The Candrian Empire
23-06-2007, 15:48
Top view (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/Gizeh/B22-Top-view.gif)
Port View (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/Gizeh/b-22-a600-mod-II.gif)
Schematic views of B22 bomber. Warning: Despite being 1/3 of my drawing scale, they are still very, very large.
The B22 is the foremost strategic bomber of the Candrian Air Fleet, an elegant four-engined monster just under a hundred meters in overall length. Although not exactly new in any sense, the Military Consulate has begun the motions for lifting the aircraft's export ban, leading to some other large, long range strategic bombers to enter foreign services - a minor arms race, if you will.
History
The B22 project began after the introduction of GEM's Aero 600 cargo aircraft; then an ambitious project by the small country. The a600, as it came to be known, was some 91 meters long, with an 89 meter wingspan. As a cargo aircraft, it entered service with the Candrian Air Fleet, providing strategic airlift. The first a600s proved to have poor structural strength, owing to the infancy of the Candrian superjumbo industry. Later models featured improved materials and inspection, and the fourteen a600 aircraft criss-crossing Candrian skies gained a reputation for reliability and flight characteristics. In the late 90s, with the expanding Candrian airforce presence, Air Force brass issued requests for long-range strategic bomber proposals; a primary requirement in the age of huge anti-air networks being the ability for individual aircraft to deliver large payloads, since there was little hope for precision guided strikes when the bomber was destroyed before it reached it's target. GEM convinced the Consulate that an a600 could be modified to serve the role - pointing out that most of the support runs along the spine, allowing for bay doors to be fashioned in the bottom. In truth, a conversion would be significantly difficult; as a result the a600 and B22, despite looking extremely similar, share only 20% of their parts. However, the B22 still had the longest range and highest payload of any aircraft entered; and thanks to in-flight refueling, it's range was, essentially, unlimited.
Design and Mission
The aircraft is possibly the last in a long line of large, conventional strategic bombers. Designed to deliver massive payloads over large targets in large formation, the B22, had it been designed several decades earlier, would've been the epitome of mid-Cold War era bomber design - big bombers delivering big payloads over big targets. With the resurgance of global point defense systems, the concept of 'stealth' bomber aircraft, with their troubling history of reliability, and lack of all-aspect stealth, was ruled out - they would be seen anyway, and were unlikely to avoid any defenses. Rather than dump massive amounts of money in a stealth aircraft that would likely have little in the way of reliability and availability, a more conventional design could be used and serve just as well, if not better. In the changing face of strategic air warfare, the aircraft's design was modified to accept the larger Candrian cruise missles and torpedoes, multiplying it's effectiveness.
Airframe
23 steel alloy formers attached to several stringers and longerons to compose the outer skeleton of the aircraft. There is a double skin system (explained later) composed primarily of rolled steel attached to the skeleton - considering the aircraft is designed to fly with considerable damage, the B22 did away with semimonoque construction and as a result the skin is riveted on and is not a stressed member. To increase survivability and life, the aircraft primarily uses steel construcion - the formers, stringers, longerons, and wing ribs, for the most part. The wings are constructed with a triple-spar 52-rib frame, with five spanwise beams running the length of the wing. The ribs run parallel to the fuseluage. The beams and spars merge with the formers in the wing box, effectively spreading the load of the wings throughout the body. Critics claimed that, with the advances in technology since the introduction of the B52, the planform of the B22 is extremely conservative - no boxwing, few composites. However, performance has shown that the B22 is incredibly reliable, and it's performace figures were well known and easily predicted. The materials and structural construcion promote longevity and survivability - at the expense of weight. The aircraft weighs some 220,000 kg completely empty, and with the five rubber-bladder fuel tanks filled (running throught the wet wings, wingbox, and fuseluage) and other fluids topped off, the aircraft weighs over 400,000 kg.
The crew cabin, galley, walkway, and rear ports are pressurised and armored; this armor is 5 mm. of hardened steel backed by 5 mm of decaurburized steel. Backing this up is a primary layer of 15 mm kevlar spall liner; behind that is 15mm void space, and the first three layers are repeated inside. This is designed to defeat the typical close-fragmentation warheads of most anti-aircraft missles; against hit-to-kill designs, it would provide little benefit. However, the armor only covers the habitable pressured spine of the aircraft, adding much less weight and incorporating the protection of the aircraft shell itself.
Powerplant
The 4 BQ6-3 high-bypass turbofan engines are hybrid compression-setup engines; linear flow engines compounding axial flow compressors and centrifugal compressors to achieve high compression. The engine uses a four-spool setup to achieve the most effective use of the compressors - one for the fan stage, one for the low-pressure stage, the high pressure axial stage, and the centrifugal stage. The setup, on paper, is a reliability nightmare, but in practice it is very effective, and, using the primary fuel type (CFS-FASB92E - Candrian Federation of Standards - Fuel Aviation Solutiont B92 E Standard) burns cleanly. Air is bled from the 3rd low pressure stages of the inner engines to provide pressure in the cabin. The shafts are hollow - at the nose-cone, cuts are made to allow airflow through the shafts and provide a measure of active cooling. The spinner features a conelliptical profile; limiting ice buildup and deflection to the engine, promoting usage in rough conditions. The turbine stages make extensive use of zalium, halfnium-diboride alloys, and nickle aluminide coatings to allow for higher temperatures.
Armament
The massive weapons bays allow the mounting of up to 60,300 kg of ordinance each - there are 3 such bays, 10 meters long each, 3.88 meters high, and 5.6 meters wide. These bays can mount precision guided weaponary or unguided gravity bombs; the doors can be opened in unison and so weapons longer than 10 meters can be deployed using multiple bomb bays. This, however, requires some structural modifications.
3 splitter racks can be mounted on each removable wing pylon; these can also accept fuel tanks and cruise missles, as well as air to air missles.
For defense, there are attachments for Illorian-designed MAAM missle racks to be deployed agianst incoming missles. For point defense, fast-training remote cannons are located in turrets on the front, rear, top, and bottom; each gun is radar-guided. These function in a manner similar to CIWS like Goalkeeper or the AK 630; their usability has been debated, and would be most useful in low speed engagements. They use the aircraft's radar for detection.
For defense, the aircraft features two chaff dispensers to the rear and two under the wings. IR blinders are mounted to the rear and front, consisting of a mirror array and active emitters. Small radar decoy launchers can be deployed from wing pylons.
Avionics
The crew sits primarily in the forward cockpit. The pilot, copilot, and payload officer are equipped with upward-firing ejection seats. Any refresher crew would be located either behind the forward crew cabin or in the rear cabin near the galley, in the event of an incident, they would have to jump.
The aircraft features hybrid glass OLED displays for every necessary station. Analog instruments are featured as a backup. A HUD for the pilot and copilot is mounted forward of the 2" laminated bulletproof polyvinyl canopy windows; this HUD is rated for instrument flight rules and as such can be relied upon in poor weather conditions.
Aircraft controls are governed by a four-channel fly-by-light system, clearly the most advanced element in the aircraft. This system features a programmable autopilot, intergrated GPS corrected inertial navigation, and significantly improves the control of the aircraft and the effectiveness of pilot response - the result is an aircraft that is deceptively easy to control.
Detection
Mounted on the nosecone and above the rear cannon are two dome radar arrays from Liverpool Electric - GFvb radars, multimode radars operating on the IEEE X, V/NATO M, W, and, in domestic models, I bands to provide clear, highresolution detection at distances of up to 400 km, using independent 6,800 die arrays. With this, the bombers can serve as shortranged AWACS aircraft while still carrying a bomb payload. Modifications are underway to mount larger AWACS radars on the aircraft, with high resolution ranges out to 1,000 km. These are still in their infancy, however. As it stands, the radars can guide any MAAM missles or the remote cannons. On the chin, two MOTS domes provide precision guidance to droppable munitions.
----
Type: Strategic Command Bomber
Length: 96.63 m
Wingspan: 95.59 m
Height (Overall) : 15.93 m
Propulsion: 4 GEM BQ6-3 Turbofans (3 m fan diameter) (2F/5LP/12HP/C) (Dimensions 3.43 m diameter x 11.21 m length OVR excluding nacelle) (78,140 kgf max thrust each) (Multifuel - designed for bioquerosene standard CFS-FASB92E as per Candrian law, will run on JP8, JP5, Jet A 1/Jet A, or other suitable fuel.)
Total Net Thrust: 312,560 kgf max
Empty Weight: 207,160 kg
Maximum Take-Off Weight : 559,332 kg
Maximum Structural Weight: 670,000 kg
Max Fuel Weight: 195,000 kg
Weapons Systems:
3 Independent bomb bays, stack clip. Independently actuated doors.
6 5,000 kg underwing wet hardpoints
4 mountings for licensed Illorian MAAM systems (if applicible)
4 30 mm double-barrel Mettel DBG30/190 Gast mechanism cannon (600 rounds each, 3700 RPM, three ball turrets (Nose, Tail, Belly, Shoulder)
Compatible with SARH-type, independent system-based command guidance, operator-based command guidance payloads.
Maximum Payload: 211,000 kg
Normal Combat Weight (50/50 Fuel/Pld): 445,160 kg
Maximum Combat Weight (Max payload) : 418,160 +140,000 kg (~72% fuel) on takeoff)
Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: .56 under maximum loadout
Variable Geometry Intake? Unnecessary - aircraft nor aircraft engines optimized for transonic regime flight, not Mach 2+.
G-Load Limits: -3.3/+4.1
Alpha: 29* , 15* Software Limited
Range with Full Fuel: ~12,100 km
Range with Full Payload: ~6,300 km
Range, 50/50: ~8,500 km
In-flight refueling? Yes, Boom and receptacle - located on nose.
Carrier Ready? No.
JATO/RATO? Yes.
Oxygen Generation? Yes - Sodium Chlorate cells located below crew cabin. 30 - 60 min duration.
Pressurized Canopy? Yes
Runway length, normal combat weight: ~ 2,900 m takeoff, > 2,600 m landing w/o thrust assisstance
Operational Ceiling/Altitude: 15.5 km
Maximum Altitude: 17.1 km
Cruising Speed: Mach .77 @ Altitude
Maximum Speed: Mach .88 @ Altitude
NEV: Mach .95 @ Altitude
Crew: 3,6 (Pilot, Copilot, Radar Officer/Bombardier, Refresher Crew)
Avionics Suite:
AOC Fly-by-light digitalized control, quadruple redundancy
OLED Wraparound Canopy HUD
Multiband Optical Targeting System (MOTS) Thermal, Visual, Laser Targeting & Designation with VLD Ground Targeting Suite (Forward Nosecone, 2 Arrays)
SaBOCAD Battlenet uplink
Pathknowledge M6 INS
Pathknowledge Programmable Autmatic Control
C72 Intergrated Defense Countermeasures System (Chaff, Deployable IR/LD Blinder, CCDB, Radar Blinders, Intergrated Radar Jamming Suite, Towed Radar/IR/EWE Decoys)
Price: $574,414,330
Notes: MAAM Contracting (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12807330&postcount=12)
Port View (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/Gizeh/b-22-a600-mod-II.gif)
Schematic views of B22 bomber. Warning: Despite being 1/3 of my drawing scale, they are still very, very large.
The B22 is the foremost strategic bomber of the Candrian Air Fleet, an elegant four-engined monster just under a hundred meters in overall length. Although not exactly new in any sense, the Military Consulate has begun the motions for lifting the aircraft's export ban, leading to some other large, long range strategic bombers to enter foreign services - a minor arms race, if you will.
History
The B22 project began after the introduction of GEM's Aero 600 cargo aircraft; then an ambitious project by the small country. The a600, as it came to be known, was some 91 meters long, with an 89 meter wingspan. As a cargo aircraft, it entered service with the Candrian Air Fleet, providing strategic airlift. The first a600s proved to have poor structural strength, owing to the infancy of the Candrian superjumbo industry. Later models featured improved materials and inspection, and the fourteen a600 aircraft criss-crossing Candrian skies gained a reputation for reliability and flight characteristics. In the late 90s, with the expanding Candrian airforce presence, Air Force brass issued requests for long-range strategic bomber proposals; a primary requirement in the age of huge anti-air networks being the ability for individual aircraft to deliver large payloads, since there was little hope for precision guided strikes when the bomber was destroyed before it reached it's target. GEM convinced the Consulate that an a600 could be modified to serve the role - pointing out that most of the support runs along the spine, allowing for bay doors to be fashioned in the bottom. In truth, a conversion would be significantly difficult; as a result the a600 and B22, despite looking extremely similar, share only 20% of their parts. However, the B22 still had the longest range and highest payload of any aircraft entered; and thanks to in-flight refueling, it's range was, essentially, unlimited.
Design and Mission
The aircraft is possibly the last in a long line of large, conventional strategic bombers. Designed to deliver massive payloads over large targets in large formation, the B22, had it been designed several decades earlier, would've been the epitome of mid-Cold War era bomber design - big bombers delivering big payloads over big targets. With the resurgance of global point defense systems, the concept of 'stealth' bomber aircraft, with their troubling history of reliability, and lack of all-aspect stealth, was ruled out - they would be seen anyway, and were unlikely to avoid any defenses. Rather than dump massive amounts of money in a stealth aircraft that would likely have little in the way of reliability and availability, a more conventional design could be used and serve just as well, if not better. In the changing face of strategic air warfare, the aircraft's design was modified to accept the larger Candrian cruise missles and torpedoes, multiplying it's effectiveness.
Airframe
23 steel alloy formers attached to several stringers and longerons to compose the outer skeleton of the aircraft. There is a double skin system (explained later) composed primarily of rolled steel attached to the skeleton - considering the aircraft is designed to fly with considerable damage, the B22 did away with semimonoque construction and as a result the skin is riveted on and is not a stressed member. To increase survivability and life, the aircraft primarily uses steel construcion - the formers, stringers, longerons, and wing ribs, for the most part. The wings are constructed with a triple-spar 52-rib frame, with five spanwise beams running the length of the wing. The ribs run parallel to the fuseluage. The beams and spars merge with the formers in the wing box, effectively spreading the load of the wings throughout the body. Critics claimed that, with the advances in technology since the introduction of the B52, the planform of the B22 is extremely conservative - no boxwing, few composites. However, performance has shown that the B22 is incredibly reliable, and it's performace figures were well known and easily predicted. The materials and structural construcion promote longevity and survivability - at the expense of weight. The aircraft weighs some 220,000 kg completely empty, and with the five rubber-bladder fuel tanks filled (running throught the wet wings, wingbox, and fuseluage) and other fluids topped off, the aircraft weighs over 400,000 kg.
The crew cabin, galley, walkway, and rear ports are pressurised and armored; this armor is 5 mm. of hardened steel backed by 5 mm of decaurburized steel. Backing this up is a primary layer of 15 mm kevlar spall liner; behind that is 15mm void space, and the first three layers are repeated inside. This is designed to defeat the typical close-fragmentation warheads of most anti-aircraft missles; against hit-to-kill designs, it would provide little benefit. However, the armor only covers the habitable pressured spine of the aircraft, adding much less weight and incorporating the protection of the aircraft shell itself.
Powerplant
The 4 BQ6-3 high-bypass turbofan engines are hybrid compression-setup engines; linear flow engines compounding axial flow compressors and centrifugal compressors to achieve high compression. The engine uses a four-spool setup to achieve the most effective use of the compressors - one for the fan stage, one for the low-pressure stage, the high pressure axial stage, and the centrifugal stage. The setup, on paper, is a reliability nightmare, but in practice it is very effective, and, using the primary fuel type (CFS-FASB92E - Candrian Federation of Standards - Fuel Aviation Solutiont B92 E Standard) burns cleanly. Air is bled from the 3rd low pressure stages of the inner engines to provide pressure in the cabin. The shafts are hollow - at the nose-cone, cuts are made to allow airflow through the shafts and provide a measure of active cooling. The spinner features a conelliptical profile; limiting ice buildup and deflection to the engine, promoting usage in rough conditions. The turbine stages make extensive use of zalium, halfnium-diboride alloys, and nickle aluminide coatings to allow for higher temperatures.
Armament
The massive weapons bays allow the mounting of up to 60,300 kg of ordinance each - there are 3 such bays, 10 meters long each, 3.88 meters high, and 5.6 meters wide. These bays can mount precision guided weaponary or unguided gravity bombs; the doors can be opened in unison and so weapons longer than 10 meters can be deployed using multiple bomb bays. This, however, requires some structural modifications.
3 splitter racks can be mounted on each removable wing pylon; these can also accept fuel tanks and cruise missles, as well as air to air missles.
For defense, there are attachments for Illorian-designed MAAM missle racks to be deployed agianst incoming missles. For point defense, fast-training remote cannons are located in turrets on the front, rear, top, and bottom; each gun is radar-guided. These function in a manner similar to CIWS like Goalkeeper or the AK 630; their usability has been debated, and would be most useful in low speed engagements. They use the aircraft's radar for detection.
For defense, the aircraft features two chaff dispensers to the rear and two under the wings. IR blinders are mounted to the rear and front, consisting of a mirror array and active emitters. Small radar decoy launchers can be deployed from wing pylons.
Avionics
The crew sits primarily in the forward cockpit. The pilot, copilot, and payload officer are equipped with upward-firing ejection seats. Any refresher crew would be located either behind the forward crew cabin or in the rear cabin near the galley, in the event of an incident, they would have to jump.
The aircraft features hybrid glass OLED displays for every necessary station. Analog instruments are featured as a backup. A HUD for the pilot and copilot is mounted forward of the 2" laminated bulletproof polyvinyl canopy windows; this HUD is rated for instrument flight rules and as such can be relied upon in poor weather conditions.
Aircraft controls are governed by a four-channel fly-by-light system, clearly the most advanced element in the aircraft. This system features a programmable autopilot, intergrated GPS corrected inertial navigation, and significantly improves the control of the aircraft and the effectiveness of pilot response - the result is an aircraft that is deceptively easy to control.
Detection
Mounted on the nosecone and above the rear cannon are two dome radar arrays from Liverpool Electric - GFvb radars, multimode radars operating on the IEEE X, V/NATO M, W, and, in domestic models, I bands to provide clear, highresolution detection at distances of up to 400 km, using independent 6,800 die arrays. With this, the bombers can serve as shortranged AWACS aircraft while still carrying a bomb payload. Modifications are underway to mount larger AWACS radars on the aircraft, with high resolution ranges out to 1,000 km. These are still in their infancy, however. As it stands, the radars can guide any MAAM missles or the remote cannons. On the chin, two MOTS domes provide precision guidance to droppable munitions.
----
Type: Strategic Command Bomber
Length: 96.63 m
Wingspan: 95.59 m
Height (Overall) : 15.93 m
Propulsion: 4 GEM BQ6-3 Turbofans (3 m fan diameter) (2F/5LP/12HP/C) (Dimensions 3.43 m diameter x 11.21 m length OVR excluding nacelle) (78,140 kgf max thrust each) (Multifuel - designed for bioquerosene standard CFS-FASB92E as per Candrian law, will run on JP8, JP5, Jet A 1/Jet A, or other suitable fuel.)
Total Net Thrust: 312,560 kgf max
Empty Weight: 207,160 kg
Maximum Take-Off Weight : 559,332 kg
Maximum Structural Weight: 670,000 kg
Max Fuel Weight: 195,000 kg
Weapons Systems:
3 Independent bomb bays, stack clip. Independently actuated doors.
6 5,000 kg underwing wet hardpoints
4 mountings for licensed Illorian MAAM systems (if applicible)
4 30 mm double-barrel Mettel DBG30/190 Gast mechanism cannon (600 rounds each, 3700 RPM, three ball turrets (Nose, Tail, Belly, Shoulder)
Compatible with SARH-type, independent system-based command guidance, operator-based command guidance payloads.
Maximum Payload: 211,000 kg
Normal Combat Weight (50/50 Fuel/Pld): 445,160 kg
Maximum Combat Weight (Max payload) : 418,160 +140,000 kg (~72% fuel) on takeoff)
Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: .56 under maximum loadout
Variable Geometry Intake? Unnecessary - aircraft nor aircraft engines optimized for transonic regime flight, not Mach 2+.
G-Load Limits: -3.3/+4.1
Alpha: 29* , 15* Software Limited
Range with Full Fuel: ~12,100 km
Range with Full Payload: ~6,300 km
Range, 50/50: ~8,500 km
In-flight refueling? Yes, Boom and receptacle - located on nose.
Carrier Ready? No.
JATO/RATO? Yes.
Oxygen Generation? Yes - Sodium Chlorate cells located below crew cabin. 30 - 60 min duration.
Pressurized Canopy? Yes
Runway length, normal combat weight: ~ 2,900 m takeoff, > 2,600 m landing w/o thrust assisstance
Operational Ceiling/Altitude: 15.5 km
Maximum Altitude: 17.1 km
Cruising Speed: Mach .77 @ Altitude
Maximum Speed: Mach .88 @ Altitude
NEV: Mach .95 @ Altitude
Crew: 3,6 (Pilot, Copilot, Radar Officer/Bombardier, Refresher Crew)
Avionics Suite:
AOC Fly-by-light digitalized control, quadruple redundancy
OLED Wraparound Canopy HUD
Multiband Optical Targeting System (MOTS) Thermal, Visual, Laser Targeting & Designation with VLD Ground Targeting Suite (Forward Nosecone, 2 Arrays)
SaBOCAD Battlenet uplink
Pathknowledge M6 INS
Pathknowledge Programmable Autmatic Control
C72 Intergrated Defense Countermeasures System (Chaff, Deployable IR/LD Blinder, CCDB, Radar Blinders, Intergrated Radar Jamming Suite, Towed Radar/IR/EWE Decoys)
Price: $574,414,330
Notes: MAAM Contracting (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=12807330&postcount=12)