Firestorm:
Military Design: Firestorm(Easy) (4+3)+1 = 8: Unexpected Boon
((STOP GETTING GOOD ROLLS JESUS CHRIST))Welll... they've done it again, we suppose.
Firestorm is amazing, it's a marvel of Merethan engineering, bla bla bla you get the gist. We've gone over this amazed introduction before. Unfortunately after some discussion we
are in fact being billed for the windows in the spaceport after a test pilot got a little too cocky with their stunts.
The Firestorm is, in essence, not actually that much of a challenge. Just an amalgam of the nicer parts of designs we've already made. Engine from a Starknight using fuel from Skyrangers. COMBAT plating added, throw in some existing weapons, RCS thrusters, and a docking system. This is still a lot to do, which is why it's best done with the scope of a design and nothing less, but there's a reason behind doing so well.
It obviously looks based off of a Blizzard. But much sleeker, and with stubbier (4x Tereshkova effect) wings pushed to the back and feeling more like extrusions of the hull rather than actual wings. The entire craft is obsidian black, with subtle bronze highlights from the full encasing of COMBAT plating coming through. Looking closely reveals intricate and fascinating "wavy" patterns similar to damascus steel -- an unintentional appearance in COMBAT plating.
When fully closed, the cockpit doesn't stand out at all, being covered in the same COMBAT plating and not even forming a bulge in the top-front of the craft. It's surprisingly spacy compared to other aircraft on the inside for the one pilot. Blue accent lighting (and regular white LEDs if you're
boring) illuminate the interior, with its surprisingly sparse controls and instruments.
This is thanks to the breakthrough we made while implementing the Birdbrain. Enter the
Ravenmind Combat Assistive Computer, a single electronic computer inside the craft, placed behind the pilot's seat and going back into the chassis. It's relatively large, but it is extremely impressive. It can control all the weapons on the craft, monitor enemies and predicted flight paths (to a degree, SEEM pilots are annoyingly unpredictable), come up with plans for evasive manuevering and emergency manuevers in any condition, and more. When allowed by the pilot, the Ravenmind has control to flight systems as well. It can also be partially dismantled by the pilot without getting out of their cockpit, in the impossible scenario it malfunctions.
Based off of the more primitive one used in the Blizzard, a transparent screen on the cockpit glass serves as advanced heads-up display. It communicates
everything, from Ravenmind's predictions and recommendations to altitude, systems status, crosshairs over enemies, capacitor/Magmagel stores,
everything. It also has an amazing four colors! Holocubes also provide an in-depth look at their surroundings (such as showing all nearby friendly and enemy aircraft as known by the Ravenmind), exact 3D status of every system in the airspacecraft, and even a novel technique of communication where our commanders' (pixelated) talking heads can be transmitted to pilots for greater morale and easier transmission of orders.
Finally in this area, Ravenminds can communicate wirelessly with other nearby Ravenminds. While the density and bandwidth of the data is nowhere close to that of a Datalink cable, the transmitted information can be invaluable. Not only will you see what every other pilot in your area sees, but you'll have a good idea of what they're doing, planning to do, and how well their Firestorm is holding up. No, there is no form of swarm intelligence (yet?) as that is both A.) scary and B.) hard to do with current Ravenmind "intelligence" and more importantly radio limits. Contact with ORACLE-A can also be made to send small amounts of the most important data gathered by Ravenmind, and to see if there are any relevant predictions for the Ravenmind to, well, mind.
Given a large amount of time and constant transmissions of an up-to-date orbital model from an ORACLE-A node, a Ravenmind can devise an orbital flight plan all the way to landing/taking off on the Moon. Being transferred an ORACLE-A flight plan over Datalink is greatly preferred, as it doesn't take hours and provides a more comprehensive plan.
A COMBAT plating shutter can be extended over the cockpit when closed, providing complete protection. This does come at the cost of visibility, but with altitude being tracked, proximity alerts, tracking of every other aircraft/spacecraft, and a very rough representation of obstacles, flying can still be done at little to no penalty with the shutters closed.
The Firestorm has a multimodal GOFAST-Magmatite rocket engine, extremely similar/near-identical to the one employed in the Starknight. In-atmosphere, it can open intakes to add reaction mass for a bit more fuel efficiency. Its speed is far greater than anything before it, reaching
Mach 3. Not for long, mind you -- STABIL-ICE cooling and GOFAST-M fuel both run out very quickly at that speed. About 5 minutes if you want a reasonable ability to finish flight and land afterwards. It cruises at just below Mach 2 and can fly subsonic speeds fine albeit at lower fuel efficiencies compared to the Blizzard and Aratam's Lantern.
This does come at the cost of range. At no speed is the Firestorm as fuel-efficient as its relatives, giving it about Medium range in-atmosphere. (And Medium range is far -- just not really far compared to other aircraft).
RCS thrusters allow for the full-range of manuevers in space and some very surprising (and fuel-costing) agility in-atmosphere if the situation really demands it.
The Firestorm is a VTOL craft as well, eliminating the need for runways. VTOL is relatively fuel-intensive, however.
Using the same intakes for the GOFAST-M engine is the front-mounted integrated TALON. It's a tad bit downsized, but still very devastating. Plenty of temperature and stability sensors mean that it won't fire if doing so will blow itself up, but it has a slow rate of fire when just using air-cooling. The pilot and Ravenmind can toggle STABIL-ICE cooling for a massive improvement in RoF but decrease in re-entry/Mach 3 capabilities as the Firestorm's STABIL-ICE tank is used up. It default aims downwards a bit from the chassis, but gimbals give it a modest area it can aim at.
More effective for non-forwards aiming are the two CLAWs, shaped like bubbles disrupting the sleek chassis. Internal mirror gimballing allows for a stunning maximum angle of fire, letting it fire almost completely forwards, backwards, upwards, and down. We recommend that pilots simply allow the Ravenmind full control of the CLAWs.
Finally, the Firestorm can go into space. Specifically, it can fly sub-orbitally. 4 hour-long life support and exactly eight MREs are provided for the pilot. By itself, this can be useful for limited orbital defense and interception but it is not all we plan to do. Our ambitions reach higher than that. Literally.
Using the RCS and Ravenmind, Firestorms posses docking capabilities. The cockpit canopy doesn't open outward, but slides further into the chassis. A tiny inflatable connector can be automatically deployed for crew transfer between the cockpit. Deployable docking clamps allow it to secure itself to whatever it's docking with, and extending conduits for power, fuel, Datalink, and oxygen (both ways) can be connected to the subject of the docking.
So far, only the Starknight can dock with the Firestorm. A Firestorm's Ravenmind can easily go through the entire procedure, linking all conduits to the Skyranger. The Ravenmind currently will take over Starknight flight systems and the Swallow with crew consent, using both craft to get to the needed destination. This is an easy and relatively convenient way to bring Ravenminds to the moon and/or refuel their GOFAST-M and oxygen supply.
Crew transfer is possible, albeit very awkward. The Firestorm has to dock its top to the side crew hatch of a Starknight, with its front facing below the Starknight. It is not a pleasing aesthetic at
all, but it does allow for crew transfer so we can't really complain.
The Firestorm is, like we said amazing. Fast, durable, dangerous, smart. It can fly sub-orbital interceptions by itself, and with the aid of a Starknight become a fully orbital or lunar fighter. In-atmosphere, it will deal with their aircraft absolutely
effortlessly. It does rely on the Starknight a
lot for anything out of the atmosphere, but that should be fine at its current expense level.
It is
Very Expensive, costing
6 Ore,
4 Oil, and
4 Magmatite. It costs just a bit more Ore than the Blizzard as despite being surrounded in COMBAT plating, SERFs handle that and the chassis itself is just a bit bigger. Oil is pretty much entirely fuel, with 2 Magmatite going towards GOFAST-M and 2 Magmatite going towards Magmagel for the weaponry and as general capacitors.
Interestingly, an ORACLE-A technician has come to us. Apparently they found fragments of what looks like a paper trail, deep inside the supercomputer's databanks yet hidden in plain sight. Most of it is corrupted or just missing, but somehow an additional Firestorm prototype was constructed without anyone in the military or in the Design Division knowing about it.
post to be continued because you bastards are forcing me over the character max count.
Author
Topic: Mad Arms Race - Mereth Design Division (Fall 1965 - Final Design Phase) (Read 83420 times)