SAAB FS2020 Stealth Fighter Concept

Trident

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http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2010/04/video-stealth-fighter-demonstr.html

Looks quite similar to the (twin-seat, twin-engine) design proposed by Saab to South Korea for co-development a while back. If there is anything special about the canards related to Saab's patented signature reduction methods, I can't see it - although the configuration is notable for not having the canards and the wing in the same plane, as most canarded stealth designs do.
 
Very interesting and amazingly realistic in flight. Any explanation as to why a naturally unstable design can fly so well in model form? I gather that a real life, full-size article would normally fly using complex fly-by-wire split-second adjustments to stay aloft... but can one emulate that on such a small replica? Thanks for any insight on this and sorry for such a naive question from a non-expert.
 
To me it looks like the original Lockheed Martin STOVL fighter design. However, IIRC, the wing and canard are too small to accurately model the flight characteristics of a full size vehicle. I remember we studied this in school and I believe it's a function of Reynolds Number, but that was a long time ago. Go back and look at pictures of those subscale models that were flown of the X-29 before the full scale aircraft was attempted. The wings and canard seem much larger than the fuselage, proportionally speaking. That was so they could more accurately model how the full size aircraft would fly.
 
The model doesn't need to be naturally unstable?
Move the cg forward and adjust the incidences.

Alternatively it could use gyros. (MEMS perhaps, they're tiny and cheap.)
 
It looks a little different from a model of a SAAB project posted here by Matej http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1161.15.html but I wonder if they're still related. The video description did say "They got CAD drawing from SAAB..." ???
 
I, for one, am always delighted to see new fighter designs and unlike most, this one has made it to the flying subscale model stage. I'm sure many of us have contemplated what a stealth Eurofighter or even a stealth F-16 would be like, well good on Saab for giving us the stealth Grippen.

It was mentioned briefly in Flight internationals latest piece on the Grippen NG but this article from Linköping University's website is more informative.

The division of Fluid and Mechatronic Systems, FluMeS at the department of Management and Engineering, have been rewarded a contract from SAAB and FMV to realise and build a scaled demonstrator of a generic fighter concept.

The concept constitutes a goal and common study object for the defence long term research and development strategy within aeronautics. The concept is a common development between SAAB and FOI with focus on stealth capability, internal load bays and “super cruise” capability.


Check out the video of the maiden flight on their site. I would have attached it but it's WMV file.

The wireframe image comes from:-


These images are from an official SAAB presentation for a next generation fighter. It is bigger than the very compact Gripen and has two engines. It has a faceted fuselage with small internal weapon bays for air-to-air missiles. Bigger payload will be carried externally and there will be provision for tight integration with UCAVs.

Cheers Woody
 

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Very interesting, I wonder if the MRF program would have turned out any proposals like this.
 
pesholito said:
Isn't it the same proposal?

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4739.0/highlight,stealthy+saab.html

Yeah you're right but now we have a picture of the model and video if you follow the link.

http://www.iei.liu.se/flumes/aero/gff?l=en

Cheers, Woody
 
I'd bet solid money that the whole thing is an animation. 1:13 scale and the camera is that steady??? Everything about that video seems fake.
 
I'd bet solid money that the whole thing is an animation. 1:13 scale and the camera is that steady??? Everything about that video seems fake.

The unnaturally steady camera work once it is airborne is not even the most obvious "tell" that this video is indeed fake. This is a poor example of compositing on a film scale, though a decent one on...say...a TV scale. The plates for the aircraft and the stock footage don't mesh well regarding the ambient occlusion in the taxi shot but this is not so cleverly masked by the text that comes on screen. The aircraft departure and taxi footage would be the biggest giveaways however they both utilize editing to make close examination difficult.
 
http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/fordon_motor/flygplan/article269250.ece
 

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Great find! This would seem to confirm that Saab's involvement with the RC demonstrator was more in-depth than some believed. Rather than being more or less generic, the model obviously follows a full-size configuration which was studied in some detail, including weapons bay placement.
 
Source:
http://www.defence.pk/forums/air-warfare/118265-swedish-stealth-fighter-concept-fs-2020-a.html
 

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Marlene Svensson. A CFD Investigation of a Generic Bump and its Application to a Diverterless Supersonic Inlet. Examensarbete nstitutionen för ekonomisk och industriell utveckling LIU-IEI-TEK-A--08/00427--SE.

http://liu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:221/FULLTEXT01
 
Trident said:
Looks quite similar to the (twin-seat, twin-engine) design proposed by Saab to South Korea for co-development a while back. If there is anything special about the canards related to Saab's patented signature reduction methods, I can't see it - although the configuration is notable for not having the canards and the wing in the same plane, as most canarded stealth designs do.

I suppose the tailplane could be used in cruising flight, with the Canard only activating in WVR engagements and during take-off/landing. This could allow quite a bit of optimisation when in the fixed position?
 
Flow field of Generic Future Fighter wind tunnel model.

Source:

Four-view drawing of Generic Future Fighter.

Source:

Artist's impression of Generic Future Fighter.

Source:
 

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DonaldM said:
Is this design also known as the Saab P305 while the twin-engined version was pitched to South Korea for K-FX known as the P306?

P305 and the FS2020 are the same thing. P306 came to exist only because Korea required a twin engine jet, not because Saab wanted to pursue it.

However, P305 appears to be dead and bits of it will be incorporated into the Gripen E/F instead, such as the DSI.
 
Saab Generic Future Fighter

Source:
http://forum.aeropress-bg.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=72&start=180
 

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From the File; DEVELOPMENT OF A SUBSCALE FLIGHT TESTING PLATFORM FOR A GENERIC FUTURE FIGHTER


here is the SAAB fighter with winglets.
 

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The lastest picture of Saab's Stealth Fighter Concept was shown at the Gripen E Rollout today.
RAeSTimR said:
Sixth-gen Swede? Interesting notional post-Gripen manned/unmanned fighter concept from @Saab #avgeek
hesham said:
From the File; DEVELOPMENT OF A SUBSCALE FLIGHT TESTING PLATFORM FOR A GENERIC FUTURE FIGHTER
here is the SAAB fighter with winglets.
Sources at Twitter:
www.twitter.com/RAeSTimR
www.twitter.com/GripenNews
 

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Does anyone have original 2008 SAAB presentation for Korea?
 

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That's a lot prettier than the Tempest mock-up, hope the real aircraft inherits plenty of Saab genes on this basis!
 
A proper 5th gen replacement for Gripen would probably sell really well if the costs could be kept below the F-35's. Focus on a fully internal air combat load, supercruise, excellent sensors & datalinking. External carriage and A2G weapons physical loading can be tested early while multirole software upgrades can come later. Too many countries with old fighters needing replacement, and Gen 4++ is not the future. None of this necessitates a 40,000 lb thrust class engine and a fat body that hamfisted too many features across a family of aircraft. A sleek body and a single F414-EPE would do it.
 
A proper 5th gen replacement for Gripen would probably sell really well if the costs could be kept below the F-35's. Focus on a fully internal air combat load, supercruise, excellent sensors & datalinking. External carriage and A2G weapons physical loading can be tested early while multirole software upgrades can come later. Too many countries with old fighters needing replacement, and Gen 4++ is not the future. None of this necessitates a 40,000 lb thrust class engine and a fat body that hamfisted too many features across a family of aircraft. A sleek body and a single F414-EPE would do it.

can a 5th gen or 6th gen fighter in the weight class of the Gripen, or FC-1, etc exist? it seems the demands for an internal bay will often result in a fatty aircraft.
unless they are willing to settle for a single bay.

the Japanese Shinshin ATD-X seems to be roughly the same size/weight as the Gripen but it doesnt look like it has enough space to accommodate a weapons bay.

on another note, I really like that model of the top intake swedish aircraft posted by Fighting Irish. too bad its an april fools joke. but its a nice looking plane. somehow makes me think of a stealth HE-162
 
A proper 5th gen replacement for Gripen would probably sell really well if the costs could be kept below the F-35's. Focus on a fully internal air combat load, supercruise, excellent sensors & datalinking. External carriage and A2G weapons physical loading can be tested early while multirole software upgrades can come later. Too many countries with old fighters needing replacement, and Gen 4++ is not the future. None of this necessitates a 40,000 lb thrust class engine and a fat body that hamfisted too many features across a family of aircraft. A sleek body and a single F414-EPE would do it.

can a 5th gen or 6th gen fighter in the weight class of the Gripen, or FC-1, etc exist? it seems the demands for an internal bay will often result in a fatty aircraft.
unless they are willing to settle for a single bay.

the Japanese Shinshin ATD-X seems to be roughly the same size/weight as the Gripen but it doesnt look like it has enough space to accommodate a weapons bay.

on another note, I really like that model of the top intake swedish aircraft posted by Fighting Irish. too bad its an april fools joke. but its a nice looking plane. somehow makes me think of a stealth HE-162

The Japanese Shinshin was primarily a technology demonstrator prototype so there was no need for an internal weapons bay.
 

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