Turbokat

"No one can stand up to that jet of theirs." - Hard Drive

The Turbokat is a three-engined, two-seat fighter jet that Chance Furlong and Jake Clawson use to fight the villains in the show. Revealed to have been built from scrap metal, the Turbokat is capable or vertical take-off and landing, hovering, high speeds, sharp maneuvers, and a massive arsenal of missiles.

Design/Influence

The Turbokat incorporates influences from a variety of real-world fighter aircraft. The fuselage, two-seated design and sweep-wing capability are reminiscent of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, the primary air superiority fighter of the U.S. Navy from 1975 until it's retirement in 2006. The wedge-shaped body and tailplane design is reminiscent of the Saab Draken fighter, while the VTOL capability is similar to the AV-8B Harrier. The VTOL configuration is much more closely related to the F-35 Lightning II, however, that aircraft was developed long after the show had been cancelled.

Avionics

The Turbokat is equipped with a variety of state of the-art flight control systems. It utilizes fly-by-wire technology and an extensive flight control computer system, giving it increased maneuverability. It's radar systems are equally impressive as it uses several multi-spectrum detection systems including x-ray scanners, electronic surge detection, and later Dimensional Radar. The Turbokat's communication's array allows it to interface with a variety of both Enforcer and civilian communication systems. Razor has also designed the flight systems to interface with specialized visors implanted in their helmets. This provides both pilots with an enhanced heads-up display, giving them up-to-the-second information in the combat arena.

Powerplant/Flight Performance

Twin Megathruster engines power the Turbokat at cruising speed. The third, central Megathruster is typically not in operation during this time and is primarily used for aft stability when the jet is in VTOL mode, or when the SWAT Kats require additional speed to escape or catch up with a foe. Because all three Megathrusters are used in VTOL mode (with the primary two in reverse thrust and angled to approximately 45 degrees), the Turbokat is able to generate enough vertical lift to hoist and carry payloads of over of 8,000lbs, utilizing twin grappling hooks. All three Megathrusters also have afterburning capability for additional thrust. The Turbokat's maximum speed in it's standard configuration is Mach 5 with a range of 1,000 miles. This range is decreased when the Turbokat undergoes periods of increased fuel consumption. This can be caused by excessive use of hover mode, afterburners or when hoisting heavy objects for long periods.

At the start of season 2, during the Turbokat's rebuild, Razor modified the Turbokat's powerplant with four outboard solid-rocket motors extending from angled pylons in the aft fuselage. This system increased the Turbokat's top speed dramatically for short periods, allowing the Turbokat to exceed Mach 8 (though it is unknown whether this could be safely done in the lower atmosphere, as the aerodynamic stress on the Turbokat would be enormous). This system was dubbed "Speed of Heat" mode by Razor, as reaching these speeds greatly increased the friction of air on the hull and required specialized shielding on the canopy and hull to withstand the resulting heat buildup. These pylons may also have had conventional atmospheric jet capability, as T-Bone once referred to them as "Jet Boosters" and used them in the lower atmosphere above Megakat city.

A major advantage of this design is that it allowed the Turbokat to function in environments such as extremely high altitudes where conventional jet engines would be ineffective. This was used to its greatest effect in When Strikes Mutilor where the Turbokat used this configuration to maneuver and dogfight near the edge of the atmosphere, a configuration T-Bone referred to as "Sub-Orbital Mode".

Armament

The Turbokat boasts a wide arsenal of offensive and defensive weaponry, most of which is developed by Razor. Because the of the SWAT Kats' status as vigilantes and need to uphold a good public image, all weaponry employed by the Turbokat is highly specialized and purposefully non-lethal. T-Bone and Razor also regularly put the Turbokat's weaponry through extensive testing in order to minimize the risk of collateral damage and make sure its use never has lethal consequences. The only time this rigorous testing has not succeeded is in the episode Razor's Edge, where two stray Octopus missile blow up an abandoned warehouse and severely injure two elderly bystanders. This was later revealed to be a set-up by Dark Kat, as later investigation found that the missiles did not cause the explosion and the elderly couple were, in fact, agents of Dark Kat in disguise. The SWAT Kats have also used conventional ordinance, but on a very limited basis, and never in pursuit of criminals.

List of Weapons used by the Turbokat

• Pincer Missile
• Slicer Missile
• Match Head Missile
• Mole Missile
• Scrambler Missile
• Wire Cutter Missile (specially insulated to contain electrical energy)
• Octopus Missile
• Buzzsaw Missile
• Banshee Missile
• Bolo Missile
• Foam Bomb
• "Plain Old" Missile ("With love, from Razor")
• Turbo-Blade
• Cement Machine Gun

Countermeasures

The Turbokat also employs a variety of specialized countermeasures to destroy or deflect enemy attacks, though the Turbokat's superior speed and manuverability combined with T-Bone's flying skill limit the need for these gadgets.

The Tubokat carries a compliment Decoy Missiles to shoot down enemy missiles and other attacks. The Turbokat's Mega Thrusters are also designed to completely shut down in mid-flight and cold start in order to deceive enemy heat-seeking weaponry. The Turbokat also utilizes a radar jamming capability salvaged from an old Stealth Fighter in order to reduce the ability of others (especially the Enforcers) to detect it at long range and to keep the location of its home base hidden.