YF-4E Phantom II - Addon

Historical Note

The YF-4E is an historical addon aircraft that represented a crucial, if lesser known, footnote in American Cold War fighter jet Development. The airframe, originally built as YRF-4C 62-12200, began life as an aerodynamic testbed for photographic reconnaissance missions from 1963 to 1965, after which it was modified again with the removal of the recon equipment and, in a first for Phantom II aircraft, the inclusion of an integral M61A1 Vulcan 20 mm cannon, along with new engines and other aerodynamic refinements. Thus, the airframe was redesignated as YF-4E, and became the prototype for the ambitious and successful F-4E program which upgraded the Phantom II fleet used across the United States military with cannon-equipped aircraft.

In subsequent years, the plane continued to be used as the testbed for advanced concepts and programs of the United States Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory (AFFDL), including the testing of a lighter rudder made of Beryllium, new fixed leading edge slats, and most importantly, the Survivable Flight Control System (SFCS), a pioneering early three-axis fly-by-wire (FBW) system, across four phases, in which the plane successfully demonstrated the value and potential of FBW control systems for the future generation of fighters. Finally, the YF-4E was selected as the designated testbed for the Control Configured Vehicle (CCV) test program under the larger Precision Aircraft Control Technology (PACT) program jointly sponsored by the USAF and manufacturer McDonnell Douglas. This project saw the installation of, among other things, movable intake shoulder-mounted canards driven by F-15 Eagle stabilator actuators, with the goal of testing novel relaxed stability and FBW controls.

At the conclusion of this program, on August 23, 1974, the airframe was ferried back to St. Louis, Missouri, in which was to be its last flight, having been deemed to have completed its service cycle. The YF-4E then spent a long time in storage, until the intervention of AFFDL project engineer James Morris saved it from the scrapyard, and arranged for it to be donated to the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio on December 5, 1978. It has since sat at permanent display among the collection of the Museum.

Addon Description

Compared to the standard F-4E, the YF-4E offers a different handling profile and an advanced arsenal. Thanks to its first-generation FBW system and canards, the plane is able to engage in limited post-stall maneuvers such as Pugachev's Cobra and it receives a boost to maneuverability at low and medium speeds. However, at very high speeds, the large size of the airframe makes turns slower and more difficult, requiring a higher ability on the player's part to be used effectively across different battle scenarios. As such, the flight profile is more nuanced and it requires skill to maintain situational awareness of your surroundings.

As for the ordnance, the following weapons are provided:

- SFFS MK. II: an improved variant of the original Self-Forging Fragments Submunitions bombs, the SFFS MK. II now fragments into 16 smaller bombs, allowing for a much larger blast radius. Don't like SFFS? Well you're in luck, an optional file is offered to swap this weapon for NPB, allowing the plane to instead become a platform capable of attacking with highly-explosive napalm ordnance.

- XLAA: a return to previous games' multi-lock long-range missiles, they can lock onto up to four targets and boast top-class speed and range, at the cost of homing capabilities, making them useful for interceptions.

- HVSA: for the first time in Ace Combat 7, the High-Velocity Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missiles come as an improvement over the original SAAM weapons found in the standard game. Combining the extreme maneuverability of SAAM with the high attack and flight speed of HVAA, these are excellent for attacking targets that require extra precision and power. Just like the standard SAAM, though, these are semi-active in nature, and as such, they require for the pilot to constantly aim their sights at the target until impact.

- Droptank FAEB: Equipped below the YF-4E's fuselage is a droptank capable of causing widespread destruction. It's accuracy however depends entirely on the skill of the pilot as there is no HUD for it.