ScriptKitt3h

After some further tweaking and experimentation, that fighter dev program of mine has yielded a promising (though still using canards, but y'know what- it just makes it work) aircraft. I call it the Gyrfalcon, and it's pretty darn fast and agile, while looking both very slick and very stealthy (save for the canards, but I suspect that they'd not be a deal-breaker with the extra agility they provide the plane). And yes, I did see it dodge multiple BD AMRAAMs and Sidewinders, with the only confirmed kill thus far being a gun kill achieved by baiting the AI into a dive to dodge incoming missiles. 50 parts stock, 85 w/ a BDArmory kit, so I'm definitely giving it a proper testing run and release here on the Exchange.

True, true- though I utilized canards for their added manueverability and balancing of CoL/CoM, something that I suspect might happen in potentially one contender for Navy's F/A-XX or the Air Force's PCA program(s), since just like with the ATF program that produced the F-22 there will likely be some demand for agility from the fighter in addition to stealth. Those 3 designs are just prototypes, nonetheless, and I'll likely make some further modifications and maybe 1-2 more airframes prior to releasing them, as I *think* I may have some WiPs that might fit what you mentioned a bit better. The biggest challenge though, in all honesty, is working within the limitations of stock aero's drag modeling.

After seeing the announcement of a program to develop a 6th-generation fighter to replace the F-22 Raptor from a USAF General in a new article today, I decided to work on a few prototype mock-ups of what a 6th-gen air superiority fighter might look like in KSP... This one is by far my favorite, being medium weight+size out of the 3 and having good agility and speed, with a stealthy shape and good fuel load. This one uses a RAPIER for better mid-high altitude performance (in place of the real-life multi-cycle turbine design(s) being researched by DARPA). and finally, this design features extremely good speed, super-maneuverability, and a custom, Ace Combat COFFIN/British Aerospace p.125-inspired enclosed cockpit, complete with instrument panel. Planning on doing some more testing and refinement and then releasing them as a pack complete with BDArmory-equipped, combat-ready variants.

:v

Heheheheheheheheheh... Intake shape wasn't the easiest to make while keeping it relatively streamlined, but I think I got it. It's most definitely a pudgy 'ol JSF prototype, for sure.

Alrighty, I'll get right on it! Shouldn't take too long, especially since it's a somewhat more traditional wingform to work with than the XFV-12.

OH. Ohhh, may have to finally take this out for more than just a shakedown run/test flight for this challenge... *Note that this isn't an entry, not yet, but that I'll probably being using this rocket (which is based on the last released SpaceX ITS proposal) and ship (the payload). Will be doing the launch for a submission shortly- ship should easily get up to 100x100km orbit no problem, the biggest hassle is fine-steering the reentry portion close to touchdown.

So am I to understand that this is 'prop' planes only, or would something like a STOL-optimized fighter be allowed? I ask since I've got several using Panthers (1-2 engines per) that I'd pull out provided you're not just limiting it to props.

I recently saw a post by @goduranus showcasing their way of replicating the (admittedly overpowered) fictional fusion rocket engine from the sci-fi series The Expanse, the "Epstein Drive". This propulsion system, invented in the series' backstory by a Martian drive engineer named Solomon Epstein is a unique way to tackle the "torch ship" concept- a very high TWR fusion rocket engine with near-fantastical levels of delta-V and fuel efficiency allowing for long 1G or higher thrust burns, created as a stroke of dumb (and ultimately fatal) luck by a man tinkering with his personal spacecraft. Now, with the capability to make Epstein Drive-propelled craft in KSP, I figured I'd tackle a replica of Mr. Epstein's infamous ship, his personal space yacht. As the Sun rises over Duna, Solomon Kerman preps his ship for launch on the first test of his newly modified drive system... ...Little does he know that he's about to make history. The ship utilizes a unique propulsion system, which features a group of spider engines (altered in the .craft file's values to have negative thrust % and thus mimic the high fuel efficiency and dV aspect of the Epstein Drive) and a single Vector (which mimics the high TWR and blue engine exhaust plume of the drive). This means that while you can indeed load it up in a vanilla, pure-stock game with no troubles, it is indeed "modded" in the context of having a tweaked craft file. However, this is only to accomplish the feat of replicating the insanely powerful features of the drive system without being forced to download or develop a custom part or part pack in order to do this. ^the speck in the background is Duna falling away! Internally, there's space for up to 4 Kerbals, which can be transferred to other vessels via a docking port on the underside of the bow- docking is possible thanks to multiple RCS blocks across the ship's structure. For reference, here is an image of this very same ship in the TV show, from Season 2: Controls: The ship stages to activate the engine, and you can press 4 to extend the radial antenna array (the larger one on the front section is manually raised). Light on/off toggling will not shut off the blue glow in the drive cone area. DOWNLOAD HERE! Hopefully other fans of the show and books will enjoy this ship as much as I have while making and testing it. If I can find the time and motivation, perhaps I'll use the same setup to make a Rocinante replica fitted with BDArmory vulcan turrets as PDCs...

Made a Rockwell XFV-12 replica today, only to realize someone else already had a little while ago. D'oh. Looks good though, and flies alright, albeit a bit jankily due to the strange wingform and overall layout.

Alright, so I just saw your response, @MiffedStarfish- but in the time it took for me to see it, I already made one :v It works, but isn't nearly as good as what Rockwell intended due to various reasons. Does VTOL takeoff/land though, and can get *close* to the Mach wall, but not cross it. Here's a download link anyways just to share. https://www.dropbox.com/s/o2qxc2spmmwynzb/Rockwell XFV-12.craft?dl=0 Also, if the XFV-12's not available/has been done already, what might be an aircraft I could attempt to make and submit?

So, I looked at your spreadsheet and the Rockwell XFV-12 appears to not have been built- provided I can get one made soon, could I participate by doing that X-plane? Shouldn't take me too long, as I make a lot of fighters in my KSP playtime.

So, after seeing @goduranus's well-crafted Epstein Drive demonstrator craft on the forums last night, I decided to attempt at making Solomon Epstein's space yacht from The Expanse (more specifically, the novella Drive and its portrayal via flashback in Season 2 of the show). The show's portrayal, for reference: Going to hopefully have it up later today or tomorrow when I can do some final tests- but so far, it works like a dream.* *G-force-induced paralysis and death not covered under warranty. Ask your doctor before solo testing any advanced propulsion systems in a retrofitted ship.

OOH, neat! I'm glad someone finally found a nice way to do Epstein Drives outside of doing a proper mod with custom models and all. Might go on in and take a look at it for applications to my own ships... EDIT: OHHHH YES, this is precisely what I was hoping for. You mind if I adapt this design into a replica of the Epstein Yacht itself, @goduranus? I've been tinkering with Expanse replica ships, but up 'till now have never had the proper propulsion.

Got a lot of potential new releases coming soon, from further fighter designs... to UCAVs... to SSTOs.