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Aviation Monthly
Cobretti
post 13 Jan 2014, 4:32
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Hey guys, this is the first installment on a magazine style review of the weapons and technology used in the ROTR world. I'll be doing most of the US aircraft first, I do plan on moving on to other faction's aircraft later on and perhaps expanding to ground vehicles, firearms, and warships. (Ever wanted to learn more about the Spirit of Freedom and it's sister ship?) Here's the first part:

Aviation Monthly: September 203x
United States Airpower, Part I
- Written by Amy Kelly
As tensions rise in Eurasia over the recent skirmishes in Africa and economic stagnation in Russia, so too has the specter of another major war in Europe and the eventual American involvement. Despite the downfall of NATO after the ill-advised US retreat from Europe 15 years ago, the Bradford administration maintains a strong anti-Russian expansionist policy and indications hint at possible military and economic action in favor of the European Continental Alliance should hostilities break out.

Ever since the Second World War, the United States military has relied extensively on air dominance to achieve battlefield superiority. As any member of the USAF or Naval Air Force can tell you, no US soldier or Marine on the ground has been killed by enemy aircraft since the Korean War. Even after the post GWOT cutbacks, the US military has maintained a strong Air Force and naval air capabilities, and seeks to further expand said capabilities in an ever more dangerous world. This article seeks to explore information about the aircraft used today by the various branches of the US armed forces.

TRANSPORT/AIRLIFT:
Though the majority of heavy airlifting by the USAF is done today by conventional aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules and C-17B Globemaster III, VTOL aircraft have become a more and more capable replacement for helicopters and light cargo transport.

Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey: Although the V-22 Osprey had a troubled development phase, today it serves as the main medium lift aircraft used by the US Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy. Even though newer designs such as the V-25 Goshawk are planned to eventually phase out the Osprey, it still sees heavy use as a transport aircraft by American combat forces and will see heavy use in the foreseeable future.

Bell-Boeing V-25 Goshawk: The V-25 Goshawk is one of the newest aircraft used by the US Armed forces, and is the end result of the JMR-Heavy Future Vertical Lift program. By the end of the last decade, the US Army desired a new VTOL transport to replace the aging CH-47 Chinook fleet, which had been wearing out through heavy use in the past two decades. Although the Army had declined to take part in the V-22 program, they looked with interest in the further development of tiltrotor aircraft. The V-25 Goshawk was the intermediate step between the light V-22 Osprey and the heavy V-34 Starlifter II. Compared to the CH-47 Chinook, the V-25 is capable of carrying more cargo faster, longer, and at a higher altitude. As an infantry carrier, it can transport a platoon of infantry or a single Cougar MRAP or HMMWV. In contrast to the Osprey, the Goshawk is a semi-tilt-wing with 250% more wing surface, roughly 60% of which tilts along with the engine nacelles, and a lifting body, significantly improving glide capability and allowing to remove the fancy - and heavy - transmission, converting the engines to straight-up carbon composite turbine turboprops with only standard reduction gearboxes remaining. Today, the US Army and US Navy are the main users of the V-25 Goshawk whilst the USMC and US Air Force are considering purchasing them to replace their aging Ospreys.

Bell-Boeing V-34 Starlifter II: The first examples of the V-44 entered the late prototype testing phase during the end of the GLA War, but budget cutbacks slowed its entry into service until quite recently. By the end of the last decade, the US Army desired a new VTOL transport to replace the aging CH-47 Chinook fleet, which had been wearing out through heavy use in the past two decades. Although the Army had declined to take part in the V-22 program, they looked with interest in the further development of tiltrotor aircraft. As the end result of the Bell-Boeing Quad Tilt Rotor program, the V-34 is the direct replacement of the CH-47 Chinook and the CH-53 Super Stallion, and is planned to phase out the C-130J Super Hercules. The quad tilt rotor engines give it a cruising speed of over 350 knots and allow it to land in places the C-130 cannot. It is capable of carrying around 26,000 kilograms of cargo (or several M5A1 Schwarzkopf ”Crusader” light tanks or IFVs), or 110 paratroopers/150 infantry.

Lockheed-Martin C-130J Super Hercules, Boeing C-17B Globemaster III, & Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy: When heavier lifting is required by the US military’s expeditionary forces, the fixed wing airfleet comes into play. Though the C-130J Super Hercules and C-5M Super Galaxy are old (yet proven and popular) designs, the more advanced Boeing C-17B Globemaster III is an increasingly common sight in the US Air Force as well as the air forces of other nations. The C-17 underwent a mid-life upgrade even before the newer export production run, including double-slotted flaps, an additional main landing gear on center fuselage, more powerful engines (F-117-PW-200 turbofans) and other systems for shorter landing and take-off distances, a LANTIRN AN/AAQ-13 pod and passive radar installed into the nose, and an optional bulkhead separating the troop bay from the cargo bay for passenger comfort.

~~~

I hope you enjoyed the first part, stay tuned for Part 2!

This post has been edited by DerKrieger: 29 May 2014, 15:52


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"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."-- George S. Patton


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Cobretti
post 23 Jan 2014, 20:14
Post #2



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Group: Dev. Team
Posts: 838
Joined: 7 June 2009
From: Southeastern USA
Member No.: 47



Aviation Monthly, October 203x
US Airpower, Part III
By Dan Kim

HELICOPTERS:


Sikorsky UH-60N Ghosthawk/MH-60 Seahawk:
This stealthy evolution of the UH-60 Blackhawk proved to be a less expensive alternative successor for the Blackhawk helicopter. Infamous for its first known use in the bin Laden raid in Abbottabad back in 2011, the Ghosthawk combined the proven airframe and design of the Blackhawk with a stealthier fuselage and more advanced electronics. The UH-60N features updated engines and a new lightweight composite fuselage giving it greater speed and maneuverability than the first generation Ghosthawk, and has a fly-by-wire system and a Common Avionics Architecture System cockpit suite. The US Navy uses the MH-60 Seahawk as a transportation and SAR helicopter, it's anti-submarine and reconnaissance purpose supplemented by the MQ-23A Guardian tilt-rotor.

Bell UH-1Y Venom:
The UH-1Y Venom serves as the main light transport helicopter of the US Marine Corps, and has received incremental upgrades since its initial deployment back in 2008.

McDonnell-Douglas MH-6M Little Bird: The MH-6M Little Bird is the main light attack helicopter and Special Forces utility helicopter used by the US Army's 160th SOAR. It remains in use as it can insert and extract special forces in situations the V-25 and UH-60N cannot.

Boeing AH-64E/F Apache Guardian: The AH-64E Apache Guardian was the US Army's main attack helicopter through the 2010s-2020s. During the Global War on Terror, however, concerns arose over the vulnerability of the Apache to ground fire. Losses during Operation Iraqi Freedom and an incident in Yemen early during the conflict with the GLA where several Apache gunships were shot down, necessitating a rescue operation led to the US Army to consider a new stealthier gunship design. Today the AH-64E is commonly seen in reserve units and the armed forces of foreign nations, as most front-line US attack helicopter units have since transitioned to the AH-66B and AH-64F since the end of the Global War on Terror.

The F model of the Apache further improved the Apache's electronics, speed and operational ceiling as well as introducing a faster and less-vulnerable vectored thrust ducted propeller tail design. The AH-64F model was also adopted by the Israeli Defense Force and the Japanese (under the title "Yumi") and Korean armed forces in addition to the US Army.

Bell AH-1Z Viper: Even though the US Army has mainly moved on with a new attack helicopter design, the US Marines maintain their AH-1Z Viper gunships. Like the UH-1Y little major upgrades have taken place to the airframe.

Bell MQ-23A Guardian: Due to concerns about the lack of space on warships for helicopters, particularly aboard the Freedom and Independence class littoral combat ships, the US Navy decided to develop a new UAV that would cheaply and more compactly perform reconnaissance and ASW missions. Bell's MQ-23 Guardian tilt-rotor design, based loosely on their Eagle Eye concept aircraft, won the competition and subsequently replaced the MQ-8 Fire Scout as a reconnaissance platform as well as performing anti-submarine duties.
The MQ-23A utilizes a single GE T700 turbo-shaft to power its twin transverse six-blade ducted rotors modified for low acoustic signatures, and is equipped with an AQS-13 dipping sonar as standard as well as two Mark 54 MAKO torpedoes. It is also capable of mounting Elint, FLIR, and anti-surface radar pods.

Boeing-Sikorsky AH-66B Comanche:
The AH-64 Apache’s vulnerability to AA systems was an increasingly troubling factor during the Global War on Terror. A particularly notable event was during the invasion of GLA-controlled Yemen where several Apache gunships were shot down, necessitating a rescue operation for the stranded aircrew. However, Boeing-Sikorsky had a somewhat inexpensive solution in mind; the AH-66B, an enhanced gunship version of the canceled Comanche reconnaissance helicopter.

The AH-66B Comanche was first used by units such as the 160th SOAR whenever stealth was needed. Its stealth and agility were well liked and it was only a matter of time until the US Army and Marine Corps began to order the aircraft in number. The helicopter's advanced fly-by-wire makes it easier to pilot than previous generations of helicopters and its targeting system is a unique innovation. Previous gunship targeting systems were connected to the gunner's helmet, pointing the gunship's cannon at wherever the gunner is looking. The Comanche's advanced targeting system takes this premise one step further and actually monitors the gunner's eyes making targeting virtually instantaneous and incredibly precise. Additionally, the Comanche features a sophisticated sensor suite with a low-profile rotor mounted AESA radar, passive radar and ground search radar, as well as an ECM suite, Link-16 data-links, and UAV control compatibility. The helicopter is powered by two Honeywell T800-6H hydrogen turbo-shafts with 2,100 horsepower each.

As for armament the AH-66B retains the internal arms bay of its predecessor and is capable of carrying AGM-305 Joint Air-To-Ground Missiles, Hydra-70 rockets, and AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles. The AH-66’s stub wings are capable of mounting extra armament if necessary, though this degrades the stealth capability of the helicopter as long as unstealthy armament is carried on the wings. The rotor blades are made out of ceramic nanocomposites, the same material as the bulk of the fuselage.

This post has been edited by DerKrieger: 7 Oct 2015, 17:08


--------------------
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."-- George S. Patton


Resquiescat in pace, CommanderJB 1991-2009
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- DerKrieger   Aviation Monthly   13 Jan 2014, 4:32
- - MARS   Very cool premise, although some of the technical ...   13 Jan 2014, 7:09
- - DerKrieger   Ah, my bad, I thought that WWIII started in 2039 r...   13 Jan 2014, 20:20
- - MARS   As for the MOBs, I currently operate under the pre...   14 Jan 2014, 9:27
- - swedishplayer-97   (sorry if off-topic) MARS, I think I have found a ...   14 Jan 2014, 13:16
- - MARS   To be honest, I'd simply ignore those two name...   14 Jan 2014, 15:25
- - DerKrieger   QUOTE (MARS @ 14 Jan 2014, 3:27) By the w...   14 Jan 2014, 19:38
- - Kalga   QUOTE (MARS @ 14 Jan 2014, 9:25) To be ho...   14 Jan 2014, 22:19
- - DerKrieger   GUNSHIPS: ((NB: There may be another addition to ...   17 Jan 2014, 2:29
- - MARS   Again, a very nice factual breakdown of the variou...   17 Jan 2014, 8:40
- - DerKrieger   Alright, I was under the impression that the gunsh...   17 Jan 2014, 20:02
- - swedishplayer-97   Sometimes I wonder, Kriger, if you read descriptio...   17 Jan 2014, 20:52
- - MARS   Easy there, Swedish, not everyone can dedicate as ...   17 Jan 2014, 21:35
- - Serialkillerwhale   They may name the carriers after presidents, but o...   19 Jan 2014, 12:53
- - DerKrieger   Aviation Monthly: October 203x: US Airpower, Part ...   23 Jan 2014, 3:39
- - DerKrieger   Aviation Monthly, October 203x US Airpower, Part I...   23 Jan 2014, 20:14
- - DerKrieger   Aviation Monthly, November 203x US Airpower, Part ...   3 Feb 2014, 5:31
- - DerKrieger   Ok folks, there will be two more US aircraft that ...   8 Feb 2014, 21:31
- - swedishplayer-97   That's one interesting take on the Aurora scan...   8 Feb 2014, 21:37
- - DerKrieger   For sure, it was the most obvious way to interpret...   9 Feb 2014, 0:07
- - Pepo   is me or did you forget the f-117 good job wit...   9 Feb 2014, 0:33
- - DerKrieger   I didn't, I couldn't figure out a plausibl...   9 Feb 2014, 0:46
- - swedishplayer-97   The Nighthawk is obviously not an F-35. Maybe you ...   9 Feb 2014, 1:40
- - Knossos   A credible explanation would be that when the F-35...   9 Feb 2014, 6:15
- - 8igDaddy8lake   It might also be reasonable because the F117 is on...   9 Feb 2014, 7:16
- - MARS   Personally, I've always operated under the min...   9 Feb 2014, 8:16
- - DerKrieger   QUOTE (Knossos @ 9 Feb 2014, 0:15) A cred...   9 Feb 2014, 15:38
|- - Kalga   QUOTE (DerKrieger @ 9 Feb 2014, 9:38) Giv...   9 Feb 2014, 15:54
- - MARS   ^ Right. I'd probably go for the F-35 as the U...   9 Feb 2014, 15:56
- - DerKrieger   I had decided to go with the explanation that in t...   9 Feb 2014, 16:33
- - swedishplayer-97   So... this... wait, now, uh... is this canon or no...   9 Feb 2014, 16:40
- - MARS   Parts of it can be, yes. I'll give this some p...   9 Feb 2014, 17:24
- - DerKrieger   QUOTE (swedishplayer-97 @ 9 Feb 2014, 10...   9 Feb 2014, 17:36
- - 8igDaddy8lake   To be honest, I believe the Nighthawk should be re...   10 Feb 2014, 3:47
- - 8igDaddy8lake   Also, some more research I did suggests that it co...   10 Feb 2014, 3:51
- - DerKrieger   QUOTE (8igDaddy8lake @ 9 Feb 2014, 21:47)...   10 Feb 2014, 4:07
- - 8igDaddy8lake   Ah, didn't see that about the FQ-47, thanks fo...   10 Feb 2014, 4:22
|- - MARS   QUOTE (8igDaddy8lake @ 10 Feb 2014, 4:22)...   10 Feb 2014, 7:36
- - DerKrieger   No problem, the "X" designation is used ...   10 Feb 2014, 4:31
- - 8igDaddy8lake   I get it. It makes a lot of sense, and it wouldn...   11 Feb 2014, 3:15
- - 8igDaddy8lake   And I wonder about the designation for the X-47. Y...   11 Feb 2014, 3:30
- - DerKrieger   QUOTE (8igDaddy8lake @ 10 Feb 2014, 21:15...   11 Feb 2014, 3:58
|- - 8igDaddy8lake   QUOTE (DerKrieger @ 10 Feb 2014, 21:58) I...   11 Feb 2014, 6:33
- - MARS   The Vulcan bombers were actually one of the first ...   11 Feb 2014, 8:39
- - DerKrieger   Alright, just got to do a revised US AWACS and the...   11 Feb 2014, 20:26
- - DerKrieger   Since this one was revealed in Doomhammer's li...   18 Feb 2014, 0:14
- - DerKrieger   Alright, here's a short write-up on the new Vu...   18 Feb 2014, 19:27
- - Karpet   The last Avro Vulcan type is the Vulcan B.2 so I g...   21 Feb 2014, 3:44
- - DerKrieger   Going to switch gears here for a moment and do som...   27 Feb 2014, 21:22
- - swedishplayer-97   Hmm, MARS and DerKriger, would it be okay if we us...   28 Feb 2014, 10:07
- - DerKrieger   You have my permission to use any of the descripti...   28 Feb 2014, 16:25
- - Dylan   QUOTE (DerKrieger @ 28 Feb 2014, 1:52) Go...   5 Mar 2014, 17:40
- - DerKrieger   Due to request, I've decided to do something o...   10 Mar 2014, 20:24
- - Svea Rike Soldier   Interesting backstories, there man. I was wonderin...   10 Mar 2014, 20:50
- - MARS   Very nice. It kinda branches off from canon, but I...   10 Mar 2014, 21:00
- - DerKrieger   I intended for the Kodiak to be a T-90 variant but...   10 Mar 2014, 21:30
- - TornadoADV   There is plenty of logical reasons for the F-117 t...   12 Mar 2014, 12:52
|- - 8igDaddy8lake   QUOTE (TornadoADV @ 12 Mar 2014, 6:52) Th...   12 Mar 2014, 16:19
|- - TornadoADV   QUOTE (8igDaddy8lake @ 12 Mar 2014, 10:19...   12 Mar 2014, 21:13
- - DerKrieger   Back when I first started this series, I was consi...   13 Mar 2014, 13:53
|- - TornadoADV   QUOTE (DerKrieger @ 13 Mar 2014, 7:53) Ba...   13 Mar 2014, 17:00
|- - 8igDaddy8lake   QUOTE (TornadoADV @ 13 Mar 2014, 11:00) T...   14 Mar 2014, 2:44
|- - TornadoADV   QUOTE (8igDaddy8lake @ 13 Mar 2014, 20:44...   14 Mar 2014, 5:30
|- - 8igDaddy8lake   QUOTE (TornadoADV @ 13 Mar 2014, 23:30) T...   15 Mar 2014, 21:54
|- - TornadoADV   QUOTE (8igDaddy8lake @ 15 Mar 2014, 15:54...   15 Mar 2014, 22:40
- - DerKrieger   Allow me to step in. Recently I had the idea that ...   15 Mar 2014, 23:10
|- - TornadoADV   QUOTE (DerKrieger @ 15 Mar 2014, 17:10) A...   16 Mar 2014, 3:10
- - Pepo   the only logical explanation would be that the USA...   15 Mar 2014, 23:30
- - MARS   Just to add some insight from our perspective: The...   16 Mar 2014, 7:09
- - DerKrieger   And here's the second request, the Chinese Twi...   27 Mar 2014, 16:44
|- - teslashark   QUOTE (DerKrieger @ 27 Mar 2014, 8:44) An...   1 Apr 2014, 3:44
- - MARS   A very nice take on the decidedly non-Chinese visu...   27 Mar 2014, 20:25
- - DerKrieger   A little side item for the Twin Fang: Type 23 Per...   30 Mar 2014, 18:31
- - TornadoADV   No update for the Grey Dragon?   1 Apr 2014, 2:41
- - DerKrieger   Ok, here's a quick one: F-117B Nighthawk: Dur...   2 Apr 2014, 21:05
- - Svea Rike Soldier   Very nice explanation there, but the US still use ...   2 Apr 2014, 21:26
- - DerKrieger   Oh, as an addendum the F-117B's engines would...   2 Apr 2014, 22:14
- - 8igDaddy8lake   Nice addendum on the Nighthawk, makes much more se...   3 Apr 2014, 18:29
|- - Neo3602   QUOTE (8igDaddy8lake @ 3 Apr 2014, 11:29)...   3 Apr 2014, 21:40
- - DerKrieger   The F-117B retained the ability to deploy Paveway ...   4 Apr 2014, 0:22
- - Svea Rike Soldier   A question: Will you cover small-arms weapons, suc...   12 Apr 2014, 22:58
- - DerKrieger   A very good question! I do take requests for f...   12 Apr 2014, 23:32
- - Svea Rike Soldier   Okay nice, 'cause I've always wondered the...   12 Apr 2014, 23:37
- - DerKrieger   I've been thinking about it. I believe the US ...   13 Apr 2014, 0:02
|- - TheD3rp   QUOTE (DerKrieger @ 12 Apr 2014, 16:02) I...   13 Apr 2014, 0:52
|- - Svea Rike Soldier   QUOTE (DerKrieger @ 13 Apr 2014, 1:02) I...   13 Apr 2014, 13:24
- - MARS   ^ Seeing how they're literally Conscripts, the...   13 Apr 2014, 7:05
- - TornadoADV   Could use the 6.8mm Grendel CAR variant, the M-416...   13 Apr 2014, 9:20
- - DerKrieger   QUOTE (TornadoADV @ 13 Apr 2014, 4:20) Co...   13 Apr 2014, 14:03
- - 8igDaddy8lake   I always thought it would be interesting to see th...   14 Apr 2014, 22:31
|- - Svea Rike Soldier   QUOTE (8igDaddy8lake @ 14 Apr 2014, 22:31...   14 Apr 2014, 22:49
|- - 8igDaddy8lake   QUOTE (Svea Rike Soldier @ 14 Apr 2014, 16...   17 Apr 2014, 4:40
- - DerKrieger   Here's an update on the Jagdmammut! Rhein...   15 Apr 2014, 4:58
- - Svea Rike Soldier   Fascinating story, Krieger.   15 Apr 2014, 15:27
- - TornadoADV   Just as an aside, you don't want to use laser ...   16 Apr 2014, 5:41
- - MARS   It's down in the Felin render description in t...   17 Apr 2014, 6:26
- - teslashark   Just posting the link to my plane story here for K...   18 Apr 2014, 0:38
- - DerKrieger   Pretty cool, I was thinking about stating that the...   18 Apr 2014, 22:32
- - 8igDaddy8lake   I see. Very interesting stuff, and makes a lot of ...   19 Apr 2014, 1:34
- - TheD3rp   Can we have some info on the main US recon plane?(...   19 Apr 2014, 5:22
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