NationStates Jolt Archive

After thrust vectoring, stealth, other sophisticated electronics, fly-by-wire, forward-swept wings, and VSTOL, there doesn't seem to be much left in the way of aeronautical technology developments. However, researchers at a military/industrial facility near Gray Goose, Berëza, have recently discovered how to allow jet aircraft to significantly improve their top speed and acceleration, without the need for a major restructuring, special engines, heat-absorbing flake-away paint, or other cumbersome and impractical methods.

Examples of improvements because of this technology include a modified F-15 Eagle, now with a top speed of Mach 2.84 (previously 2.5), a MiG-29, now with Mach 2.91 (from 2.5ish), our own NI-19 with Mach 3.8 (3.2), a Su-37 with Mach 2.7 (from 2.5), and an F-22 with Mach 3.0 (from 2.5ish). As you can see, results vary with the type of plane. Furthermore, the technology interferes with a stealth coating to a slight degree. For some applications, however, the gains in speed and acceleration (or the savings in fuel at the same speed) outweigh this drawback. The Grey Goose facility continues to research ways of reducing it.

The Berëzan Ministry of the Exterior has approved the sharing of this technology. The Most Serene Republic of Berëza is interested primarily in technology that it does not yet have, or in military/political favors. We don't care much for military hardware, and not at all for money or natural resources (except rubber).

We will share it for free to any nation that agrees to join TAOBB. All other nations are free to make offers of any sort. Once again - don't bother with military hardware designs (unless they're really cool) or money (at all). We will also install this technology on the aircraft of any nation with which we agree to share it, for at-cost prices.

OOC:
Explain to us this technology, most of the more elite NationStates aerospace industries have a hard time getting up to mach 3. Even with the latest improvements such as scramjets and pulse-detonation.

OOC: Yeah... My fastest fighter has a top speed of Mach 2.8 achieved through nothing more elegant than sheer, brute thrust, and even with the powerful engines, that's still really bookin' it for my tech level. How do you manage this incredible upgrade?

OOC: Yeah... My fastest fighter has a top speed of Mach 2.8 achieved through nothing more elegant than sheer, brute thrust, and even with the powerful engines, that's still really bookin' it for my tech level. How do you manage this incredible upgrade?

We need more information, before we can acknowledge its existence.

keep in mind that this remains "secret" - the reason your planes have limited top speed in the first place is because of air resistance. the good, fine people at Grey Goose have developed a compound (or rather, some stuff that's technically a gel, but more complex...well, it's basically a coating) that has a very low coefficient of friction with air. they coat major surfaces of the plane (especially ones where air vortices are likely to form) with the stuff, and it's like flying your plane through much thinner air, except without the negative effect on engine thrust. your maneuverability will probably not suffer (flaps don't like the stuff, and some rudders don't, either. ailerons and elevators, at least in our test aircraft, are unaffected, and thrust vectoring doesn't care), but your lift at the same speed probably will. of course, you have higher speed to make up for that.

um...bump?