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Glorious Arstotzka

17 (16%)

Glorious Moskurg

13 (12.3%)

Ingloriously Didn't Play

76 (71.7%)

Total Members Voted: 106

[Mulisa]

Something Mysterious!
As the end result of some shady dealings El Presidente has been involved with, Cannala has gained an Espionage Credit. El Presidente won't tell his own engineers what he did to get the services of a spy. Forenians are aware that there is a spy in their midst, and have been told to watch their neighbors for any sign they may be a Cannalan traitor.

Can we get a bonus to catching the spy; He'll obviously be the one guy who dislikes both Arak and Vodka and has smuggled in rum on him. 

[Azzuro]

UFAF-CT-38 "Albatross"
A four-engined transport and cargo aircraft with a 32-metre wingspan, its flight characteristics are optimised for fuel endurance and payload weight. It has a pressurised interior cabin with a reinforced flooring capable of holding a minimum of 8 tons of cargo, a platoon of paratroopers, or a (very) light tank, accessed mainly through a rear cargo ramp that can be lowered in flight. Four 14-cylinder radial engines turning four-bladed propellers produce the thrust necessary to get it airborne, fed by self-sealing fuel tanks that provide a measure of hardiness. It is designed to land only on Long runways with retractable landing gear. There are side ports in the fuselage for two M3 Sorraia GPMGs on each side for the paratrooper transport variant, although simpler pintle mounts are used instead of ball turrets to save weight and the GPMGs are stripped out on the cargo variant.


Slightly revised, now with two GPMGs on each side. The cargo variant won't have the MGs and their ammo for weight saving, but the mounts will be there for easy conversion to paratransport role.

I will point out that having even a few weapons is better than having none at all for a plane that will double as paratrooper transport. Even 2 (infantry) machineguns a side is a lot when 20-30 planes are flying in formation, forcing enemy fighters to attack from fewer directions and easing the task of escorting fighters. Our paratroopers are all going to die horribly, so please let it be on the ground where we can scrap up some remains to send home instead of in the air. Furthermore, the Albatross is our venture into the field of self-sealing fuel tanks, which are quite essential to the survivability of all aircraft and will help it in particular against flak fire.

'Reckless Effect' Transport Aircraft (2): Taricus, Khan Boyzitbig
UFAF-CT-38 "Albatross" Cargo Transport (1): Azzuro

[Taricus]

Pintle mounted MGs... not gonna work due to the speed and altitude of the craft. Besides, we'll have adequate fighter cover anyway.

[Azzuro]

They are a cheap way to force enemy aircraft to attack from specific directions. And I know we're planning on having air superiority, but it would greatly ease the job of escorting fighters, especially as paratransport aircraft are likely to fly at mid-level altitudes in huge numbers to drop troops, making them a prime target for any and all fighters.

[Taricus]

It's a pintle mount on an aircraft. It's not going to force any enemy aircraft to engage from a different direction.

[NUKE9.13]

The Independent Forenian
For the people, by the people.
Unsanctioned rioting causes chaos in City-77.
Showing once again that the Ministry of Riots is too lenient, a thirty-seven hour long riot that spilled out of designated rioting zones and onto the main roads caused chaos in Arstotzka's provincial capital. Homes and businesses were damaged by the out-of-control rioters, and several non-participants were seriously injured. Eventually the riot subsided, but only due to a blizzard blowing in from the south. The government has refused to comment. Who will save us from this escalating violence?
Continued on page 4.

Cannalan invention causes casualties on all fronts!
In an exclusive interview with the Independent, an officer (who wishes to remain nameless) explained the reason for losses in the southern tundra, as well as the failure to completely capture the northern jungle. "They've put these giant guns on their troop transports. It looks stupid as ****, but loaded with their new shells the damn thing can tear through a T2. What I want to know is what the design bureau is thinking, wasting their time playing with boats, whilst the real soldiers are dying on the ground?"
A representative of Forenia's top engineers had this to say: "Well, yes, but have you seen our new carrier? It only costs 4/2, you know? 4/2!". The Independent has not been able to decipher these comments.
Continued on page 6.

Victory for provincial rights: Unification Party loses seats.
The Arsotzkan Nationalist Party and Moskurg Nationalists both gained seats in recent by-elections, with the Unification Party decidedly the loser. Other parties also managed to chip away at the UP's stranglehold on power, raising hopes that the goliath may yet fall, and return power to the people. Whilst some have called for further elections to be postponed till the end of the war, several constitutional judges have stated that despite ongoing hostilities, elections must continue to be held.
"If we suspend democracy simply because of a brief scrap in the middle of the ocean, we'd be no better than the Cannalans we are fighting", said one.
The next opportunity to oust the UP from power will be in the summer of 1941.
Continued on page 5.

Foreign agents afoot in Forenia!
Alarming reports suggest that spies may have infiltrated Forenia. The dissolution of Arstotzka and Moskurg's spy agencies in favour of the Ministry of Counterespionage is looking like a worse idea by the day. Many are concerned that spies may try to prevent rioting, leading to a catastrophic buildup of aggression.
Continued on page 7.

WIP. May expand/edit articles or add more depending on what other papers have to say, or if anyone has any suggestions.

[evictedSaint]

I like the article!  It could use a positive note, though. Maybe mention getting the Research Credit and our success up north?

 
We need a dedicated transporter that can do 1 TC.  That is our minimum.  Our goal is 2 TC, if we get lucky.

You know what I realized this morning?  You guys should vote for the Reckless Effect because if you do, we could spend the revision on this (assuming the design goes well).

Close Air Support UFAF-CAS-38 'Devastating Effect' Pattern B
Description: Modified MTA-38 'Reckless Effect'.  One 90mm Bumblebee is mounted inside, barrel poking out the starboard side.  High lift and fuel means long loitering time.  Can provide radio-requested close air support to troops on the ground.  Light armoring protects the pilot, gunner, and crucial areas of the plane.  Requires absolute air control of an area before deployment.
    Dimensions: 25 meters long, 35 meter wingspan.
    Cargo Hold: 12 meters long by 2.5x2.5 meter cross-section.
    Max Load: 8,000 kg
    Engines: 4 V12 Radial wing-mounted engines.
    Armament: 1x90mm Bumblebee with targeting equipment, side-mounted.
    Armour: Light to protect against small-arms fire.
    Other stuff: Both Encryption and Decryption radios for communication.

[Azzuro]

Spoiler: MG pintle mounted on German Ju 52 transport aircraft (click to show/hide)

Enough of them will, when mounted on enough aircraft.

[Taricus]

Given that this is likely a high-altitude aircraft. We'll want the cabin pressurised. Which means no MGs like that

[Azzuro]

Given that this is likely a high-altitude aircraft. We'll want the cabin pressurised. Which means no MGs like that

Which is why the MGs are only for the paratransport version, which will mainly fly at altitudes low enough to fire the MGs out of closable ports. Otherwise by that reasoning you couldn't drop the rear ramp for jumps as that would depressurize the cabin too.

Again, the MGs aren't mean to be the one and only defense the aircraft has, just a cheap way to add some defense using weapons that are very common in our army.

[evictedSaint]

Or, alternatively, we could design a version without guns for transport hauling and paratrooping, and revise a version for close ground support

[Azzuro]

I like your design too, but I worry it's too simple for an entire design action, as the only advancement we're making is essentially going from three to four-engined aircraft. If you add the self-sealing fuel tanks from mine to yours, and switch the shoulder wings to mid-level or anhedralled, then we could merge our designs.

EDIT: And change the name to a single word!

[Taricus]

Well, it may be simple but it does increase the chance of it being high quality.

[evictedSaint]

Ambition is the slayer of designs.  It's already larger than anything in our hanger and has a greater lifting capacity. If our goal is a working version then a humble design is best, so this is already pushing it.

Self-sealing fuel tanks add weight and take up space.  The Reckless Effect is already doing everything in its power to cut corners and weight, and since it's a non-combat craft self-sealing tanks are unnecessary.  Segmented tanks is a better choice, restricting how much fuel can be lost if an individual tank is ruptured.

And why one name?  Reckless Effect is a cool name.

[Strongpoint]

UFS-SS-38 "Barracuda"
Barracuda is a two thousand ton displacement merchant submarine capable to bypass enemy blockades. It is powered by diesel-electric engines with combined power of 750Kw.  It has complement of 5 officers and 40 sailors.Barracuda's cruise speed is 10 knots surfaced or 5 knots submerged.


I say design this (with a design credit) than spend a revision for a combat version of it (we can even think about submarine aircraft carrier). It looks way more practical than transporting oil and ore on aircrafts. Also, submarine like this can be very useful for various design competitions that happened in two previous games.