This specific paragraph was written on Friday 3rd June local time, way after I wrote the rest of the post. The whole post and airplane were done weeks before this.
Last week was probably a time when I was the most LOCKED-THE-IN I've ever been in my life just for my thesis. And I did it, I submitted it yesterday. I'm full of joy cuz it's "over", and also full of despair cuz it's not that over. There's still something that I have to do to get it 100% done. Also, my thesis supervisor found some gaping holes in my thesis data so I'm probably cooked, but hopefully not. Such a misery and woe. But I still have some time until defenses to do something about it.

anyway

DwiAngkasaAeronautics present:

FAL-42SV Dardo Stealth Fighter

Background

Project Fighter Advanced Lightweight (FAL) initially produced two separate fighter aircraft: FAL-40S Hipster and FAL-45SV Himmel. Each aircraft was designed to meet the specific needs of the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. However, the significant differences in requirements between these branches, especially between the Air Force-Navy and Marines, necessitated the development of two specialized designs. This approach resulted in aircraft tailored to their intended roles rather than a single, universal platform.

An alternative design, the FAL-42SV Dardo, was proposed as a "one-frame-for-all" solution to meet the needs of all three branches simultaneously. Unfortunately, the Dardo's submission came too late for full adoption within the national military. Nevertheless, The aircraft was adopted in limited numbers by the national military but was still produced in large quantities due to significant interest and demands from allied nations.

Design and Description

The FAL-42SV Dardo is a single-seat, single-engine, multi-role stealth fighter designed to address the varied demands of the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. The design takes inspiration from the final version of Boeing X-32. Dardo adopts a conventional elevator configuration, setting it apart from previous FAL designs. It incorporates a thrust-vectoring nozzle, enabling VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) capabilities.

As a generalist aircraft, the Dardo offers a balance of performance and versatility. Compared to the FAL-40S Hipster and FAL-45SV Himmel, the Dardo is faster and slightly more agile. Its relatively low cost and ease of maintenance as it uses Boeing X-32 single-piece composite section manufacturing technique, make it particularly attractive to overseas allies, especially in developing nations wanting a taste of fifth-generation fighter technology.

However, Dardo’s smaller size and focus on nimbleness come with limitations. Its reduced fuel capacity gives it the shortest range of the three FAL designs. Additionally, the exposed fan at the front increases its frontal aspect radar cross-section (RCS), potentially compromising stealth in certain scenarios. Despite this drawback, Dardo excels in roles aligned with defensive doctrines, where its combination of agility, affordability, and stealth make it a highly effective asset.

Dardo size's compared to,Hipster and Tomboy

Role

• Multirole
• Interdictor
• Strike fighter

Armament

• 2 x BVR-21 Arjuna BVRAAM
• 2 x Grand Strike MK IV Guided Bomb
• 30mm Revolver Cannon

Features:

- Glimiter and Fly-by-wire

It has Glimiter and Fly-by-wire that will prevent over G and smooth flight. Rated for max 8G

- Electro Optical Targeting System

EOTS for targeting, based on SINTREX Targeting pod. Will track enemy, have a reticle, and target data.

- Anti Brick Drop System

Slow the descent even when the throttle is cut off. Ease the vertical landing

Control:

VTOL Mode:
VTOL slider up: Vertical Take Off and Landing
VTOL slider 1/2 up: Short Take Off

AG1: Toggle Afterburner
AG2: Arming Air to Air
AG3: Arming Air to Ground
AG4: Open weapon bay
AG5: Toggle fuel probe
AG6: Toggle EOTS motors
AG7: Jettison Air to Ground armament
AG8: Toggle canopy and wing fold
Trim: Trim
VTOL: Flaps

Vertical takeoff instruction:

• VTOL slider up then Throttle 100%
• After at height (>30m ideal), VTOL slider slightly above 1/2 up (see note) and built speed, ideally >150 kmh
• VTOL slider to middle.
• Adjust pitch
  Note: In terms of getting in the air fast, I don't recommend vertical takeoff. Short take-off is better cuz it's way faster, especially with a full load. Dont even try vertical takeoff in beast mode lol

Vertical landing instruction:

• VTOL slider up and slow down the aircraft (the fastest way is to pitch up, make the aircraft as an air brake)
• Throttle >90% for hover, less after payload gone
• Throttle 70-90% (less after payload gone) to descent slowly (or just kill the throttle, it will land itself but won't be smooth)

Short takeoff instruction:

• VTOL slider slightly above 1/2 up (see note) then Throttle 100%
• After airborne with speed of more than 200kmh (124 mph / 107 kn), pull the VTOL slider to the middle.
• Activate1 (afterburner) to gain speed

Weapon Briefing:

- Grand Strike MK IV Guided Bomb

Guided bomb similar to US JDAM series, guided by GPS and inertial. An improvement from my old Grand Strike MK II. This particular is on 1000lb / 500kg class munition. The operational range could be way higher but I set it for a more realistic sp performance.

Specification
Operational range: 8 km
Max targeting angle: 60
Guidance: GPS, Inertial
Weight: 500 kg / 1000lb

- BVR-21 Arjuna BVRAAM

Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), using air ducted rocket and ram engine to achieve longer range, similar to MDMA Meteor. Ideal for interception. Could be used in a dogfight but with limited performance.

Specification
Operational range: 210 km
Max Speed: Mach 4.5
Max targeting angle: 60
Guidance: Active radar homing

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Other Weapon Load and Paint Scheme:

792 parts

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Note

• Feel free to take the missile
• I use high physics when building this so use the same setting
• If your device cannot run this, try to set every quality setting to low
  

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Used Creation Credits:
- Guyfolks dummy pilot
- X-32 bubble canopy by Suubk27
- Glimiter code by tomlin5412 or m^?G?M??§t?G¹T2? (Mangomaster1024) in FT Discord
- RWR by Ku

Gallery

Author note

VTOL Slider slightly above 1/2 up looks like this
VTOL slide right at 1/2 up works but I make the thrust divided between lift and main engine nozzle. Slightly above 1/2 up direct thrust more to the lift nozzle, so it can take off way shorter distance than right at 1/2 up

Very very inspired by the Boeing X-32. This particular aircraft design: a short, fat, stubby aircraft, has been on my mind for years. Only recently have I been able to bring this idea to life. I imagined this aircraft to have the short man syndrome, so I tried to capture that with its flight performance. But again, I don't know if I did capture it or not.

Suubk27's X-32 really helped me to get the idea of the shape of X-32, especially for the wings swept and front section.

I’m not sure about this, but there are times I feel a lot of hatred while working on this thing, especially when tweaking the flight performance. The landing gear placement is super awkward—being so far from CoM, makes it a real challenge to achieve a smooth takeoff. The stabilization FBW tuning has been a pain in ass too. Either I picked it too strong, causing oscillations in speed, or it’s too weak, and the plane just wanna sniff the grass. For this build, I picked it quite strong, expect for some minor short oscillation after releasing pitch input. Also, expect some minor rolling when deploying flaps, adjust accordingly

And also, idk if y'all experienced this, but It feel like the aircraft’s behavior changes after restarting the game. Before I closed the game, it flew just fine, but when I reopened it, it flew like shit.

Overall, I'm glad it's done. It's all probably cuz a combination of brain fog and stress from the final thesis. Either way, this shit is hard to build, maybe the hardest. Then again, I wasn’t exactly in the best headspace during the building process.

also, yall have to see this, Boeing F-32 Joint Strike Fighter. Cool stuff

here sum rotating ice cream sandwich