NationStates Jolt Archive

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At a dedication ceremony in Nierstein Harbour, the commander of the People's Navy, Admiral Korskorsky, unveiled the latest weapon to be deployed by the force.

The LAI XSN-1 'Hyrdra' is a Wing-In-Ground (WIG) effect craft designed as a cruise missile launch platform. The huge size and displacement of this craft will allow it to move rapidly across the water to launch sites. Limited only by its distance from a surface fleet, the Hydra is a formidable addition to our great nation's navy.

The Hydra during tests

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Specifications

Wingspan 144ft
Height 65ft
Gross weight 400T
Top speed 550kph
Cruise speed 450kph
length 240ft
Engines 8 LAS ZX-90 turbofans (29,000 Ibt)

Armament: 6 SS-N-22 Sunburn cruise missiles

2 pairs of 23mm cannons

Tis good, although Jordaxia and some other people made an amazing WiG craft a while ago, the Tartos WiG battleship

OOC: What's probably scarier is the fact that the SS-N-20 goes at Mach 3... pretty damn hard to shoot down regardless of your tech and deefences..

Well actually no. The faster missiles can't make course corrections without snapping in half and they present a lovely (huge) IR signature :)

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The Nation Of Endegeest would like to buy 200 of this type aircraft.
If it's possible also some trained crew.

We will pay the whole sum + 10 million extra for fast service

Signed, Sergetov.

OOC: That's a hefty order... plus I'd need to work on the price.. which would probably come in at the region of between $75m to $150m per aircraft...

Anybody any Idea how much one of these things would cost IRL??

(ooc: Gah, I'm not sure. Not too expensive; you're not making use of RAM or other materials. At most, you'll be paying for an extensive RADAR and Electronics Suite, plus the launchers and the aircraft's body. You shouldn't need anything too special, this is basically just coupling existing technology with nicer avionics. Terra is designing a 300-500 meter long bomber, and we're going to end up paying billions to make a composite body strong enough to avoid snapping under its own weight.)

OOC: So a price tag of say $200m doesn't sound too bad - if its sold sans missile??? The main cost in this thing is obviously going to be the scale of it and also the engines, as well as the firing system and avionics..

<Gimme a b.. gimmme a u... gimme a m... gimme a p.. what you got ... BUMP!>