X-12 "Fire Eagle" Fighter

X-12 "Fire Eagle" Fighter

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Designer Sketch of the X-12 "Fire Eagle" Fighter

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Role:

Fighter:

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Nation of Origin:

Republic of Port Ember

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Build By:

Blackstone Aviation Pty Ltd

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Designed:

1932 - 1936

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First Flight:

17 January 1936

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Production Years:

1938 - 1945

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Status:

Retired

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Service History:

Port Ember Security Forces: 1938 - 1950

The X-12 "Fire Eagle" is a World War 2 Era aircraft which was designed, produced and operated by the Republic of Port Ember.

The X-12 "Fire Eagle'' was originally designed to be the main fighter aircraft for the Port Ember Security Forces (PESF) Air Force, but it was quickly realised that it could easily be adapted for a massive variety of roles, and it soon became the most widely used and multi purpose aircraft in service during its era. The aircraft was eventually developed into a number of six variants by the end of its production run in 1945, and saw service with both the Port Emberian Air Force and Navy.

Up until today, this aircraft is considered to be the most iconic military aircraft ever produced by Port Ember, and is seen as the "Father" of all subsequent developed military aircraft, despite the fact that no modern Port Emberian aircraft is based on its design. This is due to the fact that historians believe that the sheer amount of resources, development and infrastructure which was employed in its creation is what gave birth to the very core of the nation's modern aerospace manufacturing industry.

Development

The Port Ember Security Forces Airforce tabled a requirement for a new fighter aircraft in 1932, in the midst of rising tensions around the world, and the realisation that the current, aging X-11 Fighter in service would no longer be a viable aircraft to utilize, should large scale war break out.

To this end, the PESF funded eight local aircraft companies, who were contracted to design one fighter aircraft each, and present its prototype to the Air Force by the end of 1935.

In January 1936, the Air Force commenced testing on the five prototypes which they received, as three of the eight companies failed to deliver a prototype which met the standards. The testing phase was gruelling, with the prototypes being pushed to their limits, in order to determine the best one, whilst identifying areas of improvement. During this phase, which lasted until December 1936, two of the five prototypes crashed, killing the test pilots.

In January 1937, the Air Force awarded the contract to Blackstone Aviation Pty Ltd, whose design showed the most promise of the remaining prototypes. Once the contract was awarded, the Air Force placed several new improvement requirements upon the design, due to the lessons learned during the testing phase. One other prototype was accepted into service, a design delivered by Mitraláto Air Engineers Pty Ltd, although this aircraft was assigned the role of a Night Fighter/Light Bomber.

Blackstone Aviation continued to improve their prototype, coupled to continuous testing phases in cooperation with the Air Force, until finally, the final design was accepted in January 1938, with mass production commencing in March 1938, and pressed into service with the Air Force in June 1938.

Due to the widespread positive reviews from the Air Force and Security Forces Feasibility Studies, a new Air Warfare Doctrine was adapted, with the X-12 "Fire Eagle" playing a central role in it, and led to the aircraft being adapted by the Navy, whilst also sprouting different variants, up until 1940, when the Republic entered World War 2.

By the outbreak of the war, the aircraft was adapted to fill the following roles within the Port Ember Security Forces, within the Air Force and the Navy:

- Fighter;
- Carrier Based Fighter;
- Bomber Escort;
- Ground Attack;
- Dive Bomber;
- Torpedo Bomber;
- Reconnaissance.

By the end of the war, Blackstone Aviation continued to research and implement improvements, which eventually led to a modernised version of this aircraft to enter service with the designation of X-13 "Ember Eagle", in 1950, which continued to serve in the PESF until 1970, when modern jetcraft were pressed into service, notably the X-14 "Fire Raven", also produced by Blackstone Aviation.

Design

The Blackstone X-12 "Fire Eagle" is a Port Emberian single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Blackstone Aviation Pty Ltd in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II.

Engine:

The Blackstone X-12 "Fire Eagle" was fitted with a single powerful Reaver A21 Engine.

At the time of its construction, Reaver Industries, a Heavy Manufacturing Company based in Port Ember, was a leading designer of aircraft engines, and this company supplied engines to all the military aircraft of Port Ember during the war.

The Reaver A21 was a radial engine with a total of fourteen cylinders. The cylinders had a bore and stroke of 156 millimetres each, providing a total capacity of 42 litres, providing a total of 2000 horsepower output.

The engine in total weighed 1,200 kg and was 1.5 m long.

The engine was air cooled, by means of forced air, obtained from a 12-bladed cooling fan. Air from the fan was blown into the center of the engine, and the shape of the engine and the housing directed the air across the cylinders. In return, a set of slots at the rear allowed the hot air to escape.

Propeller:

The 6 blade constant-speed propeller was attached to the nose of the aircraft, and was created from stainless steel, in a 'scimitar' design.

The blades were turned via a steel rod, connected directly to the engine, which was located within the nose fuselage.

Body:

The exterior body was constructed completely from aluminum, and was 8.6 meters in length (nose to tail) and 3.9 meters in height.

Wings:

The aircraft's wings were constructed from aluminium, and had a wingspan of 13.4 meters, and a total wing area of 33.3 square meters.

The wings were foldable for easy storage, especially when used upon an aircraft carrier.

Landing Gear:

The Blackstone X-12 "Fire Eagle" featured a rear fixed double wheel landing gear, which was turnable, in order to ease parking and taxiing.

The front featured two wide-tracked, wing mounted, inwards-retracting landing gear, which was controlled by an electronic system, from within the cockpit.

The wheels itself (both the front and rear) featured hydraulic wheel brakes.

Control Systems:

Most aircraft of the era used cables and pulleys to operate their controls, however a common problem with this, was the fact that the cables tended to stretch, resulting in the sensations of "give" and "play" that made the controls less crisp and responsive, and required constant maintenance to correct.

Due to this common problem, Blackstone Aviation replaced the cables with rigid pushrods and bearings, which eliminated this problem.

Furthermore, the X-12 featured much lighter controls when compared to other aircraft of the era.

Perhaps the greatest innovation of the X-12 was its heavy reliance on electrically powered systems, instead of the commonly used hydraulic systems. The retractable landing gear, wing trims and the loading & firing of its armaments were all operated by electronic systems from within the cockpit. Besides lowering the pilot's workload, these systems served to be a lot more robust and durable during combat situations and damage.

Cockpit:

The X-12 used a canopy with a frame that ran around the cockpit's perimeter, with only a centerline seam, running horizontally along the top. This provided the pilot with an unprecedented all round view of his surroundings.

Armament:

The X-12 "Fire Eagle'' was very well equipped with firepower, which, alongside its remarkable speed, enabled it to become a major threat in any air theatre which it deployed within. The airplane was equipped with a total of six 20mm Hydra Mk 3 QFC's, with three mounted per wing, and all zero'd in on a central firing circle. The ammunition boxes for each weapon were stored within the wings.

Many different weapons were fitted to the X-12, which created different variants, according to the PESF naming conventions (See Variants). However, all variants were equipped with the standard layout of the six 20mm Hydra Mk 3 QFC's.

Technical Drawing: Top View of the X12 "Fire Eagle"

Technical Drawing: Flank View of the X12 "Fire Eagle"

Technical Drawing: Front View of the X12 "Fire Eagle"

Variants

The following variants were in service until the end of its production phase:

X-12 "Fire Eagle"

This was the standard and original variant, equipped with six x 20mm Hydra Mk 3 Quick Firing Cannons.

A X-12 "Fire Eagle" flying over the PES Beast

X-12S "Fire Eagle"

A X-12S "Fire Eagle". Note the underwing armaments.

The X-12S "Fire Eagle" ("S" for "Striker") was the Ground Attack/Fighter variant in service.

It featured two Rocket Pods (one per wing), which each contained 7 x 2.75 inch rockets, and 2 (one per wing) 250 pound bombs.

It maintained its 6 x wing mounted 20mm cannons.

X-12R "Fire Eagle"

A X-12R "Fire Eagle". Note the underwing fuel droptanks and the nose mounted camera.

The X-12R "Fire Eagle" ("R" for "Recon") was the Reconnaissance/Patrol/Fighter variant in service.

It featured two fuel drop tanks in order to give the aircraft more range on patrol runs, and a nose fitted camera for reconnaissance tasks.

It maintained its 6 x wing mounted 20mm cannons.

X-12NF "Fire Eagle"

A X-12NF "Fire Eagle". Note the Arrestor Hook on the tail's underbelly.

The X-12NF variant ("NF" for "Naval Fighter"), was the Naval Fighter variant of the aircraft. It featured a Catapult Connector and Arresting Hook, which transformed the craft into a carrier-based aircraft. This variant was the main air superiority fighter in use by the Navy.

It maintained its 6 x wing mounted 20mm cannons.

X-12NS "Fire Eagle"

A X-12NS "Fire Eagle". Note the Torpedoes and belly mounted bomb.

The X-12NS variant ("NS" for "Naval Strategic"), was the Naval Torpedo/Dive bomber variant of the aircraft. It featured a Catapult Connector and Arresting Hook, which transformed the craft into a carrier-based aircraft.

It carried 04 x torpedos (two per wing), and one underbelly 250 pound bomb.

It maintained its 6 x wing mounted 20mm cannons.

X-12NP "Fire Eagle"

A X-12NP "Fire Eagle". Note the droptanks have already been released.

The X-12NP variant ("NP" for "Naval Patrol"), was the Naval Patrol/Reconnaissance variant of the aircraft. It featured a Catapult Connector and Arresting Hook, which transformed the craft into a carrier-based aircraft.

It featured two fuel drop tanks in order to give the aircraft more range on patrol runs, and a nose fitted camera for reconnaissance tasks.

It maintained its 6 x wing mounted 20mm cannons.

Specifications (X-12)