CFA-44 Nosferatu

"Unknown aircraft approaching ... It's a fighter. A fast one!"

- AWACS Ghost Eye during Operation Free Gracemeria

The CFA-44 Nosferatu (NATO: Fandance; Japanese: CFA-44 ノスフェラトゥ; Russian: КИБ-44 Носферату) is a powerful fictional multirole aircraft. It made its debut in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation as one of the final boss battles in the game.

The CFA-44 Nosferatu has since been featured in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon and Ace Combat Infinity as Russia's next-generation fighter aircraft, leading to the in-universe development of the ASF-X Shinden II.

Strangereal
In the Strangereal continuity, the CFA-44 was a carrier-launched fighter aircraft developed by Estovakia in the 2000s. It is believed to have originated as a request by the Estovakian Navy for a fighter to support the P-1112 Aigaion heavy command cruiser, which was designed to support carrier-based aircraft.

The CFA-44 was initially conceived as a stable platform for testing experimental weapons such as the Electromagnetic Launcher. The only existing airframe was later modified by Ilya Pasternak in favor of more speed and agility, as well as to more heavily utilize All Direction Multi-Purpose Missiles and a control system for UAV-45 drones. Pasternak flew the modified aircraft into battle on March 31, 2016 against Garuda Team during the Emmerians' liberation of Gracemeria. Despite his overwhelming firepower, Talisman shot him down after a prolonged battle, destroying the aircraft and killing Pasternak along with it.

Initial construction
In the Horizon universe, the CFA-44 was developed by the former Soviet Union in the second half of the 20th century by an unknown manufacturer. The aircraft was produced in factories in the provinces of Romania, then under Soviet control. It is unknown whether it was indigenously produced by Romania, or if it was lended to them by Russia.

The existence of the aircraft remained unknown to the Western Bloc untl the early '80s, when a Nosferatu was spotted by satellites over the coast of Romania near the Black Sea. Initially, the Nosferatu was not believed to be a vehicle by Western officers because of its shape, only being determined as such after checking its shadows on nearby clouds. Because no other aircraft in the Soviet air force matched its characteristics, special attention was placed on this particular jet.

Soon after the initial sighting, satellital imagery detected other CFA-44s at bases in Romania and Ukraine, which gave the West a clearer view of the aircraft. Their upper weapons bays were discovered as heat signatures by infrared systems. NATO member states began to obtain intelligence on the newly discovered aircraft, but the images were not believed to warrant a performance assessment. Mikoyan-Gurevich and Sukhoi were suspected as its developers; however the true origins of the Nosferatu, even whether it had been created by Russia or another republic under Soviet control, remained a mystery.

The CFA-44 was soon given names by the Western Bloc. The Air Standardization Coordination Committee (ASCC) of NATO named it "Fandance" after a type of dance, in reference to its wing shape. In the other hand, the US Department of Defense (DoD), which used stricter naming conventions, designated it "Uni-D", or "Unidentified Delta". Between 1983 and 1985, as the MiG-29 Fulcrum and the Su-27 Flanker respectively entered mass production, it disappeared from Western eyes.

Combat service
Believed to be in response to the United States' reveal of the F-117A Nighthawk in 1988, the Fandance was deployed by Russia in conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. Advances in visual technology allowed to obtain more detailed images of the enigmatic aircraft. During operatons in the mid-1990s, it gained the attention of the West for using experimental weaponry against enemy aircraft— a pilot who was engaged by one described being shot down by "a type of laser weapon" without hearing a missile alarm. As well, it was said that the Fandance tended to intermittently vanish from ground radar.

During a flight over Africa, a CFA-44 produced in the Romanian Constanta province, serial number 44-025388, suffered mechanical failure and crashed, killing the pilot. The accident occurred in a country within the Western sphere of influence, and its remains were soon recovered by NATO, becoming the first unit in Western hands. The following investigation provided insight on the design of the aircraft, revealing details on its engines, weaponry and avionics. However, the cockpit was destroyed by a self-destruct device, making an autopsy unfeasible.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, classified information on Russian weapons was leaked to the black market. The analysis carried out by NATO identified the avionics and design flaws of the aircraft, but also assumed the possibility that the Nosferatu could be replicated by other nations, and thus constituted a major threat to Western aviation.

Modern era
In the year 2002, two CFA-44s were responsible for an unauthorized flight over the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Kyushu. However, the aircraft could not be properly identified as such, as they only appeared as blurry shapes in American satellites. Due to this incident, which occurred during the heightened worldwide state of alert following the September 11 attacks, Japan saw fit to create a next-generation aircraft to protect its borders. This led to the development of the ASF-X Shinden II.

Several years later, in 2016, CFA-44s were engaged under unknown circumstances by ASF-X Shinden II pilots. JASDF pilots Kei Nagase and Wataru Asano were involved in combat against them.

Infinity universe
In the Infinity universe, the CFA-44 was produced in unknown circumstances by an undetermined country, though some assume it was still developed by Russia. Several units were acquired by the USEA Federation; some were modified to be remotely operated through the Connection for Flight Interface system as the "QFA-44 Carmilla", while many others were assigned to protect Excalibur. The original model was later included by Wernher and Noah Enterprises to the Advanced Automated Aviation Plant system repertoire during the conflict in Eurasia, allowing the United Nations mercenaries to purchase and operate it.

Body
The CFA-44 is a twin-engined carrier fighter using a delta wing configuration, which gives it a distinctive "kite" shape, with outer-canted twin tails. It uses canards to enhance its mobility, providing it with an aggressive front profile. The wingtips use protruding leading edge extensions, while the wings themselves use wide slats, and can be folded for aircraft carrier use. A radar is mounted inside the rear tail boom. It uses arresting landing gear for carrier operations, a modification made for use with Typhoon-class submarines converted to submarine aircraft carriers.

The airframe is built using light alloy and carbon materials. Through the use of electromagnetic wave-absorbing metamaterials in its midsection, it exhbits light stealth capabilities, allowing it to intermittently disappear from radar. However, the gap between the body and the canards, along with the angle they form, negatively affects its stealth. The exact details of the plane's stealth capabilities is a mystery, as all research on this technology was lost when Russian scientists fled Romania after the 1989 revolution.

It is powered by unspecified engines developed by Russian manufacturer NPO Saturn. The engines, which employ highly durable single crystal blades, use a type of thrust vectoring similar to that used in the Rockwell-MBB X-31 demonstrator, employing special two-dimensional rudders to achieve this. Combined with its wing configuration, this provides the Nosferatu with high maneuverability, at the expense of poor flight stability.

The Nosferatu's cockpit uses a panoramic display system, similar to that used by the F-35 Lightning II, containing a digital interface that monitors the physical condition and weapons of the aircraft, and is equipped with a voice warning system in Russian. Russian CFA-44s are equipped with internal explosives to destroy the cockpit in emergency situations.

Weapons
The Nosferatu uses a variety of experimental weapon systems and derivatives of existing Soviet weapons. It is mainly armed with a variant of the AA-11 Archer missile, which are carried on external pylons on the wings, and uses dual Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-1 autocannons mounted on wing roots. The origin of the missiles is suspected as either Russian or a license-built design.

A prominent feature of the CFA-44 is the use of vertical internal weapon bays, with two compartments on the upper midsection and one between the intakes in the ventral area. It is compatible with electromagnetic launchers, experimental anti-aircraft railguns designed for long range engagements, and triple launch pods for All Direction Multi-Purpose Missiles to engage multiple targets. In addition, it has an integral ECM system. The Estovakian model was designed to handle a control system for UAV-45 combat drones.

A disadvantage to the aircraft's unique weapon bays is that, in conjunction with the engines and landing gear, it must use a complex air intake, thereby affecting its performance. In addition, the increased weight only worsens the Nosferatu's poor stability and the body design makes the use of conformal fuel tanks impossible, giving it a small operational radius. The intake design, described as "crude" and "poor" by the NATO officers that investigated the African CFA-44, was intentional to achieve maximum weapons performance.

Variants
Two Nosferatu models were photographed by NATO intelligence efforts, which have minor design differences. The first variant, the "Fandance-A", is the model frequently sighted in Romania, Ukraine and Africa. The second model, the "Fandance-B", has its wings and canards placed higher on the airframe and a greater leading edge extension, along with an exposed right-hand gun compartment.

Specifications
The following are estimated parameters obtained after the NATO investigation of the CFA-44 lost in Africa.
 * Length: 66'11" (20.40m)
 * Wingspan: 40'8" (12.40m)
 * Height: 13'1" (3.99m)
 * Engines: unknown Saturn engines
 * Maximum speed: estimated subsonic from leaked documents, each engine estimated to achieve a 90kN (166km) net thrust
 * Medium stealth capabilities

Game Analysis
Ace Combat Infinity====Ace Combat Infinity=== "This next-generation, carrier-based stealth aircraft has been developed using cutting-edge technology. Its left and right 2DCD thrust-vectoring nozzles provide outstanding maneuverability. Various onboard experimental weapon technologies include a powerful rail gun and ADMM missiles. The Nosferatu has the potential to turn the tide in any battle in the hands of an experienced ace pilot."

- Hangar

How to Unlock
 * The CFA-44 is available through the Aircraft Tree.

Skins
 * Default: Gray body

Gallery

Trivia

 * The "CFA" designation is never fully described. Some fans believe it to stand for "Carrier Fighter Attacker".
 * The "-44" designation and the CFA-44's wing configuration could point to the MiG-1.44 Flatpack as a design and name inspiration.
 * Color 1 of the CFA-44 in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is the default paint scheme from Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, complete with the Republic of Emmeria Air Force markings, Garuda Team emblem and its 'GM 028' tail code.
 * This makes it the only aircraft in the game that doesn't feature the standard Warwolf Squadron livery.

CFA-44 Nosferatu