MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-24 DRAGON II
JET FIGHTER

(Version 1.0)

RPG Stats by Harvey Neil Johnston ([email protected])

BACKGROUND

The F-24 Dragon II was designed before the United Nations Wars by McDonnell-Douglas. The F-24 was developed to replace the venerable F-14 Tomcat when the new Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) design, the F-22 Raptor, proved to be to costly to produce in both time and money. The F-24 was intended for fast production, so was designed around many existing technologies. The cockpit was a marginally smaller version of the one used for the F-15 Eagle and the engines were variants of the F-22. Standard components were utilized in the original electronics suite. The F-24 possessed a unique wing design and incorporated the latest in aerodynamic science. The armament utilized was a new type of hypervelocity flechette cannon mounted within each wing root. The cannons were found to be less effective than was hoped and replaced with 25mm cannons.

The F-24A and -B models saw use in combat with the United States, but a major drawback to the design was that it lacked stealth capabilities. The application of an EM absorbent skin covering on later models remedied this disadvantage. Following the United Nations Wars, the Dragon was upgraded using technologies adapted from the SDF-1 Macross, with the new version known as the F-24E. The improvements included an improved sensor suite, which would become the standard for UN mecha, and VTOL capabilities, which resulted from air from the engines being ejected through exhausts under the fuselage.

The Dragon saw service on Earth during Space War I and the years after. It could not sustain high Mach speeds like the Raulonve as it was a chemically propelled fighter, and was inferior to the Quaedluun Rau at sub-Mach speeds. Therefore it was replaced by the VF-1 Valkyrie in front line combat, with a small number seeing service until 2019.

SCHEMATICS

RPG STATS

Vehicle Types:
      F-24A (one seat fighter, served with United States Air Force during United Nations Wars).
      F-24B (two seat fighter/trainer, served with United States Navy as a fighter, and with the UN Air Force as a trainer during United Nations Wars).
      F-24C (one seat fighter, served with UN Air Force from 2002 until replaced by the -E).
      F-24D (two seat fighter/trainer, served with UN Navy from 2003 until replaced by the -E, and with the UN Air Force and Navy as a trainer until 2019).
      F-24E (one seat fighter, served with UN Air Force and Navy from 2008 until 2019).
Class: Jet fighter
Manufacturer: McDonnell-Douglas
Crew: One pilot (two for F-24B/D) wearing Tactical Life Support System

MDC BY LOCATION:

 

* Main body	200
Reinforced pilot's compartment	100
** Engine thrusters (2)	100 each
Wings (2)	100 each
Cannons (2)	100 each

* Depleting the MDC of the main body will result in the destruction of the aircraft.
** Depleting the MDC of one engine will reduce maximum speed by half, and give the pilot -2 to dodge and -10% to piloting rolls. Destruction of both engines causes the aircraft to crash.

STATISTICAL DATA:

HEIGHT:
      18.04 ft (5.5 m).
WIDTH:
      44.62 ft (13.6 m) wingspan.
LENGTH:
      56.76 ft (17.3 m).
WEIGHT:
      18.8 metric tons.

CARGO:
      Small compartment behind pilot's seat for personal belongings.
POWER PLANT:
      (F-24A/B models) (2x) P&W F-119-200 variable cycle chemical turbofans/turbojets, 196 kN of afterburning thrust total. The engines have vectoring nozzles.
      (F-24C/D models) (2x) P&W F-119-300 variable cycle chemical turbofans/turbojets, 204 kN of afterburning thrust total. The engines have vectoring nozzles.
      (F-24E model) (2x) P&W F-119-V-500 variable cycle chemical turbofans/turbojets, 220 kN of afterburning thrust total. The engines have vectoring nozzles and provide VTOL capability.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

1/ (2x) GENERAL ELECTRIC GE-316 16mm CANNONS: Three barrel flechette cannons located within the wing roots. These cannons fired a new type of 16mm hypervelocity tungsten armor piercing flechettes. The cannons were mounted on the F-24A and -B models. The design was ultimately found to be less effective than anticipated and mechanically unreliable. All F-24s built after 1999 had the guns replaced with Swiss KCN 25mm cannons.

• Primary purpose: Assault / defense.
• Range: 4000 ft (1200).
• Damage: 1D6 MD per round, 1D4x10 MD for a burst of 25 rounds, 2D4x10 MD for a dual burst from both cannons.
• Rate of fire: Equal to pilot's number of attacks.
• Payload: 500 rounds per cannon (20 bursts per cannon).

or (2x) OERLIKON KCN 25mm CANNONS: Single barrel cannons located within the wing roots. These cannons fire 25mm APHE (Armor Piercing High Explosive) or HEI-T (High Explosive Incendiary - Tracer) rounds. All F-24s built after 1999 used these cannons rather than the unreliable GE-316.

• Primary purpose: Assault / defense.
• Range: 4000 ft (1200).
• Damage: 2D4 MD per round, 1D6x10 MD for a burst of 25 rounds, 2D6x10 MD for a dual burst from both cannons.
• Rate of fire: Equal to pilot's number of attacks.
• Payload: 275 rounds per cannon (11 bursts per cannon).

2/ (12x) ORDNANCE HARDPOINTS: The F-24 possesses 12 conformal hardpoints to carry ordnance, with five under each wing and two on the centerline. The typical air superiority payload for the F-24E variant is five AMM-1 Stiletto high explosive medium-range missiles (MRMs) mounted under each wing, and a large conformal fuel tank occupying the two centerline hardpoints. Various payloads are possible. The typical payload is shown below.

• Primary purpose: Assault.
• Secondary purpose: Anti-mecha.
• Missile types: Any type of MRM may be used, typically high explosive.
• Range: Varies with missile type, typically 40 miles (64.3 km)
• Damage: Varies with missile type, typically 2D6x10 MD.
• Rate of fire: 1-5 missiles or all.
• Payload: Five per hardpoint; up to 10 maximum.

• AUTO-PILOT: The F-24 is equipped with a computerized auto-pilot, allowing the pilot to relax or even sleep during long voyages. The auto-pilot can be programmed with a single destination or a complex flight plan involving multiple speeds, directions, and destinations. The onboard computer will alert the pilot when the fighter is near its destination, and can also be set to automatically signal when sensors detect objects near the aircraft.
• COMBAT COMPUTER W/HUD DISPLAYS: The F-24 is equipped with a combat computer that can store and analyze data during combat with hostile forces. Data readouts and stats can be displayed either on the cockpit's HUD display or on the dashboard monitors of the aircraft. The combat computer tracks and identifies specific enemy targets, and has a database of over 1,000 images stored in memory. The computer can identify and track up to 75 targets simultaneously.
• CONFORMAL FUEL TANK: The F-24 may carry a large conformal fuel tank on the two centerline hardpoints. It can extend the fighter's range by 100 miles (160.9 km) but will negate the stealth capability of the F-24C/D/E.
• EJECTOR SEAT: The pilot seat may be ejected in case of emergency. The seat is equipped with parachutes to allow a safe descent. The combat computer is programmed to automatically eject the pilot seat if the aircraft is destroyed (main body MDC reduced to 0), but this can be overridden. The pilot may also eject the seat manually.
• HEAT AND RADIATION SHIELDS: Special shielding prevents the penetration of life threatening heat and radiation. A radiation detection and alarm system are linked with the shields and will sound an alarm if there is a rupture in the shields and what the levels of radiation are.
• HOMING SIGNAL: The F-24 is equipped with a homing device that enables rescue teams to locate a disabled craft. The range of the signal is 300 miles (480 km). Most UN ships and mecha can locate and track homing signals, and the onboard computers will automatically notify their pilots if such a signal is detected.
• LASER TARGETING SYSTEM: Range: 100 miles (160 km). Used for increased accuracy in the striking of enemy targets and is partly responsible for the mecha's strike bonus.
• OPTICS: INFRARED: Range: 2000 feet (610 m). This optical system projects a beam of infrared light that is invisible to the normal eye, but detectable by the mecha's sensors. The system allows the pilot to detect hidden/concealed objects by their IR reflectiveness. The beam will be visible to anyone with IR sensitive optics, however.
• OPTICS: NIGHTVISION: Range: 2000 feet (610 m). A passive light image intensifier that emits no light of its own, but relies on ambient light which is electronically amplified to produce a visible picture.
• OPTICS: THERMAL IMAGER: Range: 2000 feet (610 m). A passive optical heat sensor that detects infrared radiation projected by warm objects and converts that data into a false-color visible image. The system enables the pilot to see in the dark, in shadows, and through smoke, and also adds a +10% bonus to pilots using a tracking skill.
• PASSIVE STEALTH CONSTRUCTION: The F-24C/D/E was designed with a special skin covering that absorbed, to an extent, EM radiation. This gave the later Dragons limited stealth capability. These features provide +1 to initiative rolls. Note that this is a passive stealth system, and not an active one. The initiative bonus will continue so long as the mecha is functional. The covering also decreases the typical ranges of which the aircraft may be detected. This feature was developed to compensate for the disadvantage of the earlier F-24A/B versions, that were not in the least stealthy, given that part of the fuselage was designed in the early 1970s. When the conformal fuel tank is carried, the fighter's stealth capabilities are negated.
• RADAR: Can detect up to a range of 200 miles (321 km).
• RADIO/VIDEO COMMUNICATION: Long range, directional communications system with satellite relay capabilities. Range: 600 miles (960 km) or can be boosted indefinitely via satellite relay.
• SELF-DESTRUCT: To prevent capture of an aircraft by the enemy, the pilot can activate the F-24's self-destruct system, which will cause the fighter to explode after a delay of up to 60 minutes (time is set by the pilot). The explosive damage is contained within a 20 foot (6 m) area and inflicts 1D6x10 M.D. to everything within the radius of the explosion. All internal systems are obliterated. The ejection seat will be automatically ejected prior to the explosion unless the pilot overrides the ejection sequence.
• STANDARD SURVIVAL KIT: All UN Forces fighters come equipped with a portable survival kit. Inside the small reinforced box is a medium-sized flashlight, two hand flares, one rocket flare, a compass, infrared distancing binoculars, a small mirror, a pocket knife, dehydrated and concentrated food (can be stretched into a five day supply for one person) and basic first aid items (aspirin, bandages, disinfectant, etc.).
• TACTICAL LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM: The F-24's cockpit is pressurized, and also provides additional air feeds to the pilot's flight suit that provides him with pressurized breathing. The UN Air Force flight suit also contains an upper and lower g-suit that promotes blood circulation even during high-g turns, thus decreasing the possibility of pilot blacking out in combat.

BASIC FIGHTER COMBAT TRAINING

• Basic training for non-pilot military personnel.
• 1 attack per melee (plus those of the pilot).
• Add one additional action/attack at levels three, nine, and fifteen.
• +1 to initiative (for F-24C/D/E variants only).
• +1 to strike.
• +5 to dodge.
• +1 to roll with a punch or fall with an impact, reducing damage by half.
• Critical strike same as pilot's hand-to-hand.

• Advanced training for pilots specializing in the F-24 Dragon II.
• 3 attacks per melee (plus those of the pilot).
• Add one additional action/attack at levels three, six, eleven, and fifteen.
• +1 on initiative (+2 for F-24C/D/E variants only).
• +2 to strike.
• +6 to dodge.
• +3 to roll with a punch or fall with an impact, reducing damage by half.
• Critical strike same as pilot's hand-to-hand.

REFERENCES USED IN THIS DESIGN

Original name: MacNell-Douglar F203 Dragon II
First appearance: Rainy Night(Super Dimension Fortress Macross: episode 33)
References used:
      Macross Compendium by Egan Loo.
      Robotech Reference Guide by Peter Walker and Pieter Thomassen.
      Macross: Perfect Memory by Minori Library, Big West and MBS.
      Robotech #3 (Tigercat, part 3) by Ted Nomura (Antarctic Press).

The F-24 Dragon II was referred to as the Falcon fighterin the Robotech RPG.