KerbalX

Description

The FX-11 is an extremely versitile stock hypersonic VTOL fighter. It is basically everything the F-35 was supposed to, but failed to be. It is very agile and VTOL capable, even with a full fuel load including the drop-tank added in the ER version, and maintains a TWR of 1 using only the one main turbo ramjet engine right of the KSC runway. It operates very efficiently at cruising altitudes between 18,000 to 23,000 m with stable control (4x time-warp tested) and speeds in excess of mach 3. Due to this the FX-11 can reach any point on Kerbin (~60% around the equator) even without the drop-tank! It is furthermore designed to be very balanced with a COM that will not shift when fuel is depleted, making VTOL operation easy regardless remaining fuel load. If you want to add BWArmory ordanance, try to keep the COM in between the two central fuel tanks to keep this balance. It might be worth mentioning that it glides without stalling very well even with full fuel loads and the risk to destroy the main engine during lift-off rotation is pretty small.

Disclaimers:
There is part clipping to get 8 instead of 4 VTOL engines. This could have been done less cheaty but that solution would have been less pleasing aestetically.

Action group summary:
1: Toggle VTOL hatches and engines
2: Toggle main J-X4 engine
3: Jettison drop-tank

A stock aircraft called FX-11B Super Harrier ER. Built with 78 of the finest parts, its root part is Mark1Cockpit.

Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.3.0.