Manual
Basic controls are as follows;
Throttle - Engine power
Yaw - Left/right yaw respectively
Roll - Left/right roll respectively
Pitch - Up/down pitch respectively
VTOL - One-directional flaps (lever up = flaps down)

Features and Armaments:

-Missiles: The F-33A can possess, at the moment, up to eight missiles (at the cost of sacrificing the drop tanks, otherwise six missiles). Although the F-33A is compatible with almost all air-to-air missiles in service, it normally uses the Flare-Resistant Correction Missile Strike 25, or FRCM S-25.

-Drop Tanks: The F-33A can bear two drop tanks (they are recommended due to the F-33A's relatively low base fuel). They can be dropped simultaneously via Activation Group 4.

-Guns: The F-33A contains one Scorpion Advanced Arms Industries 30mm Mark IV, or SAAI 30 Mk.4, also known as just the SAAI 30. It is mounted underneath the right side of the fuselage (from pilot POV). It can deal incredible damage to almost any foe, and is capable of tearing even large bombers to shreds. It also has higher muzzle velocity than most aircraft guns, further adding to its lethality.

-Lights: The F-33A has four lights, two white lights, one red light on the right wing, and one green light on the left wing. All lights are mounted on the wings and can be toggled on/off via Activation Group 8.

-Target-Locking Camera: A camera borrowed from MisterT will allow you to see where your target is. Be warned that it might need to be corrected occasionally. It is named Camera 1 ingame.

Pros and Cons (and workarounds)

Pros:

-Very maneuverable
-High top speed
-Decent armor
-Deadly weapons
-Decent range

Cons (and how to counter them):

-Low thrust without afterburner (rarely drop below 30% throttle in a dogfight, but feel free to if needed, afterburner activates at 95% throttle and above)
-Available fuel is badly hurt by removing the drop tanks (counter: don't remove the drop tanks, they have no drawbacks aside from possibly personal aesthetic preference)
-Almost physically impossible to land on the wheels (counter: don't land on the wheels, they only serve aesthetic and takeoff purposes, land on the plane's belly)
-Bleeds energy in turns (counter A: make your turns as wide as possible, or... counter B: don't worry about it, from my experience, you can still go up to 700 mph in a tight turn, so you're not really bleeding too much energy)
-Sub-par cockpit visibility (counter: wait until the F-33D, until then just minimize usage of cockpit visibility unless it doesn't bother you)
-Virtually impossible to carry out ground strikes (Again, two counters. Counter A: Wait until the B variant, which will be designed for ground attack. Counter B: Don't use the Falchion for ground attack, the F-33A is designed to be an air-superiority fighter, not an attacker/bomber/interdictor)

Variants

-YF-33A: Original Falchion prototype, two were built but only one was flown. The first, flying prototype, 12099-1, will be displayed in the Yeager Airport MGLA Museum, while the second, 12099-2 will remain in MGLAAF possession, either awaiting museum export or further testing.

-F-33A: Current service variant of the F-33 Falchion, 62 built as of May 16, 2024.

-F-33B: Ground-attack variant F-33, planned to have extra hardpoints intended for air-to-surface munitions, a cannon, and more armor.

-F-33C/OVU-33: Upgrade of the F-33A made by CrestelAeronautics.

-F-33D: TUPL-made upgrade of the F-33A designed with better tech, avionics, and more.

-F-33F: MIGFOXHOUND31BSM26-made upgrade of the F-33A.

-F-33S: KPLBall-made variant of the F-33 designed for strike purposes.

Extras

Top: An F-33A does a combat takeoff from Yeager Airport as a part of mock air-intercept mission.
Middle: The F-33A demonstrating its Target-Lock Camera against an Su-27.
Bottom: Two F-33As fly around each other during a training exercise.

Fun fact, the main thumbnail is based on the picture below, albeit it was a little harder to replicate lol

Enjoy the fighter and happy hunting!