F-8 Shrike
 Diagram of the F-8M variant circa 1672 AN | |
| Type | Multi-role strike aircraft |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |
 Shireroth |
| Introduced | 1559 AN |
| Number built | 2,100 (1,908 rebuilt and airworthy) |
| Designed | Pre-1559 AN |
| Manufacturer | Allied Production Matrix |
| Length | 19.75 m |
| Wingspan | 14.01 m |
| Empty weight | 20,152 kg |
| Loaded weight | 36,872 kg |
| Powerplant | 1x OAH R-15B-300 afterburning turbojet |
| Maximum speed | 2,415 km/h (Mach 2.27) |
| Sortie range | 1,300 km |
| Ferry range | 2,500 km |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 m |
| Rate of climb | 260 m/s |
| Armaments |
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| Defensive measures |
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| Avionics |
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A venerable multi-role strike aircraft. This probably needs an article.
Overview
Although the airframe design is 110 years old (first production model entering service with the Shirerithian military circa XI.1559 AN) the Shirerithian habit of replacing parts as they wore out - effectively creating a new aircraft over time - combined with the relative technological stagnation of human societies on Micras had the effect of far extending the service life of the Shrike beyond that which might be reasonably assumed. The aircraft was intended to be phased out of service and replaced by the F-10 Carnifex and GAV(P)-5 Nereid under modernisation plans which were put into abeyance by the advent of the White Plague and the Modanese Emigration in the late 1660's. As such the aircraft remained in widespread use with the Imperial Shirerithian Air Forces until the Kalirion Fracture, with the majority passing to Benacia Command and various successor states.
Operational history
Shireroth
- Number in Shirerithian service as of 1669: 1,788.
- Number in Shirerithian service as of 1671: 77.
- Number under Shirerithian control as of 1721: 214 (includes captures from Drak-Modan)
Early history
Sxiro-Jingdaoese confrontation
For an aircraft of its age the Shrike acquitted itself well during the War of Lost Brothers - most notably Operation Medusa, the suppression of air and missile assets in Western Jingdao by the combined air forces of Shireroth and Natopia. The Shrikes' agile but sturdy airframes were well suited to violently twisting low-level approach runs, whilst the modular adaptability of the old planes' fire control hardware allowed them to equip the latest Natopian precision-guided bombs with relatively few modifications, blessing the Shrikes with some success in the stand-off toss bombing of Jingdaoese airfields - a role for which they were not strictly designed. Notably the Shrike contingent of Operation Medusa suffered only half the losses of the supposedly more advanced N-1s providing top cover escort despite the Shrikes being in closer proximity to Jingdaoese fighters and ground fire - a testament to their robust construction, the rugged simplicity of their flight controls and the dependability of their low-tech cannon armament in close-range dogfights.
Benacia Command
Number in service as of 1677: 1,147
In early 1690 AN the surviving 631 serviceable airframes of this type, obtained by Benacia Command following the Kalirion Fracture, were returned to the Imperial Forces of Shireroth.
Hoenn
Number in Hoennese service as of 1669: 120
The F-8, along with many other surplus items of Shirerithian weaponry accumulated during the Sxiro-Jingdaoese Confrontation were made available to the Hoennese Realm under the terms of the Sxiro-Hoennese Treaty of Friendship[1].
Sanama
Number in Sanaman service as of 1676: 32
Transferred to Sanama as part of the partnership with the Raspur Pact.
Shrikes in the 18th century
Remarkably, a number of heavily repaired and modernised Shrikes continue to serve in the air forces of less developed nations, most notably the Military of the Suren Confederacy, as well as with reserve forces. 286 supposedly airworthy examples exist, of which 214 are in long-term storage at sites controlled by the Imperial Forces of Shireroth.
