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The American company Stavatti Aerospace has proposed the concept of the SM-39 Razor aircraft as a new carrier-based fighter, which the US Navy intends to receive under the F/A-XX or NCAD program ("advanced air supremacy systems for the aircraft carrier fleet"). The new aircraft is intended to replace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in the 2030s.
Congress is putting pressure on the military department to make a decision and make a choice regarding the future platform. After Lockheed Martin was excluded from the competition, only Boeing and Northrop Grumman remained in it.
According to the developer, when purchasing 600 aircraft offered by him, the price will be $ 85 million, and the entire fleet will cost $ 51 billion. Deliveries will be carried out in the period from 2031 to 2037. For the production of aircraft, it is proposed to create a new factory in the United States with 1,600 skilled jobs, capable of producing up to 200 machines per year.
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The SM-39 Razor will have three internal compartments – one for the 20-mm M61A2 Vulcan cannon with a 1,000-round ammunition tank; the front compartment is about 162 inches (4.11 m) long and with a payload capacity of 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg) designed for long-range and medium-range explosive devices or precision bombs; the middle compartment (in the central part fuselage) for 12 thousand pounds (5443 kg) – for a revolver (rotary) launcher, which will house the main shock armament (6 over-the-horizon explosive devices or heavy 2000-pound bombs of the JDAM type). Heavier shock and anti-ship weapons will be located on 6-8 external suspension units. The total load capacity of the structure will be 25 thousand pounds (11340 kg).
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The developer hints at the possible integration of advanced energy weapons of the future, pointing to extensive internal power sources and cooling systems that will be able to support the operation of laser systems.
The aircraft will be able to travel at supersonic cruising speed (that is, without turning on the afterburner) above Mach 2.5 (for comparison, the F-22 has this figure of about Mach 1.5–1.8), the maximum will exceed Mach 4. Thus, the car will actually approach the hypersonic interceptor/impactor. According to the developer, these speeds are possible thanks to turbofan engines with an ultra-high compression ratio (and, possibly, direct-flow cycle elements). The tactical range will exceed 1,200 nautical miles.
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Western observers point to such an ambitious project.:
For our part, we note that Stavatti Aerospace is known for its extremely ambitious (and often not reaching the metal) projects, for example, the M-300 Rapier fighter with vertical takeoff, or the M-160 with hypersonic speed. This is a small private company, not a major defense giant. Therefore, the SM-39 Razor is most likely a "paper project" that is used to draw attention to itself and its developments.
