Clones reveal details of Halogen replacement, Z35 Courier

The Clone Defence Forces have finally revealed details of it's long delayed Z26 Halogen replacement, the Future Universal Helicopter (FUHX). The Z26 is a Clone War icon which has been built in the thousands, but it's replacement will be quite different.

The Z35 Courier is intended to replace the Halogen in the transport, multi-mission and reconnaissance roles. The attack role is already being taken by the Z50 Dragonfly. The Z35 is a simpler aircraft compared to the Z26, it does not have turbofans to augment performance (which has proven to be only useful in the attack role). The Z35 will have twin contra-rotating rotors instead of the ducted fan used in most Clone helicopter designs. Compared to the Z26, the Z35 will have 30% greater cargo capacity and a longer range.

The Clones say they plan to fly the prototype by 2130 with an entry into service by 2133.

Clones slash number of K85QA1 in major change in COIN strategy

The K85 will remain part of the Clone Defence Forces for a long time yet though their end has now begun. The Clone Air Force has said it will cancel most of it's outstanding order for the fourth generation K85QA1 COIN aircraft. Production will end later this year. This will still leave over K85 3,000 in CAF service (and others operated by the Clone Naval Air Service) and there are plans to keep the type in service until 2150.

However, the fleet will begin to age and is expected to be greatly cut in numbers as the CAF withdraws from CSE-E.

The K58 Raptor will become the front-line counter-insurgency aircraft in CAF service. CAF are expected to place a huge order for an updated version which could replace hundreds of the oldest K85s.

K47 to be updated

The K47 Freedom light fighter was designed as a cheap, easy to maintain fighter for secondary planets in the Clone Star Empire and reserve units. Although it fulfilled the briefs from the Clone Air Force, the K47 was considered a bit of a disappointment and production has ceased after 360 were built (the original plan was for over a thousand!) The K59 Flashlight has now replaced it in production as a secondary light fighter.

The CAF are intending to keep the K47 in service into the 2140s though the oldest are now over ten years old and CAF is preparing to an upgrade. The K47MEC (Modernised Enhanced Capabilities) will be a rolling programme of upgrades and refurbishments to the fleet. As well as a full overhaul, MEC will include an upgraded tactical computer, improved communications, a higher bandwidth datalink and an infrared seeker. The upgrade will maintain compatibility with the latest and next generation of CAF air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons.

The first MEC is expected to be completed early next year.

Anderson denies CAF strategic bomber

Admiral Anderson has turned down a request by the Clone Air Force for initial gate funding for a proposed strategic bomber. The bomber is envisaged as a key part of the Clone "Stand off fight back" doctrine where an enemy has landed forces on Cloneworld or another key planet in the empire. Missiles and stand-off weapons launched by ground and naval based aircraft are intended to strike back against the enemy force.

The CAF say a strategic bomber would have the endurance and payload to make it a highly useful part of this doctrine. However, Anderson says the bomber would not have any other role and would cost a lot of money for an inflexible system. He says that more investment in land based and naval launched Gale ICBMs would be more cost effective.

ACSA begins flight testing

The OA-25 Advanced Close Support Aircraft (ACSA), which will be the backbone of UNDF air power over the next few decades, has begun flight testing. This is a highly flexible aircraft powered with a hybrid ducted fan. The first version is expected to replace the Clone built A-85 in COIN duties. 

The second version, expected in the early 2130s, will have enhanced attack capabilities and will replace the A-12 NDAA.

Third generation K72 Mustang unveiled

The Clone Air Force has unveiled the third generation of one of it's key aircraft, the K72 Mustang. The K72 is a tactical reconnaissance aircraft, with EW, Elint (and a number of other more specialised roles) also performed by the large fleet.

The K72NT has newer and more powerful engines, though with a reduced infrared and noise signature, a redesigned wing with a slightly larger span and an upgraded avionics system. Flight tests are due to begin next year, the CAF could order several hundred to replace older K72s in service.

Clones looking into navalising K58 Raptor

The Clone Naval Air Service has granted the Clone Aircraft Corporation initial gate funding for developing a navalised version of the K58 Raptor COIN/close support aircraft which has proved very popular with the air force.

The K58 has a hybrid ducted fan and is a much more modern platform than the K85. The Clone Air Force are seeking funding for a new batch of K58s which could replace many older K85s. CNAS is looking into the K58 to possibly replace it's NTK carrier borne and NTN land based K85s.

K40 to be withdrawn by 2128

The Clone Air Force has announced that the final withdrawal of the K40 fighter has been bought forward a couple of years and the last will be withdrawn before the end of 2128. Less than 300 now remain in service, all of them the final K40S variant. Withdrawal from CSE-E and the resulting disbanding of dozens of squadrons has allowed the K40 to be retired early.

A CAF spokesclone said that the K40 was iconic and had served the Clones with distinction since the Clone Wars but it was time for it to be retired.

K59 enters service

The latest fighter of the Clone Air Force, the K59 has entered service. This is a light fighter version of the K58 COIN aircraft and also has a hybrid ducted fan powerplant. On the K59 the ducted fan has been uprated to boost performance. The K59 is highly agile (it is a development of the K03 Pterodactyl advanced trainer) and has been fitted with the same radar and avionics of the K47, the previous light fighter which the K59 is replacing in production.

The CAF plan to field five hundred K59s at least, these will help complete the replacement of the K40 and older K47s. The K59 has been given the name Flashlight, this was also used by the K43 light fighter the Clones developed during the Clone Wars though was ultimately unsuccessful (the CAF are hoping the K59 will have better luck!)

F-20 could have manned and unmanned variants

The next generation fighter for the Air Department of UNDF, the F-20, could have both manned and unmanned variants and these will work together. This could be a real threat to the Clone K45C which is considered the best fighter ever made though an unmanned F-20 could even surpass the agility of an inertia dampened K45C.

The F-20 will replace the oldest F-10S in the next decade and is a key type for the future of UNDF air power.

Hammerhead cleared to enter DFAD service

The F-12 Hammerhead LEO interceptor has been cleared to enter service with the Air Department of the UNDF Terrestrial Forces. The Hammerhead will take over LEO attack duties from the F-10S. It is a high performance and long endurance fighter that can carry up to three TPM-As which can attack objects in low orbit.

DFAD will buy fifty Hammerheads, though may order more if a planned development into a general interceptor is given the go-ahead.

Drone attack on Central Air Force Base on Cloneworld

A dozen drones, of the Molab type, are reported to have attacked Central Air Force Base in Ailier, Cloneworld. This is the headquarters of the Clone Air Force and a major logistics hub. The drones are reported to have struck a hangar, damaging a transport plane inside (type unspecified). A radar antenna was hit and badly damaged. No injuries are reported though an unofficial source says there were a number of minor injuries.

The attack is a major embarrassment to the Clone Defence Forces and a review of security is being carried out. The identity of the attackers is unknown. Analysis of a downed drone which did not explode indicates that the drones were built locally. Plans for the Molab drones were released onto the galactic internet and it is known that a number of insurgent groups have built them.

Admiral Anderson has ordered more anti-aircraft defence assets be mobilised in the area.

Clones unveil active visual stealth for aircraft

The Clone Aircraft Corporation has unveiled a K45 Falcon fighter with a new active visual stealth coating. This is known as the "chameleon layer" (not that there are such creatures on Cloneworld). It changes the colour of the coating depending on the terrain the aircraft is traveling over, depending on the viewpoint of the threat.

It is thought the new technology could be part of the forthcoming mid-life upgrade of the K45A fleet due at the end of the decade (now known as the K45M) and also new build K45C from 2128 or 2129.

Other aircraft such as the K85QA may also receive the layer.

F-12 has first flight

The next fighter aircraft for the Air Department of UNDF Terrestrial Forces, the F-12 Hammerhead, has successfully completed it's first flight. The F-12 will take over LEO defence duties from the F-10S, being a subsonic launch platform for the TPM-A. The F-12 is designed for high altitude and long endurance flight, able to carry up to three missiles.

DF hope the F-12 can enter service before the end of next year. Fifty are on order.

DF to upgrade F-10S fleet

UNDF Air Department has announced an upgrade of it's mainstay fleet of F-10S Shark 2100 fighters which will be carried out over the next year. All F-10S, F-10SIM and F-10SNG will receive a new communication system with support for fractal encryption. Older F-10S will also receive the same ECM suite as the final SNG batch.

The long-term replacement F-20 was also mentioned by the Air Department. An introduction date of the "early 2130s" is still being kept to though as yet no design has been unveiled. However, it is expected the F-20 will be a development of the F-10SNG not a clean sheet design as originally thought.

Halogen finally ends production

The Z26 Halogen is one of the iconic weapon systems of the Clone Defence Forces, well over 15,000 have been built since the early Clone Wars and over 8,000 remain in service with the Clone Air Force and Clone Naval Air Service. Production has finally ended for good after the last few examples were built fro the CNAS.

Work is now on-going on the Future Universal Helicopter programme (FUHX). This is expected to enter service around 2130 (although a prototype has yet to be revealed). The CAF aim to replace all of their Halogens by 2140 though that may be ambitious.

New CAF light fighter, K59 enters production

The K59 Flashlight, formerly known as the K58AD, is a new light fighter for the Clone Air Force which will be deployed to secondary planets in the Clone Star Empire. The K59 is another variant of the K03 Pterodactyl advanced trainer which has a hybrid ducted fan with an electric economy mode. The K58 Raptor is a COIN version.

The K59 replaces the K47 Freedom in production, this light fighter has lost favour with the CAF. The K59 is cheaper to operate and has better capabilities, plus the fact pilots will train on the K03 means they will be able to convert to the K59 much easier.

K85QA returns to service in revised form

The K85QA has returned to service after work on solving the overheating issues with the electric motor. The K85QA1 revision has a modified cowl from the NT which allows for more air cooling. Performance is said to be slightly reduced though some software modifications to the power management system and an improved battery infrastructure have remedied that to a large extent.

The time out of service has also allowed the Clone Air Force to rework the sensor integration and tactical data linking which have also been an issue with the QA. Production of the QA has resumed, the sixty aircraft already built will be retrofitted with the modifications to QA1 standard.

K58AD Raptor enters field testing

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.

Militants launch deadly attack on Miliaris air base

Freedom Miliaris militants have launched an attack on the main Clone Air Force base on Miliaris. The attack was made by around a dozen attack drones, backed up with mortar fire. The Clones later reported that 3 K47 fighters, 2 K85 COIN aircraft an a K48 transport were destroyed. Some other aircraft have been damaged along with a radar station. Several soldiers are reported killed.

The Clones said they recovered one of the drones which crashed near to the air base and didn't explode. They said it was a Molab manufactured weapon. The Clones have accused Molab of directly supplying the militants. Molab have not responded.