"Aero-Space Craft" is generally defined as small air and spacecraft unable to operate independently of a larger ship or ground station support. This vague definition of course leaves much to be desired; After all, the advent of grav pod technology means that most (though not all) tanks "fly" based on the exact same principles as all aerospacecraft (though for some, like most Warbirds, use their grav pods as a secondary flight system). Also, some aerospacecraft are more capable than some "true" spacecraft- For example, the C-130 is capable of carrying more cargo or firepower than the RIOL TILVU-Class Assault Shuttle. However, the conventions of the definitions are applied based on the general mission profiles. Civilian Aero-SpacecraftThese craft are intended for civilian use; Some have police and fire fighting applications, others do not. Non-Combat Support Aero-SpacecraftThe UGC has several non-combat support craft, designed specifically so that they can NOT enter battle directly; The most important of these is the MC-31 Angel Air Ambulance, which takes wounded troops to hospitals and hospital ships. Also, the ES-101 Gullwing Surveillance craft has proven useful in long-range topical survey work, far in excess of it's original mission profile. The Gullwing is NOT, however, transatmopheric.Combat Support Aero-Spacecraft In addition to combat craft, the GC has various types on combat support craft; Generally, these craft were not ORIGINALLY designed to go into battle themselves, but support combat craft in various way, including refueling, intelligence, and etc. Most are in service with the various RDF's or National Guards; County Militias or City Guards don't as they are too expensive to justify. The God's Eye operations have, on occasion, been contracted to observatories, which the RDF's use as a training opportunity.UGC Militry HelicoptersThe UGC utilizes medium-armor, moderately armed, platforms which are still referred to as helicopter for a wide array of missions; However, the two most common uses are hot LZ insert/extract and for scouting missions in support of armored units, finding enemy forces and, when necessary, stalling advancing enemy armor.NOTE: The lack of these types of platforms, in preference to Guardian Attackers, is considered a "contributing factor" in the UGC's defeat during the FBX 21555320 uprisings.WarbirdsFor reasons not entirely clear to anyone, the various systems of the UGC have started making turbo-prop driven fighter planes for use in planetary defense. Developed by Kranick-Desel Aero Space, a Caminore based aerospace R&D firm, the panes are proving limitedly effective, and have even shot down much brawnier Guardian Fighters in the hands of Fehran Malcontents.One thing that HAS come up is dodging; When a pilot of a Warbird tries to dodge with his/her propeller spin direction, the plane practically folds through the air; Even the best of the best have trouble keeping up with that. Additionally, "dive dodging", or dropping down out of the sky as fast as possible, is easier with the Warbirds, due to the lower power of the engines.Equal to equal, Warbirds stand NO chance against jets or Guardians, but they can still hold the line against some incursions, and are an ideal stalling force. Automated versions are also available (see "Combat Bonuses; Automated Version" for each aircraft).History: The P-51 Mustang was, in truth, the inspiration for the whole Warbirds series- And it wasn't Caminorian. It was T'sentr¿di.A T'sentr¿di by the name of Frehn "Red" SINTAIRE was applying for Veritech Fighter Candidate School. Due to his ancestry, combined with his "lack of prior military experience," he was denied. The reason; His heritage as a T'sentr¿di made him high-risk. Prior military service MIGHT have shown him to be sufficiently stable, but he was denied the chance.Major SINTAIRE left the REF and went into business for himself as a military goods contractor- For Civil Defense Forces only. He would not sell anything to the REF that he felt had defrauded him. (He was denied a promotion once for lack of combat service, and a second time for lack of VT Qualification. Due to this, he was Honorably Discharged.)Five years later, Mr SINTAIRE saw an old Terran movie about black pilots, who were systematically set up to fail- And succeeded. Their red tails told everyone who they were.It was with this that Mr SINTAIRE formed Galactic Defenses, Ltd, a mercenary unit that would, for the right price, hunt down pirates and other malcontents and eradicate them. Using REF-surplus F/AG-8 Phantoms and a T'sentr¿di RIN NADOW LOJM-Class Monitor that had been declared contraband (captured from a T'sentr¿di Clan that had been smashed). Mr SINTAIRE painted his ship, Galactic Defense, with a red fantail (the stern ¼ of the hull and certain compartments in that area) and his fighters red.The success of GDL led Major SINTAIRE to seek new fighters; He wanted a P-51 in a space fighter configuration, and in 2479 he approached Kranick-Desel Aero Space to build them. Kranick-Desel Aero Space determined they simply wouldn't work, but that an aerial version would. The next year, the P-4 Hellcat came out; Then the P-38 (under special request), the P-40 Warhawk (which GDL bought a few of), and, in 2482, the P-51.Major SINTAIRE, five years later, would buy a sizeable interest in Kranick-Desel Aero Space, and after 10 years would own her, his own companies SINTAIRE And Associates (his original company), GDL, and three other defense contractor agencies, as well as his own, internal vehicle augmentation shop which created for him is dream fighter, the SP-51 Spastang (of which only one was ever built). A few have been built by others, but these are mostly stunt planes or long range automated scouts.Standard Aerial Fighters, Bombers, And Attackers.Since the pre-Global Civil War days, the REF has had need of non-transformable, fixed-wing combat aircraft. These aircraft have serve the REF well for many centuries, and, though topically surpassed in some areas, continue to be a vital element of the UGC's Defense Department.These aircraft are NOT transatmospheric, even though they are not necessarily air-breathing machines. The UGC prefers to keep aerial and space craft separate; However, for trans-atmospheric defense, the UGC does have several types of Guardian fighters, and continues to produce the original VF-1 (though only in the Super and Strike Veritech configurations) and both the VAF-6 Alpha Fighter and VBF-7 Beta Bomber/Attack.Most of the aircraft herein listed date all the way back to the GCW and some even beyond; The A-10 Thunderbolt II (or "Warthog", as it is VERY affectionate affectionately known) is currently the "King of the Air", the oldest continuing design in the air. The F/A-18 Supra-Hornet, is the "Queen of the Air," the oldest continuing fighter design still in service. (Note that it is a REAL bad idea to call a Supra-Hornet pilot a "Queen", even when meant respectfully; Even the female pilots will knock your ass flat. Warthog pilots don't even get away with it.)Just because the UGC has Guardians and Destroids and even Veritechs doesn't mean is doesn't have a use for Fighters; In fact, Guardians number only about 1 in 100 of all combat aero-space craft; Veritechs 1 in 1,000. It is the Space Fighters that go after incurring warships, and aerial fighters that pummel incurring raiders who manage to land.The reason to keep fixed-wing, mostly standard-tech fighters is COST; One Guardian Fighter costs as much as 3 to FIVE standard tech fighters. Even in cash-flushed systems, this cost/benefit ratio is an INCREDIBLE consideration, especially as standard aero-space doctrine holds that the majority of combat between fighters are near planets, where Destroids and Tanks slug it out under the protection of their respective Attack aircraft, who depend on their Fighters to cover them.Aero-Space Fighter, Bombers, And AttackersThe REF has recently realized a need for full aero-spacecraft. Though the Guardians are more effective, their expense doesn't justify using them for minor duties.Leading the charge for these craft was the UGC Spaceways Patrol and Enforcement Service, which needed quick-reaction platforms for High Interest Assets escorts (escorting large ships through established spaceways), as Ator Malconts routinely prey on these vessels, even in the ultra-secure Terra System (Earth's home). Supporting this effort was the various subordinate forces, especially the off-world Colonial Militias, which simply don't have the money for Guardians.There are currently only a few combat craft that the REF has approved; The ASF-14 Viper Starfighter, the ASB-601 Cylon Aero-Space Bomber, the SA-43 End-ex Aero-Spacecraft, the S/A-6E Intruder, and the S/EA-6B Prowler.Space Fighter, Bombers, And AttackersThe UGC has had a continuing need for reliable, dependable weapons platforms in space; The increasing regularity of Fehran Malcontents in some Milky Way systems has raised alarms to previously unheard of levels. Worse, the Steiner Sector has had a sudden outbreak in local malcontents, purportedly birthed form the grandchildren of Steiner Consortium military personnel who surrendered at the end of that war.Only a few designs have been given the overall UGC blessing; However, many individual systems have locally-designed space fighters, and the REF has largely turned a blind eye to it, as the systems can't afford better platforms and the REF can't be everywhere at once.Guardian Aero-SpacecraftThe UGC has maintained a love-hate relationship with Guardians since the introduction of the FG-8 Phantom III Guardian Aero-Space Fighter. Cheaper and simpler to produce than Veritechs, but not QUITE as flexible, the Guardian has mostly taken over a the primary aero-space weapons platform of the UGC. However, the Veritech has a lot more public appeal, and publicly, remains the backbone of the REF.Each Guardian cost ROUGHLY 1/10th to ¼th an equivalent Veritech; And takes at most ½ the time to produce. This makes it ESPECIALLY popular with hard-pressed R.D.F. forces around the galaxies.The Veritech/Guardian debate continues, of course, but for the mean times, the Guardians have the upper hand due to cost of manufacture, maintenances, and training.The current baseline-models avaiable are:UgliesAn Ugly is any type of aero-spacecraft that had been cobbled together out of parts that had been switched around from military surplus aero-spacecraft. They are predominantly used by pirates, smugglers, and other groups that lacked the resources to purchase or build conventional aero-spacecraft.After the advent of the UGC's enforced peace, the various Defense Forces snatched up these craft as quickly as the could; The three biggest collections were the TIE/In, X-Wing, and Y-Wing. The Z-95 Headhunter even came back on-line for the Z'Ceptor.Previously, every Ugly was a one-of-a-kind, and had wildly varied performance traits; Now they have standardized designs, but generally most still tend to be a poor match for a modern conventional military-built fighter, as they typically end up with more of the weaknesses than the strengths of their component parts.They are used by gangs who fly them against each other more often than they do militry forces.It is perhaps ironic that now just about every faction of the Andromeda Galaxy use purpose-built Uglies; The most common variants are the Chir'Daki and X-Ceptor, with the Z'Ceptor gaining popularity with anti-governmental factions in equal numbers to those used by RDF's; More than one battle has occurred with Z'Ceptors being the ONLY craft in the air.UGC VeritechsThe UGC has been particularly recalcitrant to experiment with new Veritech designs, due to public resistance; Though they go over great at airshows, every 15 of June they go over like a sewage-soaked blanket, and people complain. LOUDLY.
However, for some functions Veritechs are the ONLY realistic option, and therefore remain in service. The OBP Z-4 Túentr¿di Veritech Hover Tank, VF-7 Alpha and VB-1 Beta Veritechs remain in service largely unchanged; The only improvement is the switch COMPLETELY to Shadow Technology, but this applies to ALL Veritechs (and the F-22 and GF-44 Raptors Fighters) witht he exception of the OBP Z-4 and Veritech Hover Tank, and therefore these three platforms will not be covered. The Veritech Hover Tank and VF-1 (never actually named, though it is colloquially referred to as the "Valkyrie", the officially name for the early experimental Guardians used in the development of the Veritech) remain in service, though have been upgraded. Adding to these two outstanding platforms are the VA/FS-5 Dolphin submersible and SVA/F-18 Sol space Veritechs. While the former are triple-stage Veritechs, the former are twin-stage. However, a THIRD twin-stage Veritech, the RAVEN Spy Veritech, is also included here; The Raven has the most unusually story, and well worth a glance.However, all Veritechs were NOT created the same; The VF-6 C, J, and R and VB-1 C, J, and R Betas, the Logan Attack/Fighters, and the AJAC Veritech Helicopter were tested in a series of programs. These tests were even rigged in various ways to try to justify keeping them; Of the collection, only the VF-6R managed to collect enough points to be kept in consideration (eventually this, too, would be cancelled as the same components that kept it in the running could be easily re-installed into the VF-7 and VB-1). None of these craft are now in service, and of the collection, only 1/1 scale models (made of aluminum) of the Logan and AJACS can be found anywhere, at various militry aviation museums.It should be noted that the Super and Strike Veritechs could, in fact, be put on ONE page, since the only thing required to convert one to the other is about 30 minutes with the proper equipment.It should also be noted that some Veritechs are not 'aero-space' craft by any stretch of the imagination (most note worthily the Veritech Hover Tank 2.0 and VA/FS-5 TIGERSHARK-Class Submersible Veritech. However, for the purposes of simplification, they are included here.Some materials were taken from other sites, WITH PERMISSION IN ADVANCE (though some, like those from Steel Falcon.Com, were blanket permission). Where this is applicable, proper credit is given; Please references those sites for use of their material. |
