Tip: For the smoothness of the story, it is recommended that you read the story of M-12A first.
In 165, with the publication of the M-12A in major newspapers, this newborn fighter jet quickly became a well-known star. Here, the high-level officials of the Skira Republic are happy, and the position of the Republic's air force has been further consolidated; The Miyangji Design Bureau is also happy. Now that we have completed the project on time, there should be nothing else to do, right? Just as they were immersed in their fantasies, a Mach 4 unidentified flying object shattered their fantasies.
The PX-9A made its debut at the Kisaa Federal Air Force Exhibition. The continuous variable sweep wing design, built-in magazine designed to reduce drag, as well as the federally announced maximum speed of Mach 4 and maximum flight altitude of 20000 meters, all indicate that this is just an interceptor aircraft. However, the PX-9A also uses an electronic screen. Although it currently appears to be only a quasi third generation fighter jet, ten years have passed and your federal Dawn Design Agency has assembled a interceptor? Have you all gone through war crises, why don't you upgrade your air force? Therefore, the high-level officials of the Republic firmly believe that the federal government is likely developing other aircraft.
The Republic itself only designed one aircraft, and the federal government directly started multiple projects at the same time. Is that enough? The M-12A still has some deficiencies, and if this situation continues, the Republic Air Force may lose its air superiority. The high-level officials of the Republic never wanted to see this outcome, so in 166, the Republic pulled the Miyangki Design Bureau into the 130 Plan and requested the Design Bureau to: 1. develop new fighter jets. 2. Study the M-12 upgrade model. The plan to develop a new fighter jet later became independent of the 135 plan, which will not be elaborated here
Originally, the Milyankee Design Bureau had a headache. I just designed this plane myself, how do I know if it has any defects? Except for the BJ engine, it has not been delivered yet. Why don't I ask the pilot? So they really gave a survey questionnaire to the flying squadron using the M-12A, only to find out that they had exchanged a lot of valuable opinions for their mother's safety.
The test pilot's second flight was only a test of maneuverability, so they gave high praise. But our flying squadron is for practical combat! Why is the nose so long when you don't talk about anything else? When simulating air combat, HUD displays the enemy on the nose every day. The most important thing is to attack the ground. Come on, can you tell me how to fight against this person with a * * * field of view? Fuck *.
Our pilot comrade experienced some emotional fluctuations while providing feedback, and now the psychological instructor is calming down. The design bureau was quite speechless. Although someone scolded me, at least my opinion was still raised. Regarding the nose issue, it may be that the M-5 was designed with a great emphasis on viewing the pilot's field of view, while the M-12A did not pay attention to this, so pilots became accustomed to driving the M-5 and did not adapt to the M-12A's field of view. They compiled the collected suggestions into archives and began to redesign the drawings. With sufficient experience accumulation, they completed this task in 167. The new aircraft has not undergone significant changes in appearance compared to the original aircraft. Apart from significant changes in the nose, only minor adjustments have been made, but it has been determined that the existing problems have been basically resolved. The chief designer sat directly inside the virtual simulator and personally checked the plane's view before being satisfied. So is the upgrade work over? Can we wait for the engine to arrive now? No. Soon, a designer came up with a novel design.
Wing body fusion. As early as 164, he had already come up with such an idea, but first of all, the delivery date was already approaching, and secondly, the M-12A did not want to adopt immature technology at that time. But now, taking this opportunity, he took the opportunity to bring it up. This design can increase the internal space of the fighter and reduce fuel consumption. Most importantly, it can effectively enhance supersonic capabilities. After several days of rigorous discussion, the design bureau approved this landmark plan and added it to the plan.
At this moment, the BJ engine arrived. The design bureau quickly installed it on the new aircraft, and in the virtual simulator, as the orange tail flames spewed out, the fighter reached takeoff speed in just one second, shocking all designers present, as well as the landing gear - which was compressed to its limit just as the engine was started. The excellent aerodynamic design of the M-12 and the new wing body fusion design allow it to easily reach Mach 2, while still maintaining excellent performance. But the designer didn't show any good looks - the overload reached 100G.
What kind of thing? Did the anti G suit I just developed a few years ago fall behind so quickly? And this difference is too big, I may not be able to make it in five years. So, in addition to enhancing the strength of the landing gear, the design bureau has discussed this point and believes that an overload limit needs to be added after opening the afterburner.
Is that the solution then? Hey, guess what? There is another issue - the mobility has decreased. Originally, the maximum overload of 55G during low altitude hovering at 1200 kilometers per hour was reduced to 52G. After several days of continuous discussion, the design bureau did not reach a consensus and hurriedly went to consult with the high-level officials of the Republic. After the Republic learned about the situation, it waved its hand and said, '3G is all, the advantage lies with me.'.
So in 168, the first prototype machine left the factory. After being recognized by the test pilot, the Republic gave her a new code name: M-12C. At the same time, due to the naming event of the plane in 167, her predecessors all obtained names one after another, and as a latecomer, she cannot fall behind.
Due to the fact that M-3's name is Feihuo and M-5's name is Xinghuo, the Republic believes that her name should also carry at least one "fire". After a round of national elections, a plan for an excellent young pilot, Firebird, was ultimately selected. Groups of M-12C, like birds, dressed in flames, rushed towards the enemy, annihilating them in the raging fire
The M-12C Firebird has modified previous issues and undergone corresponding upgrades. The first fighter equipped with a vector afterburner engine retains excellent low-speed performance, significantly improves high-speed performance, and most importantly, maintains low cost, leaving a way for newly developed fighter jets. The maximum speed is over two Mach per hour, and it takes less than ten seconds to reach the maximum speed from subsonic state. In terms of weapons, the ground armed forces have added a KD-8B lockless guided bomb and increased the number of hangers.
So in 168, the M-12C was officially put into service, and in the same year, the federal PX-12A fighter jet was put into service. From then on, there has been a heated discussion about which of the two fighter jets is stronger. In 170, the formation and takeoff of 70 M-12Cs during the Air Force parade shocked the world. In 171, the relationship between the two countries entered a state of tension again, with M-12C active on the border, shouldering the burden of its predecessors and serving as one of the facades of the republic to maintain the airspace of the motherland. Until the mutation occurred in 172, the M-12C produced a total of 300 aircraft, becoming the most produced fighter among the three generations.
It is undeniable that the M-12C is very excellent, and has performed excellently in simulation training, both in seizing air control and striking ground targets. However, M-12C ultimately focused on ground attacks. Compared with the M-16 fighter jet of the 135 program, it is still too low in range and payload, let alone facing the federal PX-9C/PX-14A, it is still insufficient in stagnation time, and its excellent air combat capabilities are not effective at this time. But if you underestimate her for this, it's a big mistake - after she dropped her ground mount, she was still an aerial superiority fighter jet, writing her own chapter and the glory of the Republic Air Force.
There is still her position above the blue sky.