Entropedian
F/A-27A 'Skua'
The F/A-27A 'Skua' is a 4th generation multirole fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas in the early 1990s as a larger, more powerful alternative to the F/A-18C/D Hornet. The genesis of the program lay in the collapse of the ATA program and the stillborn A-12 Avenger II and the unacceptably high maintenance costs of the F-14 Tomcat. In 1992, the United States Navy put forth an RFP for a new fighter that would be equally adept at striking ground targets but yet was fast enough to do air-interception and fighter duties. The resultant design, the 'Skua' was studied by the Navy, but ultimately rejected in 1996 in favor of their participation in the Joint Strike Fighter program (which, in turn, was succeeded by the F-29 'Phoenix' which would finally enter service). The aircraft, which was nearly fully developed, languished until 2001, when several Pacific nations, concerned by the creation of the Chinese-led 'Songun Zone' and its extra-territorial claims, began seeking a new aircraft to replace legacy fighters. Among these nations was Japan, which was interested in an offer by the U.S. to base a squadron or two off of the U.S.S Kitty Hawk, based in Yokasuka. With rapidity of service entry and low(ish) costs being a goal, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines (miraculously) all agreed to fund remaining development of the aircraft and bring it in service as the 'Pacific Rim Fighter Aircraft.'
The operational F/A-27A is more akin to a navalized Eagle than a lightweight fighter descendant, like the Hornet. With its General Electric F110 engines, the Skua is known to be able to dash at over Mach 2 or carry over 20,000+lb of ordinance across 9 hardpoints (with two additional wing hardpoints activated on some land-based versions). In cost-reduction measures, a planned integral IRST and laser targeting pod was deleted, meaning this initial version must rely on externally mounted sensors for these duties. However, it has the benefit of using the powerful APG-63(V)2 radar with an efficient datalink, allowing a flight of Skuas to effectively track dozens of targets and engage up to 6 each at a time using AIM-120 AMRAAMs (or equivalent missiles).
Japanese usage of this type has proven to be highly controversial. Ordered shortly after the Mitsubishi F-2 began entering service and before the first Senkaku Crisis, the decision to fund and operate the type was immediately assailed by pacifist members of the National Diet, and even members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, over the cost, complexities of operating yet another fighter type, and most critically, them being carrier fighters to be based on foreign aircraft carriers (seen by many as a circumvention or direct violation of Japan's Constitution). Speculation abounded that corruption and bribery on the part of Boeing (having merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997) was the only way that these fighters entered service. Subsequent investigation was inconclusive, but critics point out that the committee tasked with investigation was comprised of LDP hawks, and was completed after the type was used as an effective deterrent following the Senkaku Crisis in 2008. Even after nearly two decades of active service, the type has still attracted the ire of pacifists and the ruling war hawks alike, who contend that its fielding diverted valuable funding for domestic products, and effectively halted the development of the F-3 Yamakaze and other modernization efforts.
Regardless of the circumstances of its service entry in Japan, it has excelled in its intended role, and, though few in number (totaling two active squadrons and a reserve training squadron, with 40 aircraft ordered), its introduction marks the first fighters for Japan's naval service since the Second World War, and its capability superseded the ASDF's F-15Js.
F/A-27A 'Skua'
The F/A-27A 'Skua' is a 4th generation multirole fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas in the early 1990s as a larger, more powerful alternative to the F/A-18C/D Hornet. The genesis of the program lay in the collapse of the ATA program and the stillborn A-12 Avenger II and the unacceptably high maintenance costs of the F-14 Tomcat. In 1992, the United States Navy put forth an RFP for a new fighter that would be equally adept at striking ground targets but yet was fast enough to do air-interception and fighter duties. The resultant design, the 'Skua' was studied by the Navy, but ultimately rejected in 1996 in favor of their participation in the Joint Strike Fighter program (which, in turn, was succeeded by the F-29 'Phoenix' which would finally enter service). The aircraft, which was nearly fully developed, languished until 2001, when several Pacific nations, concerned by the creation of the Chinese-led 'Songun Zone' and its extra-territorial claims, began seeking a new aircraft to replace legacy fighters. Among these nations was Japan, which was interested in an offer by the U.S. to base a squadron or two off of the U.S.S Kitty Hawk, based in Yokasuka. With rapidity of service entry and low(ish) costs being a goal, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines (miraculously) all agreed to fund remaining development of the aircraft and bring it in service as the 'Pacific Rim Fighter Aircraft.'
The operational F/A-27A is more akin to a navalized Eagle than a lightweight fighter descendant, like the Hornet. With its General Electric F110 engines, the Skua is known to be able to dash at over Mach 2 or carry over 20,000+lb of ordinance across 9 hardpoints (with two additional wing hardpoints activated on some land-based versions). In cost-reduction measures, a planned integral IRST and laser targeting pod was deleted, meaning this initial version must rely on externally mounted sensors for these duties. However, it has the benefit of using the powerful APG-63(V)2 radar with an efficient datalink, allowing a flight of Skuas to effectively track dozens of targets and engage up to 6 each at a time using AIM-120 AMRAAMs (or equivalent missiles).
Japanese usage of this type has proven to be highly controversial. Ordered shortly after the Mitsubishi F-2 began entering service and before the first Senkaku Crisis, the decision to fund and operate the type was immediately assailed by pacifist members of the National Diet, and even members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, over the cost, complexities of operating yet another fighter type, and most critically, them being carrier fighters to be based on foreign aircraft carriers (seen by many as a circumvention or direct violation of Japan's Constitution). Speculation abounded that corruption and bribery on the part of Boeing (having merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997) was the only way that these fighters entered service. Subsequent investigation was inconclusive, but critics point out that the committee tasked with investigation was comprised of LDP hawks, and was completed after the type was used as an effective deterrent following the Senkaku Crisis in 2008. Even after nearly two decades of active service, the type has still attracted the ire of pacifists and the ruling war hawks alike, who contend that its fielding diverted valuable funding for domestic products, and effectively halted the development of the F-3 Yamakaze and other modernization efforts.
Regardless of the circumstances of its service entry in Japan, it has excelled in its intended role, and, though few in number (totaling two active squadrons and a reserve training squadron, with 40 aircraft ordered), its introduction marks the first fighters for Japan's naval service since the Second World War, and its capability superseded the ASDF's F-15Js.