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F-XX Mini-Jet Prototype

F-XX Mini-Jet Prototype image
Year
2013
Description

Builder: Thomas Cohn
Grades 9-12
Best Vehicle

The F-XX Mini-Jet Prototype is a proposed fighter aircraft designed by Lego Aerospace's R&D department. It has been built for the military, although it hasn't yet been accepted. The F-XX designation is simply because the military will only give it a fighter designation if they use it.

The jet stands at 18 feet (to the tops of the tailfins) and has a wingspan of 65 feet. It is also 46 feet long. The long relative wingspan gives the jet a very high level of maneuverability, which counters the smaller tailfins' limits. Also, powerful engines allow the jet to reach Mach 4 for brief periods of time, although it cruises best around Mach 1 in terms of saving fuel. The afterburners can also vector thrust, increasing maneuverability. The jet has a tail hook and other equipment allowing it to land on carriers, but the long wingspan could be a problem. A proposed design with wings that can fold up and another that doesn't have the equipment for carrier landings are currently being developed. ...

The cockpit uses a revolutionary Heads Up Display (HUD) design that leaves the cockpit rather bare. Also, an autopilot primarily flies the aircraft. The pilot can take over and fly the plan, but he mainly works as a gunner, firing missiles and aiming the 20mm cannons.

Engineers at the R&D department built a framework based off large plate-type pieces, giving the jet enough structural integrity to reach speeds of up to Mach 4.5, although the jets can't go much higher than Mach 4. From there, they added hardpoints, engines, fuel tanks, tail fins, etc. The wings are very thick, giving plenty of room for fuel and strengthening them (again, by using large pieces). Lego Aerospace's R&D department requested training weapons be shown (as evident by the blue tips of the missiles) and the 20mm cannons have their caps on. Also, the bombs do not have explosives in them. In the center of the plane, long pieces interlock with cross pieces, to further improve the structural integrity. The lightweight plastic that composes the plane gives very good fuel efficiency, which will reduce fuel consumption and do less harm to the environment.

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Ann Arbor District Library