T-3 Akóntio
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| Type: | Jet trainer / Light Attack Aircraft |
| Designer: | Vey University Air Squadron |
| Manufacturer: | Red Bear LLC Sårensby Industrial Area |
| In service: | 1636 – present |
| Used by: |  Constancian Armed Forces (1636) Natopian Defense Force (1657) Wechua Military (1659) Imperial Forces (1661) Sanaman Air Force (1671) Hurmu Peace Corps (1700)
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| Crew: | Two |
| Length: | 15.76m |
| Maximum speed: | 752 kmph |
| Range: | 450-500 km |
| Service ceiling: | 9,000m |
| Armament: | x2 20mm autocannons x4 7.62mm machine guns x2 wing hardpoints rated at 110 kg x1 centre-line hardpoint rated at 250 kg |
| Unit cost: | |
| Status: | In service |
A basic jet trainer aircraft, the T-3 Akóntio (Javelin) was developed by the instructors and students of the University Air Squadron (Iptámeno Panepistímio Moíra), an aviation research establishment jointly operated by the Constancian Armed Forces. Built according to recovered Babkhan designs, the maiden flight of the Akóntio occurred as relations between the Free Associative Kingdom and the Jingdaoese Empire began to sharply decline. The technical proficiency displayed by the Constancians in engineering an airframe and two turbojet engines, and combining them into a viable aircraft, deeply impressed a visiting delegation of Shirerithian industrialists and convinced them that the small and vulnerable state might have the wherewithal to resist a Jing invasion and was subsequently worth investing in.
Operational history
The solitary prototype saw limited use during the Euran War, mostly on account of pilots still testing and evaluating the aircraft in order to ascertain its handling characteristics. One exception to this was an attempted intercept of a heavily laden Jing transport plane by the Akóntio after it made a visual sighting of its approach to the improvised landing site at Portus Felix. The engagement was unsuccessful as the Akóntio's inline gun-pod jammed after 15 rounds. Deterred by ferocious anti-aircraft fire from the ground, joined seemingly by every Jing within a four mile radius in possession of a rifle, the Akóntio was forced to disengage and retire northwards before Jing fighter cover made an appearance.
As there was no realistic prospect of challenging Jing air supremacy the Akóntio spent the remainder of the war hidden under a road bridge in the far north of the country.
The aircraft, christened the T-3, would only enter serial production in 1657 as the War of Lost Brothers in the Keltian theatre of operations, degenerated into a cruel guerrilla war, the Natopian Defense Force found its numerically small force of technologically advanced atmosphere-capable attack craft were being overstretched over several fronts. With Shirerithian forces having diverted themselves into an absurd sideshow inspired by the Steward's incipient alcoholism, the Natopian garrison in Natopian administered Normark chose the Akóntio as a comparatively simple design which could be readily fabricated by manufacturing units located in the Sårensby Industrial Area. The T-3 in Natopian service was almost exclusively used to provide air support in counter-insurgency operations that focused primarily on keeping lines of communication open between Elijah's Rest and the coastal settlements such as Riddersborg. The Natopian production run extended to 59 airframes, 25 of which were subsequently sold to the Wechua Nation.
In the aftermath of the war, the Imperial Shirerithian Air Forces, identifying a gap in the proficiency of newly qualified jet pilots arriving at operational squadrons after training on the T-2 turboprop, pushed for the bulk procurement of the T-3 as a basic jet trainer. Authorisation for the production of 228 of the type was one of the last acts of Liv Dravot before the fall of her Ministry in 1660.
