Truck and Trailer turned SCUD Missile Launcher

[AxleMC131]

So, today my project was building a stock semi-truck and flatbed trailer in KSP.

It actually worked pretty well, and I'm considering using it in future for something cinematic... Anyway, I realised that - having made it a flatbed to put something on - I didn't actually HAVE anything to put on it! So, I hatched a cunning plan... To turn it into a mobile missile launch base!

This is where it becomes no longer stock, because the bright red-and-yellow, 0.313m rocket parts come from my mod "Backyard Rocketry". The colour may be a little conspicuous for a missile launcher, but hey, I think they look damn cool!

The flatbed carries two missiles, each independently controllable. The missiles are two-stage, fully liquid fuelled rockets with a stupid amount of power.

If you want some stats, here are the launch events in terms of approximate time:

00:00 - Decoupler fires, first stage engine fires.

00:25 - Mach 1 achieved.

00:48 - First stage burnout.

00:50 - First stage separation. Second stage engine fires.

00:57 - Mach 3 achieved.

01:12 - Mach 4 achieved.

01:43 - Second stage burnout.

(These are in real-world stopwatch time, rather than from the game's MET clock, because my KSP lags a lot, and the game clock runs slow.)

Both engines are from my Backyard Rocketry mod; the first stage (which looks like a tiny RAPIER) is the 'Hydra' Scale Engine Cluster, a 0.625m engine with about 85kN of thrust at launch; the second stage is the smaller 'Dragon' Scale LfOx Engine, a scaled-down LV-T30 with 25kN of thrust.

By the time the second stage runs out of fuel, the missile has reached an [orbital] velocity of 2050m/s, has almost broken out of the atmosphere and is heading for a 300+ km Apoapsis.

With practise, you can probably hit any target on the ground from about 20km away or more - I practised a little by aiming for the Island Runway, and managed to hit the buildings half the time. Not sure how accurate this system would be against airborne targets, or even as an anti-orbital weapon, but you never know!

Anyway, that's what I did today in KSP! If anyone wants to make me a target for my SCUD launcher, let me know, and I'll be sure to send a missile your way.

Happy Rocketeering!

[stratocracy]

Nice. I like the design and id recommend using smaller decouplers on the missiles to make it look nicer, but thats no big deal.

[AxleMC131]

Nice. I like the design and id recommend using smaller decouplers on the missiles to make it look nicer, but thats no big deal.

Thanks! I used the 1.25m decouplers for a reason I'm afraid; I agree it would look far better with the smaller ones, but even with the first-stage engine's 85kN of thrust, from standstill the missiles don't get enough speed fast enough to clear the guide rail (as it was the rails were initially parallel with the missiles, but I lowered them to give them room).

The decouplers give the missiles a little extra kick on launch, with the 250 "Decoupler Force" on the 1.25m model. The 0.625m ones only have 15 force, not quite enough to clear the guide rail, hence the choice of part.