Introduction
At the dawn of the Cold War, control of the skies became a matter of strategic survival. The veteran propeller fighters of World War II had served their purpose, but a new contender was rising: the jet fighter. These first-generation aircraft carried both promise and flaws—fast yet unstable, innovative yet still searching for technological refinement.
In this climate emerged the need for a “secret championship”: a clash between manufacturers and designers worldwide, each striving to forge the ultimate first-generation jet fighter. Not futuristic prototypes, but interceptors and close-combat machines born of the 1950s—straight or slightly swept wings, near-supersonic speeds, functional cockpits, realistic designs shaped by the rivalry of nations.
Every participant in this challenge represents a visionary engineer of 1953, tasked with presenting a prototype worthy of aerial duels. All rules, limitations, and weapons have been set to ensure a balanced battlefield, where only the designer’s ingenuity and the AI pilot’s performance can decide the outcome
Will your creation fade into obscurity as a forgotten museum piece, or rise to become the legendary fighter that once ruled the skies of the mid-20th century?
Allowed Aircraft Types
- Subsonic/marginally supersonic jets from the
1950s era, with straight or swept wings, realistic designs, fictional... - Inspiration: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, North American F-86 Sabre, Lockheed F-94 Starfire, North American F-100 Super Sabre, Northrop F-89 Scorpion, Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star, Dassault MD 454 Mystère IV, Dassault Ouragan, FMA IAe 33 Pulqui II, Grumman F9F Panther, Hawker Sea Hawk, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, Shenyang J-5, Fiat G.91, Folland Gnat, Hawker Hunter, Supermarine Swift, North American FJ-1 Fury, Grumman F-9 Cougar, McDonnell F2H Banshee, Saab 29 Tunnan, De Havilland Venom, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9, Republic F-84 Thunderjet, Yakovlev Yak-23, Yakovlev Yak-25, Vought F-8 Crusader, Gloster Meteor, Saab 32 Lansen, , , ,
Construction Rules
- Direct successor to THIS POST.
- Minimum
200 partsand maximum600 partsper aircraft. - Maximum
2 aircraftper player. - Wings and rotators provided in the post must be used (with G limit already set by Funkytree).
- NO MODS allowed.
VR cockpitsmandatory.- Detail weight and drag can be 0.
- Description must include:
year of introduction,manufacturer,options,specifications,features. - Infinite fuel, negative weight, or countermeasures are strictly prohibited.
- Maximum speed:
950 mphat sea level,1,350 mphat 34,000 feet - Maximum loaded weight:
19,000 kg - Maximum Power/Weight Ratio:
1.3 - If cheating or out-of-limit modifications are detected, the aircraft will be disqualified.
Armament
- Aircraft may carry up to
4 missilesand4 cannonsmaximum. - The player MUST use exclusively the
weapons provided in the POST, already balanced. Any combination of these weapons within the allowed limit is permitted. - Modifying or adding own armament is not allowed.
Evaluation: Phase 1 - Aircraft
The following aspects are judged with the indicated points:
- Realistic Model -
100 pts- Historical fidelity, authentic flight behavior, and maneuverability in line with the aircraft type and era are valued. Must meet established limits and have a functional VR cockpit. - Realistic Weapons -
30 pts- Used armament (cannons and missiles) must be exclusively those provided and properly integrated, functioning according to challenge rules. - Details, Appearance, Paint -
30 pts- Level of detail, aesthetics, paint, and overall appearance are evaluated, seeking the aircraft to have visual quality typical of a real or plausible 1950s specimen. - Build Quality -
30 pts- Construction must be solid and logical: all control surfaces must be functional and well placed, without technical errors or poorly assembled parts. - Fair Play -
30 pts- Strict compliance with all rules. Any detected cheating, unauthorized modifications, or significant rule breaches will disqualify the aircraft. - Technical Description -
30 pts- Detailed post with year of introduction, manufacturer, options, specifications, and characteristics, enhancing understanding and immersion.
Evaluation: Phase 2 - Dogfight
- Fights are conducted with the
game AI. - Each matchup consists of
3 rounds. - For each round won,
20 pointsare awarded to the aircraft. - Total points are added to the
overall score. - All fights will be
recorded on videoand published on YouTube channel
Awards
- 1st position - 2 spotlight + 20 upvotes
- 2nd position - 1 spotlight + 10 upvotes
- 3rd position - 10 upvotes
- 4th position - 7 upvotes
- 5th position - 5 upvotes
- Contestant - 1 upvote
Extended to November 28t
- The deadline is November 28t. No further submissions will be accepted. After that date, the entire evaluation process will take two weeks.
Thats all, good luck.
Specifications
Spotlights
- WinsWings one month ago
General Characteristics
- Successors 12 airplane(s) +1444 bonus
- Created On Windows
- Wingspan 9.9ft (3.0m)
- Length 76.5ft (23.3m)
- Height 10.9ft (3.3m)
- Empty Weight 12,521lbs (5,679kg)
- Loaded Weight 12,787lbs (5,800kg)
Performance
- Wing Loading 792.0lbs/ft2 (3,866.9kg/m2)
- Wing Area 16.1ft2 (1.5m2)
- Drag Points 9372
Parts
- Number of Parts 254
- Control Surfaces 0
- Performance Cost 1,836
Oh wait nvm, I'll have to make a new one if it requires parts from the post
Oddly enough I was making one in my spare time, might have to finish it and submit it🤣
@upperflat Tank??
@mikoyanster thank
@upperflat According to the rules, you can modify the engine, as long as you do not exceed: Maximum speed: 950 mph at sea level, 1,350 mph at 34,000 feet
@mikoyanster alot of plane in this challenge not gonna pass the rule.alot of them are modified the engine.
@mikoyanster Thanks alot for this comprehensive reply of yours, I'll now think if I should or shouldn't adapt my RD-7 engined MiG to the challenge...
are change speed of rotator allow?
@Rakoval500k Sorry for the delay in responding. I was sick with the flu. If you're asking about weapons, this challenge provides the weapons, cannons, and missiles you can use or combine on your plane. You can choose whichever ones you want and use them within the limits established in the challenge rules. If you use modified or altered weapons, it is considered cheating and may result in disqualification from the challenge or a score penalty, depending on the severity of the cheating. I have a Python program that checks the XML of your planes and, if there is cheating, notifies me and calculates the penalty points.
Regarding my words "significant" and "insignificant," I believe it was taken out of context, as I was referring to the fact that the weapon values I provide in the challenge are approximate relative to those of real weapons. I don't claim them to be exact. What I do want is for you to use the weapons provided so that we all play by the same rules.
The fun part here will be watching our planes fly in combat and on video. I remind all players that in addition to building, we're here to have fun and share interesting ideas about our passion for aviation. Winning is great, but more important is the pleasure and fun of the challenge itself.
@Mal0ne yes you can use multiple guns or missiles within limits indicated...
@ORZpasserAtw not allowed... sorry
On the way for an upload Comrade~ im just kinda busy from my job lmao but the build is ready, im trying 😭
Is editing fuselage part health allowed?
is it cool to use multiple copies of one type of gun/missile within the limit of 4?
@mikoyanster Would you please clarify the "significant" and "insignificant" rule breach, especially about the guns? Is putting 6 NR-23 guns instead of 4 a "significant breach", even if the plane is sufficiently bulky for that? Is using an N-37 cannons a "significant breach"? If you disqualify for having an N-37, than you basically terminate almost any remotely notable soviet fighter plane of that era from your challenge, same goes for NR-30, unless yer ADEN is also supposed to be the "NR-30". If i utilise a gun that isn't among allowed weaponry, but has realistic specs and was widely used on many fighters of this era, will that be a red ticket? Is altering yer guns to be more inline with their IRL counterparts a "major breach"?
@TeodoroG Yes but this challenge is only for dogfight with AI´s SimplePlanes...
@mikoyanster thanks
Can we add our own bombs and other anti-ground ordnance?
@Rakoval500k There's a saying that goes... "Perfection is the enemy of good." The current parameters will allow for a good balance and allow us to enjoy fun battles. I have a lot of previous experience with these types of challenges. With what you tell me, and what we learn here, we'll improve the next challenge.
@Rakoval500k It's fixed, the weight limit has been increased ;-)
@TheMikolorian
Take a look these videos...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ydwj2PVW90
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLyqjNYJT0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__MQiQvYv5E
And this one... (This is the answer to what you ask me)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHZTg9DBwIQ
@GhostHTX Yes, you can use it, no problem. This challenge has a validator programmed in Python to check that the G-force limit is being used.
@marcox43 The weight limit has been extended ;-)
Thank you for lifting the weight limit to 19 metric tons, this one makes sense. I also had some more some more critical thoughts about your gun limits and a Simpleplanes AI-vs-AI dogfight as an evaluation method. I'll share this critique and expanded suggestions here.
Yeah great we have to use the wings provided but how are we supposed make roll input on the wings?