Ok, NOW this is my FINAL SP BUILD!

Before SP2, of course! More to come in the near future. I even have a stealth equivalent to the F-16 in the making, but that's gonna be on pause for a while.

But that's me getting off track.

Today I have the utmost pleasure of presenting literally the best build I've ever made. A 6th gen, supercruising, VTOL-capable, carrier-capable, air-superiority stealth fighter. One that took me months to build to my liking. One that got me FIRST PLACE on @RestlessGalaxies's "Crown of Doom" Challenge.

The Finch Aerospace X-10A RavenHawk!

This aircraft makes the Super Zenith look mediocre by comparison, and that's saying a lot. But don't just take my word for it; here are all of its features...

She Can VTOL!

She Carries SO MANY MISSILES!

She Performs High AOA and PSM!

3D THRUST VECTORING!

And Much, Much More!

STATS

Empty Weight: 48,844 lbs (22,155 kg)
Full Fuel & AA Weapons: 63,181 lbs (28,658 kg)
Internal Fuel Capacity: 2,137 gallons (8,089 L)

Engine: H.A.T.V.V.E.142 Mk III (x2)
Combined Max Thrust: 88,500 lbf (393,648 N)
Combined Dry Thrust: 66,500 lbf (295,792 N)

Max Altitude: 70,000 ft (21,336 m)
Max Speed: 1,500 mph (2,414 kph)
Max Overload: 15G's
Stall Speed: 110 mph (177 kph)

Radar Manufacturer: Red Iron Industries
Type: AESA/FCR
Detection Methods: Pulse-Doppler, Radiation-Sensing, Infrared, Passive Radio Frequency
Max Range: 350 NM (648 km)

AIM-X-420B Bloodhound
Weapon Type: AA Missile
Count: 16
Max Speed: Mach 4.3, Unclassified
Max G's: 29G's
Lock Range: 186 NM (300 km)
Tracking Type: Fox 1/Fox 3 Hybrid

AIM-X-20C Rapier
Weapon Type: AA Missile
Count: 2
Max Speed: Mach 3.1, Unclassified
Max G's: 45G's
Locking Range: 9 NM (15 km)
Tracking Type: Fox 1/ Fox 2 Hybrid

20mm Rotary Cannon
Shell Type: APHE
Muzzle Velocity: 1,000 (Whatever unit is used in SP)
Rounds Per Second: 80
Ammo Count: 800

LORE

The future was rapidly approaching in Corvantis, with weapons increasing in technological advances, AI becoming increasingly more sophisticated and integrated into civilian and military uses, and most importantly, a great shift in aerospace technology.

With this rapid development comes competition between countries. But not the friendly kind; the kind in which 1 nation attempts to gain the upper hand on another. A Cold War.

This race for dominance over the skies and orbit spawned fear in the governments of Arionia and the USL, with Koltobanian forces pushing to become the first dominant country to have control of the edge of space. And part of their orbital dominance arsenal would be their development of their own 6th gen fighter aircraft. One which was projected to be able to consistently engage and defeat Arionia's beloved FA-7X-D Super Zenith.

Now, the Super Zenith was overall a great aircraft, offering an immense thrust to weight ratio, multi-role capabilities, and incredible maneuverability, all on top of its tiny radar cross section. But its biggest weakness, notably, was the radar. Due to the nose of the Super Zenith being relatively narrow, the best radar that could be installed only offered a max range of 90 miles; subpar for even a 5th gen, let alone 6th gen.

In spite of the Super Zenith's broad success in the Latin-Laurentian War with 30 total air-to-air victories and no losses, this weakness severely limited this fighter's longevity in the Arionan military. And with the rest of the world already developing their own NGAD programs, the Arionan government knew they needed to act, and fast.

And so in 2015 (575 Post Armageddon), Arionia made demands for an NGAD of their own. The requirements included everything that any 5th gen can do, but put on creatine and given much more. The aircraft was required to achieve a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 1, even on a full fuel load. The minimum altitude to achieve was 60,000 feet, or just over 18 kilometers from sea level. The aircraft had to be able to supercruise, but also be efficient enough at low throttles for the sake of extended loiter times and travel ranges. VTOL was also mandatory. The airframe also needed to be adaptable to upgrades and changes to keep up with new technological advancements. And most importantly, the radar needed a range of up to 300 miles, bare minimum.

In 2025 (585 Post Armageddon), 2 companies ultimately competed for the contract with their prototypes: Napoleon Industries, and Finch Aerospace, with the Untote Project and RavenHawk Project, respectively. Both of these aircraft offered their own perks over the other. The Untote was significantly lighter than the RavenHawk, offered extensive loiter times compared to her competitor, and had a radar cross section estimated to be just slightly smaller than her competitor's 0.00015 square meters.

But the RavenHawk offered much more than the Untote. For starters, in spite of having a gigantic internal weapons bay capable of carrying 16 Fox 3 missiles and more, her internal fuel capacity maxed out at about 2,100 gallons. Unlike the Untote, the RavenHawk sported an innovative pair of engines which were hybrids between a VTOL and an afterburning turbofan. Even on a full fuel load, both engines could lift the 60-thousand pound prototype without the need of an afterburner. She had reached Mach 2 in a 30-degree dive from 60,000 feet. And best of all, the radar developed by Red Iron Industries- capable of reaching 350 miles away- was comfortably fitted into the nose of Finch Aerospace's Prototype.

Top this with her incredible maneuverability at any speed, as well as her hull offering plenty of space for electronic warfare customization, and Finch Aerospace was ultimately granted the contract to produce 50 of these aircraft, projected to cost about $300 million per unit.

Further testing and development with this platform will continue for decades to come...

Credits

Thank you, @RestlessGalaxies for the images and (future) anime depiction of the RavenHawk!

Thank you, @GuyFolk for afterburner effect from F-35B!

Thank you, @Leehopard for the FT codes and search scanner from your Fc-912C!

Thank you, @PlanariaLab for your 1 Part HUD codes!

And any others I might be forgetting.

Enjoy!