Background

The Tiran Industries NF.8 Kestrel is a Winolian supersonic, single engine variable-sweep wing multirole fighter. It was developed as part of the Winolian Navy’s FFX-V (Future fighter experimental - Naval) programme which itself was a part of a larger procurement program run by the Winolian government in the aftermath of the Winolian crisis and civil war. It incorporated many lessons from the war and was designed using new techniques and concepts. It would also be the first Winolian carrier aircraft capable of supersonic speed, the previous VFSX (naval fighter supersonic experimental) having been cancelled due to the war. It helped accelerate the development of naval aviation and would serve actively in the Winolian Navy, both atop carriers and on shore installations. It would also be modified into additional variants as it continued to serve.
Role: Interceptor, Multirole fighter
Manufacturer: Tiran Industries
First flight: 28 July, 1966
Introduction: 12 February 1970
Produced: 1965 - 1981
Number built: 423

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Controls

Flight Controls

It is recommended to fly with a joystick, flight controller or mouse.
This aircraft was not designed or tested using regular WASD controls.

W - Pitch Down

S - Pitch Up

A - Roll Left

D - Roll Right

Q - Rudder Left

E - Rudder Right

SHIFT - Throttle up (80% activates afterburner, throttling to beyond 99% will activate emergency power)

CTRL or B - Decelerate and deploy airbrake

Activation Groups

AG1 - Toggle wing sweep (activating will cause wing to sweep fully above Mach 0.75)

AG2 - Navigation Lights

AG3 - Deploy arresting hook

AG4 - Jettison centre-line fuel tank

AG5 - Jettison stores (aka the panic button)

AG6 - Drag chute

AG7 - Deploy airbrakes (requires gear to be down)

AG8 - Do not use (or use at your own peril)

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Normal Operations

Take-off Checklist

• VTOL UP to halfway (50%) for Flaps
• Recommended takeoff throttle: 70%+
• The nosewheel has a tendency to drift (due to an unsolved issue with the landing gear). Utilise yaw gently to stabilise the takeoff run.
• Rotation speed is approximately 150mph (241kph, 130 knots) in its current interceptor configuration).
• Pitch up to 50% (halfway pitch) at rotation speed and maintain angle until aircraft lifts off.
• Gear-Up
• Flaps will automatically retract above ~260mph(120 knots, 432 mph) but remember to reset them to 0 position (VTOL neutral)..

Carrier takeoff

• Taking off from the carrier is much simple. Attach to the catapult to begin.
• VTOL UP to halfway(50%) for Flaps
• Throttle to afterburner low (80%)
• Click the launch button and maintain pitch at about 50%.

Landing

Normal Landing

To land this aircraft, the following parameters are recommended:
- VTOL UP fully (flaps fully down)
- Landing gear down and AG7 activated (to enable airbrakes)
- Recommended landing speed at full load: Approximately 180 mph (156knots, 290kph)
- Recommended landing AoA: 10-15 degrees on touchdown

Carrier Landing

A carrier landing can be performed in much the same way but is more difficult to successfully execute. Activate 3 will deploy the arrestor hook. Maintaining a good angle of descent is essential in ensure you do not slam onto the deck.
(Currently I still find it challenging, haha)

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Weapons

AAM2-R K’esiti-R

- The AAM2 - R is a semi-active, radar guided, medium-long range air to air missile.
- Standard operating procedure dictates that for maximum flight performance the missile should be employed from high altitude and long range.
The missile does not have incredible turning performance
and should not be expected to have much use in a dogfight.
It is ideally utilised at the opening stages of an engagement
to shoot down and opponent beyond visual range or force
them into a defensive position.
To fire, simple select and wait for a good lock then fire.
Max range: 42km
Effective range: 30km
Max speed: Mach 3

AAM2-I K’esiti-I

- The AAM2-I is the infrared seeking counterpart to the AAM2-I. It was designed to offer more medium range dogfight performance to the Kestrel. Its seeker was highly performant and capable of tracking and locking onto agile targets however the missiles performance was still not good in a dogfight. It was designed to offer a stealthier way to achieve a long range kill by pairing it (and slaving it) to the Kestrel’s advanced FLIR or radar.
The missile has better performance that the R but less range
as the FLIR cannot detect from the same ranges as the radar.
Max range: 25km
Effective range: 15km
Max speed: Mach 3

AAM5 Redati

The Redati was a missile developed from dogfighting experience gained during the war. Pilots stressed the need for a missile to match their expected combat parameters at close distances. They desired an agile, ECM resistant weapon. The Redati discarded older limitation, sporting a wider diameter to house a larger seeker head and more sensitive electronics. It is capable of being launched from limited all-aspect (a first in the world) and can be slaved to the aircrafts other sensors. It was developed specifically for the Kestrel and the Winolian Navy (the Air force choosing to use a different design at the time).
The missile has excellent performance at close ranges. While
its seeker aperture is not as large as that on the AAM2-I it is far
more sensitive and accurate.
Max range: 7km
Effective range: 4.5km
Max speed: Mach 2.6

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CLick me! Alternative loadout and colours

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Closing words

Thank you so much for downloading, upvoting, commenting and spotlighting. This has been a labour of love and I’m excited to get it out there. Feel free to offer critique and suggested improvements.

And feel free to create variants of this (tag me if you do, show off your modifications).

A massive, massive thanks goes to @Edensk who provided help, advice and technical assistance at several points during the building process. I couldn’t have done this without him, seriously.

Finally, I’ll see you on my next build.