Post by garyp on Dec 2, 2020 1:32:01 GMT -4
(After the Bullet Suicide Drone was discussed in the way off topic BA Grab Bars thread I was curious if the removal of the troublesome suicide system would leave an airframe that could be the basis for a useful unmanned drone fighter. As is suggested by the variant name I used the real world Loyal Wingman drones being developed by Boeing were a partial inspiration. The penalty to skill checks and the additional mass required for operating system means a drone will never be as effective as the same airframe with a pilot onboard, but the concept still seems usable.)
New Vinberland Defense Force UACV Development Proposals (Part 1)
Being a light fighter pilot is the most dangerous combat role in the New Vinberland Defense Force. While conventional infantry soldiers have had more deaths in total the number of fighter pilots in the NVDF is much smaller than the number of solders and the chance of fighter pilot becoming a causality is higher for the pilots than the infantry soldiers. Destruction of light fighters is also the largest source of NVDF material loss from combat. However despite these losses the light fighters have repeatedly proven their effectiveness in both the ground attack role and as wingmen for larger fighters in air-to-air combat. To address the concerns about the loss rate a committee of NVDF staff officers was established to evaluate possible approaches to increasing the light fighter survivability while retaining their proven effectiveness.
One concept explored by the committee was the feasibility of replacing the NVDF's light fighters with unmanned combat drones. While the drones would still be vulnerable to enemy fire the loss of a drone would not risk the loss of a pilot. Their pilotless nature would, if the potential gain was high enough, also allow the drones to be used in high risk attacks that would be too dangerous for manned aircraft. To reduce development time the design group based their proposal on the only aircraft with a Drone Remote Operating System in the standard design database, the Bullet Suicide Drone.
All variants of the Bullet evaluated by the committee removed the suicide engine detonation system of the standard Bullet, as the system is both unsuited to the NVDF's intended use of unmanned aerial combat vehicles and is one of the few systems of which the use is prohibited by the Peace Keepers. The initial design proposal was intended as a simple proof of concept and retained the engine, airframe, armour and SRM launcher of the suicide model. The mass freed up by removing the suicide system allowed the installation of a trio of machine guns. While lacking any weapons with significant punch the dense pattern of machine gun fire would make it difficult for an opposing aircraft to avoid receiving at least some damage and in the air-to-ground role that same dense pattern would be likely to find vulnerable points in the motive systems of conventional vehicles. This basic model uses no advanced technology and has the potential to cheaply manufactured in sufficient numbers to assign a drone wingman to all existing NVDF fighters. The design specifications could also be provided to any nation that possessed illegal stockpiles of the suicide version to allow those illegal versions to be cheaply refitted into useful combat drones.
(The prototype version isn't anything spectacular, but it has just enough capability that an opponent can't afford to completely ignore it. The drone OS and control systems are available in 3025 as part of the Hi-Scout drone systems, so I also inadvertently designed a drone aircraft that is probably 3025 legal. Over the next few days I will post the advanced technology variants and the concept for the controller aircraft.)
New Vinberland Defense Force UACV Development Proposals (Part 1)
Being a light fighter pilot is the most dangerous combat role in the New Vinberland Defense Force. While conventional infantry soldiers have had more deaths in total the number of fighter pilots in the NVDF is much smaller than the number of solders and the chance of fighter pilot becoming a causality is higher for the pilots than the infantry soldiers. Destruction of light fighters is also the largest source of NVDF material loss from combat. However despite these losses the light fighters have repeatedly proven their effectiveness in both the ground attack role and as wingmen for larger fighters in air-to-air combat. To address the concerns about the loss rate a committee of NVDF staff officers was established to evaluate possible approaches to increasing the light fighter survivability while retaining their proven effectiveness.
One concept explored by the committee was the feasibility of replacing the NVDF's light fighters with unmanned combat drones. While the drones would still be vulnerable to enemy fire the loss of a drone would not risk the loss of a pilot. Their pilotless nature would, if the potential gain was high enough, also allow the drones to be used in high risk attacks that would be too dangerous for manned aircraft. To reduce development time the design group based their proposal on the only aircraft with a Drone Remote Operating System in the standard design database, the Bullet Suicide Drone.
All variants of the Bullet evaluated by the committee removed the suicide engine detonation system of the standard Bullet, as the system is both unsuited to the NVDF's intended use of unmanned aerial combat vehicles and is one of the few systems of which the use is prohibited by the Peace Keepers. The initial design proposal was intended as a simple proof of concept and retained the engine, airframe, armour and SRM launcher of the suicide model. The mass freed up by removing the suicide system allowed the installation of a trio of machine guns. While lacking any weapons with significant punch the dense pattern of machine gun fire would make it difficult for an opposing aircraft to avoid receiving at least some damage and in the air-to-ground role that same dense pattern would be likely to find vulnerable points in the motive systems of conventional vehicles. This basic model uses no advanced technology and has the potential to cheaply manufactured in sufficient numbers to assign a drone wingman to all existing NVDF fighters. The design specifications could also be provided to any nation that possessed illegal stockpiles of the suicide version to allow those illegal versions to be cheaply refitted into useful combat drones.
Bullet Suicide Drone (Trusted Wingman Prototype)
Base Tech Level: Standard (IS)
Tech Rating: D/X-X-F-E
Weight: 20 tons
BV: 79
Cost: 214,610 C-bills
Source: MME Vinberland
Movement: 6/9 Engine: 120 ICE
Fuel Points: 320 (2.0 tons)
Structural Integrity: 6
Armor: 20
Armor
Nose 7
Left Wing 5
Right Wing 5
Aft 3
Weapons Loc Heat
SRM 2 NOS 2
Machine Gun NOS 0
Machine Gun LWG 0
Machine Gun RWG 0
Ammo Loc Shots
SRM 2 Ammo FSLG 50
Half MG Ammo FSLG 100
Equipment Loc
Drone (Remote)Operating System NOS(The prototype version isn't anything spectacular, but it has just enough capability that an opponent can't afford to completely ignore it. The drone OS and control systems are available in 3025 as part of the Hi-Scout drone systems, so I also inadvertently designed a drone aircraft that is probably 3025 legal. Over the next few days I will post the advanced technology variants and the concept for the controller aircraft.)
