CGA-Albanair AF-108 Crusader

The AF-108 Crusader refers primarily to the CGA-Albanair AF-108 Crusader, a modified version of the Vought F-8 Crusader built under license by CGA-Albanair. It was primarily utilized as a land-based air superiority fighter, despite being designed as a carrier-based fighter. It served with the Royal Air Force of Albion until it was replaced by the Grumman AF-144 Tomcat.

The AF-108 identification code was also utilized for several standard F-8J Crusaders built by Vought and operated by the Royal Navy of Albion and the Alban Fleet Air Arm between 1977 and 1985 under lease from the United States, pending the delivery of the AFAA's McDonnell-Douglas AF-188 Hornet fleet.

Procurement and design
In the late 1950s, Albion revisited its air defense plans to focus on the threat of Soviet nuclear attack on North America via Alban airspace. At the same time, the RAFA undertook to replace its existing fleet of CGA Sabre day fighters. The increasing primacy of intercontinental ballistic missiles to the nuclear threat led to the cancellation of the Avro Albion AF-105 Arrow and the selection of the Republic AF-105 Thunderchief in the role of high-altitude interceptor, but a need was identified for a dedicated air superiority fighter.

The Crusader was an unlikely entrant into the Day Fighter Aircraft procurement program, but was ultimately selected over the other finalist, the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, in part due to the RAFA's intense skepticism of predictions that dogfighting would become obsolete with the advent of the guided missile. Vought's entry into the DFA procurement also came with political advantages in the form of licensing agreements between the Confederate company and CGA-Albanair. The aircraft would be built in Albion and equipped with the domestically-produced Manitou Haida engine. CGA-Albanair would also function as a subcontractor for tail assemblies for F-8s intended for service in France.

While externally similar to stock Crusaders, the AF-108's design was adjusted for a land-based role, largely due to the limitations of HMRAS Kodiak as a naval air wing platform: The old Majestic-class carrier's deck was far too short for the Crusader to fly from. The Alban Crusader completely omitted the tailhook and folding wing mechanism, though the variable incidence wing mechanism was retained, with its maximum angle adjustment raised to seven degrees to assist in takeoffs from unprepared runways in the north. The omission of these naval-specific systems both lightened the aircraft and allowed for additional wing space for two more hardpoints, enabling a more balanced cannon and missile armament and allowing missiles to be carried alongside wing fuel tanks.

The addition of the Manitou Haida significantly altered the Crusader's performance. The Haida, designed for service in the much larger Avro Arrow, produced significantly more power than the Pratt & Whitney J57 engine flown by the original Crusader. The first prototype of the AF-108 nearly tore itself apart under the sheer power of the Haida engine. Testing revealed that an unloaded Haida Crusader could practically stand on its engine nozzle and take off like a rocket due to its immense thrust-to-weight ratio. Further flight testing saw the prototype reach Mach 2.6 without a weapons load, though these speeds placed dangerous heat stresses on the aluminum airframe and the canopy assemblage. Maneuverability at Mach 2 speeds proved sufficiently challenging that CGA-Albanair engineers incorporated lengthened ventral fins, which folded to the side during landing to avoid ground strikes. These additions increased the stability of the aircraft at high speeds and allowed for high-speed maneuverability similar to that of the XF8U-3 Crusader III prototype mooted by Vought around the time.

The high speeds achieved by the prototype saw production models redesigned with composite and titanium materials in key areas to protect the airframe from the intense heat generated at high speeds. The radar was replaced by the Norden Systems AN/APG-74 system developed for the Crusader III. The avionics package gave the AF-108 the ability to simultaneously track six targets and engage two. Additional internal space was set aside for fuel, further extending the AF-108's range and increasing weight sufficiently that the airframe wouldn't melt itself under the sheer power of the Haida engine.

Production AF-108s began to enter service in 1962. They reached the front line with a top speed of Mach 2.27, six hardpoints and capability with the Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles as well as the expected armament of four cannons. Pilots assigned to the AF-108 delivered mixed reviews, praising its agility and versatility but criticizing the complexity of the workload required to both fly an intercept and fire Sparrow missiles. The contemporary F-4 Phantom II flown by the United States carried a dedicated radar intercept officer to assist the pilot, but the AF-108 left these tasks to the pilot alone.

Performance
The AF-108 - classified by the United States as the F-8F - is considered one of the highest-performing variants of the Crusader airframe, though it did not meet the performance expectations of the prototype Crusader III. The aircraft sacrificed carrier capability in favour of exceptional performance in air-to-air combat when deployed from land-based installations.

The relative newness of practical guided missile technology and the configuration of the landing gear gave the AF-108 a reputation for complexity. Particularly in Guyana, pilots remarked on the difficulty of handling both flight operations and radar management for the newly-installed Sparrow missiles, though management of the AIM-9 Sidewinder was considerably more simple. The AF-108 retained the poorly-designed castering landing gear of the original F-8, which made the aircraft difficult to steer on the deck. The ventral stabilizer folding mechanism was generally reliable, but occasional malfunctions saw pilots scrape fins off when the hinging system failed to properly deploy upon landing.

Later upgrades attempted to add an air-to-surface strike capability in the hopes of taking advantage of the power of the Haida engine. However, the airframe proved poorly suited to the role. The Crusader airframe would only be realized as a ground attacker in the form of the Confederate A-7 Corsair II. After experimentation following Guyana, the RAFA abandoned the attempt at a strike conversion, opting to utilize the Crusader fleet as dedicated air superiority fighters.

The modifications implemented by CGA-Albanair did result in significant performance increases in the air-to-air theatre. The AF-108 could keep pace with the latest USAF frontline aircraft and out-range some of them with the help of external fuel tanks. The variable incidence wing mechanism assisted greatly in northern Albion, where Crusaders could operate from short and unprepared runways. The AF-108s gained a reputation as formidable dogfighters, excelling in war games with American and New French forces. In particular, Alban Crusaders dominated USN Phantoms during the Operation Arctic Fox war game in 1967, which simulated an American force attempting to take a hostile coastline. The Crusader fleet proved able to easily outmaneuver the big Phantoms, and the power provided by the Haida engine ensured that AF-108 pilots could simply pursue any Phantom trying to replicate the boom-and-zoom tactics favoured by Phantom pilots against slower Soviet gunfighters. The dominance of AF-108 pilots over the gunless Phantoms formed part of the impetus for the formation of the TOPGUN program.

The Crusader is generally considered the last great gunfighting aircraft employed by Albion and is considered the best jet dogfighter ever flown by the country. However, the advancement of guided missile technology worked against the AF-108. Despite excellent speed and maneuverability, the aircraft's geometry limited its ability to carry the large missile loads expected of modern fighters. Further, their lack of multirole capability rendered them obsolete by the mid-1980s, when they were phased out in Alban service beyond the photo reconnaissance role.

Albion
CGA-Albanair would produce 200 AF-108s for the Royal Air Force of Albion.

Crusaders were a key part of Albion's presence in the Guyana War, a conflict which illustrated both the AF-108's strengths and its shortcomings. The initial phase of the war saw Crusaders unable to make it into the field due to their inability to take off from HMRAS Kodiak, or indeed from any carrier due to the airframe changes made by CGA-Albanair. With Kodiak's air wing consigned to an anti-submarine warfare role due to the ship's short deck, the RAFA and Royal Navy of Albion were forced to depend on the Royal Navy to clear enough of an airspace for Alban aircraft to deploy to Guyana. Once on station, however, the AF-108s served with distinction and demonstrated that the era of gunfighters was far from over. The RAF's Phantoms, new in service at the time, were fast and carried heavy missile armament for the time, but the relative newness of guided missiles led to reliability issues, exacerbated by the tropical climate. Further, the big Phantom lacked a gun, a critical disadvantage against Colombian MiG-17 and MiG-19 fighters, both of which were much slower than the big Phantom but far more capable in a dogfight. The AF-108, once in the field, was far better equipped to beat Colombian dogfighters at their own game. RAFA Crusaders racked up an impressive kill tally and were instrumental in gaining air superiority over Essequibo and later Venezuela.

One of the most notable actions by a Crusader pilot came during the Guyana War, when an AF-108 flown by Lieutenant John Oszypko of 626 Squadron, joined by a wingman, deployed from Jenny Field to cover the rescue of a downed RAF air crew near Mazaruni. Oszypko's wingman encountered a fuel leak and was forced to return to base, leaving Oszypko to respond alone. Reaching the scene, Oszypko found British rescue helicopters being attacked by four MiG-17s. Bursting into the MiG formation, Oszypko downed one with a Sparrow missile to break up their formation. The Colombian MiGs formed up into a wagon-wheel to try and lure the Alban pilot into a kill shot, but Oszypko was able to maneuver through the circle and isolate another MiG, which he shot down with guns. He claimed an additional MiG-17 with guns before two Colombian MiG-21s arrived at high speed and struck Oszypko's Crusader with an Atoll missile. Oszypko ejected but was killed on landing. For his valour, Oszypko was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the most recent Alban to receive this honour as of 2020.

The Guyanese conflict saw Alban Crusaders rack up the most impressive kill ratio of the war, scoring 21 air-to-air kills for three Crusaders lost. Kills scored by RAFA Crusader pilots accounted for more than a third of Colombian fighter losses during the Guyanese phase of the conflict. Albion produced one Crusader ace during the conflict: Captain Kenny Palitzsch of 615 Tactical Fighter Squadron was credited with five kills (one MiG-21, three MiG-17s and a Su-7).

Crusaders served extensively in Europe, operating from Alban-controlled airfields in West Germany and France as part of overall NATO efforts to contain the Soviet Union. The aircraft also served in domestic airspace and would eventually take over interceptor duties from the AF-105 as these aircraft transitioned to a strike role. AF-108s appear in several notable photos of Alban intercepts of Soviet aircraft, including an iconic photo of an AF-108 intercepting a Tu-95 "Bear" off Alaska with HMRAS Princess Royal steaming nearby.

Alban AF-108s played an important role in the development of the US Air Force's TOPGUN program. Alban pilots, with experience dogfighting Colombian gunfighters in Vietnam, were often called upon to act as adversary flights during TOPGUN training missions, where the AF-108's excellent close-quarters maneuverability, high speed and heavy gun armament were employed in asymmetric matchups with American jets like the F-4 Phantom II.

In the 1970s, 12 Crusaders were modified to the AF/R-108 reconnaissance variant. These unarmed Crusaders boasted capability similar to the America RF-8G photo recon versions, albeit without carrier capability and with the higher speeds provided for by the Haida engine.

The AF/R-108s would prove to be the last Crusaders in Alban service. The broader Crusader fleet was retired in 1984 with the introduction of the AF-144 Tomcat as Albion's new main-line air superiority fighter. The AF/R-108 continued service out of Albion's European airfields until its retirement in 1993.

Denmark
Downsizing of the RAFA in the 1970s as part of the Labour government's ongoing efforts to reduce defence spending saw Albion sell 31 used AF-108s to Denmark. These aircraft never served in wartime and were retired by the late 1990s.

Salonika
In 1977, 12 used AF-108s were sold to the Salonika Republic as part of the overall downsizing of the RAFA. These aircraft would see regular use as patrollers and presence flyers in the face of hostility from Greece and Bulgaria. Two Crusaders were involved in a 1979 incident in which Greek F-104 Starfighters conducted a dangerously close intercept of a passenger liner inbound to Salonika from Rabat. The Salonikan Crusaders intercepted the Greek fighters over the Aegean. The incident broke down into a dogfight, resulting in the Salonikan pilots shooting down one of the Starfighters, killing the Greek pilot. The so-called Flight 156 Incident led to a rapid escalation of tensions, requiring diplomatic intervention by Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom to bring the situation to a peaceful resolution.



Naval AF-108Js
The AF-108 code was also applied to 24 F-8J Crusaders operated by the Royal Navy of Albion and the Alban Fleet Air Arm from 1977 through 1985. These aircraft made up the combat air wing of HMRAS Princess Royal following the ship's refurbishment.

Prior to the procurement of USS Oriskany for conversion into Princess Royal, Albion had not operated a carrier-based fighter aircraft since the retirement of the McDonnell F2H Banshee fleet in 1962, leaving the small-decked HMRAS Kodiak operating as a dedicated anti-submarine carrier. The procurement of the larger Oriskany allowed for the operation of a practical naval air wing. With the desired aircraft - the incoming F/A-18 Hornet - still working through the procurement process in 1978, the Ministry of Defence agreed to lease 24 F-8Js formerly used by the United States Navy but declared surplus upon Oriskany's retirement. The aircraft were transferred to Albion at a minimal price, on the understanding they would be returned upon the procurement of a new carrier-based fighter aircraft.

The AF-108J fleet, powered by the J-57 engine typical of the Crusader and equipped with the wing folding mechanisms and tailhooks that came on every other model of Crusader, never fired weapons in wartime but served to retrain Alban pilots in flight deck operations. Two of the aircraft were lost in accidents owing to the aircraft's tricky landing characteristics, with one pilot killed when his aircraft slid off the edge of Princess Royal's deck and into the ocean. Nevertheless, the aircraft achieved a notable first when Crusader pilot Captain Leah Booth became the first woman in Albion, and indeed any NATO country, to pilot a combat aircraft. Booth would go on to pilot an AF-188 Hornet when the Fleet Air Arm transitioned to the new aircraft.

As the AF-188 Hornet was introduced aboard Princess Royal beginning in 1983-84, the AF-108Js were placed in mothballs at AFB Comox before being returned to the United States in 1985.

Specifications
General characteristics


 * Crew: 1
 * Length: 55 ft 11.6 in
 * Wingspan: 35 ft 8 in
 * Height: 15 ft 9.1 in
 * Empty weight: 17,500 lb
 * Gross weight: 27,800 lb
 * Powerplant: 1 x Manitou PS.13 Haida afterburning turbojet, 19,350 lbf without afterburning, 25,600 lbf with afterburning

Performance


 * Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 at 50,000 feet
 * Cruising speed: 925 km/h
 * Range: 3,500 km with two external fuel tanks
 * Combat range: 1,040 km
 * Service ceiling: 65,000 feet
 * g limits: +8.5
 * Rate of climb: 37,100 ft/min

Armament


 * Guns: 4x 20mm Colt Mk 12 cannons in lower fuselage, 125 rpg
 * Hardpoints: 2x side fuselage-mounted Y-pylons and 4x underwing pylon stations with a total carrying capacity of 8,000 lbs of ordnance
 * Rockets:
 * 2x LAU-10 rocket pods (each with 4x 5-inch Zuni rockets)
 * Missiles:
 * 4x AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles (fuselage stations)
 * Up to 4x AIM-7 Sparrow (wing stations)
 * Bombs:
 * 12x 250 lb Mark 81 bombs or
 * 8x 500 lb Mark 82 bombs or
 * 4x 1,000lb Mark 83 bombs or
 * 2x 2,000lb Mark 84 bombs
 * Avionics:
 * Autotechnicas AN/AWG-7 missile control system
 * Norden Systems AN/APG-74 radar