Improved Stock Afterburning Jet engine [1.0.4-0.1.0]

[Araym]

I always felt a bit of lacking in "atmosphere breathing jet engines", in KSP, as a gap from the "basic jet", great for low altitude-low speed cruising, and the "turbo jet", very good for ji-speed/hi altitude jets and for spaceplanes.

Also, sometime, designing just some sort of military jet planes, I didn't felt the necessity of such a "Turbojet" hi-altitude/ludicrous speed engine, when my needs were for a 2-2.5 mach engine at medium altitude to recreate some fighters.

Also, I liked more the "truncated cone" model of the "basic jet", to fit in some of my "atmosphere fighter's designs"...

So, I went for numerous "tests" to refining my needs for a "gap-filling" engine specs:

I'm lacking actually to the possibility to model "new engines", so as placeholder I used the Squad's ones. I'm proud to present you, then, my new engines:

- J-33-AB "Wheesley" Combat Jet Engine:

... a two-stage, air breathing engine: "cruise mode" allow you to fly like a little more powerfull "basic jet engine", best suited to have low fuel consumption rate. Then, "Afterburning mode" is great to have the needed "boost" as a "combat jet engine", to fly at medium-hi altitude on the 2/2.5 mach (stock atmosphere) at around 12km, degrading in speed if pushed higher (... it can allow 18-20km flying range, and maybe something higher, but it generally does not push you at the edge of space).

*Bonus*

- J-X4-AB "Whiplash" Combat Turbo Ramjet Engine:

Developed the mid-altitude J-33-AB, Linus Kerman passed a lot of time overnight to design a new powerplant for an upcoming project for the Araym's Kerbal Administration of Space Adventures: my own version of the KR-71 (spy)recon plane.

Maybe this one is a bit a "push" to the cheat, but I added some of the research put on the previous engine in the same "turbo jet"... so do not blame me for it, but my own Linus!

J-X4-AB is a two stage engine too: "cruise mode" allow to spool speed at mid altitude, with a good fuel consumption rate, then the "Afterburner mode" push it even further, in the Ramjet category for hi-altitude/hi speed. !!!Pay attention!!! Based on testsâ„¢(1), things may be going VERY HOT in "Afterburner Mode".

(1)Note: ... a lot of explosions, more or less kerbal style, pushing things to overheat...

*Bonus 2*

Added a tweakscale cfg file for anyone that would like it. Needed, obviously, "TWEAKSCALE" and "ModuleManager" to work properly.

Pics???

They look as the stock jet engine, they use the stock Squad's models, they are just edited cfg with NO added weight on your RAM.

Maybe a day they will be replaced by proper models, but here are just to share their performances...

Do you need photo of them???

DOWNLOAD:

AfterburningJetEngines-1.0.4-0.1.0

Known bugs(features???):

- using the "Afterburner mode", in both engines, the "alternator module" producing electricity is NOT working. It was not intended (I didn't figure hopw let the "alternator" to produce electricity on both modes), but also, during development, pretty accepted by me as a "downside" of added features: Afterburning is not meant for "sustained", as (maybe) the higher performance required to shut-down unneeded power drains by the alternator itself

If using them on an unmanned-drone plane, add proper electircity generator, or shut-off the Afterburner to regenerate your batteries.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Araym

[Azimech]

Nice! I'll try them!

[luckystrikes03]

These fill the gap quite nicely. I hear 1.1 is bringing new jet love, but I appreciate the work done here.

Mod manager is throwing an error on startup related to this, but it doesn't seem to affect gameplay/lead to crashes.