Built for @DrakonDynamics RP “Novara.”

and without further ado, enjoy!

”Once seen, it is already too late.”

-Lieutenant Commander Rylis Brown on the LF-709 Shadow

Powerful Little Ant

The LF‑709 Shadow is a purpose‑built, sixth‑generation light fighter that compresses advanced lethality and signature management into a footprint smaller than the F‑5E Tiger. Its compact, low‑observable airframe houses a fully internalized payload suite—four beyond‑visual‑range missiles in a stealth main bay, two high‑off‑boresight infrared missiles in a dedicated IR bay, a nose-mounted 20mm gattling gun for if you need to use guns in a dogfight, or unleash F̴̛͇̳̞͑̉R̸̫̚͝ͅE̴͈̍́̋E̶̼̕̚D̶͚͗̂̑Ơ̷̟̐́M̷̧̻͈͗̃ ̵̙͓̭́͋͌Ǎ̵̹̌N̴͖̓̈D̴͇̻̂͜ ̴̢̫͋D̵̫̯̈́̀E̴͙̻̽̚M̸̨̳̤͑̔͝O̸̥̎̂̊C̴̰̳̈́Ṛ̸͚̈́A̶̙͐͑̐Ć̷̹̦̄ͅY̵͙͒̔ on enemy troops on the ground. and a magazine‑fed internal railgun—allowing the Shadow to prosecute engagements across the full envelope without external stores that would compromise detectability. Integrated sensor fusion of AESA radar, distributed IRST, passive ESM, and HOBS‑capable IR seekers provides pilots with a decisive first‑look, first‑shot advantage in both long‑range intercept and close‑in engagements; helmet‑cueing and advanced man‑machine teaming substantially reduce pilot workload during high‑tempo sorties.

The Shadow’s power and thermal architecture—centered on an active fuel‑cooling loop and high‑capacity energy management—both suppresses infrared signature and stabilizes railgun capacitor temperatures to permit rapid follow‑on firing and sustained high‑energy sensor cycles without prolonged cooldowns. Signature control is a central design priority: shaping, materials and internalized systems combine to produce an exceptionally small radar cross‑section—operationally described as being on the order of an ant—enabling the platform to deliver campaign‑level stealth effects from a diminutive, easily deployable package. Optimized for contested, sensor‑denied environments, the LF‑709 balances concealment, agility and precision‑strike capability for escort, interception, precision suppression and special‑operations support missions.

Oh. It’s also a naval fighter :D

First Service Mission against an entirely Different Country.

The Shadow entered service OFFICIALLY in March of 2025. Before this date, the only times it flew in the Navy were for air shows, and the world of Novara’s famous Aerensport Flightfest in Tarania. Though, in September 2nd of 2025, Tarania officially declared war on Arionia, after they tried to attack the capital with their bombers, the BQ-47D, a failed version of an unmanned AB-238, but were intercepted by by the Shadow. On September 5th, 2025, 10 “LF-709A Shadow”s and 20 AMAV-1A “Mesostorm”s entered the country, undetected in pure Taranian Fashion. Accompanying these brave souls were 3 Taranian Airforce A-20 “Flanking Hornet”s, and 22 MF-478 “Hellbringer”s. However, one LF-709 found an enemy convoy, and engaged them. This one belonged to the Ensign (lowest rank, she joined the Silent Hounds on August 31st) ranked Ace Monroe, who fought her heart out in this battle. She fired her railgun twice, and a photographer on the ground took a picture of the first shot, which created the chilling second photo in the plane’s screenshots. Today, Ace has been promoted to the same rank as as her cousin, Rylis Brown, and is continuing to serve in the Taranian Navy.

JOIN THE RP, GODDAMMIT