This is actually part of a longer entry about Azu Squadron, but it's also the only part currently ready for vetting. Plus it might add to the Roughriders
discussion. Comment @ will. --Mal
==== VVS Factory Ga-15 "Fearless" ====
{{ ships:x-15.jpg?x285 |Ga-15 in factory thermocoat}}
^ Registry Number: | AZ01#### |
^ Base Hull: | North American X-15 |
^ Drive Type: | Fusion torch x1 |
^ Drive Rating: | peak velocity 0.179c |
^ Owner of Record: | Soviet Air Force, LLC |
^ Flag of Record: | People's Republic of Freedonia |
^ Home Port: | [[gazetteer:places:earth:Gagaran Crater AFB], Luna |
^ Purpose: | Point-defence interceptor |
^ Launched: | 7 August 2013 |
^ Crew: | 1 pilot standard (AI or human) |
^ Supplementary Crew: | n/a |
^ Faction: | [[gazetteer:factions:Soviet Air Force] |
^ Status: | **Active** |
=== History ===
//"Hey, Mal."//
//"Yeah, KJ?"//
//"I've been thinking."//
//"Oh yeah?"//
//"Well, you know those rocks we've staked out? They're mostly iron and nickel."//
//"Sure, 's why we staked them out in the first place. Thinking of going into the stock business?"//
//"Nah, but we've got all the ingredients we need to make Inconel alloy. And..."//
//"And?"//
//"Well... remember why Rhodes wanted the '71 in the first place?"//
//"Because it's the fastest airplane ever built."//
//"Yeah, but... it just happens that there was something made back in the late 50s that went faster than the '71 in atmosphere. And it happened to be
mostly Inconel."//
//"..."//
//"If you know what I mean."//
//"There's no way. We'd never get one. There's only two, and they're in museums. No way in hell."//
//"Granted! But blueprints are available."//
//"A new production run?"//
//"Sure. If nothing else, they'd be something to one-up the Blackbird fanboys."//
//"Damn. Do we have the manufacturing ability? I mean, unless we want to spend the next three years in the hangar we'd need something to automate the
process."//
//"Tools to build tools and all that? Well, even mundane manufacturing's come a long way, and we **do** have all that spare cash lying around. I'm
sure somebody would sell us a few."//
//"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"//
//"Hell yeah."//
//"Just checking. Damn. Damn! Let's do this thing!"//
The **Ga-15** (NATO reporting name "Fearless") was designed during a marathon Central Committee planning session shortly after the beginning of the
Boskone War. Specifically, the meeting happened around the time when [[gazetteer:factions:SOS-dan] pilot [[chars:Benjamin Rhodes] obtained the SR-71 airframe
that would eventually become the [[Magnificent Midnight].
The Ga-15 is a moldline copy of the North American Aviation [[http://en.wikipedia.org/X-15|X-15 research aircraft],
the fastest airplane ever flown. The airframe is made of Lunar titanium, with a skin composed of a handwashed nickel alloy trademarked as "Battle
Inconel." Internal components are not too different from other high-performance fen spacecraft, consisting of handwaved Earth hardware. The XLR-99 engine
of the original was replaced with a reverse-engineered copy of the Russian RD-0210.
The Fearless's cockpit was specially redesigned to fit the needs of X-COM. The original cockpit was removed and replaced in the block 1 aircraft with an
ejectable CPU module, allowing X-COM's group of AI pilots to fly the fighter. This cockpit module can be hot-swapped out for a standard cockpit should a
humanoid pilot wish to take the controls.
For offensive weaponry, the Ga-15 can be equipped with either a 35mm linear accelerator cannon (the "Rifleman" model) or a phased-array indigo laser
(the "Zappy" model). All Ga-15s currently in service are Rifleman models. The original X-15's underwing tank hardpoints have been repurposed as
variable weapons hardpoints, capable of handling large missiles, multi-missile launchers or experimental weapons such as X-ray lasers, phased plasma weapons or
relativistic kinetic guns.
The prototype aircraft first flew from [[gazetteer:places:earth:Gagarin Crater AFB] on 16 June 2013, and after a series of tests (see "Trivia"
section below) the design was approved for full use on 20 July. The initial run of Ga-15s were assigned to Squadron A, where they served with distinction
during the Boskone War.
=== Class Quirks ===
* //Thirsty Little Bugger// - The Ga-15 burns through a fuel supply incredibly fast by Fenspace standards, blowing through a full tank after only a few hours.
* //Captain Obvious// - The Ga-15 is not a subtle aircraft. At all. On full throttle, the exhaust plume rivals some comets. The Fearless is //not// something
sent in during deniable ops, it's sent in when a target needs breaking and the entire galaxy needs to know X-COM did it.
===== Trivia =====
* The Ga-15 is either the second or third fastest vehicle in Fenspace, depending on who's telling the story, coming in behind the //[[Magnificent
Midnight]// and/or the //[[Virgil Samms]//. The Fearless prototype //Hypervelocity Hurt Machine// reached a record velocity of 19.96% light speed during
flight trials, at the cost of ruining the engine and significant airframe damage.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
discussion. Comment @ will. --Mal
==== VVS Factory Ga-15 "Fearless" ====
{{ ships:x-15.jpg?x285 |Ga-15 in factory thermocoat}}
^ Registry Number: | AZ01#### |
^ Base Hull: | North American X-15 |
^ Drive Type: | Fusion torch x1 |
^ Drive Rating: | peak velocity 0.179c |
^ Owner of Record: | Soviet Air Force, LLC |
^ Flag of Record: | People's Republic of Freedonia |
^ Home Port: | [[gazetteer:places:earth:Gagaran Crater AFB], Luna |
^ Purpose: | Point-defence interceptor |
^ Launched: | 7 August 2013 |
^ Crew: | 1 pilot standard (AI or human) |
^ Supplementary Crew: | n/a |
^ Faction: | [[gazetteer:factions:Soviet Air Force] |
^ Status: | **Active** |
=== History ===
//"Hey, Mal."//
//"Yeah, KJ?"//
//"I've been thinking."//
//"Oh yeah?"//
//"Well, you know those rocks we've staked out? They're mostly iron and nickel."//
//"Sure, 's why we staked them out in the first place. Thinking of going into the stock business?"//
//"Nah, but we've got all the ingredients we need to make Inconel alloy. And..."//
//"And?"//
//"Well... remember why Rhodes wanted the '71 in the first place?"//
//"Because it's the fastest airplane ever built."//
//"Yeah, but... it just happens that there was something made back in the late 50s that went faster than the '71 in atmosphere. And it happened to be
mostly Inconel."//
//"..."//
//"If you know what I mean."//
//"There's no way. We'd never get one. There's only two, and they're in museums. No way in hell."//
//"Granted! But blueprints are available."//
//"A new production run?"//
//"Sure. If nothing else, they'd be something to one-up the Blackbird fanboys."//
//"Damn. Do we have the manufacturing ability? I mean, unless we want to spend the next three years in the hangar we'd need something to automate the
process."//
//"Tools to build tools and all that? Well, even mundane manufacturing's come a long way, and we **do** have all that spare cash lying around. I'm
sure somebody would sell us a few."//
//"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"//
//"Hell yeah."//
//"Just checking. Damn. Damn! Let's do this thing!"//
The **Ga-15** (NATO reporting name "Fearless") was designed during a marathon Central Committee planning session shortly after the beginning of the
Boskone War. Specifically, the meeting happened around the time when [[gazetteer:factions:SOS-dan] pilot [[chars:Benjamin Rhodes] obtained the SR-71 airframe
that would eventually become the [[Magnificent Midnight].
The Ga-15 is a moldline copy of the North American Aviation [[http://en.wikipedia.org/X-15|X-15 research aircraft],
the fastest airplane ever flown. The airframe is made of Lunar titanium, with a skin composed of a handwashed nickel alloy trademarked as "Battle
Inconel." Internal components are not too different from other high-performance fen spacecraft, consisting of handwaved Earth hardware. The XLR-99 engine
of the original was replaced with a reverse-engineered copy of the Russian RD-0210.
The Fearless's cockpit was specially redesigned to fit the needs of X-COM. The original cockpit was removed and replaced in the block 1 aircraft with an
ejectable CPU module, allowing X-COM's group of AI pilots to fly the fighter. This cockpit module can be hot-swapped out for a standard cockpit should a
humanoid pilot wish to take the controls.
For offensive weaponry, the Ga-15 can be equipped with either a 35mm linear accelerator cannon (the "Rifleman" model) or a phased-array indigo laser
(the "Zappy" model). All Ga-15s currently in service are Rifleman models. The original X-15's underwing tank hardpoints have been repurposed as
variable weapons hardpoints, capable of handling large missiles, multi-missile launchers or experimental weapons such as X-ray lasers, phased plasma weapons or
relativistic kinetic guns.
The prototype aircraft first flew from [[gazetteer:places:earth:Gagarin Crater AFB] on 16 June 2013, and after a series of tests (see "Trivia"
section below) the design was approved for full use on 20 July. The initial run of Ga-15s were assigned to Squadron A, where they served with distinction
during the Boskone War.
=== Class Quirks ===
* //Thirsty Little Bugger// - The Ga-15 burns through a fuel supply incredibly fast by Fenspace standards, blowing through a full tank after only a few hours.
* //Captain Obvious// - The Ga-15 is not a subtle aircraft. At all. On full throttle, the exhaust plume rivals some comets. The Fearless is //not// something
sent in during deniable ops, it's sent in when a target needs breaking and the entire galaxy needs to know X-COM did it.
===== Trivia =====
* The Ga-15 is either the second or third fastest vehicle in Fenspace, depending on who's telling the story, coming in behind the //[[Magnificent
Midnight]// and/or the //[[Virgil Samms]//. The Fearless prototype //Hypervelocity Hurt Machine// reached a record velocity of 19.96% light speed during
flight trials, at the cost of ruining the engine and significant airframe damage.
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"