NationStates Jolt Archive

Hill-Tika-Lang State Defense Company

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In a ground breaking move earlier this month, the Chairman of the Foundation of Terran Tribes has signed into being Trade Act 43, allowing for the first time the sales of Foundation military hardware to non-allies. This act is in response to pleas from the arms manufacturing for aid following the now infamous attacks on the FTT's arms manufacturing infrastructure by the Peaceful Pacifists for Peace Army. Also provided for in the act is the creation of the Hill-Tika-Lang State Defense Company, a federally supervised corporate coalition created to handle the interactions of foreign powers with Foundation arms manufacturers. The HTL SD company is currently regulating the types of hardware currently available, but it is likely that the restrictions currently in place will be lifted in the near future, giving the world access to a broader range of arms produced in the Foundation.

Land Systems:
WARC-3A Combat Rifle (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13823106&postcount=3)
A service rifle designed with dependability, ruggedness, and controlled automatic fire as top concerns.

Aerospace Systems:

CTL-5X Piranha (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13823093&postcount=2)
A Mig-19 derivative aimed at turning a 60 year-old fighter into a modern ASF

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Note: YOU are responsible for the math. I reserve the right to refuse service to those I deem a risk. Shipping arrangements can be worked out, otherwise it is assumed that the customer is responsible for ALL shipping costs.

Carpio-Tika-Lang CTL-5X Piranha

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Carpio-Tika-Lang CTL-5X Piranha

Type: Fighter with secondary attack capabilities.
Length: 13.4m
Wingspan: 9.2m
Wing area: 28.1 m^2
Height: 4.2m
Propulsion: 2 x Pitban TFL-35 turbofans rated @ 39.1 kN (3987 kgf)
Total Net Thrust: 78.2 kN (7974 kgf)
Empty Weight: 5730 kg
Maximum Take-Off Weight: 10048 kg
Minimum Fuel Weight (0.2): 2010 kg
Maximum Fuel Weight (0.3): 3014 kg
Limit Per/Number of Pylon(s): 5 total, 1 centerline and 4 wing (rated @ 250kg each)
Normal Payload: 500 kg
Maximum Payload: 1250 kg
Normal Combat Weight: 8292 kg ( 5730 kg Empty + 2512 kg Fuel + 500 kg Payload)
Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: 0.96
Combat Radius: 540 km
Ferry Range: 2250 km
Operational Ceiling/Altitude: 16,000 m
Maximum Altitude: 18,010 m
Rate of Climb: 192 m/s
Cruising Speed: .9 Mach
Maximum Speed: 1.4 Mach
Crew (List): 1 (pilot)
Armament:
- 2 x 30 mm GSh-30-1 with 120 rounds each
- Provisions for up to 1250 kg of bombs, rocket launchers, AAMs, gunpods, drop tanks, ECM pods, or AGMs

Avionics:
- Tika ER/A-12ML lightweight multi-role radar
- Garret ET/A-VR3 fire control system
- Tika-Dalban EC/DA-M7 data link
- Zona EW/RA-9 Radar Warning Receiver
- Tika Reflex IX Digital triplexed fly-by-wire flight control system
Price: $8.2 million

OVERVIEW
The Carpio-Tika-Lang CTL-5X is an aircraft born out of desperation. Built on a 50 year old platform the CTL-5X is an attempt to fill the void that was left within the Tribes' air wings with the destruction of the Lang design and manufacturing complex in Bridgeport. The Lang 320 multi role fighter was designed to replace many of the smaller fighters in the Tribes' arsenal, but the loss of the Bridgeport complex has shelved the L-320 indefinately. With competing designs nowhere near as developed as the L-320, and no production lines set up to produce modern fighters of its class, the FTT was forced to look for alternative solutions for their air-combat needs.
The Carpio CARP-5A was a licensed-built version of the MiG-19 fighter that, in its prime, made up the bulk of the Tribes' Aeroguard and Expeditionary Aircorp forces. As more and more advanced craft became available the Tribes' purchased foreign designs, leaving local aerospace industries to focus on the civilian market and give up military market almost altogether. One of the few exceptions to this was Carpio Aviation, which continued to manufacture the CARP-5 in different variations to fill specialist roles with in the Tribes' militaries. Some variants were focused towards reconnaissance, others served as target drones, but the majority were used as weapons trainers.
When the attack hit the only company that retained production facilities able to produce military grade jets in number was Carpio. The FTT could have purchased fighters from other nations, but many in the government and much of the populous was against encouraging foreign dependence. With few options available the FTT approached Carpio and requested that they develop a refit of the CARP-5 to enable it to serve on the modern battlefield. Carpio, lacking experience with modern design and production as well as modern electronics, contacted Tika Electronics and Lang requested aid in the matter. Tika and Lang joined with little hesitation, both having lost much in the attack.
When the results the the partnership were presented to the FTT military the CTL-5X was ordered both as a refit and as an actual production model. Similar in weight to the CARP-5A the CTL-5X production model and CTL-5XR refits have better range, weapon stores, thrust, rough field performance, and modern avionics while still being of comparable cost to the CARP-5A. While less capable then foreign fighters of the same weight class, the CTL-5X still highly dangerous. With strong maneuverability, rugged construction, powerful cannon armament, and a much improved tracking and targeting ability it is little wonder that many pilots have stopped nick-naming the little fighters Carps and started calling them Piranhas.

DESIGN

Airframe:
The CTL-5X retains many of the design elements found in the CARP-5, such as highly swept mid-set wings, forward air intakes, and swept back tail planes. However, there are many changes to the design as well. Most obvious is the nose cone that houses the multi-mode radar. The addition of the nose cone has elongated the airframe and forced the air intake to be lower set then that of the CARP-5. Because of this, a number of gill-like slots were introduced to the sides of the nose to supply more air to the engine while in the ground with reduced risk of debris ingestion. The canopy is now of single piece construction and the cockpit has been raised to increase view all the way around except to the direct rear. Behind the canopy is the second most striking change, the addition of a "camel hump" for avionics and extra fuel storage.
Leading edge extensions on the wings now cover the once exposed cannon barrels, while trailing edge extensions allow for an increased fuel storage. The wing fences were removed, replaced with a dog-toothed edge that, in combination with the leading and trailing edged extensions, allow for lower take-off and landing speeds. The tricycle landing gear were lengthened and reinforced for better rough-field handling, as was the entire undercarriage to allow for larger payloads to be carried.
In an effort to save weight much of the metal skin used on the CARP-5 was replaced with a lighter composite. The exceptions to this were the leading and trailing edges of the wings and tail as well as the nose of the craft, in order to reduce the amount of wear on the composite areas.

Electronics/Avionics:

While the airframe has received extensive changes that have to improve performance the major goal the the modifications had been to make room for the Piranha's much improved banks of avionics. Where as the CARP-5 and MiG-19s were lucky to have simple radars and ground control data links the CTL-5X features the modern Tika ER/A-12ML lightweight multi-mode radar and Tika-Dalban EC/DA-ML7 data link. The ER/A-12ML is a lightweight derivative of the ER/A-12J that was to fitted to the Lang-320, and as such features reduced specifications in order to meet weight and size requirements for the Piranha. None the less, it is still a vast improvement for the aircraft, allowing it to detect targets up to 60 km away and begin targeting them at 38 km. The radar is of pulse-Doppler type and fully look-down/shoot-down capable. Oddly, the ER/A-12ML retains its BVR certification, a relic of the ERA/12J, as well as its Synthetic Aperture Radar mode. Of solid-state design the radar is highly reliable, with greater then 300 hours mean time between failures, and is mounted on a sliding frame that allows for easy maintenance. Able to track up to 8 target simultaneously and with less then 120 seconds between turn on and full operational status the ER/A-12ML's only draw back is an above average weakness to jamming when compared to other modern systems.

The Tika-Dalban EC/DA-ML7, on the other hand, retains the strong resistance to jamming like that found in its fore father, the EC/DA-MA6. Like its radar, the Piranha's data link is a stripped down variant of the L-320's, with a reduced link count and shorter range. Where as the MA6 could handle up to 20 simultaneous two way links the ML7 is only able to handle 4. However, like the MA6, the ML7 can accept links from many sources, from ground control, AWACS, Satellites, UAVs, other fighter, and even missiles. The ML7 is designed for low probability of intercept and as an attempt to circumvent performance loss due to lower link count it also has an automatic ad-hoc and "web" network capability. When in ad-hoc mode the ML7 will use a pre-programed ranking list to seek out and connect to other links when ever it has open links. If a hi ranking source is unavailable then the ML7 will look for the next highest source and continue doing so till the link is filled. Depending on the programing the link will either be a two way link with data shared between the CTL-5X and the other source, or a one way link in which only one unit will actively transmit while the other passively listens. The ML7's "web" networking capability allows for large groups of aircraft to share the same data net while making it difficult to completely destroy or jam it. With the "web" net each ML7 can act as both a server node and a client, adding data to the net while and reading data while passing it along to other units in the formation. If a single unit is destroyed then the remaining units with now open data links will follow their ad-hoc programming and establish new links to share the load of the lost node.

The data gathered from the data links and radar are both processed by the Garret ET/A-VR3 fire control system, which unlike the previous two systems is not a modification of the systems slated for the L-320, but is the actual system intended for the L-320. The Garret VR-3 was designed to control various munition types as well as processing the information gathered by sensors and links to give accurate and reliable data on the target. Built to process the larger inputs that would be received by the L-320 the Garret now has a surplus of processing power on the CTL-5X. This surplus is put to use on the Piranha, emulating a Central Processing unit to manage the mission, sensors, and vehicle. While this frees up space and weight within the fighter it also gives it a potentially dangerous flaw. If the FCS goes down the Piranha, while still flyable, will lose all the benefits of its advanced electronics, returning it to its 1960's performance level and rendering it unable to fight.

A Zona EW/RA-9 Radar Warning Receiver is mounted on at the vertical stabilizer's tip, and it largely independent of the Piranha's other systems. In place of the CARP-5A's hydraulic control system a Tika Reflex IX Digital triplexed fly-by-wire flight control system is installed, reducing weight while increasing reliability and lowering maintenance. The Reflex IX is, like the Zona RA-9, largely self contained with very little interaction with the mock Central Processing unit so that if it fails there is no degradation in the aircrafts controls. To do this the Reflex IX has its own dedicated processing computers which receive pilot input then in turn pass along the commands to actuators and servos. As the CTL-5X is aerodynamically stable the computers can be less powerful and cheaper then those used in relaxed stability designs, though triple redundant systems are still maintained for safety and to improve reliability.

Propulsion:

Where as the CARP-5A and the MiG-19 were powered by turbojets the Piranha instead uses more modern turbofans. The decision to switch to the more expensive and complex turbofans was a difficult one, but even with increased fuel stores the CTL-5X would not get the range needed in modern combat. In place of the license built Tumansky RD-9 turbo jets a pair of Pitban TFL-35 turbofans were installed. With thrust ratings of 39.1 kN, or about 4,000 kg of force, at afterburner the Pitbans produce higher thrust with lower consumption of fuel. Early in its design some wanted to replace the two turbo jets with a single large turbo fan to help reduce maintenance, however this would require heavy reworking of the CTL-5X's rear fuselage. The two Pitbans were selected because of their similar dimensions to the RD-9s, requiring little modification to the airframe, and to increase pilot morale. Many pilots felt more comfortable with a twin engined aircraft, knowing that if one failed they always could rely on the other to keep the plane in the air. To appease maintenance personal the Pitban TFL-33's that were originally slated to be used were redesigned to provide for reduced wear and maintenance and increased modular design. This has resulted in a loss of some thrust when compared to the TFL-33, but reduces visits to the shop to one per 750 flight hours and allows the TFL-35s on average 5000 hours between in-flight events. As a final nod towards maintainability both engines are mounted on quick attach/release mounts, allowing an entire engine to be removed from the aircraft in less then 5 minutes.

Armament:

Where as the CARP-5A was severely limited in weapons load the CTL-5X can carry its max 1,250 kg load of munitions and a full fuel load of 3,014 kg and still weigh less then its MTOW weight. This could have never been achieve if it weren't for the modifications to the CARP-5A's landing gear and control system that helped produce the Piranha. During work to strengthen and elongate the landing gear and to replace the hydraulic controls with fly-by-wire systems much of the craft's frame in the wing and undercarriage was reinforced with Aluminum-Ion cross spars. This stiffened the wings and made the lower fuselage stronger, allowing for a fifth pylon to be added to the central fuselage. Also during this work, information and data leads were run to each pylon, allowing for more modern munitions to be carried. While each pylon is limited to only 250kg of payload they are all capable of launching every AAM currently in service with the FTT as well as smaller bombs and rocket launchers. A unique feature engineers built into the wing pylons was the ability to accept a "sling" which would allow two wing pylons to share the load of an object that would normally be outside of their range. By using a "sling" a munition weighing up to 490 kg can be safely carried at the expense if increased drag.
The CTL-5X retained cannons as its on-board armament, replacing the three older NR-30 cannons found on the CARP-5 with two newer GSh-30-1 30 mm cannons. The newer GSh-30-1 cannons have an increased rate of fire, improving the Piranhas bite in a dogfight despite its lower number of guns. By switching to the GSh-30-1's the Piranha also can carry more ammunition for its cannons, up from 77 rounds per gun to 120 rounds per gun.


CONCLUSION

While the Carpio-Tika-Lang CTL-5X and CTL-5XR are in the shadows of more modern designs, they still are weapons that are to feared on the modern battlefield. With pleasing handling, robust maneuverability, and an improved thrust to weight ratio the airframe can now enter the arena of the most advanced ASFs and give them worry, while up to date avionics and electronics allow them to haul smart munitions as well as act in a close air support role. Retaining the deadly dogfighting heritage of its forefather the MiG-19, the Piranha truly is the Gunfighter reborn.

WARC-3A Combat Rifle
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WARC-3A Combat Rifle

Unloaded Weight: 3.8kg
Loaded Weight: 4.2kg
Length: 810mm
Barrel Length: 540mm
Cartridge: 7.62x39 Hot (Will safely fire 7.62x39 Soviet)
Action: Gas operated, long stroke, balanced; rotating bolt, three lug
Fire Modes: Safe, Fire. Single shot or full-auto fire is controlled by trigger pull. Half pull results in single shot, full pull results in full-auto.
Cyclic RoF: 450rpm
Muzzle Velocity: 823m/s
Effective Range: 400m
Feed System: 30-round detachable box magazine, Will accept most AK and RPK style magazines.
Sights: Picatinny rail, adjustable iron sights.

Construction: Parkerized steel, polymer stock

Extras: Grenade launcher attachment with sight linked to gas regulator, bayonet lug, 3-way gas valve ( max for "normal 7.62x39, half for 7.62x39 Hot, closed for use with rifle grenades), case deflector (to make it more lefty friendly).

PRICE: $580

History & Overview

The Weapon Automatic Rife Carbine (WARC) 3 was created as a stopgap to replace the Foundation's aging stocks of AKM assault rifles while the Future Foundation Advanced Rifle Program (FFARP) developed the next generation of combat rifles. The intended goal of the WARC-3 was to replace the Foundation's Expeditionary Forces stocks of AKMs until the FFARP produced a successor, at which time the WARC-3s would then be passed on to the Foundation Guard forces. This, however, failed to happen. After a decade of funding the FFARP competitors had failed to meet many of the specifications of the program and had not produced a viable replacement firearm for the military. The WARC-3 was still in its prototype phases when news of the FFARP cancellation was announced, resulting in a redesign of the rifle to allow for greater and simpler mass production, as the rifle would now have to arm both the Expeditionary and the Guard forces at the same time.

The production variant, the WARC-3A, carried a number of improvements over the prototype models, making the rifle more accurate and controllable during fully automatic fire. Provisions for using rifle grenades were made as well as attempts at making the rifle more friendly to left handed users. At the same time the production variant kept many of the attributes of the prototype that were deemed commendable, such as a low rate of fire and the use of synthetic materials for the furniture. When the rifle made it into the hands of soldiers it was well received.

Design

The WARC-3A is a bullpup assault rifle that uses a long-stroke gas operation system. The decision to use the long-stroke piston was a production decision, allowing for easier conversion of of existing AKM production facilities and to to make re-training in maintenance simpler. The bolt carrier is permanently attached to a robust gas piston, reducing the part count of the rifle while maintaining good reliability. The gas system is balanced, with a counter weight riding above the barrel in its own tube, that helps dampen out the force of the bolt group's rearward and forward movements. The rotating bolt uses three locking lugs to ensure a secure lock with the receiver. The whole bolt group rides a pair of rails within the milled receiver while a large non-reciprocating charging handle on the left side allows a soldier to charge the weapon even when it is fouled or when wearing gloves.

The weapon's trigger is its fire selector, allowing single shots with a half pull, and full automatic with a complete pull. Some soldiers have complained that controlling the trigger pull is difficult under adverse conditions, however, it should be noted that the weapons relatively low rate of fire makes it difficult to "accidentally" waste large amounts of ammo. A large safety is located above the grip, and allows for fully ambidextrous use. A large trigger guard allows for use with gloved hands.

The rifle is built to handle the 7.62x39 Hot cartridge, a derivative of the widely used 7.62x39 Soviet round. The case walls of the Hot are thicker internally then those of the Soviet round, allowing for higher pressures then those normally found in 7.62x39 rounds, while still retaining the same outer case dimensions. This allows for the WARC-3A to use the far more common 7.62x39 Soviet if the Hot is unavailable. However, due to the increased pressures, the rifle is heavier then would normally be expected to allow for safe firing. To decrease barrel wear due to the higher velocity of the Hot round, the barrel is chrome lined. The barrel itself is attached to the receiver through threading, allowing for the field replacement of the barrel at the expense of accuracy. A gas regulator allows for the use of the lower pressure 7.62x39 Soviet at standard cyclic rates, as well as allowing for the gas flow to be shut off enable use of rifle grenades. A side effect is that a soldier can push the rifles rate of fire beyond its designed rate by setting the regulator to the Soviet setting while using Hot rounds. The designers considered removing this feature to prevent soldiers from doing this, but decided to retain the Soviet setting to allow the rifle to continue operation even when heavily fouled.

The magazine well will accept most AK and RPK style magazines, allowing the Foundation to use their still plentiful stock of AKM and RPK mags. This has led to some military units within the Foundation, namely the Expeditionary's 3rd Assault Division, to almost exclusively use the 40rd RPK magazines in place of the 30rd AKM mags. The supply officers, much chagrined by the over use of the 40rd mags, have put their collective foots down when asked to supply large quantities of the RPK 75rd drum mags, a good thing as the 75rd drums would make the rifle too heavy and disrupt ergonomics too greatly for field use. A large magazine release allows for easy and quick changing of magazines.

An attached combination flash-suppressor/grenade-launcher has proven to be efficient in both aspects, though some critics feel that it adds too much length to the design. To enable usage of rifle grenades the user must flip up the provided grenade sight, attached to the gas regulator. This action locks the grenade sight in the upright position while also cutting off gas flow to the gas piston and balance system. The sight is marked up to 600 meters, though this is optimistic of the rifle grenade's accuracy and range. The front sight is located behind the flash-suppressor/grenade-launcher, and acts as a support for the balance system as well as its normal duties. Of hooded post design it is adjustable for windage, while its attachment point to the barrel serves as the base for the bayonet lug. The rear sight is a ramped U-notch design, and is adjustable for elevation/range up to 600 meters. A peculiarity of the design is that the ramp contains two sets of marks and numbers, one on the right for the Hot round and one on the left for the Soviet. A Picatinny rail is attached to the rear sight block and sits over the gas tube, acting in part as a hand guard while allowing the usage of a wide array of optics.

The stock of the rifle is made from glass reinforced polymer and has proven to be highly durable and resistant to chipping while being light weight and only slightly more expensive then a wooden stock. A combination cheek-rest/case-deflector is also constructed of the polymer and allows left handed users to operated the rifle, though force of spent casings hitting the deflector can be somewhat intimidating, and many right handed users have elected to modify the piece to remove its case-deflecting function entirely. The outer metal surfaces of the rifle are parkerized to a neutral gray which, coupled with the rifles shape and green stock, make it easily recognizable among other military arms.

The rifle can be broken down into its major component groups without the use of tool, and many of its major component groups can be further reduced by using little more then a round of ammunition as a disassembly tool. This has added some weight to the rifles overall design but many soldiers highly value this feature.

The WARC-3A in the end is a highly dependable assault rifle that very controllable and easy to maintain at the expense of match grade accuracy and heavy firepower found in many service rifles of this era.