NationStates Jolt Archive

For info on other NSAA R+D projects ongoing, look here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=463720).

Project Spy-Eye:
The development of a low-detectability high-altitude long-range aircraft to carry out tactical reconissance and intelligence missions over hostile territory.

This project is a joint effort between the NSAA R+D department and Mondoth's Aerial Survey and Mappong Co. (ooc: thats a copy and paste, not so sure about the spelling...)

NSAA has little experience with stealth technology, so we may require to subcontract for the airframe development,depending on the level of expertiese mondoth can bring. A research facility on the NSAA high-security airbase near Nordheim, northern NSAA, has been allocated for this project, and work has already begun on the E-War and survey equipment the aircraft will need.

Shrak Aeronautics has extensive experiece in stealth aircraft, with such designs as the SX-24, B-5 (soon to be available at the Nine Military Storefront (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=385183&page=1&pp=15)!)
as well as the addition of limited stealth features to the IF/A-14 rebuild of the classic F-14 Tomcat and many other Shrak Aeronautics fighters. Additionally Shark Aeronautics has much experience in high altitude/performance jet/Ramjet and Scramjet technologies that will prove to be valuabe for this project.

To the head of NSAA R+D -
Sorry for the late response. We, as the originators of the first Stealth aircraft, and the project leaders of the Dark Star high-altitude stealth recon UAV, would like to contribute our technical assistance to this design. Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Researchers of Skunk Works,
Lockheed Corporation

OOC - Could Lockheed Corporation have the same deal with the results of this research as Baltimore Shipyards will have with Project Centauri, namely, the right to produce and export the finished product?

er, if this one ends up the way its meant to, can we add the agreement that no participant in this project can export the end result without agreement from all (both?) others please. other than that, welcome on board the project. and yes.

NSAA would like to design and build the computer systems, with input from both mondothian and beltway design teams on how to keep the aircraft's detection profile down despite its detection gear. we would also like the other two groups to work on the production of the airframe and flight control gear.

Well, for starters, we're flying high-altitude, which helps with protecting the plane; there are very few high-altitude interceptors. We'll coat the thing in radar-absorbant material, obviously. A thought on detectors: maybe we could use infrared (IR)? Using IR isn't detectable, and getting a powerful-enough IR-detection device wouldn't be too difficult. Further, few think to cover IR sources on the ground, while setting up camo and netting over gear is a time-honored practice.

As for your terms - agreed.

cool, and good plan that man (or woman, i have no idea which, sorry, figure of speech...)
We will include high power IR scanners in the design. also, as this is NFT, we have some limited magnetic detection systems which are good at picking out large mettalic objects from a distance. they wont be able to spot anything smaller that a significant tank force or large warship from high altitude, but they will be a useful addition to the standard detection systems.

OOC: er, that magnetic detector was as secret as it is possible for stuff to be up till now, so if we find it elsewhere, and find that you reverse-engineered it, we will not be happy... Its not in the contract that you cant, but i'd much rather you didnt. if you do decide to, please TG me for details on it, as i really dont want them going public yet...

Shrak has some UV cameras and such that work well for discovering Camoflauged buildings, vehicles and ither units. As well as a nifty Ground Penetrating Radar rig for more active detection (Like finding an enemies Command Bunkers and ICBM silos) (Like NSAA's mag detector its hush hush though) FOr an airframe I was thinking Flying wing, RAM paint of course, we could use RAS (Radar Absorbing Structures) for things like control surfaces and toher bits that absolutely have to be there but aren't particularly stealthy.
For engines, We could go with a Methane Injecting low bypass Turbofan, a fairly conventional High altitude design, or a more Esoteric Turbofan-Ramjet desig that will get better performance but be more expensive and complicated

wont the ramjet have a monstrous heat signature, making it impossible for the plane to throw off incoming high-altitude SAMs?
Other than that, sounds cool. and i think we want to go with the cheaper option at this point anyway, cos this thing is gonna be kitted out with some of the most expensive gear on the planet already...

A ramjet would be nice, but probably not if we want this to fly secretly - I assume that's why you want stealthy, as opposed to just speedy. There's very little in the way of intercept capability at extremely high altitudes - just SAMs and MiG-25s, and there are very few of the latter around. If you're willing to forego stealth, then good jamming and a ramjet might be the way to go. One further problem with ramjets - they are likely to be maintenance intensive.

Flying wing designs are nice; although we don't have a huge amount of experience with them (that was Northrop's design, not ours), we understand the principles behind them.

I'd go for stealth, and low maintenance would be nice too, as the thing is gonna need a big ground crew anyway, it would just increase turnaround between missions, which i would prefer kept to a minimum...

my vote is for the non-ramjet option.

Ok, no Ramjet then. We have some Flying wing experience, with the B-5 and AF-39 designs, it is probably the nest option for a high altitude stealth aircraft (At least that I can think of) besides some custom high maintenance designs

well if we can hide it from radar, and make it hard to see with UV or optical, it should do the job. er, anything else you can think of?

Non-design details (name) and discussion of contracts for production rights/export rights. The plane seems to be done.

Dimensions? I could whip something up real fast, probably want smaller than the B-2, maybe RS-71 size? a little bigger?

didnt we settle the whole contract thing up near the top of th thread?
and i'm planning on designating those in my service as SE-1 "spy-eye"...

Not quite. The way we left it was: "No participant in this project can export the end result without agreement from all other participants." I figure that it would be good to settle this question now - is anyone opposed to exporting the final design?
-The Legal Department of the Lockheed Corporation

The SR-71 would be a good model in terms of size, although this plane might be slightly larger. What should we build the SE-1 out of? Titanium would be useful, but expensive. Steel, or a nickel-steel alloy, wouldn't be as effective, and would be heavier, but would be cheaper. Thoughts?
-Skunk Works

I'm partial to Carbon Nano matierials personally, pricey but light, stealthy and strong. My other preference would be Aluminum Alloys, A lot cheaper, lighter and stealthier tha steel or Titanium, stronger than steel.

For us, carbon nanos would be extremely expensive; we don't quite yet have the capability with nanotube technology. Aluminum sounds good.

i'd go with alu, methinks, possibly with another model with a carbon airframe as the SE-2 for higher risk areas where stealth is more important?

on the legal front, i meant, each individual case, I.E. no exporting to enemies of any participant nation, like i would veto export to tocrowkia, kraven corp, and raven corp at the moment...

Aluminum, with a high-cost upgrade for carbon nanos, sounds good.

Currently, The Beltway and Lockheed Corporation have no nations that they will ban export of the SE-2 from; it seems we haven't been involved long enough to make enemies.

I would also ban a few others, but i dont really want to attract their attention right now, so i'm not even calling their names.
but there we go.

TG me the names; I'll be putting together a Lockheed Corporation storefront soon, and wish to know to whom I cannot sell this product.

nah, i aint banning them, i cant afford to offend them, and none of them has quite got back to banning level since i've been back from crimbo ICly, so i'll refrain from naming them. yet. watch this place...

the first Prototype of Project Spy-Eye has just rolled off the line, take a look and tell me what you think of it...

Here's what I have for the first prototype, tell me what you think

X-119
Span: 110 ft. 3 in.
Length: 78 ft. 3 in.
Height: 18 ft. 6 in.
Weight: 156,000 lbs. max. Takeoff weight
Equipment: Ground penetrating Radar; look down radar, IR cameras (w/ up to 8x zoom), visual spectrum cameras (w/ up to 12x zoom), UV spectrum cameras (w/ up to 8x zoom), laser target designator (gyroscopically stabilized), communication interception gear, radar detection gear. Radar jamming gear
Construction: Aluminum alloy airframe with radar absorbing skin and radar absorbing structural components (engine intakes, vents, sensor bubbles)
Engines: 4x Shrak J103s with 20,500 lbs. thrust each
Cost: $Undecided
Maximum speed: 1.8 mach at 36,000 ft.
Cruising Speed: 615 MPH
Range: anywhere in the world with in flight refueling
Service Ceiling: 91,470 ft.
Deployment: Medium Runway

Nice! I'd suggest a price of around $300-500 million per unit, with $0.5-1 billion more for carbon nano structure (adds to stealthiness).

cool twice, apart from both versions get my magdetect device on their equipment loadout.

Just wanted to double-check...
Why do we have a ground-penetrating radar?

It can see bunkers and so on...
read upwards, and there was a discussion on it, i think

hows this

X-119
Span: 110 ft. 3 in.
Length: 78 ft. 3 in.
Height: 18 ft. 6 in.
Weight: 156,000 lbs. max. Takeoff weight
Equipment: Ground penetrating Radar, look down radar, Magnetic Detection System, IR cameras (w/ up to 8x zoom), visual spectrum cameras (w/ up to 12x zoom), UV spectrum cameras (w/ up to 8x zoom), laser target designator (gyroscopically stabilized), communication interception gear, radar detection gear. Radar jamming gear
Construction: Aluminum alloy airframe with radar absorbing skin and radar absorbing structural components (engine intakes, vents, sensor bubbles)
Engines: 4x Shrak J103s with 20,500 lbs. thrust each
Cost: $435 million
Maximum speed: 1.8 mach at 36,000 ft.
Cruising Speed: 615 MPH
Range: anywhere in the world with in flight refueling
Service Ceiling: 91,470 ft.
Deployment: Medium Runway

X-119B
Span: 110 ft. 3 in.
Length: 78 ft. 3 in.
Height: 18 ft. 6 in.
Weight: 155,000 lbs. max. Takeoff weight
Equipment: Ground penetrating Radar, look down radar, Magnetic Detection System, IR cameras (w/ up to 8x zoom), visual spectrum cameras (w/ up to 12x zoom), UV spectrum cameras (w/ up to 8x zoom), laser target designator (gyroscopically stabilized), communication interception gear, radar detection gear. Radar jamming gear
Construction: Advanced Nano Carbon Fiber airframe with radar absorbing skin and radar absorbing structural components (engine intakes, vents, sensor bubbles)
Engines: 4x Shrak J103s with 20,500 lbs. thrust each
Cost: $935 million
Maximum speed: 1.9 mach at 36,000 ft.
Cruising Speed: 625 MPH
Range: anywhere in the world with in flight refueling
Service Ceiling: 91,870 ft.
Deployment: Medium Runway

Range w/o in-flight refueling?

based on the SR-71 and U-2, plus technological advances since either of those two, I'd say maybe 3-4 thousand miles

Right. job done then, methinks. anybody want to make any changes?
and if not, time for me to get together a few of my other high-tech things, and put them all on sale.

now on sale at the NSAA storefront... see my siggy for a link