The K58AD Raptor is a light fighter version of the K58 COIN aircraft, itself a version of the K3 advanced trainer. The aircraft has a hybrid engine combining a turbofan with an electrically operated ducted fan. This allows the aircraft to loiter and cruise at low speed for extended periods. This capability has proven highly effective with the COIN version in training, though the type has not been used in combat.
The K58AD will replace the K47 as the light fighter for second line squadrons and territorial air forces in the Clone Star Empire. Although the type is subsonic it is highly agile (the K3 prepares pilots for the K45 after all).
If field tests this year are successful it is expected that up to five hundred will be built.
