Aviation Monthly |
Aviation Monthly |
13 Jan 2014, 4:32
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Group: Dev. Team Posts: 838 Joined: 7 June 2009 From: Southeastern USA Member No.: 47 |
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 -------------------- "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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18 Feb 2014, 0:14
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Group: Dev. Team Posts: 838 Joined: 7 June 2009 From: Southeastern USA Member No.: 47 |
Since this one was revealed in Doomhammer's livecast I don't think my balls are in danger of being cut off with a rusty spoon if I post this here. And that's just about it for the US aircraft!
Boeing EAL-797 Guardian Angel: The success of DARPA's High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) mounted on the F-22X King Raptor and select other US aircraft during the Global War on Terror, as well as its spinoff the Perimeter And Local Area Defense Integrated Network (PALADIN) system on the M1A4 Abrams and AN/TWQ-1L Laser Avenger inspired the US Air Force to take a bold step with the next generation of AWACS aircraft. As problems with maintaining the aging Boeing 707-based airframes of the USAF's AWACS and ELINT aircraft became prevalent during the first few decades of the 21st century, it became apparent that a successor was needed. Even though the Air Force had to deal with post-war spending cuts, advances in computer technology allowed for all AWACS and ELINT tasks to be consolidated in one aircraft type. The US Air Force was highly pleased by the performance of the HELLADS system during the Global War on Terror but the funding wasn't there to retrofit the entire current generation of aircraft. That said, the USAF didn't wish to leave the airfleet without the protection afforded by laser defenses. However, DARPA had a radical plan for the USAF's needs. Boeing's EAL-797 was an innovative solution to the problem. Based off of Boeing's new 797 airliner, the EAL-797 combined AWACS and ELINT devices in one airframe, as well as a scaled down version of Westinghouse's chemical oxygen iodine high energy laser that was the competitor to General Dynamics' high amperage tritium charged particle beam SDI system. Although the Advanced Tactical Laser mounted on the EAL-797's energy output is much lower than the emplaced SDI version, the ATL is more than powerful enough to disintegrate missiles and aircraft fuselages from long range. Details are still classified but it is known that the laser has an energy output in excess of 150 kW and a range of at least 300 km, giving it longer range than Raytheon's more compact but more expensive solid state laser combat tested on F-35s. Given the immense amount of data collected by an EAL-797 Guardian Angel while in operation an AI core is far more efficient and effective than an on-board team of human operators. The aircraft's radome contains a powerful multi-frequency phased array radar which serves as both an active and passive sensor. The aircraft also has a LANTIRN-type TERFLW kit and a Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) radar system underneath the main fuselage, and its computers can easily interact with the sensors and communication systems of friendly UAVs and the F-22 and F-35 aircraft, using them to gather information for tactical analysis which is then broadcast back to friendly forces in the area. For defense, the Guardian Angel has an AN/ASQ-184 system controlling the AN/ALQ-161 ECM block, chaff-flare dispensers, and an IR jammer in addition to the nose mounted Advanced Tactical Laser. This post has been edited by DerKrieger: 29 May 2014, 16:27 -------------------- "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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