Mimino F-42 Corsair

F-42 Corsair
Imperial Naval Aviation F-42H Corsair no. 210305 of Carrier Air Wing 4 overflies forest in Orion Svarskia during joint exercises, date unknown, 2190s.
Role		Multirole fighter
National Origin		UIF
Production History
Produced
2154 - Ongoing
Designer		Far Eastern Aerohydrodynamic Institute "Mimino"
Unit Cost		35,000 Imperial nenari(√)
Number Built		1,500 as of December 2199
Service History
In Service
2157 - Ongoing
Used By		Imperial Systems Commonwealth Air Force Imperial Naval Aviation

The Mimino F-42 Corsair (Aesori: "Корсар" (Korsar)) is an Imperial single-engine supersonic multirole combat aircraft. Designed by the Laveska-based Far Eastern Aerohydrodynamic Institute "Mimino" (Laveskan: Дальневосточный аэрогидродинамический институтъ «Мимино» Aesori:Dalnevostochniy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut "Mimino") (DAI "Mimino") in response to the Kaminari affair of 2150 to replace the aforementioned aircraft in the Imperial Systems Commonwealth Air Force and the Naval Aviation. The Corsair is also used by the air forces and fleet air arms of several other nations. The Corsair first flew in 2152 and entered production in 2153 at Cyten-Ward Industries' Vesnopolye Aircraft Factory. The Corsair entered service with the Imperial Naval Aviation in 2156 and the Imperial Systems Commonwealth Air Force in 2157, in time for the Aeserian Centennial celebrations that year.

Development

Concepts of a plan

Following the success of the MRF-9 Carabinier in Laveskan service during the Imperial Reclamation, the regional government of Laveska, then still not fully integrated into the United Imperial Federation, sought to replace its aging Lancer and Arquebusier interceptor and attacker platforms with a single-engine multirole design. Initial requirements also included the ability to operate from the carrier Fort Grace either by catapult and arrestor capability or through vertical takeoff and landing. Preliminary studies were initiated by several design bureaus in mid 2149.

The retirement of Fort Grace meant that the Maritime Fleet was temporarily without an angled-deck carrier, leaving ex-NLC amphibious assault ships Bravis and Korfu as the only ships capable of operating fixed-wing aircraft. An emphasis was thus placed on VTOL capability, with some early design proposals featuring it. The introduction of the Kaminari into the Imperial Systems Commonwealth Air Force's arsenal delayed the project, as it was also set to be the Maritime Fleet's primary multirole aircraft upon procurement of a new carrier.

The Kaminari Affair

During the Imperial intervention in the Maryurti Civil War, Air Force pilots reported encountering squadrons of Kaminaris flying for UDF-backed Radivosan air forces. The news greatly alarmed Imperial leadership, and almost immediately requests for a new single engine multirole were issued to all major R&D departments in the country. Laveskan design bureaus, having already started preliminary design work for such an aircraft, were able to present finalized proposals by mid 2150. DAI's reference design was chosen, with Cyten-Ward's Laveskan aircraft factory located in Perpetua chosen as the production line. The prototype aircraft was designated XF-42 and given the name "Corsair", a nod to its carrier capability, with its first flight taking place in late 2152. Serial production began a year later, and the Naval Aviation introduced its first F-42 squadron in 2156, with the Air Force following the next year.