The Firethorn A-25 / Cormorant is a Nordenfeld supersonic jet strike aircraft that served with the Imperial Marine from 800 to 857 and with the Imperial Air Force until 863. Designed following the reinvention of integrated circuitry, it was the first Imperial combat aircraft to utilize fully computerized flight control and weapon system.

Several distinctive variants of the Cormorant were produced to perform the roles of maritime strike (Cormorant SM), aerial reconnaissance (Cormorant SR) and deep interdiction strike (Cormorant S)

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Another one of my aircraft design for 'the Empire' world set in far future where earthling, human and morphs alike, and some of their extraterrestrial allies kicked out of the milky way and had to start anew in a galaxy far, far away.

This one came from the year 795, or 4881 CE, 21 years after the bloody border crisis between Nordenfeld empire and the Carrenian republics. The technologies is more or less similar to 1960-1970 earth but the reinvention of the method to mass-produce integrated circuitry gave way to more compact and capable war machines, reliable seeker and guidance for missile and fire control systems and, eventually, general increase in combat engagement range.

The Cormorant was originally designed as supersonic interceptor (both in my real-life design and the fictional one). Later it was redesigned as maritime strike aircraft, a very underrated role indeed but might be very vital one for maritime nation like the Nordenfeld empire.

I'm currently writing the history and comprehensive description for the Cormorant, here's an excerpt from Cormorant's origin:

Early in 795, the Imperial Marine (IM) began to put together requirement M.143/95 calling for a replacement maritime strike aircraft for their aging Bateleur SM.II fleet. The Nordenfeld Bateleur SM was a highly modified variant of Imperial Air Force (IAF) Bateleur S Medium Bomber first entered service in 780, it was fitted with bulky AS.21 maritime surveillance radar in its weapon bay and ARC.24 fire control system for the early Seabolt missile it carried. by 790's it had become clear that the days of Bateleur SM were numbered, while it did good in guarding Nordenfeld's territorial waters, it lacked the range and speed to intercept enemy convoy in open oceans. The AS.21 radar was derived from great war era ship-based radar and severly lacked range to engage newer enemy ships beyond their own engagement range.

An initial request for proposals was issued in March 795. The SMX, as defined in the RFP, was to be substantially faster while still being highly maneuverable, with a very long endurance to strike enemy shipping off Nordenfeld's territorial water, and was to have increased warload and capable offensive electronic systems to effectively counter increasingly advanced ship design of the Carrenian Republics. The SMX was to be highly survivable through the use of advanced defensive avionics, countermeasures and high manueuverability, while being cheap to buy, plus easy to operate and maintain from coastal bases.

Five manufacturers submitted designs, with those of Nordenfeld Aviation and Firethorn selected as finalist. Nordenfeld Aviation based their design on existing Vulture swept-wing medium jet bomber then almost ready for production, this design offered substantial payload and greatly increased speed up to mach 1.0 at sea level. But the usage of in-house Nordenfeld JT92 afterburning turbojet, while reducing development and production cost, reduced fuel economy and combat range to only marginally better than Bateleur SM. Firethorn, in the other hand, had been studying a new generation of long-range supersonic fighter with single Imperial Motors JF22X bypass-turbojet powerplant since late 793. although being single-engined, it could fly as fast as mach 1.2 thanks to refined aerodynamics of the sleek, area-ruled fuselage and light aluminum and avionite construction. The JF221.92 engine, as it turned out, was not only more powerful, it also provided substantially improved fuel economy relative to Nordenfeld's JT92, giving what will be the Cormorant prototype almost one-half the endurance of Bateleur SM and combat load rivalling those of Nordenfeld's prototype.

Both prototypes were finished by July 797 and handed over to IM for performance evaluation. The Test Comitee consisted of teams from Marine Aviation Corps, Coastal Defense and of course top pilots from various squadrons who will eventually fly them. The evaluation involved both rigorous flying and ground tests and very thorough design studies of the aircraft,