[RFP] Competition for Replacement of Zig Fighter

[Dartz]

Since so many people have some form of shipbuilding experience..... Let's put a nice big fat contract out there that could set someone up for life, and see what people come up with. Might stir some minds into action.

-----------------------------
To whom it may concern.

Great Justice proposes the replacement of remaining frontline Zig-Fighter and Trainer units with a new model of light strike spacecraft. Proposals are therefore invited from any qualifying manufacturer or design bureau* with appropriate security clearances.

It is expected the delivered spacecraft will achieve the following:
*Homologation under Part-L requirements for combat spacecrat.
*A minimum top speed in open space of .15c
*A minimum turn time of 14 seconds at top speed.

*Projectile armament capable of penetrating 20mm waved tektite composite armour.
*Internal or external stores allowing the mounting of any standards compliant missile, gunpod, fuel-tank or supplimental sensor system.

*Mimimum combat effective range of 15 AU on internal fuel.

*Suitable sensor and navigational computer systems.

*Pilot ejection and safety systems compatible of SAFER 2017 standards.

Assuming compatibility with minimum specification Points will be scored according to the following:
*Per unit production cost of spacecraft. 20%
*Cost of operations and maintenance of completed spacecraft. 15%
*Combat simulation performance: 15%
*Handling characteristics suitable for training use: 30%
*Sensor and Electronic Warfare capability: 10%
*Survivability: 10%

A bonus equivelant to 5% of total points score will be awarded to craft compatible with existing Zig carriers.

Proposals must be received no later than March 15, 2025. It is expected that contracts for production of prototype units will be awarded on a cost-plus basis to the top three scoring manufacturers or design buraeus. These qualifying manufacturers will then be required to produce three examples of a prototype, which will compete in a fly-off competition for the final award.

Participating manufacturers may be required to sub-license the wining design under FRAND terms to other manufacturers, to meet construction demand. Where the design is provided by a design buraeu, this will be considered mandatory.

*A qualifying manufacturer or design-buraeu is one who has designed and constructed at least one spacecraft that has achieved homologation under Part-L requirements, regardless as to whether the type entered general service or not.

Full terms, conditions and technical specifications will be provided upon declaration of interest.

---------------------
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[robkelk]

Five minutes after this hits the Interwave, Kuat Drive Yards offers up the X-Wing...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Rajvik]

Also five minutes after it hits the wave:

"Dear, could you set up a conference call for me while I crunch some numbers." Wolfboy asked as his fingers started rattling across the keyboard.

"Who do you need to call?" Loviatar asked sticking her head through the doorway.

"Uhm, lets see. Mackie, Jet, and probably Ben. Unless you can think of a better production yard."
 

[JakeGrey]

Huh. You know, with the possible exception of the turn-rate (which I've never really nailed down beyond "good enough to out-fly a couple of Air National Guard F-16s"), Tom Rutley's Cobra Mk1F just about meets those specs post-Boskone War...

[HRogge]

"Nina, do you think we could get a design finished until the date they published?"

"Jenny... we have never worked on a space fighter before. I am not even our typical scifi resources have good space fighters we could look at."

"Bah, you are no fun... there are a few pictures of the fighters the Humans used in Mass Effect!"

"And do you think they are small enough for our Eezo cores to work without an AI?"

"No... *sigh* but maybe the new 4th generation one?"

"Yeah, good idea... lets build our design based on something which still has Quirks beyond limits... sure!"

"But maybe we get it done in time for the prototype... if not we could just bail out."

"That sounds like cheating!"

"Yes... so what?"

[Black Aeronaut]

"We're not competing?" said Gina in surprise.

"Nope," replied Ben matter-of-factly.

"Why?"

"It'd be too easy, and therefore not fair. BAT is doing fine right now and there will be other juicy contracts. Let someone else get a leg up on competing."

"I still think we should put in some sort of showing... remind people that we're still one of the best."

"Maybe. It might even inspire some people to try for better. You know what? Get in touch with the folks down at Cessna. I think they have just the thing and I don't wanna ruffle too many feathers, legally speaking."

"Wait... the Dragonfly? ... Not bad. Small, simple, but capable and adaptable. You'll need to find a way to make sure that wider wingspan will fit in older F-EZig carriers."

"We'll talk to the folks at Icon about licensing their folding wing articulation. They seem like cool guys, so I can't imagine they'd not share for a reasonable price."

"Okay then. What about pending projects? Have Jess delegate?"

"Yeah, might be time to light the fires and see who's worthy of promotion anyhow."

"Will there be room at the top?"

"There will be if this takes off. I just hope we don't steal the show too badly. I want to provide a viable alternative, not wipe out the competition."

[Dartz]

Depending on who wins, they might still end up building them.

Anyway.

---------------
"Sis..."

"No Mackie."

"Sis!..."

"No!"

"But it's like... huge if we win it,"

"It's huge for whoever gets to build the thing. We can't make that sort of quanitity of anything,"

"It doesn't matter... It'll be ours."

"If we win, we lose - it's as simple as that. Besides, all our dev money for the year's gone on Anika's project - and upgrades for the next racing season. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be focusing on that thing?"

"That's almost finished... all three are on final eval and we get the results next week"

'And your studies. You know what happens if you blow your scholarship,"

"Yeah, I know, and I'm trying to tie these into my college projects so I'll get credit for them...."

"You sure you can do that?"

"Yeah. Drive fields and engine tech... Materials science and mechanics of machines. It helps my studies sis....really."

"....alright. Just don't let them slip."

"Sweet! You won't regret it, I promise. I already have this Heinkel-based design done up already just in my spare time..... I mean, it's a 72 year old design, but it's simple to build with great handling, and I know the carbotanium process will work with a frame that small. Especially if we use hardsuit fire control gear and helmet-display....

"Mackie...

"I think I can salvage that from the Kulbit project since that's already lightweight. And the engine, since it's in a pod....."

"Mackie!"

"What?'

"Finish your coursework first."

"But sis;'"

"Do it. I won't put the bid in until you're done with your regular assignments. "

"But we'll miss the deadline."

"Not if you get 'em all done. Don't just phone them in either. If I find you failed any of them, I'm putting a stop to these little extra-curricular projects. Okay?"

"Alright..... "
--------------------

So far, I think the catgirls might just be winning it.....
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[JakeGrey]

"She wasn't designed as a pure fighter, but she sure ticks a lot of boxes."

"Apart from being several times the mass of a Zig and having half the acceleration, yeah."

"That's fixable. We can take out most of the life-support stuff like the water recycler and the galley, and there's room for two more drive units in the cargo space."

"Point. What's the unit cost going to be?"

"Probably no more than 20% over a basic Cobra. And we can probably achieve at least 70% parts-commonality, so that's always a plus."

"Alright, alright. I'm not going to stand in your way on this one; hell, under the terms of the licensing agreement I'm pretty sure I don't have legal standing to. But you do realise you're going to have every news outlet that's not a sworn enemy of Noah Scott screaming favouritism if you win, right?"

"Tom, we're John Henry Station. We do not do favouritism; when we win, we win square. You know that, Haruhi knows that, the media knows that and the richest SOB in Fenspace oughta know that. Now my 11 o'clock's here, so we'll talk later. Say hi to Babs and the kids for me."

[ECSNorway]

"So, Commander Briggs, I understand you've been test-flying the new prototypes?"

"Yes ma'am, and I've got to admit, I do like the Lightning."

"And yet you're handing me a report on the Cutlass. And one on the Vampire."

"That's right, Jen. Those're what I've been flyin' the past few weeks. And since we just got th' wave about the Gee-Jay contract..."

"So you want Stonewell-Bellcom to enter one - or both - of these designs for consideration."

"You betcher booties I do, boss-lady. They're both lots of fun t' fly, and they're both good, effective birds."

"The VF-9 lacks the range they're asking for as well as the external stores capacity. You really think they'll even consider it when they see that?"

"It's got everythin' else they want, it's a combat-effective spaceframe, it's cheap to build, cheap to operate, an' it handles like a dream. Out-turns a TIE Interceptor, I'll bet."

"As we have yet to acquire one to test it against, I'll take that as hyperbole on your part, Commander. ... But I do have to admit, it -is- fun to fly."

"Heh. Couldn't resist the temptation to try it yerself, huh?"

"Nope. Lynn and I took up the dash-4 and dash-5 frames last week. And may I say: Wheeeeee!"

"Hehehehehehe! Oooh yes. And th' Vampire, well. It doesn't get the turns-and-burns as well, but it has sure got the raw thruster. 'S got a gunpod and double beamers, same as the Cutlass, and it's got internal missile bays and hardpoints, just like they're askin' for."

"Still, it's a heavy bird. Remember the 'Lead Sled'?"

"Surely do, Jen. One of Charlie's TANG buddies got me a check-ride in a Thud a coupla years back."

"... what are you doing, trying to get time in every combat aircraft ever built?"

"No ma'am, just every fighter. Now, if you've got a line on a P-61 Black Widow, we can maybe talk deals?"
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[HRogge]

"Okay, where is Jenny... she was the one who pushed for the fighter project and I have not seen her for a whole week!"

"Oh, you didn't know? Jenny has been blocking the Engine Testing chamber since she announced her new pet project. Rumors say she locked herself in and has not been seen since!"

"Do you think I could intercept her at the Cafeteria?"

"You didn't listen... she locked herself in. From time to time she sends her personal Exocomp to the Cafeteria to get some food, but she doesn't open the door."

"Do you think I put a little bit too much pressure on her when I told her that the 4th generation Eezo cores are not really that fast for a space fighter?"

"A little bit?"

-----

From: Jenny
To: "My Need-No-Enemy-Friends"
Subject: Eureka

did a few tests
think I got it
will meet you tomorrw
need full night of sleep

-----

"This my friends is the answer to a lot of curses we all did the last years. And maybe it is the answer why the hell our fine Eezo Speeddrive is that horrible slow... Ladies, meet the prototype of the new Mass Effect Ion Engine Hybrid drive!"

"You mean like the Normandy?"

"Or like the Kodiak?"

"Shut up, all of you! It's much more than that... it is a full hybrid engine that is more than the sum of its parts. I admit, its only a prototype but it will be glorious!"

"And its just 40 centimeters long..."

"IT IS A PROTOTYPE... damned it. I made a few of them from 4th gen Exocomp engine I had worked on in my lab. I already burned one of them in the testing chamber and ran through the numbers with Cortana. We still have to test it outside, but it will be horrible fast!"

"How fast?"

"Scaled up to the shape of our planned fighters at least 17% lightspeed, maybe more!"

"Ohhhhh.... may I touch it?"

[HRogge]

**Just to give this thread a little bit more (hopefully interesting) stuff to read**

Great Justice Zig Fighter replacement proposal

"Okay, next participant… arrived quite late, just a few hours before the deadline. Oh oh, look here… the cats from Nostromo sent us a holo-presentation as a proposal."

"Well, that is a surprise… last time I met them they were not interested in spacefighter designs, they prefer to saturate the area around their stations with their large Bees."

"Whatever… fire up the projector again, I think this might be fun to watch."

*** holoprojector activates, showing a catgirl standing in a pitch black room ***

"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to my proposal for the Zig Fighter replacement call from Great Justice.

My name is Jenny and I am the leading scientist of the Little Big Bang Labs for Eezo based speed drives and gravity manipulation. I am here to present you the Catgirl Industries replacement for the aged F-EZig light spacefighter, the new F-61 Trident Modular Spacefighter!"

In the background the 3D image of a spacecraft appears.


"The F-61 use our newest 4th generation Mass Effect Ion Engine Hybrid drive, which gives it the advantages of a full gravity drive with the speed boost of an Ion driver afterburner. Tests with a scaled model tell us that we hit 15% lightspeed with the gravity drive and even more with the ion drive afterburner, making the fighter fast enough for any mission.

Firepower is delivered by the two Mass Effect boosted 20mm coil guns, which easily penetrate the 20 mm tektite armor without the need of special ammunition.

But while speed and firepower are important, we decided to put our main focus of the project on survivability and easy maintenance."

*** the fighter changes into a semi transparent image that makes internal components visible ***

"The dart like silhouette gives the F-61 a very small profile when engaging the enemy, making it hard to hit and easy to maneuver.

It is made from three components… a central main body which includes cockpit, a military sensor suit in the nose of the fighter and communication and the fusor reactor behind the pilot. On top of that you can see the two engine/coil-gun attachments.

This split makes it easier to repair and switch parts of the fighter and guarantee a separation between the charging banks of the coilguns and the main body.

All three components will be built from a Battlesteel skeleton with exchangeable armor plates on top. Together they are surrounded by a strong kinetic shield projected by two Eezo cores."

The catgirl continues to give a short overview about handling, life support, sensors of the craft and other details.

"All technologies used as parts of the F-61 will become Open Hardware within 2025, with normal restrictions according to the Pepper treaty, the fighter design itself will become FRAND according to the rules of the proposal. Catgirl Industries could start a production line for the fighter on its own at the recently finished Frigga Factory and provide experts to other Great Justice manufacturers to start their own production lines.

We hope we will get a reply from you soon!"

*** holo projector deactivates ***

"A Mad in love with her project… I have seen this a lot, sometimes you get something great, something you get a headache… sometimes both."

"There is also a bunch of technical data from simulations attached to the file… will take a while to read through it."

"Put it to the other proposals we watched, I want to watch all of the proposals first!"

[Dartz]

I still think the catgirls are winning it, but since taking part is important....

---------------

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|chassis = He-162 copy.
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|width = 7.2 m
|height = 2.6 m
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|drivetype = Multiple
|driverating = Rated at .16C top speed.
|weapons = 30mm Twin Fusion cannon, or Single 40mm Railgun. 2 hardpoints.
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"It's really like a Zero fighter, both in ethos and in spirt. It's fast, Insanely Maneuverable and packs enough of a punch to be dangerous. But for God's sake don't get hit. Sending one pilot into battle with only basic training will probably get you one dead pilot. Sending one pilot into battle with hours of practice, drilling and experience, will get you a dozen dead pilots. That's my summary. I'd take one to a racetrack any day, but would I take one into combat?" - Summary on evaluation sheet. $author

LF-162 "Wasp"

The oldest basic design in the 2025 competition, the LF-162 is a derivative of the WWII-era Heinkel He-162 'Salamander'. It consist of an all-carbotanium fuselage monocoque formed in one primary weaving. Automatic folding wings allow it to fit in a cargo bay the size of Lun's. A single engine is mounted in an ejectable podded nacelle, strapped to the fighter's back.

Primary armament consists of a pair 30mm fusion cannon in the nose, or a single 40mm railgun for a 100kg penalty to empty weight. A pair of hardpoints on the aircraft's back, on each-side of the engine nacelle, allow the mounting of any standard stores. Fusion cannon ammunition is inert, making cook-off's impossible. Both main guns carry around 12 seconds worth of ammunition.

Fire control, navigation and sensor systems are derived from the Stingray project, via those used in the Kulbit racer, rather than conventional combat systems. Rather than having a HUD, a virtual instrument display is created in the pilot's helmet, with controls on the throttle and sidestick arming and targetting the weapons. The systems owe more to the Stingray project and hardsuit practice, than conventional fighter practice.

==Characteristics==

The Wasp is lightweight fighter/trainer, designed to replace the Zig.

It builds on experience gained from the Kulbit racer, and offers a very-high sustained turn rate and extremely fast roll rate - exceeding that of the original Zig. A full set of dive-brakes allow for rapid direction and velocity changes. The pilot must wear a Fortified Suit flightsuit and custom seat- there is no provision for conventional systems, or conventional six-point harnesses. On the other hand, controls are somewhat light for novice pilots, and the fly-by-wire controls lack any sort of flight envelope protection or mitigation. The pilot always has full control authority, for better or worse.

Engine performance is impressive, with the fighter able to maintain kinetic energy even through intensive maneuvers better than most spacecraft that aren't racers. Light weight more than makes up for a smaller than normal engine.

Engine maintenance and repair especially is uniquely simple. The entire nacelle is simply swapped for a good one, then repaired at leisure on a workbench, rather than in the craft. The podded engine allows a number of different drive-types to be fitted. The prototype first flew with an underpowered Zig engine, before settling on a modified hurricane fusion thruster to achieve the required combination of range and speed. Otherwise, the single-piece construction of the spaceframe can make repairs and maintenance of the internals somewhat tricky. Fortunately, there's not much to go wrong.

Hardsuit-derived controls are fully HOTAS compliant, with shift and modifier thumb-keys allowing for full control of the craft with just fingertips. Eye-tracking software in the helmet in theory allows for rapid target selection and engagement. Experienced pilots can have trouble adjusting to the different control paradigm, though a fresh trainee would have no such difficulty. Whether it's better or not compared to conventional systems is a matter for vigorous debate. But it is very different. Backup cockpit instruments are the most basic permissable to fly and navigate.

Surviveability is rated as poor - the craft was built to be absolutely lightweight first and formost, prioritising range, maneuverability and efficiency. The majority of the fuselage aft of the pilot consists of fuel tank, with a wet skin. The wings and tail are mostly hollow and there is very little structural redundancy anywhere.The main armament is tied into the same fuel supply as the engine - specifically the forward tank. Therefore, it takes very few hits to knock one out of the fight. Ammunition feeds do provide a measure of 'armour' protection for the pilot.

The spacecraft has a marked tendancy towards pitching nose-down whenever thrust is applied from a low power setting, amplified when the spacecraft is light on fuel. This could cause an issue for an inexperienced or inatentive pilot on a low-power go around. The effect is even worse if the ammunition load is still present. Lightweight landing gear doesn't help with the resulting hard landings.

==Quirk==

'Battle bred. Race tested. ': Disarmed variant offered for public sale as a 'Sports' spacecraft. With armament removed, the nose-heavy tendancy is reduced.

'Well, back in the war...': Playing the soundtrack from a WWII aviation movie at engine startup can have a number of unusual effects:
*633 Squadron: Automatic Terrain Following Function enabled in autopilot. Targetting computer will not work.
*Dambusters March: Bonus while hunting enemy bombers. Penalty against enemy fighters.
*Luftwaffe March: Reduced fuel consumption on long cruises. Reduced engine power. Both by half.
*Tora!Tora!Tora!: Radar Stealth. And infra-red stealth versus craft derived from US Military designs. Signature reduced by up to 90%. Requires all (including passive) radar, radio and interwave systems to be shut off for the duration of the mission. Stealth effect is lost for the rest of the mission if they are ever turned on.

Use is limited to one song each time the engine is started.

'Built in a cave. From a box of scraps.' The hardest part of building a Wasp is the monocoque. It can be done in 4 hours using a concurrent-cure carbon loom around jigged-up internal fittings, or in a week using hand-laid carbon fibre on a mould. But it can still be reliably handbuilt using technology within reach of most individuals in Fenspace, and will fly with a number of engines. (The prototype has carried a Zig engine, twin Jet-Cat thrusters, and a hurricane acceleration thruster, which was then modified with a new ejector coil to function as more conventional speed-drive)

'Easy to fly': Despite a few known vices, it's not a tricky craft to get in and fly around for any casual fenspace pilot.

'Hard to Master'; This is spacecraft that rewards training and mastery, rather than masks inexperience.

-------
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[HRogge]

F-61 Trident Modular Spacefighter

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|caption =
|chassis = Spacefighter
|length = 9 m
|width = 5 m
|height = 2 m
|mass = 2 tons
|drivetype = dual 4th generation Mass Effect Ion Hybrid drive
|driverating = up to 0.15c, 0.18 with ion engines, 500c outside the limit
|weapons = twin 20mm coilgun with Mass Effect booster, three missile hardpoints
|manufacturer = Frigga Factory (CI) and others
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{{quote|Are there really still Fen talking about raiding Earth plane graveyards to build new spaceships?|30px|30px|Cathy}}

{{quote|I am really sorry Chief, I didn't noticed I had blocked your E-Zig's parking slot.|30px|30px|unknown rookie pilot}}

{{quote|Yes, it can go FTL… I have piloted it from the Labs to the Omega station and back… but I would not suggest doing it without another craft with FTL communication near you. Believe me, bad idea… I speak from experience.|30px|30px|Jenny}}

Design History

The F-61 Trident is a craft that would never have been designed by Catgirl Industries if the Little Big Bang Labs hadn't got their hands on a 'call for designs' of Great Justice. Most catgirls consider spacefighters a bad design choice and prefer drone systems, but a group of them took the call as a challenge.

Drawing on elements from the UT-47 Kodiak and other technology from the Labs, they quickly began to setup a model of their newest 'toy' in virtual space. None of them would have thought the project would be that stressing with the tough time limit Great Justice had set.

While the F-61 wasn't the fastest vehicle with a Mass Effect drive, it was the first to break the 15% c limit without a specialized and highly quirked Eezo core.

As all Catgirl Industries designs, the computer of the craft does not 'wake up' and produce an AI on its own.

Features

The F-61 is shaped after a ship from the Mass Effect game series. It was the first spacefighter Catgirl Industries had ever designed. One focus of the development of the craft was to improve toughness of the craft and make it easy to maintain and repair. To succeed with this plan, the fighter is built from multiple components that can be built, repaired and maintained separately.

The central body of the fighter contains the long and flat cockpit area and a angled wing below. The nose in front of the cockpit contains the sensor and ECM unit of the fighter, an area behind the cockpit contains the main Fusor reactor of the fighter and the communication system. The cockpit in between is a standard fighter cockpit with a console manufactured by a Trekkie company on Mars. It has all the typical features including independent life support, an emergency beacon and an ejection mechanism.

Catgirl Industries designed the fighter with a Third Eye Augmented Reality system in mind. When the fighter pilot use such a system he can use the crafts sensors to see through the walls of the fighter, get other ships and objects identified and highlighted based on the internal database and control the fighters C3 software without activating the lights in the cockpit.

Two combined engine-weapon attachments are mounted left and right of the cockpit on the wing. Each of them mounts a hybrid Mass Effect/Ion Engine system with fuel tank and a caliber 20mm coil gun. The attachments get their power by a wireless link through the armor of the wing, there are no direct cable connections between them and the main body.

The ion engines are mounted on the articulated flap on the end of the engine attachment to provide some amount of vector thrust for the fighter when activating the afterburner. The gravity drive itself gives it an endurance mostly limited by the fighter pilot itself.

Quirks

• Just a Plane. Even without an AI the fighters seem to have a snobbish attitude to military Fen crafts made from airplane hulls from Earth (e.g. accidentally land in in a way to block the view on them)
  
• SO FAST! The snobbish attitude does not happen towards the Magnificent Midnight.
  
• Flashy! Every times one of the coilguns is fired, the drivefield lights up blue.
  

Trivia

• The fighter is protected by a powerful kinetic shield generated by the two engine cores.
  
• The fuel of the ion engine is good for one hour of flight
  
• A single engine core can still move the fighter, but at roughly 40% speed and forcefield strength.
  
• The fighter has three missile hardpoints, one below the cockpit and two behind on the central wing area.
  
• The original prototype has a massage seat with integrated heating
  

[Rajvik]

YLF-6 "Bat"

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 |vehiclename  = YLF-6 “Bat”

 |vehicleimage =

 |caption      =

 |chassis      = DH110 “Vampire” reproduction

 |length       = 9.37 m

 |width        = 11.58 m

 |height       = 2.69 m m

 |mass         = 2 tons empty.

 |drivetype    = Solaris Bell type 50 Hydrogen Jet
Turbines

 |driverating  = Rated at .15C top speed.

 |weapons      = 2-20mm rotary coilguns (1000 rounds at
300rpm),  4 hardpoints.

 |manufacturer =
Solaris/Prototype

 |owner        =

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 |registry     =

 |date         =

 |purpose      =

 |crew         = 12 (pilot)

 |supcrew      =

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 |status       =Prototype }}

Designed along the lines of its predecessors the De Haviland
DH100 Vampire and DH110 Sea Vixen, Solaris YLF-6 “Bat” uses waved aluminum for
its frame and carbon fiber panels coated in an armor wave paint to drop its
weight from the original’s Vampire’s 3.3 metric tons down to a respectable 2 without
sacrificing armor. Twin Rotary Coilguns sit inboard and forward of the power
plants firing a 20mm iron wrapped tungsten dart from ports below the cockpit.
Four hardpoints along the underside of the wings inboard of the tail booms
allow the mounting of multiple weapons, ECM, communications or fuel pods. To
allow for easier stowing of the craft the sections of the wings outboard of the
tail booms fold up and over the boom housing.

The cockpit of the YLF-6 is a standard central stick and
rudder layout with a holographic display and targeting provided by a Solaris
designed WC4 System and xenon captured emitter. Pilot safety is provided with a
full cockpit ejection system with a self contained 48hr life support system.
(The suggested Mk. II flight suit would add another six hours to this with on-board
stores.)  The cockpit itself is modular
allowing the single cockpit for the light fighter to be removed and replaced in
approximately 2 hours time with an identical single seat or in 4 hours time
with the side by side two seat trainer/bomber version (the increased time is to
remove the rotary coilguns, their ammunition storage and feeds to do so. Rate
of turn barely makes the required 14 second turn rate requirement, yet it does
meet it.

Engine housings open to the bottom side in a clam shell
design allowing for easy access and removal via standard weapons/pod loader
allowing for ease of engine maintenance and replacement. Structural repairs are
a little more problematic due to the materials involved however body panels are
replaceable coming pre-coated with the armor wave. The rotary coilgun’s access
panels as well as those for both the ammunition hopper and feed are just
forward of the engine cowling to either side of the craft allowing the weapons,
their ammunition hopper and feed systems to be pulled as individual units or on
their rack as a single unit. Reloading the ammunition hopper is accomplished
through the hopper access panel.

Quirks:

Cramped cockpit: due to the positioning of the guns the base
alpha model's cockpit (single seat) is a bit cramped. The Trainer/Bomber
version however does not have that problem as the guns and their supporting
modules are removed.

Loud in Vacuum: when firing the Rotary Coilguns mechanical
noise from the loading systems as well as the actual crack of the shot is
audible even through vacuum. 

Aerodynamic in space/atmospheric flyer: whether in space or
in atmosphere the craft always acts as if it is in Atmosphere.
 

[HRogge]

"Jenny, did you hear the rumor about the fighter competition?"

"What, you get something new and you did not told me DIRECTLY?"

"Calm down, calm down... its just a rumor, a friend of mine heard something about one of the other fighters! She says it mounts a dual Gatlin coilgun!"

Jenny smiled. "Perfect, just perfect..."

"What? I told you before our vehicle is not really that well armed... we should not have skipped the bigger booster!"

"I tell you you are wrong, we are just fine. I expect most Fen going in this direction, but I have already an idea what to tell the brass at GJ... trust me!"

[Dartz]

Scratch notes - Pilot's Journal - Shin 'Hachiju' Kazama

"Am I the only person who's having trouble hitting moving Target's with the Bat's canno? I mean, sure it's got a massive punch if you do manage to connect, but that's easier said than done. Three minutes of continuous fire sounds like a lot, but not when you're only putting out 5 rounds a second. Everyone else is putting out ten times that. But if you want to put a dent in something fat or slow, it'll more than do it. That cockpit feels like a nice, secure place to be. It feels like it'll bring you home, and when you get there, the handling is just plain unfussy with no vices. Light weight lets it do exactly what you tell it to, exactly when you tell it. Docking with a Blackbird was tricky because it's a bit bigger than a Zig, but the controls helped. "

"The Cutlass is everything you'd expect from Bellecom at their best. Unfortunately, it's just that bit too large and slightly too short in leg. Same for the Vampire. Technically outclasses everything here by a margin in armaments and surviveability, but that's what you'd expect when the others are small enough to be carried by both of them. If it was my money for myself, I'd buy the Vamp'. But I can't see one ever fitting inside a B-36 hanger bay. "

"The Dragonfly is the only natural two-seater here which makes pilot training much easier, and reduces the workload on the pilot. Side-by-side layout makes a lot of things a lot easier. Twin-engines give it the chance to soak up some damage too. Everything feels tough and the ground-crews love it. It's hard to find anything that it does wrong. Maybe a little too conservative and secure in handling because of it's trainer roots. It needs a little help to make it dogfight. It's a big, friendly dog that never stops reassuring you and making sure you're OK. It's the buddy you want to go to war with."

"The Wasp. It's well named. I wonder if this is how the test-pilots of the first Zero felt? It subscribes to the same philosophy and when you sit in it, feel like you're sitting inside a swiss watch - beautifully precise, but fragile. There's nothing here that doesn't need to be there. It will run rings around everything here, carries just enough weaponry to do damage, and more than enough performance to keep you out of trouble - if you know how to use it properly, and you learn their weird interface paradigm. Otherwise, it's just a fine carbon coffin for a green pilot. When the pilot's only armour is provided by the guns and their ammo-bins, and you're wearing a flightsuit that makes you feel practically naked, you just never, ever feel secure. And it can lawn-dart itself if you fluff the landing and have to go-around. Experts only, and pridefully so. "

"The Trident is a good compromise. Does most things well, nothing badly. AR system is outright fun even if it takes time to get used to and it feels so compact when flying it that you start to go for gaps you really shouldn't. There's no real wing to worry about clipping. Despite the small size, there's a lot of structure around the pilot protecting the blind-spots. The cockpit is a secure place For a first time outing, it is a stellar effort.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[robkelk]

Meanwhile, the folks at the Convention Authority office are looking at the one-page summaries and trying to figure out how much all of this is going to cost... Fenspace!me won't let corners be cut so close that pilots' lives are put at risk, though.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Terrace]

I think we're all in agreement that the Warsies would submit an A-Wing of some kind.

[HRogge]

I think we're all in agreement that the Warsies would submit an A-Wing of some kind.

Would be an interesting statement if they would offer a TIE fighter...

(edit)
Do you think GJ will send queries to the participants how they would resolve certain issues like training, range, ect.?

[robkelk]

Five minutes after this hits the Interwave, Kuat Drive Yards offers up the X-Wing...

--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[HRogge]

Five minutes after this hits the Interwave, Kuat Drive Yards offers up the X-Wing...

This doesn't say much...

is it a movie X-wing like model made from paper? A WW2 double-decker names X-Wing? Something else?

(edit) were they stupid enough to enter their Boskone War time machine to the contest?

[robkelk]

Five minutes after this hits the Interwave, Kuat Drive Yards offers up the X-Wing...

This doesn't say much...

is it a movie X-wing like model made from paper? A WW2 double-decker names X-Wing? Something else?

(edit) were they stupid enough to enter their Boskone War time machine to the contest?

Kuat Drive Yards is the Warsie shipbuilding facility on Mars.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Rajvik]

"James have you seen this?" James looked up from the wiring he was soldering together to look at his wife and the tablet she was holding. Loviatar held the tablet out for him to take, "The board," she made air quotes at this point. "Leaked one of the pilot reviews of the spacecraft. He says that he was having trouble hitting things with the cannon."

The anthropomorphic wolf sighed. "I thought we had the lead piper programming in the model four?"

His wife looked at him, "I thought you took the Bat up for its test flight?"

"I did," James replied. "but I didn't use the weapons system, just put it through its paces maneuverability wise." Again he sighed, "check the specs on the model 4 please, and tell me if it is at least supposed to have the lead piper. If it isn't then this is my fault for using it, if it is i want to know who didn't do their damn job."
 

[Dartz]

Well, that as based on the RoF, which is low for an aircraft weapon. At high speed, you've got a lot of distance between bullets - more than enough to fit another aircraft. There's a reason modern aircraft cannon fire at 2-3000rpm. The Russians have one that shoots at 6000.... (Which was notorious for shaking the plane it was bolted to apart, and damaging everything within a 200 yard radius of a ground target with shell fragments and richochets - including the attacking aircraft)
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[JakeGrey]

Hope I'm not too late...

Name: JHS Industries Viper Interceptor
Overall Length: 35 metres
Wingspan: 20 Metres
Mass: circa 17,500kg unloaded
Top speed: 1400MPH in atmosphere or 0.1c in space on conventional drives, up to 0.2c with afterburners
Armament: One spinal-mounted gun, various options available, and four underwing hardpoints.
Crew: 1 or 2 humanoids

http://wiki.alioth.net/img_auth.php/9/99/Viper.png

The Viper started life as a simple conversion job on the Cobra Mk1F, a design notable mainly for being the first fencraft based on the Elite IP. The initial proposal was to use the space formerly occupied by the hold and living quarters to fit two extra drive units and some more fuel tanks and fitting the cockpit with an ejection system, but the result lost too much manoueverability and exacerbated the Cobra's already high fuel consumption.

Still wanting to compete in the F-EZig replacement contest and having a perfectly satisfactory engine and avionics to work with, the design team started working on a new airframe to go with them. The result was the Viper. Massing half as much as its predecessor, the result is 30% faster on conventional drives and has a turn rate of no more than nine seconds at 0.16c. The demonstration model was fitted with a 76mm railgun with a triple-feed magazine holding up to 90 rounds; other options include twin 30mm rotary cannon with eight hundred rounds per gun or a 2MW laser.

At the request of both the Extraordinary Events Agency and Great Justice, John Henry Station Industries, Incorporated are offering the Viper to government customers only.