Super Etendard as fleet interceptor?

MacCaulay

Banned
It's probably because it's almost two in the morning and I've had a few beers, but I was looking at my model of the Super Et and I got a crazy idea: it's already a strike fighter...I wonder if it would be possible to put a more powerful engine and some BVR missiles on it and have it fill the same niche for the French that the Tomcat filled for the USN: fleet defense and interception.

I know the French have an equivalent to the AMRAAM, and obviously the Super Etendard must be able to carry it. If it can carry two Exocets, the math of the weight says it could probably carry three or four.
 
Sorry, Mac. The Super Etendard airframe isn't suitable for the higher mach numbers that usually go with the mission. It only carries 1 Exocet. The payload/range with Atar 9 or M88 wouldn't be very good either. Although it carries the twin cannons and a pair of Magics, fitment of radar missiles requires the adoption of completely different avionics/fire control and Dassault engineers don't have sufficient access to good beer to make that feasable. What's your label?
 
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