So a while back I was working on an aerospace fighter as part of another project I'd thought to mod into the game. I've still been working on it off and on, but it's gone through a couple iterations and revisions, so starting up a new thread. The original one can be found here. First, just to give a brief history of the abandoned concepts versions: The first was a pretty straight interpretation of the SR-72 Darkstar concept. This design emphasizes a hypersonic capable airframe, but I wanted to so something a little more original, which led to the next version: That was a variable sweep wing design, the idea being that for orbital insertion and high-speed atmospheric flight the wings would be swept for that nice hypersonic delta shape. Then for low-speed maneuverability in atmosphere and to center the wingtip thrusters as close to the center of mass as possible for space operations the wings could be unswept (also placing the thrusters further out to increase their effectiveness). I really liked the design, especially with swept wings, but I was running into too many problems. Like having enough space for fuel and landing gear, even with a simplified wing box (I may repurpose the design for a larger craft where the internal volume won't be as much of an issue, like an SSTO bomber). And that led to the current iteration: This is a much more aggressive design with the forward-swept wings and canards. This accomplishes the same effect as the variable sweep by moving the wingtip thrusters forward and closer to the center of mass, with the benefit of being much less mechanically complex. The overall design is kind of a mix of the X-29 and Su-47. The probe on the nose pushes shockwave forward away from the fuselage at hypersonic speeds to keep it from fouling the wingtips. I've also changed the propulsion model. Rather than the SABRE turborocket of the original concept, this version is using two fusion rockets, eliminating the need for an oxidizer, providing considerably greater thrust, and allowing excess power generated by the engines to power all other ship systems without need for a separate generator (other than the auxiliary). Atmospheric maneuverability is primarily provided by all-moving canards and strakes, with assistance from spoilers on the upper surface of each wing for roll (much like the F-14). Full-span fowler flaps provide additional lift at low airspeeds. The main engines also posses 6-degree thrust vectoring nozzles for supermaneuverability in atmosphere and to improve handling in space. And just for giggles a couple more screens including an alternate paint scheme with those classic yellow-orange wing uppers, and showing off the formation and navigation lighting.