History

After lessons learnt from the Assult of the BTR the design team at SMC Aerospace began work on the next generation of Dark Arrow.
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The aircraft's avionics were upgraded, as were the data links. This allowed for increased integration were the rest of the Air Force. The most notable modification was the addition of a new countermeasures/missile pod above the cockpit. This pod contains sophisticated jamming and countermeasures which allow the FGR3 to operate in high-threat environments without escort by specialised jamming aircraft.

Four AMRAAM+ missiles also fit into the nose of this pod, meaning that, for the first time, the Dark Arrow has a significant air-to-air capability. To counter the extra drag of this pod the main engines were upgraded from the aging Selective Cycle engines to the newer Direct Thrust-Cycle system. This unintentionally improved the performance of the aircraft, allowing it to pass through 800 mph down on the deck.
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The first upgraded aircraft entered service in September with 27 Squadron. Every Dark Arrow unit will finish re-equipping by December of this year.
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The Dark Arrow FGR3 is available for export to limited nations at a price of $18 million per unit.

Instructions

AG1 for boost.
Countermeasures for flares.
VTOL for vectored thrust.