Space Union
20-05-2006, 00:38
SuB-5 Sonic Supersonic Strategic Bomber
Overview/History:
The SuB-5 Sonic was the byproduct of a new need for a high-speed bomber that would deliver a large amount of payloads at high speeds. Designed as the replacement for the aging SuB-2 Skipper, it is the Space Union Air Force’s newest bomber and it’s faster. Its mission and job is to penetrate deep within enemy territory at fast speeds and deliver a payload before the enemy can react or realize they are under attack. Guarded by speed and an advanced suite of electronic counter measures, the SuB-5 will complete any bombing run with success ensured. It started under the SUAF’s Ultra-Fast Bomber Program (UFBP), which was designed to find possible replacements for the SUAF’s aging fleet of SuB-2 Skippers. Among the contenders were foreign and domestic companies, all of which provided some of the best designs in the NS world. Ultimately, the contract was awarded to the Space Union Aeronautical Institution (SUAI) for political and military reasons. But in late 2005, the Chamber of Electorates of Space Union halted the program before production of the prototype of SUAI’s design could be built. The main reason was that the Chamber found that the UFBP was very expensive in terms of funding R&D along with the budget already passing $200 billion for that alone by the end of the year. Instead the Chamber went with a cheaper mode and selected the OMASC/NDI B-101D Super Bombardier as the replacement for the SuB-2 Skipper for the reason that it was not only a tested platform but could begin production immediately and enter service without a need of extensive testing. SUAI was of course disappointed by the move and found itself having to take up any left over costs from the expensive program with no order or profit seeable for the design. But fate intervened once more for SUAI when in early 2006, the Chamber approved of a new defense budget that added over $5 trillion to the SUAF’s gigantic budget. This extra money was redirected at restarting the program and developing the high-speed bomber. SUAI immediately took up the design and after extensive testing; it began production a bit later. The B-101 Super Bombardier is expected to stay in SUAF service for its high approval rating but the active bombing units will receive the new bomber, dubbed the SuB-5 Sonic. It is intended to supplement the much larger SuB-1C Super Hurricane.
Airframe/Construction:
The SuB-5’s main goal is to cruise at Mach 4 and deliver its payload. Cruising at Mach 4 is a major leap in aerospace engineering and required Space Union engineers to rethink the entire design around that goal. In the end it was decided to pick a design similar to the old XB-70. It has a long fuselage with a pair of large delta wings. It keeps its payload within the bulge in the fuselage, while having a pair of large rectangular canards in the front. This design is optimum for the SuB-5 for the reason that delta wings allow for aircrafts to fly very efficiently at high speeds while canards produce more lift. The larger the canard, the higher the lift is and this allows for the SuB-5 Sonic to have a very high lift-to-drag ratio for its size. The delta wing is also large for the fact that it can store more fuel in the extra space, giving the SuB-5 a large combat radius and the ability to bomb enemies anywhere around the world. It truly casts a daunting shadow upon its enemies and victims. Further, the aircraft is also outfitted with drop down winglets to gain more lift, similar in fashion to the old XB-70 Valkyrie. This method is known as compression lift. It works by dropping catching the waves underneath the aircraft and using them so that the aircraft can “ride” on them or albeit add more lift to the entire aircraft.
The airframe of the SuB-5 naturally had to be very strong to endure the high speeds and the thermal heat at Mach 4 flight. Most conventional materials were for this reason dropped in development and the more “radical” materials were used instead. The airframe is made out of primarily aluminum-lithium alloy and titanium for high stress and thermal endurance at these high temperatures. Plastics and composite materials have been used to a lesser extent on the SuB-5 than past aircrafts, partially because of the heat that they will have to endure and the possibility of them melting. Nevertheless, some plastics that have a very high specific heat, like thermoplastic and carbon fiber reinforced plastic have been incorporated into the design. Most of them are concentrated into the inner parts of the wings and some parts of the fuselage. The other materials in the airframe are steel and nickel metals. The exact composition is 48% aluminum-lithium, 24% titanium, 13% thermoplastic, 11% CFRP, 3% steel, and 1% nickel. This composition has ensured that the SuB-5 can sustain Mach 4 flight and the airframe will survive without extensive need of reinforcement or anything like that.
The SuB-5 Sonic has been not only designed specifically around Mach 4 flight but also for carrying a huge payload in order to hurt the enemy. Its main job is to destroy enemy SAM sites and then dash out of the place before the enemy can gain a lock and fire a SAM. Even if the enemy fires a SAM at the aircraft, its main defense will be throttling the aircraft past Mach 4 so that it can dash out of the SAM’s range and survive for another day. To ensure that it strikes the enemy targets, it is outfitted with four internal weapons bays. Each weapons bay has rotating pylon rack configuration that allows for the storing of bombs and other weapons and fire them at any direction. Each bomb bay is considerably large, being able to carry 13,250 kg worth of munitions and weapons in its racks. This weaponry can range from large iron bombs to thermal nuclear bombs to laser-guided precision bombs to even JDAMs or other weapons a nation may possess.
One feature of the SuB-5 Sonic compared to other contemporary bombers from other nations is the amount of comfort put into the designing of the cockpit for the crew. A series of tests performed by SUAI concluded that the more relaxed and less stressful a pilot feels, the better he/she can respond in situations of dire need. All these studies also concluded that most pilots get stressful because of the size of the cockpit, few luxuries, and overall discomfort in the aircraft. Engineers tried to solve this by first off increasing the size of the cockpit. Since the SuB-5 Sonic will be manned by four crewmen, the standard cockpit has been increased by 2x, providing a far more spacious area. Another feature is that reclining, massage, and heating options for chairs. These help to reduce stress on pilots when they are going to their targets or during long-flights. Lastly, the increase in area has allowed the addition of more comfortable and larger bunks for sleeping, a refrigerator, microwave, bathroom, and even an entertainment system. All these additions have proven in separate studies that the crew is likely better to handle tense situations than in other bombers. The result is the less likely possibility of losing an aircraft and the lives of its crewmembers during combat.
Propulsion/Powerplant:
The SuB-5 Sonic naturally was in need of high-performance powerplants that could provide enough thrust to not only get it off the ground but also past Mach 4. The task was met by the Union Engine Corporation (UEC) when it offered the Union-302-2006s Low-Bypass Ramfan Jet Engines, which had been used on the SuB-1C Super Hurricane. These giant engines produced a thrust of 130,000 lbf each or 59,000 kgf. SUAI accepted these engines, largely because it offered commonality between the SuB-5 Sonic and the SuB-1C Super Hurricane. Not only that, but the engines were more than powerful enough to propel the aircraft to the needed speeds. In the end, it was decided that the SuB-5 Sonic would be equipped with 4 Union-302-2006s, with afterburners included with the design, something not found on the original Union-302s. The engines are outfitted below the wings of the aircraft, tucked underneath the center of the large delta wings.
The Union-302-2006s differ from other ramfan jet engine designs by being the first of the high-bypass class. The 300-series is expected to be improvements of this baseline product. The ramfan’s high compression rate allows for a large amount of fuel efficiency for an engine of this class. It is expected to be 20% less fuel hungry as the Union-46s because of the use of the ramfan and advanced methods.
The Ramfan is a revolutionary new type of jet engine that is created and manufactured by Space Union. It works by having a high-bypass fan in-front of a conventional ramjet. The fan sucks in air and into a funnel/cone-type structure. The cone becomes very narrow causing the air to slow down, therefore compress, similar to the operation of a ramjet. Not only that but a series of pipes carrying liquid coolant act as a heat exchange. It works by having the coolant, cool the incoming air, therefore compressing it, and heating up the coolant. Once the air has been compressed, it goes through a narrow pipe where fuel injectors inject fuel, starting the combustion. After that the exhaust is let out. Here the heated coolant is then pumped to the back of the engine were it combusts with the rest of the exhaust. The bypass air joins the exhaust and contributes up to 85% of the thrust. The result is a ramjet that doesn't need assistance to start along with having a very powerful engine. Not only has that it retained much of the ramjets simplicity, by having only a fan.
Another interesting feature of the Union-302-2006 is its connection straight to the computer of the SuB-5 Sonic. It is made so that the Union-302 has an advanced electronic system, controlled directly by the computer. Fully wired with fiber optics, the signals are computed and sent faster between the mainframe and engine, causing actions to be faster. Engines can be lighted and accelerated to different settings at a much faster rate than in old models. The engine also includes the ability to maintain itself in that it can diagnose any problems, all of which is reported to the central computer. Without this system, the pilot might not know that one of his engines are suffering problems and this might lead to a fatal accident resulting in the destruction of the aircraft or even possibly the loss of the pilot and crews’ life. Not only does the crew have the ability to see this, logistics can download the reports on a minute-by-minute basis (or higher or lower depending on needs) and find the problem and eventually solve it. The end of the days of searching for problems is over.
Avionics/Electronics:
The SuB-5 Sonic is not only designed around Mach 4 performance but state-of-the-art avionics to ensure it can get the job done. The main component of the SuB-5 Sonic is the central computer that powers the entire aircraft. This powerful supercomputer, nicknamed the Sonic Boom, is likely the most powerful computer on any aircraft in the world. Capable of computing 40 trillion floating point operations per second, it manages the entire complex of the aircraft in sensors, electronics, and overall control. Every single part of the aircraft is connected through a high speed bus to the Sonic Boom where everything is computed and conducted. It also features an outstanding amount of memory of 40 terabytes, giving it enough to process and record information throughout missions. To connect all this, the aircraft is outfitted with the advanced fly-by-optic configuration. This system employs fiber optics in the place of copper wires to transmit data at the speed of light, increasing reaction time of the system with the crew.
The SuB-5 Sonic is outfitted with a powerful on-board radar suite, SU/RD-147 Active Electronically Scanned Array Extremely Low-Probability of Intercept radar. This advanced radar is set up so that it has a 360 degree view, with arrays stationed around the aircraft in four separate locations. The sheer size of the radar allows it to have a detection range of nearly 550 km. This allows it to not only operate as a bomber, but also as an AWACS if necessary. It is also outfitted with a suite of LIDAR/LADAR systems with the SU/LI-4 and SU/LA-4 having 30 km and 80 km ranges, respectively. While the SU/RD-147 picks up the object and tracks it, the LIDAR/LADAR help in gaining more info and providing more in-depth targeting capability to the aircraft’s crew. The aircraft also features passive sensors like its Infra-Red Detection and Targeting System (IRDTS) that can detect IR signatures from over 100 km away. All these sensors combined are formulated into the Early Advance Warning System (EAWS) that detects incoming threats posed to the aircraft and alerts the crew with that along with possible solutions. This can range from SAM locks on the aircraft to incoming fighters to incoming air-to-air missiles. Another feature on the aircraft is an incredibly fast datalink that allows the SuB-5 to connect with other aircrafts and the SUDACS to share information along with receiving any. This high-speed connection makes sure that it stays up-to-date with everything it should need.
The inside of cockpit is not only luxurious (for a bomber, at least) but it is configured in layout to make sure that each crewmember has all the information he/she needs to accomplish his/her job. There are a total of six chairs, two in the front for pilot and co-pilot, and two on each side of the cockpit. The pilot and co-pilot have a series of OLED screens on their dashboard that shows them a number of different things. One screen shows any incoming threats, another shows the monitoring of the aircraft for any problems or damages, while another is for touch-screen operations so that a pilot can choose different options to pick for the on-board computer to conduct. The other four crewmembers each have one large OLED screen that displays the information they need, each with touch-screen capability so most of the buttons, knobs, and switches have been eliminated in the cockpit. Most crews are amazed at how modern the cockpit looks, something they expected to see only on futuristic TV shows. This adds to the environment and even helps boost morale, studies concluded. A special feature in the SuB-5 Sonic, not found in most other bombers, is that for the four crewmen in the back they can switch their spots and don’t have to stay in that on place. For example, if one crewmember doesn’t want to be in one part of the cockpit, they can switch with the other guy. They can then upload their mission needs onto the screen they are using now and continue working as if nothing happened. SUAI made sure that crew comfort, needs, and flexibility were all met in the SuB-5 Sonic.
Payload/Weaponry:
The SuB-5 Sonic main goal in service will be to deliver payload at super fast speeds to anywhere in the world at the slightest notice. To do this, it features a substantial payload that can bring a hurt to any enemy in the world. Its main weaponry in the Space Union Air Force would be launching precision-guided bombs to hit SAM sites and other high value areas to clear away an enemy’s air defense before the larger SuB-4 Super Hurricane bombers come and bomb the enemy back to the Stone Age. Capable of outrunning almost every fighter in the world except a select few, the SuB-5 is capable of taking on any enemy air defense with stunning accuracy and deadliness. In a clean configuration, the SuB-5 Sonic is capable of housing 53,000 kg of payload inside its internal weapons bays. In a maximum ordnance capacity, it is capable of hauling up to 76,000 kg using its external hardpoints/pylons at the cost of speed. The SuB-5 features four internal weapons bays that can carry 13,250 kg worth of weaponry each. Depending on missions, this could be JDAM (or equivalents), laser-guided weaponry, iron bombs, or even air-to-air missiles if needed. The inside has rotating racks that the weapons can be stored on and fired from. A special modification can be made to shoot any bombs or missiles out into the airflow in split seconds if necessary, though, it is not preinstalled in default models.
Although the SuB-5 Sonic is developed for high speed purposes, it can also be used by other nations as a mainstay strategic bomber if they do not have any heavier bombers. To boost its weapon holding abilities, external hardpoints can be mounted on its large wings to give it extra space to carry weapons. Each wing is capable of housing five hardpoints on each side for a total of 10 external hardpoints. Each one is capable of holding 2,300 kg worth of weaponry each and therefore the entire aircraft can hold 23,000 kg worth of munitions externally for a grand total of 76,000 kg of weaponry. But the extra pylons come at a cost. Because of airflow and their sticking out, bombs can not be put on external pylons if you wish to go at high speeds like Mach 2+. This ensures that the armament isn’t ripped off and the hardpoints are damaged during missions. This configuration should be used only when air defenses have been cleared or there is no threat from housing them externally.
One of the main features on the SuB-2 was its Self-Defense Bay but it was removed in the designing of the SuB-5 Sonic. To replace the capability to defend it, the engineers at SUAI looked at other bomber designs like the OMASC B-110 Archmaster and SuB-4 Super Hurricane and decided on the installation of Self-Defense Turrets over the body of the aircraft. There are a total of five of these Self-Defense turrets on the entire body. Each houses 2x 20mm Autocannons while also housing a four-cell missile launcher to increase the chance of intercepting any incoming SAMs or AAMs. Not only that but each Self-Defense turret also carries a LASER Scrambler that scrambles incoming lasers to avoid LIDAR/LADAR sensors from effectively tracking the bomber. Every turret also features 100 flares and 70 chaffs to try and shake-off any incoming IR-seeking or radar-using missiles or even tracking systems. The one problem with this was that they would interfere with airflow and either prohibit high speed flight or they would be ripped off during it. The solution was that they can be fully retracted within the body of the aircraft thanks to the large amount of space within the aircraft. The SuB-5 slows down when it needs it and the turrets retract out (in 5-10 seconds) and protect the aircraft. After that they will retract for the aircraft to once again throttle forward.
Specifications:
Type: Supersonic Strategic Bomber
Height: 25 m
Length: 98 m
Wingspan: 76 m
Propulsion: 4x Union-302-2006s Low-Bypass Ramfan Jet Engines rated at 59,090 kgf each
Empty (Weight): 212,000 kg
Maximum Take-Off Weight: 530,000 kg
Maximum Fuel Weight: 265,000 kg
Minimum Fuel Weight: 212,000 kg
Normal Payload: 53,000 kg
Maximum Payload: 76,000 kg
Cruising Speed: Mach 4
Maximum Speed: Mach 4.2
Combat Range: 12,000 km
Ferry Range: 25,000 km
Crew: 6
Cost: $680 million
Sales Price: $700 million
Overview/History:
The SuB-5 Sonic was the byproduct of a new need for a high-speed bomber that would deliver a large amount of payloads at high speeds. Designed as the replacement for the aging SuB-2 Skipper, it is the Space Union Air Force’s newest bomber and it’s faster. Its mission and job is to penetrate deep within enemy territory at fast speeds and deliver a payload before the enemy can react or realize they are under attack. Guarded by speed and an advanced suite of electronic counter measures, the SuB-5 will complete any bombing run with success ensured. It started under the SUAF’s Ultra-Fast Bomber Program (UFBP), which was designed to find possible replacements for the SUAF’s aging fleet of SuB-2 Skippers. Among the contenders were foreign and domestic companies, all of which provided some of the best designs in the NS world. Ultimately, the contract was awarded to the Space Union Aeronautical Institution (SUAI) for political and military reasons. But in late 2005, the Chamber of Electorates of Space Union halted the program before production of the prototype of SUAI’s design could be built. The main reason was that the Chamber found that the UFBP was very expensive in terms of funding R&D along with the budget already passing $200 billion for that alone by the end of the year. Instead the Chamber went with a cheaper mode and selected the OMASC/NDI B-101D Super Bombardier as the replacement for the SuB-2 Skipper for the reason that it was not only a tested platform but could begin production immediately and enter service without a need of extensive testing. SUAI was of course disappointed by the move and found itself having to take up any left over costs from the expensive program with no order or profit seeable for the design. But fate intervened once more for SUAI when in early 2006, the Chamber approved of a new defense budget that added over $5 trillion to the SUAF’s gigantic budget. This extra money was redirected at restarting the program and developing the high-speed bomber. SUAI immediately took up the design and after extensive testing; it began production a bit later. The B-101 Super Bombardier is expected to stay in SUAF service for its high approval rating but the active bombing units will receive the new bomber, dubbed the SuB-5 Sonic. It is intended to supplement the much larger SuB-1C Super Hurricane.
Airframe/Construction:
The SuB-5’s main goal is to cruise at Mach 4 and deliver its payload. Cruising at Mach 4 is a major leap in aerospace engineering and required Space Union engineers to rethink the entire design around that goal. In the end it was decided to pick a design similar to the old XB-70. It has a long fuselage with a pair of large delta wings. It keeps its payload within the bulge in the fuselage, while having a pair of large rectangular canards in the front. This design is optimum for the SuB-5 for the reason that delta wings allow for aircrafts to fly very efficiently at high speeds while canards produce more lift. The larger the canard, the higher the lift is and this allows for the SuB-5 Sonic to have a very high lift-to-drag ratio for its size. The delta wing is also large for the fact that it can store more fuel in the extra space, giving the SuB-5 a large combat radius and the ability to bomb enemies anywhere around the world. It truly casts a daunting shadow upon its enemies and victims. Further, the aircraft is also outfitted with drop down winglets to gain more lift, similar in fashion to the old XB-70 Valkyrie. This method is known as compression lift. It works by dropping catching the waves underneath the aircraft and using them so that the aircraft can “ride” on them or albeit add more lift to the entire aircraft.
The airframe of the SuB-5 naturally had to be very strong to endure the high speeds and the thermal heat at Mach 4 flight. Most conventional materials were for this reason dropped in development and the more “radical” materials were used instead. The airframe is made out of primarily aluminum-lithium alloy and titanium for high stress and thermal endurance at these high temperatures. Plastics and composite materials have been used to a lesser extent on the SuB-5 than past aircrafts, partially because of the heat that they will have to endure and the possibility of them melting. Nevertheless, some plastics that have a very high specific heat, like thermoplastic and carbon fiber reinforced plastic have been incorporated into the design. Most of them are concentrated into the inner parts of the wings and some parts of the fuselage. The other materials in the airframe are steel and nickel metals. The exact composition is 48% aluminum-lithium, 24% titanium, 13% thermoplastic, 11% CFRP, 3% steel, and 1% nickel. This composition has ensured that the SuB-5 can sustain Mach 4 flight and the airframe will survive without extensive need of reinforcement or anything like that.
The SuB-5 Sonic has been not only designed specifically around Mach 4 flight but also for carrying a huge payload in order to hurt the enemy. Its main job is to destroy enemy SAM sites and then dash out of the place before the enemy can gain a lock and fire a SAM. Even if the enemy fires a SAM at the aircraft, its main defense will be throttling the aircraft past Mach 4 so that it can dash out of the SAM’s range and survive for another day. To ensure that it strikes the enemy targets, it is outfitted with four internal weapons bays. Each weapons bay has rotating pylon rack configuration that allows for the storing of bombs and other weapons and fire them at any direction. Each bomb bay is considerably large, being able to carry 13,250 kg worth of munitions and weapons in its racks. This weaponry can range from large iron bombs to thermal nuclear bombs to laser-guided precision bombs to even JDAMs or other weapons a nation may possess.
One feature of the SuB-5 Sonic compared to other contemporary bombers from other nations is the amount of comfort put into the designing of the cockpit for the crew. A series of tests performed by SUAI concluded that the more relaxed and less stressful a pilot feels, the better he/she can respond in situations of dire need. All these studies also concluded that most pilots get stressful because of the size of the cockpit, few luxuries, and overall discomfort in the aircraft. Engineers tried to solve this by first off increasing the size of the cockpit. Since the SuB-5 Sonic will be manned by four crewmen, the standard cockpit has been increased by 2x, providing a far more spacious area. Another feature is that reclining, massage, and heating options for chairs. These help to reduce stress on pilots when they are going to their targets or during long-flights. Lastly, the increase in area has allowed the addition of more comfortable and larger bunks for sleeping, a refrigerator, microwave, bathroom, and even an entertainment system. All these additions have proven in separate studies that the crew is likely better to handle tense situations than in other bombers. The result is the less likely possibility of losing an aircraft and the lives of its crewmembers during combat.
Propulsion/Powerplant:
The SuB-5 Sonic naturally was in need of high-performance powerplants that could provide enough thrust to not only get it off the ground but also past Mach 4. The task was met by the Union Engine Corporation (UEC) when it offered the Union-302-2006s Low-Bypass Ramfan Jet Engines, which had been used on the SuB-1C Super Hurricane. These giant engines produced a thrust of 130,000 lbf each or 59,000 kgf. SUAI accepted these engines, largely because it offered commonality between the SuB-5 Sonic and the SuB-1C Super Hurricane. Not only that, but the engines were more than powerful enough to propel the aircraft to the needed speeds. In the end, it was decided that the SuB-5 Sonic would be equipped with 4 Union-302-2006s, with afterburners included with the design, something not found on the original Union-302s. The engines are outfitted below the wings of the aircraft, tucked underneath the center of the large delta wings.
The Union-302-2006s differ from other ramfan jet engine designs by being the first of the high-bypass class. The 300-series is expected to be improvements of this baseline product. The ramfan’s high compression rate allows for a large amount of fuel efficiency for an engine of this class. It is expected to be 20% less fuel hungry as the Union-46s because of the use of the ramfan and advanced methods.
The Ramfan is a revolutionary new type of jet engine that is created and manufactured by Space Union. It works by having a high-bypass fan in-front of a conventional ramjet. The fan sucks in air and into a funnel/cone-type structure. The cone becomes very narrow causing the air to slow down, therefore compress, similar to the operation of a ramjet. Not only that but a series of pipes carrying liquid coolant act as a heat exchange. It works by having the coolant, cool the incoming air, therefore compressing it, and heating up the coolant. Once the air has been compressed, it goes through a narrow pipe where fuel injectors inject fuel, starting the combustion. After that the exhaust is let out. Here the heated coolant is then pumped to the back of the engine were it combusts with the rest of the exhaust. The bypass air joins the exhaust and contributes up to 85% of the thrust. The result is a ramjet that doesn't need assistance to start along with having a very powerful engine. Not only has that it retained much of the ramjets simplicity, by having only a fan.
Another interesting feature of the Union-302-2006 is its connection straight to the computer of the SuB-5 Sonic. It is made so that the Union-302 has an advanced electronic system, controlled directly by the computer. Fully wired with fiber optics, the signals are computed and sent faster between the mainframe and engine, causing actions to be faster. Engines can be lighted and accelerated to different settings at a much faster rate than in old models. The engine also includes the ability to maintain itself in that it can diagnose any problems, all of which is reported to the central computer. Without this system, the pilot might not know that one of his engines are suffering problems and this might lead to a fatal accident resulting in the destruction of the aircraft or even possibly the loss of the pilot and crews’ life. Not only does the crew have the ability to see this, logistics can download the reports on a minute-by-minute basis (or higher or lower depending on needs) and find the problem and eventually solve it. The end of the days of searching for problems is over.
Avionics/Electronics:
The SuB-5 Sonic is not only designed around Mach 4 performance but state-of-the-art avionics to ensure it can get the job done. The main component of the SuB-5 Sonic is the central computer that powers the entire aircraft. This powerful supercomputer, nicknamed the Sonic Boom, is likely the most powerful computer on any aircraft in the world. Capable of computing 40 trillion floating point operations per second, it manages the entire complex of the aircraft in sensors, electronics, and overall control. Every single part of the aircraft is connected through a high speed bus to the Sonic Boom where everything is computed and conducted. It also features an outstanding amount of memory of 40 terabytes, giving it enough to process and record information throughout missions. To connect all this, the aircraft is outfitted with the advanced fly-by-optic configuration. This system employs fiber optics in the place of copper wires to transmit data at the speed of light, increasing reaction time of the system with the crew.
The SuB-5 Sonic is outfitted with a powerful on-board radar suite, SU/RD-147 Active Electronically Scanned Array Extremely Low-Probability of Intercept radar. This advanced radar is set up so that it has a 360 degree view, with arrays stationed around the aircraft in four separate locations. The sheer size of the radar allows it to have a detection range of nearly 550 km. This allows it to not only operate as a bomber, but also as an AWACS if necessary. It is also outfitted with a suite of LIDAR/LADAR systems with the SU/LI-4 and SU/LA-4 having 30 km and 80 km ranges, respectively. While the SU/RD-147 picks up the object and tracks it, the LIDAR/LADAR help in gaining more info and providing more in-depth targeting capability to the aircraft’s crew. The aircraft also features passive sensors like its Infra-Red Detection and Targeting System (IRDTS) that can detect IR signatures from over 100 km away. All these sensors combined are formulated into the Early Advance Warning System (EAWS) that detects incoming threats posed to the aircraft and alerts the crew with that along with possible solutions. This can range from SAM locks on the aircraft to incoming fighters to incoming air-to-air missiles. Another feature on the aircraft is an incredibly fast datalink that allows the SuB-5 to connect with other aircrafts and the SUDACS to share information along with receiving any. This high-speed connection makes sure that it stays up-to-date with everything it should need.
The inside of cockpit is not only luxurious (for a bomber, at least) but it is configured in layout to make sure that each crewmember has all the information he/she needs to accomplish his/her job. There are a total of six chairs, two in the front for pilot and co-pilot, and two on each side of the cockpit. The pilot and co-pilot have a series of OLED screens on their dashboard that shows them a number of different things. One screen shows any incoming threats, another shows the monitoring of the aircraft for any problems or damages, while another is for touch-screen operations so that a pilot can choose different options to pick for the on-board computer to conduct. The other four crewmembers each have one large OLED screen that displays the information they need, each with touch-screen capability so most of the buttons, knobs, and switches have been eliminated in the cockpit. Most crews are amazed at how modern the cockpit looks, something they expected to see only on futuristic TV shows. This adds to the environment and even helps boost morale, studies concluded. A special feature in the SuB-5 Sonic, not found in most other bombers, is that for the four crewmen in the back they can switch their spots and don’t have to stay in that on place. For example, if one crewmember doesn’t want to be in one part of the cockpit, they can switch with the other guy. They can then upload their mission needs onto the screen they are using now and continue working as if nothing happened. SUAI made sure that crew comfort, needs, and flexibility were all met in the SuB-5 Sonic.
Payload/Weaponry:
The SuB-5 Sonic main goal in service will be to deliver payload at super fast speeds to anywhere in the world at the slightest notice. To do this, it features a substantial payload that can bring a hurt to any enemy in the world. Its main weaponry in the Space Union Air Force would be launching precision-guided bombs to hit SAM sites and other high value areas to clear away an enemy’s air defense before the larger SuB-4 Super Hurricane bombers come and bomb the enemy back to the Stone Age. Capable of outrunning almost every fighter in the world except a select few, the SuB-5 is capable of taking on any enemy air defense with stunning accuracy and deadliness. In a clean configuration, the SuB-5 Sonic is capable of housing 53,000 kg of payload inside its internal weapons bays. In a maximum ordnance capacity, it is capable of hauling up to 76,000 kg using its external hardpoints/pylons at the cost of speed. The SuB-5 features four internal weapons bays that can carry 13,250 kg worth of weaponry each. Depending on missions, this could be JDAM (or equivalents), laser-guided weaponry, iron bombs, or even air-to-air missiles if needed. The inside has rotating racks that the weapons can be stored on and fired from. A special modification can be made to shoot any bombs or missiles out into the airflow in split seconds if necessary, though, it is not preinstalled in default models.
Although the SuB-5 Sonic is developed for high speed purposes, it can also be used by other nations as a mainstay strategic bomber if they do not have any heavier bombers. To boost its weapon holding abilities, external hardpoints can be mounted on its large wings to give it extra space to carry weapons. Each wing is capable of housing five hardpoints on each side for a total of 10 external hardpoints. Each one is capable of holding 2,300 kg worth of weaponry each and therefore the entire aircraft can hold 23,000 kg worth of munitions externally for a grand total of 76,000 kg of weaponry. But the extra pylons come at a cost. Because of airflow and their sticking out, bombs can not be put on external pylons if you wish to go at high speeds like Mach 2+. This ensures that the armament isn’t ripped off and the hardpoints are damaged during missions. This configuration should be used only when air defenses have been cleared or there is no threat from housing them externally.
One of the main features on the SuB-2 was its Self-Defense Bay but it was removed in the designing of the SuB-5 Sonic. To replace the capability to defend it, the engineers at SUAI looked at other bomber designs like the OMASC B-110 Archmaster and SuB-4 Super Hurricane and decided on the installation of Self-Defense Turrets over the body of the aircraft. There are a total of five of these Self-Defense turrets on the entire body. Each houses 2x 20mm Autocannons while also housing a four-cell missile launcher to increase the chance of intercepting any incoming SAMs or AAMs. Not only that but each Self-Defense turret also carries a LASER Scrambler that scrambles incoming lasers to avoid LIDAR/LADAR sensors from effectively tracking the bomber. Every turret also features 100 flares and 70 chaffs to try and shake-off any incoming IR-seeking or radar-using missiles or even tracking systems. The one problem with this was that they would interfere with airflow and either prohibit high speed flight or they would be ripped off during it. The solution was that they can be fully retracted within the body of the aircraft thanks to the large amount of space within the aircraft. The SuB-5 slows down when it needs it and the turrets retract out (in 5-10 seconds) and protect the aircraft. After that they will retract for the aircraft to once again throttle forward.
Specifications:
Type: Supersonic Strategic Bomber
Height: 25 m
Length: 98 m
Wingspan: 76 m
Propulsion: 4x Union-302-2006s Low-Bypass Ramfan Jet Engines rated at 59,090 kgf each
Empty (Weight): 212,000 kg
Maximum Take-Off Weight: 530,000 kg
Maximum Fuel Weight: 265,000 kg
Minimum Fuel Weight: 212,000 kg
Normal Payload: 53,000 kg
Maximum Payload: 76,000 kg
Cruising Speed: Mach 4
Maximum Speed: Mach 4.2
Combat Range: 12,000 km
Ferry Range: 25,000 km
Crew: 6
Cost: $680 million
Sales Price: $700 million