Update the century series

[kerick]

An idea I've been toting around for a while now involves taking an F-106 or F-105 and giving it a new F100 engine and new cockpit/avionics.  Say during the late 80s and into the 90s with the overall US military buildup old airframes got a new life.  These aircraft were always fast and capable.  With modern weapons and such they could have been useful.  Even an upgraded F-111 would be interesting.  There was a plan to upgrade A-7 Corsair IIs to an A-7F version.  What's your thoughts?

[Maverick]

Updating older aircraft has its good points, but airframe fatigue life is a limiting factor.  Unless the aircraft is 'new build', the airframe itself will be reaching the end of its safely useful life, so slotting in a new engine or avionics wouldn't cure that issue.

Regards,

Mav

[PR19_Kit]

Updating older aircraft has its good points, but airframe fatigue life is a limiting factor.  Unless the aircraft is 'new build', the airframe itself will be reaching the end of its safely useful life, so slotting in a new engine or avionics wouldn't cure that issue.

BAe took little notice of that problem during the umpteen Nimrod updates. They just slung out the worn bits and built new ones...... 

[Taiidantomcat]

Would be perfect for the Never retired GB 

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,23846.0/highlight,never+retired.html

[TsrJoe]

John Lacey 'maverick' did a few artworks of upgraded century series types over in his cg pages, i definately recall his F.104X with clear view canopy and upgraded systems, very cool 

[Weaver]

Well some aircraft did get endlessly upgraded and re-built, for example the Mirage, MiG-21, Skyhawk and (nearly) the A-7.

In real life, the surviving F-105 fleet was totally shagged out by the end of the Vietnam was, which is why they barely lasted past the early '80s in ANG service. In Whiff World, you could, of course, change that, say by lengthening the production run (no F-4?) so there are still low-houres, usefully upgradeable airframes around in the early 1980s.

An upgraded F-106 has been mooted many-a-time. Say the Soviets kept a significantly larger and more capable bomber force in service, then you could probably justify it. The best upgrade would be a modern radar, fill the missile bay with fuel and a gun, hang Sparrows off the fuselage corners and Sidewinders under the wings and fit a decent canopy.

Since the A-7 went from the TF30 to the TF41, perhaps the F-111 could do the same, the engine being essentially an upgraded version of the afterburning Spey as used in the UK Phantoms.

[GTX]

One day I plan to do a F-105 two-seater updated with pavetack pod in the weapons bay.

Regards,

Greg

[ChernayaAkula]

^   Great minds....
I also have a plan for an updated F-105G. Sort of what if the USAF had stuck to its "no pound for air-to-ground"-policy and nixed the F-15E before it even got off the ground. Only instead of Pave Tack, I want to use the LANTIRN suite on cheek stations on the fuselage. Throw in a new engine and an updated cockpit, maybe even a revised wing (anyone tried F-15 wings on an F-105 fuselage? ) and it should be good to go.  
And it'll look spankin' in Euro 1 and with Lakenheath markings!   Just the thing for a background story like Clancy's "Red Storm Rising".  

EDIT:

Regarding trying F-15 wings on an F-105 fuselage, I just did:

[Weaver]

Ooooh - I like the F-105/F-15 mix, because I was considering what a fighter F-105 might look like in an "F-4 never happened" scenario and wondering how to give it more wing area.....

[kerick]

Airframe condition would be a real life factor, no doubt.  The A-7F idea died when many A-7s were found to have wing skin cracks.  Aircraft designed for low level action tended to have stronger airframes, like the A-10.  The F-104 had the Lancer follow on that would have been awesome.  The F-106 had a F-106X program with turbofan engine, longer nose for radar, F-15 style inlets and canards.  I like the F-105 with F-15 wings, I may have to try that.  How about others like the Buccaneer?  I always thought that if the F-111 had been modernized and standardized instead of being treated as five different aircraft it could have lasted a lot longer in service.  It was the maintenance cost that forced it into retirement.  Lots of whiff potential me thinks.

[GTX]

Here's an updated F-111 I did a while back:



Regards,

Greg

[kerick]

Your F-111 looks great, nice stealth add ons!  The engines and inlets were half the problems with that aircraft.  I might just use your idea.

[GTX]

If you do, these are the mods:

• Faceted nose - somewhat akin to F-22
• Clear, one piece canopy
• Super Hornet style intakes
• F-22 style exhausts
• V tail, ala F-23

Regards,

Greg

[deathjester]

If you are going to do all that, might I suggest one more thing - the Mission Adaptive Wing!

[scooter]

An upgraded F-106 has been mooted many-a-time. Say the Soviets kept a significantly larger and more capable bomber force in service, then you could probably justify it. The best upgrade would be a modern radar, fill the missile bay with fuel and a gun, hang Sparrows off the fuselage corners and Sidewinders under the wings and fit a decent canopy.

The F-106 had a F-106X program with turbofan engine, longer nose for radar, F-15 style inlets and canards.  I

Which is kind of what I did here: http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,30508.msg467831.html#msg467831

Although instead of Canards, I went with a new build as Raptor flopped, with a double-delta and squeezed a new radar into the existing nose cone, as well as added an LR camera and JHMCS and new metallurgy.  As is always remarked here, anything's possible in Whiff-World