RANDOM FIGHTER 02

media: Painter 9.5
April 2008

The second design, following the more gentle...erhm...random fighter 01, is a mix of recent technology with some "retro" ideas.
The circular nozzle is a wild idea that was into my mind for a long time (as the Ringplane testifies), while the large wings with twin vertical tailplanes and inline cockpit were born while I was drawing the plane.
The first idea was to start from more angular and simpler lines, so I first drew an hexagonal section of the fuselage, like it was a F-22, then gently reduce the cross-section to accomodate a pointy nose and "drowned" air intake on the aircraft spine. The upward-looking winglets have a purely aestetical purpose, although I know that any high-performance fighter would have them in the first place, just like the elevators, but I didn't want to decrese wingspan or use full-blended surface. In fact, the first sketch had wings like an YF-29 and the vertical tailplanes are the only thing remaining from the original design.
At first, I was completely unsure how to fit the cockpit into the design without making it look completely out of place, so the final design is more a compromise than anything else...I don't particularly like cockpits with their rears blocked by the airplane's frame, but I can't say it's particualry bad to look at, especially being a two or so hour work during the evening.