TortugaGreen
Constantly out of the loop
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That's a Wonderful vehicle you've brought up here. About 108 metric tons onto a suborbital trajectory without too exorbitant of costs would allow tremendous cost savings, as rockets no longer have to do flights into space, and now only have to do orbit circularization burns, which are far less delta-V intensive than the launch up into space, as they need not contend with atmospheric drag. And given the size of that payload, lots and lots of rocket can be put in orbit.
On a partially related note, this would also be pretty solid as a delivery vehicle for high-yield KKVs, as it could follow a trajectory of a standard launch, then drop off a 100 ton metal block with a guidance computer strapped on, then peel away during or immediately after re-entry to a nearby runway and that hundred ton chunk which is probably going at a speed in the kilometers per second can smash pretty much anything it hits (and is non-nuclear, so there's little opposition to using it). The trick is, of course, the extremely low numbers of usable landing sites near enough to the target to land at and capable of servicing a spaceplane. But this is just idle thoughts so eh.
[x] F-15C Eagle. The be-all, end-all, unquestioned last word in total air dominance. If you want to rule the air, this plane is the state of the art.
This'll do.
DawnofWar32
War is coming. Prepare yourselves!
- Location
- Butuan City, The Philippines
[X] F-15C Eagle. The be-all, end-all, unquestioned last word in total air dominance. If you want to rule the air, this plane is thestate of the art.
So help me, I like multi-role.
[X] F-16C Fighting Falcon. Fast, nimble, and built like a rocket with wings, the Viper is dog-fighter distilled to is base essence. Put you up against anything in the world and you'll run rings around him. Doesn't hurt that it carries one hell of a punch either.
[X] F-16C Fighting Falcon. Fast, nimble, and built like a rocket with wings, the Viper is dog-fighter distilled to is base essence. Put you up against anything in the world and you'll run rings around him. Doesn't hurt that it carries one hell of a punch either.
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Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
[X] F-15C Eagle. The be-all, end-all, unquestioned last word in total air dominance. If you want to rule the air, this plane is the state of the art.
Well that was abrupt.
Well that was abrupt.
Whiskey Golf
Being of Editing & Technical Assistance
- Location
- Chained to my desk
To be fair, the F-15 already had provision for Mk 82 and Mk 84 bombs from the get go, and the Strike Eagle is basically a 2-seater F-15 with pylons on the CFTs, LANTRIN pods, and the radar tuned for air to ground modes.
Also @theJMPer TOPGUN is slightly different from Red Flag. TOPGUN is basically every squadron in the fleet sending aircrews for an intensive air combat training course, in a train the trainer concept, and then they return to their squadrons and spread the lessons learned. Red Flag is the USAF's best attempt to simulate full scale air war, from deployment to forward basing to sorties.
- Location
- 'Murica
I didn't come up with it. It was the original concept before budget cuts forced the STS to go with a semi-expendable first stage. The MD-3000 is basically a drop-in replacement for the ET/SRB combination (but with the shuttle's SSMEs just sitting there doing nothing.) If you want more performace, you can pull off the SSMEs and just use the OMS to circularize, or just backpack a Centaur or something.'
Yeah, I know. But by this point the US military can't afford to have to separate massive training exercises, so it all gets lumped into one big event. (With admission sales to private parties to help cover the costs.)
I was actually planning on starting here, but figured you all wouldn't want to read such a massive OP.
Ivan the Not-so-Terrible
AH MEW CHEEKI BREEKI I V DAMKE
- Location
- Mikonyan’s USSR
All I'm hearing is "we shouldn't invoke the ghost of John Boyd to tighten our OODA loop and protect us from BVR missiles".
stop me from making Pierre Sprey as an oMage character
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Just please try to work more... connections into your future timeskips.
Leeanderthal
Derp Dragon
[X] F-15C Eagle. The be-all, end-all, unquestioned last word in total air dominance. If you want to rule the air, this plane is the state of the art.
We must set up our Solo Wing legend.
We must set up our Solo Wing legend.
- Location
- America
[X] F-16C Fighting Falcon. Fast, nimble, and built like a rocket with wings, the Viper is dog-fighter distilled to is base essence. Put you up against anything in the world and you'll run rings around him. Doesn't hurt that it carries one hell of a punch either.
More versatile means more missions. The more missions you do, the more money you make.
More versatile means more missions. The more missions you do, the more money you make.
NuclearConsensus
Herald of the Thorned One
- Location
- the Philippines
[X] F-16C Fighting Falcon. Fast, nimble, and built like a rocket with wings, the Viper is dog-fighter distilled to is base essence. Put you up against anything in the world and you'll run rings around him. Doesn't hurt that it carries one hell of a punch either.
- Location
- Canada
[X] F-15C Eagle
Sure let's use a Ace Combat meme plane.
Sure let's use a Ace Combat meme plane.
BoredProtagonist
The Mercat
- Location
- Ragna
[X ] F-15C Eagle. The be-all, end-all, unquestioned last word in total air dominance. If you want to rule the air, this plane is the state of the art.
Two engines good, one engine bad.
Two engines good, one engine bad.
Red Flag 2
- Location
- 'Murica
You sat in the base commissary, idly munching on whatever over-salted concoction was on offer today and letting you eyes feast on the mountain of pure areal pornography visible through the plate-glass windows. An F-15C Eagle. The absolute last word in total air dominance, and one of only a tiny handful of planes still restricted to purely-governmental ownership. To fly one, you needed to be the best of the best, and with the recent rounds of military cutbacks, the air force could afford to be very selective.
Nowadays, the Eagle Drivers' club was almost as exclusive as the astronauts'. It was also, in your opinion, a vastly more fun club. Riding a rocket might sound good on paper, but that's all it was, riding. Computers handled all the fun parts, with the nominal pilots just offering general suggestions to the all-powerful silicon overlord. But with an Eagle, the might of those afterburning turbofans were at your beck and call, an extension of your own will as much as your fingers were.
When you were in an Eagle, you were god on earth.
"Dozer, that you?" Your introspective musing of the inherent awesomeness of being a fighter pilot was interrupted by a call across the commissary. You knew that voice, and when you turned you look you only confirmed your suspicions.
"Eggs!" You'd known Josh Aaron for the best part of a decade, and even been present for the misadventure at Wallmart that had earned him his callsign. You'd even flown Eagles together. He was a good pilot, but after the last drawback there just hadn't been enough jets to go around. "What're you doing here?"
"Joined the Knights, my friend." Eggs put his hands on his skinny hips with a lopsided grin. His flightsuit was a pale sky blue—and cut slightly but noticeably different than yours—and you noticed the militia emblem on his shoulder.
"So you did," you said, scooting over to make room at the table. "You're in the mid-east, right?"
He nodded. "Flying outta Basara mostly." He took a bite, grimaced, than dumped what seemed like half the pepper shaker out. "Sometimes we'll hop over to the horn for anti-piracy shit."
"Mmm, Kuwait," you smiled. "How's that treating ya?"
"See a lot of action," explained Eggs around a mouthful of… well… a substance that was billed as scrambled eggs but likely had nothing in common with the real deal beyond a general color palette.
"Against?"
"-Fishbeds," he cut you off. "Fishbeds for days. Everyone and their grandma has a Fishbed that part of the world." He shrugged. "Sometimes Floggers or the like, sometimes it's weirder stuff though. Bagged a Fargo just 'fore I came stateside."
"A Fargo…" you had to think a moment before you matched the NATO reporting name to its air frame. "Wait, a MiG nine? You're kidding!" You didn't know any of those old crates even existed anymore, let alone was airworthy enough to fight.
"C'mon, Dozer" said Eggs. "Would anyone like about that?"
You shrugged. He's got a point, smacking a Fargo is like beating a cripple at arm wrestling. Yeah, you technicality won, but you come off sounding like an uncompetitive ass.
"You know…" Eggs waved a fork at your Eagle. "I'd kill to take her up just one more time."
"I know the feeling," you said, idly watching the commissary fill up. The rest of your meal disappears quickly, but you're still left with plenty of time on your hands before the first hop. It was by design, of course. This many pilots from this many countries all gathered together made for an excellent opportunity to build international camaraderie. Nothing reached across borders like the fraternity of combat pilots.
After putting your tray on the dish line, you wandered over towards…
[ ] Navy Aviators. They might be desperately scrambling for your budget, but they're still your countrymen. Besides, you might be able to tease them a little, they only brought super-bugs.
[ ] JMSDF pilots. Navy, yes. But from a country that's just starting to get its teeth back again, maybe you could lend them a hand. If nothing else, the Viper Zero's a beautiful—if inferior—bird.
[ ] Eggs and the Iron Knights. They've gotta have some interesting war stories, and worst comes to worst, air militias always swing slightly less male-dominated than government squadrons.
Nowadays, the Eagle Drivers' club was almost as exclusive as the astronauts'. It was also, in your opinion, a vastly more fun club. Riding a rocket might sound good on paper, but that's all it was, riding. Computers handled all the fun parts, with the nominal pilots just offering general suggestions to the all-powerful silicon overlord. But with an Eagle, the might of those afterburning turbofans were at your beck and call, an extension of your own will as much as your fingers were.
When you were in an Eagle, you were god on earth.
"Dozer, that you?" Your introspective musing of the inherent awesomeness of being a fighter pilot was interrupted by a call across the commissary. You knew that voice, and when you turned you look you only confirmed your suspicions.
"Eggs!" You'd known Josh Aaron for the best part of a decade, and even been present for the misadventure at Wallmart that had earned him his callsign. You'd even flown Eagles together. He was a good pilot, but after the last drawback there just hadn't been enough jets to go around. "What're you doing here?"
"Joined the Knights, my friend." Eggs put his hands on his skinny hips with a lopsided grin. His flightsuit was a pale sky blue—and cut slightly but noticeably different than yours—and you noticed the militia emblem on his shoulder.
"So you did," you said, scooting over to make room at the table. "You're in the mid-east, right?"
He nodded. "Flying outta Basara mostly." He took a bite, grimaced, than dumped what seemed like half the pepper shaker out. "Sometimes we'll hop over to the horn for anti-piracy shit."
"Mmm, Kuwait," you smiled. "How's that treating ya?"
"See a lot of action," explained Eggs around a mouthful of… well… a substance that was billed as scrambled eggs but likely had nothing in common with the real deal beyond a general color palette.
"Against?"
"-Fishbeds," he cut you off. "Fishbeds for days. Everyone and their grandma has a Fishbed that part of the world." He shrugged. "Sometimes Floggers or the like, sometimes it's weirder stuff though. Bagged a Fargo just 'fore I came stateside."
"A Fargo…" you had to think a moment before you matched the NATO reporting name to its air frame. "Wait, a MiG nine? You're kidding!" You didn't know any of those old crates even existed anymore, let alone was airworthy enough to fight.
"C'mon, Dozer" said Eggs. "Would anyone like about that?"
You shrugged. He's got a point, smacking a Fargo is like beating a cripple at arm wrestling. Yeah, you technicality won, but you come off sounding like an uncompetitive ass.
"You know…" Eggs waved a fork at your Eagle. "I'd kill to take her up just one more time."
"I know the feeling," you said, idly watching the commissary fill up. The rest of your meal disappears quickly, but you're still left with plenty of time on your hands before the first hop. It was by design, of course. This many pilots from this many countries all gathered together made for an excellent opportunity to build international camaraderie. Nothing reached across borders like the fraternity of combat pilots.
After putting your tray on the dish line, you wandered over towards…
[ ] Navy Aviators. They might be desperately scrambling for your budget, but they're still your countrymen. Besides, you might be able to tease them a little, they only brought super-bugs.
[ ] JMSDF pilots. Navy, yes. But from a country that's just starting to get its teeth back again, maybe you could lend them a hand. If nothing else, the Viper Zero's a beautiful—if inferior—bird.
[ ] Eggs and the Iron Knights. They've gotta have some interesting war stories, and worst comes to worst, air militias always swing slightly less male-dominated than government squadrons.
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] JMSDF pilots. Navy, yes. But from a country that's just starting to get its teeth back again, maybe you could lend them a hand. If nothing else, the Viper Zero's a beautiful—if inferior—bird.
- Location
- Mountains of Appalachia
[X] JMSDF pilots. Navy, yes. But from a country that's just starting to get its teeth back again, maybe you could lend them a hand. If nothing else, the Viper Zero's a beautiful—if inferior—bird.
NuclearConsensus
Herald of the Thorned One
- Location
- the Philippines
[X] Eggs and the Iron Knights. They've gotta have some interesting war stories, and worst comes to worst, air militias always swing slightly less male-dominated than government squadrons.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
[X] JMSDF pilots. Navy, yes. But from a country that's just starting to get its teeth back again, maybe you could lend them a hand. If nothing else, the Viper Zero's a beautiful—if inferior—bird.
Weebs, a future of shooting at China's territorial expansion, and Black Lagoon references?
Sign me up!
Weebs, a future of shooting at China's territorial expansion, and Black Lagoon references?
Sign me up!
Icipall
Don't worry, we can fanfix that!
- Location
- Cold snow fields of Finland
I suppose you meant "lie".
[X] JMSDF pilots. Navy, yes. But from a country that's just starting to get its teeth back again, maybe you could lend them a hand. If nothing else, the Viper Zero's a beautiful—if inferior—bird.
Whiskey Golf
Being of Editing & Technical Assistance
- Location
- Chained to my desk
The Viper Zero deploys a decade early? Huh. Guess FS-X was faster here.
IRL the initial concept for FS-X was supposed to have stelath wings and tail, canards and other fancy shit, but in the end the JASDF settled for an enlarged F-16 with an AESA radar. It seems curious to me that the JMSDF is going for a Viper Zero instead of maybe a Hornet Zero, unless they've decided that they want to step up nabal aviation first, and then later go and get carriers and then get new carrier fighters once these birds hit their end of life.
Now this reminds me of when me and kct were spitballing JMSDF carrier aviation for Eternity.
IRL the initial concept for FS-X was supposed to have stelath wings and tail, canards and other fancy shit, but in the end the JASDF settled for an enlarged F-16 with an AESA radar. It seems curious to me that the JMSDF is going for a Viper Zero instead of maybe a Hornet Zero, unless they've decided that they want to step up nabal aviation first, and then later go and get carriers and then get new carrier fighters once these birds hit their end of life.
Now this reminds me of when me and kct were spitballing JMSDF carrier aviation for Eternity.
Isn't the JMSDF the Maritime Self-Defence Force - in other word's , Japan's navy? Assuming that these guys are carrier pilots who'd go to all the trouble of developing naval version of the F-16 when the F/A-18 has been developed and is on the market? Heck, maybe the F-14 is still on the market! But developing a naval version of the F-16 from scratch seems pretty wasteful.