Design Characteristics
The aircraft was designed specifically for high altitude, high speed performance as an interceptor fighter aircraft, used as a missile platform to engage high altitude targets including satellites and low earth-orbit vehicles, being a cheaper and more easily deployable option than self propelled high altitude missiles. Unlike many other multirole fighter aircraft, the Javeline was designed with a very specific purpose, however it has the potential for dog-fighting and far better maneuverability at lower altitudes. It utilizes two F-135 engines, with vertical lift capabilities like the F-35, to help generate lift closer to being on par with the F-22, while still maintaining the vertical lift capabilities and maneuverability of the F-35, serving as it's main source of power. In addition, it has a third scramject engine, designed to increase the maximum speed of the aircraft up to and over mach 6-7, by funneling large amounts of oxygen at high speeds in to the engine, thus increasing the rate of fuel burn and accordingly the velocity and thrust of the aircraft. Like most scramjet engines, the engine can only be operated while the aircraft is already at high speed and traveling at high altitude, and so the vehicle like many other scramject vehicles relies on external power to get up to this point, however unlike typical scramjet aircraft uses it's own engines to get it up to speed, instead of being launched off of the back of another aircraft or rocket. This allows for improved versatility, with the aircraft capable of serving as a normal multirole fighter aircraft (despite the intent for it's highly specialized use), and being used at high speeds or altitude when needed. As these speeds cannot be maintained for a very long period of time, it's primarily used for brief periods of time, generally to get the vehicle on the edge of space, relying on it's incredibly high speed and resulting momentum to maintain it's capabilities at high altitudes for short periods of time, making it comparable to the X-15 in design purpose. Like other scramjet engines, the engine can burn for a short period of time and then the aircraft can coast on this speed, such as the NASA x-23 which coasted for over 400 miles despite the engine only running for 12 seconds.
The vehicle is capable of using ordinary jetfuel including JP7, but works better with RP-1, a highly refined version of jet fuel used in rockets that acts as coolant and has corrosive chemicals removed, and can be mixed with liquid oxygen in order to give it a temporary boost, allowing it to get to the high speeds necessary for the scramjet to work, or to operate temporarily in space. Typically, the vehicle can only carry 5000 pounds of liquid oxygen in containers at a given time, giving it enough liquid oxygen to operate for 10% of it's fuel supply. The vehicle uses both ambient and liquid oxygen for it's operation, relying on the liquid oxygen to get up to speed or at altitudes where ambient oxygen is insufficient for operation. As liquid oxygen is relatively inexpensive and easy to store compared to rocket fuel itself, and already stored in aircraft for pilots, it is easy to adapt existing infrastructure to it's production and storage, and thus is easy to incorporate in to the jet aircraft. The volume of liquid oxygen required for the aircraft's maximum altitude in flight is however quite high by comparison and is only used sparingly. When rockets are fired off of the aircraft, it further increases their speed if moving in the same direction as the aircraft, thus making the maneuverability of the aircraft more important so it may be pointed in the direction of the opposing aircraft or target. With the ASM-135 anti-satellite missile, it adds an additional 2000-2400 m/s, thus increasing it's velocity partially increasing it's range and interception capabilities.
Like the
Typhoon,
Mig-25 and
X-15, it has a surprisingly higher wingspan designed to help provide stability at high speeds, to allow it to get to high altitudes. While it may seem counter intuitive to increase aerodynamic resistance when the goal of the aircraft is to reach high altitude, this is required for the stability of the aircraft, and has less of an effect at high altitude once the air becomes thinner. Once the aircraft is at high altitudes, the air resistance is dramatically decreased, and thus the increased air resistance This helps the plane generate enormous lift and power, as well as increases it's maneuverability dramatically, at the expense of fuel efficiency until at high altitudes. Like the Typhoon, it has a second set of small wings near the nose of the aircraft, designed to increase maneuverability and decrease it's turning radius. Furthermore, the improved maneuverability allows it to more easily steer and point the aircraft towards the target, thus allowing it's high velocity to be added to the additional velocity of the rocket as long as it is aimed at the general direction of the target. The initial starting velocity of rockets can be up to 2400 m/s, and thus this greatly improves the interception speed of the rocket fired even if it's velocity is much lower under ordinary circumstances.
