ayhc

Edit: I will be moving all future iterations of the Super Spectre to this thread. The result of literally days of tinkering, I present a Kerbalised 5th-gen air superiority fighter. Features: All missiles (7 AMRAAMs, 2 Sidewinders) concealed in weapons bay (and launchable by AI pilot, generally without incident) Concealed ECM jammer (set to toggle along with weapons bay and Weapons Manager) Clipped fuel tanks for decent range and smaller radar footprint Exposed combat avionics (Weapons Manager, AI Pilot) for ease of tinkering Call pull turns in excess of 14G in low atmosphere In stock aero, will exceed Mach 1 at 1km ASL and Mach 3 at 10km ASL (NB warranty void if taken above Mach 3.2 or used with alternative aero models) Download here.

Edit: I have released two Block 5 versions of the Morgan (one with TLS, one without) on this thread. Back (momentarily) from a long hiatus, I present a functional replica of the ADFX-02 Morgan from Ace Combat Zero. Features: Functional replica of the ADFX-02 Morgan (emphasis on functionality, not aesthetic accuracy) Embedded ECM jammer Fully functional TLS Freakin' lasers Did I mention it's got a laser? Not resolved: vulnerability to front intake damage Download here.

I finally attempted to intercept a V-1 and knock it out of the sky using a wingtip:

Downloads here. Action Group info and flight instructions are included in the craft descriptions.

It turns out that more engines isn't always better. Moving to a single-engine design that almost looks like a Hawker Hurricane (if you squint really hard) did the trick: Update: I have uploaded the V-1 replica and the Hawker Hurricane replica here. (Note: tested in NEAR only. Requires Smart Parts, patched Firespitter and BDArmory.)

I watched Scott Manley's Drone Interception video and thought: "That sounds fun - I should do that..." The V1 uses altitude sensors to (1) jettison the landing gear; (2) fire the secondary rocket boosters; and (3) activate SAS. Problem is that the interceptor plane can shoot the drone down, but I can't quite get it to land without crashing

I have two Mk2 offerings, both of which fit in a CRG-08 bay: Glide Pod: A one-Kerbal, bone-stock glide pod (tested using NEAR, but should work with stock aero). Great for stealth insertions from orbit, or as an escape pod for space stations. RFG-1: Orbit-to-ground missile (again tested with NEAR but should do fine with stock aero; all stock parts). Using NEAR, will hit the ground at well over Mach 2.

This one's been giving me fits for a while, but I've finally cracked it...

Need a compact one-Kerbal drop pod for an orbital insertion? Worried about parachutes giving away the location of your covert operative? Made entirely with stock parts, the Glide Pod fits (just) in a CRG-08 Mk 2 cargo bay and comes with RCS thrusters and monopropellant engines. Use engines to deorbit, glide through re-entry, then point the nose straight down and fire the nose-mounted engines to decelerate to under 45m/s.

Want some low-part-count ground-based AA turrets or SAM launchers? Want to stage a daring raid of the KSC from the Island Airstrip (or invade a Kerbinside base), but need a defensive force to smash up?

Back from a long hiatus... Inspired by Rune's Spatha, but rather less sleek, and rather less innocuous. This SSTO interceptor will reach a 70x70 orbit with nearly 3km/s dV, even with my ham-fisted piloting. (Tested with KJR, NEAR, and MechJeb, because I'm a terrible pilot.) Armed with three HE-KV missiles in the weapons bay and a hidden Vulcan cannon.

Warning: Pic-heavy post. 2014-01-13_00001 by ayhc, on Flickr Intro: An SSTO light fighter modelled (but not terribly closely) on the Aethersprite ("Jedi starfighter"). Fairly manoeuvrable in-atmosphere and extremely easy to land (even I've managed to land this thing without crashing, and I have fists of ham). Don't count on much delta-V by the time you've put it in orbit, though. Packs four compact dumbfire missiles, staged individually (because trying to mount them using symmetry invariably broke KSP). 2014-01-14_00001 by ayhc, on Flickr 2014-01-14_00005 by ayhc, on Flickr 2014-01-14_00008 by ayhc, on Flickr 2014-01-13_00004 by ayhc, on Flickr 2014-01-14_00010 by ayhc, on Flickr Action Groups: 1: Toggle turbojet 2: Switch RAPIER engine modes 3: Toggle intakes 4: Toggle RAPIER engines [5 intentionally left empty] 6: Small airbrakes (will cause plane to pitch up slightly) 7: Large airbrakes (will cause plane to pitch up) [8 and 9 intentionally left empty] 0: Docking port and illuminator Ascent profile: Stage, take off at 200m/s (there's plenty of lift, but the landing gear is quite far back). Lift nose to 45 degrees until 10km, then reduce rate of climb to <100m/s and accelerate (I'm lazy, so I use Mechjeb to prevent flameouts). It should be possible to get to about 29km on jet power alone (with Mechjeb; figure 27-28km on manual controls). Switch RAPIERs to closed-cycle, close intakes, and throttle down; you shouldn't even have to nose up very much. Wait until Ap is above 70km, and keep it there. Circularise. Helpful tips for descent: 1: You must ensure that fuel and oxidiser from the rear tanks (there's one behind each ram air intake) are moved to the front FL-T800 tank before the vessel re-enters the atmosphere. 2: Do not attempt to use the airbrakes until atmospheric re-entry is completed (i.e. the whistling sounds stop) and you are below Mach 3 or so (conservatively I'd suggest Mach 2) - the plane will flip if you use them. 3: There is plenty of lift, even at low airspeeds. Use the airbrakes to slow down and pitch up if need be. Avoid using both small and large airbrakes at the same time. .craft file will be supplied if there's sufficient demand.

Warning: Lots of pics. A heavy SSTO fighter that looks just vaguely like an F-15 Eagle, if you squint a bit. Carries 6 Javelin missiles (all stock), fired in 3 volleys by staging. Plane has retro-rockets for final deceleration and parachutes, because a conventional landing off-runway is best not attempted (I certainly haven't succeeded, but I'm a pretty terrible pilot). 2014-01-11_00001 by ayhc, on Flickr 2014-01-11_00004 by ayhc, on Flickr 2014-01-12_00002 by ayhc, on Flickr Action groups: 1: Toggle turbojets 2: Toggle RAPIER mode 3: Toggle intakes 4: Toggle RAPIER engines [5 deliberately left empty] 6: Small airbrakes 7: Large airbrakes [8 deliberately left empty] 9: Ladders 0: Docking port and illuminator Flight profile: Stage and lift off. AoA of 45 degrees until 10km, then reduce rate of climb to <100m/s and accelerate. At some point the turbojets will lose thrust; when turbojet thrust reaches nil, turn them off and continue on RAPIERs. (Because I'm lazy, I use MechJeb to prevent flameouts.) You should be able to get to about 29-30km before switching RAPIER modes and closing the intakes; after that point the nose to 45 degrees and throttle down to conserve fuel. Get Ap to about 75km, then circularise. Here it is, docked to my LKO space station (complete with preview of another SSTO fighter): 2014-01-13_00001 by ayhc, on Flickr

Here is my attempt at an SSTO in 0.21: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/21975-The-New-Stock-Repository-Version-0-21?p=557330&viewfull=1#post557330 Screenshots and .craft file are here: https://app.sugarsync.com/iris/wf/D472002_72419280_12895 Flickr album here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ayhc/sets/72157634871013351 I messed up on the flight shown in the Flickr album, hence less than 150 fuel and 150LOx by the time I reached orbit. Update: After a subsequent unmanned flight resulted in an unpowered hulk drifting in LKO, the .craft has been modified to add two PB-NUK generators. Oops.

Name: Trefoil Mk 2 Class: SSTO Orbiter KSP Version:0.21 Screenshot and .craft file: https://app.sugarsync.com/iris/wf/D472002_72419280_12895 A minor refinement of an earlier proof-of-concept SSTO (.craft file and screenshot also available at the above link), the (imaginatively named) Trefoil Mk 2 has been designed for ease of use combined with reasonable orbital DeltaV. Vehicle comes complete with remote guidance unit and shielded docking port for use as a crew transfer vehicle. This craft has not been tested without SAS. For the safety of the hapless Kerbal pilot/passenger, please keep SAS on at all times. Action Groups: Flight instructions: It should be possible to reach LKO (70-71km) without about 150 fuel and 150 LOx for orbital manoeuvring. (I have previously managed 200 fuel and 200 LOx, but not reproducibly.) Update: Craft updated to include two PB-NUK generators after a drone flight gone wrong left an unpowered hulk in orbit. Oops. Update 2: Minor landing gear changes to craft; changes to flight instructions.