KIDI- Kerbal Interplanetary Defence Initiative

[Comrade Jenkens]

Ok some ppl asked for the craft files which i've been rather erratic at putting up. Heres all the ones I could find but they are all 0.19 so they may be buggy in 0.20 from what i've heard.

Co-1A https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qoeb4yjewbigh8g/EX5hILvgNH/Co-A1.craft

Co-8B https://www.dropbox.com/s/pi2e461fhten503/CJ%20Co-8B.craft

Fr-7A Yep i've definatly lost this one No idea how but may have been careless with the files on the changover to 0.20

SSF-1A https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qoeb4yjewbigh8g/BNSLxyl91C/SSF-1A.craft

CF-5A https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qoeb4yjewbigh8g/Pz3eEQEb7w/CF-5A.craft

Co-8A

Fr-7A

SSF-1A

Edited June 23, 2013 by Comrade Jenkens

[gag09]

Valiant

Edited May 25, 2013 by gag09

[brobel]

Ok some ppl asked for the craft files which i've been rather erratic at putting up. Heres all the ones I could find but they are all 0.19 so they may be buggy in 0.20 from what i've heard.

Co-8B https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qoeb4yjewbigh8g/hlBdwZFnbX/Co-8B.craft

Fr-7A https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qoeb4yjewbigh8g/QC1We3iDtZ/CJ%20Fr-7A.craft

SSF-1A https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qoeb4yjewbigh8g/BNSLxyl91C/SSF-1A.craft

CF-5A https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qoeb4yjewbigh8g/Pz3eEQEb7w/CF-5A.craft

Co-8A

Fr-7A

SSF-1A

Wow those are just amazing they look so cool

[Kaaybon]

the Fr-7a in the download is not the same one in the picture....

[Comrade Jenkens]

the Fr-7a in the download is not the same one in the picture....

Oh ok thanks I'll look into that. May take a while though as i'm away atm.

[Lazurkri]

I wonder... has anyone done a X-302 or 303 from Stargate yet? I'd love to play with a 303....

[Shyanmar]

I may have gone overbord with the part count again ...

Anyway. This is the HC-128-01 Heavy Cruiser. It's one of my first all-out military designs.

Currently, it sports 15 nuclear engines and 22 junior docking ports/weapon hardpoints (thinking about adding some more later, we'll see).

The front armored section features the ship's main supply of monopropellant, batteries and generators. And I just HAD to use the new pod for the bridge ... even though it's annoying to place because you need too much space for it -.-

With no weapon loadout it comes in at just over 500 parts, so it does lag a bit on my machine. Plus, I have no idea how on earth I'll get it into orbit, so it may just have been designed for the sake of designing it, but whatever. I'll probably hyperedit it into orbit at one point just to give it a spin.

I actually had a smaller ship in mind, but it somehow grew quite big. Must've had something to do with that peculiar "MOAR ENGINES!!!11"-mood I sometimes get.

Edited May 27, 2013 by Shyanmar

[Lazurkri]

I may have gone overbord with the part count again ...

Anyway. This is the HC-128-01 Heavy Cruiser. It's one of my first all-out military designs.

Currently, it sports 15 nuclear engines and 22 junior docking ports/weapon hardpoints (thinking about adding some more later, we'll see).

The front armored section features the ship's main supply of monopropellant, batteries and generators. And I just HAD to use the new pod for the bridge ... even though it's annoying to place because you need too much space for it -.-

With no weapon loadout it comes in at just over 500 parts, so it does lag a bit on my machine. Plus, I have no idea how on earth I'll get it into orbit, so it may just have been designed for the sake of designing it, but whatever. I'll probably hyperedit it into orbit at one point just to give it a spin.

I actually had a smaller ship in mind, but it somehow grew quite big. Must've had something to do with that peculiar "MOAR ENGINES!!!11"-mood I sometimes get.

Well, wildly impractical designs are always the first step.... kudos for trying something so large!

IMO, though, I would have used a smaller bridge module; the pod you're using practically screams "Shoot here to decapitate the ship!".... Then again, you'd get a hell of a view, no?

[Comrade Jenkens]

Thats a nice ship How does it perform in space as it looks quite asymetric?

[Shyanmar]

Quite well, actually. Should have included a belly shot, it looks asymmetrical on the screenshots above, but if you look closely at the first one you'll see that the bridge structure, for example, is balanced by that nifty flat 2m fuel tank on the bottom (that thing's incredibly handy, since it has exactly the same mass as the pod). The only thing affecting balance a wee little bit is the front, actually, but luckily since wing panels are so light, it doesn't influence the flight behavior much (and certainly not with SAS on). The only thing still bugging me is the rather low turn speed when purely on RCS, haven't quite figured out the right configuration there yet ... with the engines engaged it's decent enough for its size, but that just ain't good enough ^^

And yeah, I guess the bridge isn't too smart a choice in that position from a tactical viewpoint. But the view it offers is indeed awesome. Thinking about it some more, it would actually be an interesting challenge to devise some sort of shielding for this pod. Maybe using girders ... they wouldn't impact the view too much and they do have decent impact tolerance ...

Ah well. Since there is no way I'll ever get this into space the legit way, I'm not sure how much I'll refine the design. Got some other things in development right now that should actually work ... *rubs hands*

[Sliinty]

Well if you were purely tactical im sure a surface to orbit missile is probably best

[Lazurkri]

Its far better to have stuff already in orbit, unless you have instant hit (Or close to it) weaponry such as a Ground-To-Space cannons like a Rail gun, as the target in orbit you are engaging has plenty of time to spot, plot, and intercept a missile; even then, unless the target is in a low orbit, it'd still have time to evade incoming shots from the ground. Compounding that is that unless you are firing a truly massive missile, you're not going to get all that overly large a warhead on route to the target; even if said warhead is a nuke, you still have the issue of limited number of weapons enroute to the target if firing from the ground. there is also the matter of having to get close enough for the warhead to be of any use, as in space the blast radius of a nuke is severely diminished in both radius and power.

I know some people are going to point out the fact that you could skip having a explosive warhead at all and go for a KEW approach; you'd still have the issue of a target being able to engage the weapon before it could hit.

Ideally, IMO, and from reading alot of sci fi, the best Defense system would have a series of missile batteries in orbit equipped with fragmentation warheads ( throw a cloud of flak in the path of a target and have it run into it) so they can whittle away at enemies from a distance while any warships in orbit maneuver to intercept the target(s) and commence Singleship operations.

Long thought on how Warships are always better in most regards to Planetary Defense Systems such as missiles aside, has anyone considered using a modular basis for their Warship designs? I've been reading a bunch of Sci-fi and I came across the idea of making your warships modular IE things such as weapons, shields, troop transport capability, Singleship operations, you name it, are all modules you "Install" onto a basic core structure, which would be most likely the engine section, Command and Control and crew modules; that way you could keep several different "Modules" in orbit, say docked to a orbital station, with the core of the ship nearby. All you'd need to do is have the core dock with whatever module you needed.

Say you had incoming Cap ships; you'd simply detach whatever module you had docked (assuming its not the Antiship one), attach the proper one, and off you go! Once you've completed your mission, be it successful or not, you'd return to the station, and you'd deal with the mission module as needed; reattach to the station or dump it as you see fit.

Advantage of this design would be that unless a enemy managed to do catastrophic damage, the mission modules would take the damage leaving the core module intact and still viable; you'd simply "blow off" damaged modules as needed.

Disadvantage would be that this type of design is a jack of all trades; Okay at all, good in none. Still thinking of disadvantages, I know there would be some; maybe you guys can tell me, no?

Oh and BTW, if ya'll think I'm just blowing smoke out my ass tell me; I've been up all night working on something for a relative and I'm coming down off a coffee high. What I've said may or may not make much sense.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Lazurkri

[Sliinty]

The thing is that the guy on the surface can hide, in space you are completely open.

More simply its cheaper to put just a weapon in space than a ship carrying that weapon. (Only talking about planetary scale)

My favourite defense system is the archimedes death ray style mirrors set up

And if you're trying to think realistically, dont mention shields or crew!

[Lazurkri]

The thing is that the guy on the surface can hide, in space you are completely open.

More simply its cheaper to put just a weapon in space than a ship carrying that weapon. (Only talking about planetary scale)

My favourite defense system is the archimedes death ray style mirrors set up

And if you're trying to think realistically, dont mention shields or crew!

wrong; as soon as you fire if on the surface, a attacker in orbit'll be able to drop a KEW on you. also, the ship in orbit would be maneuvering to avoid ground fire. Even if you used a laser, all a target would have to do is to roll the ship to keep unheated pieces of hull and armor presented to the beam point. And the death ray mirror design.... hmmmn, there is a series I was reading where they use a series of solar mirrors to take out attacking superdreadnoughts... then again, they were focusing massive amounts of power. Something on the order of a a few terrawatts of power onto a point about a meter wide. They later upgrade to a petawatt of power. Goodbye 2 kilometer long ship, enjoy the powerplant breaches....

the downside to the mirror idea is that you'd need nodes to focus all the energy you'd be getting from smaller mirrors; these would be key targets, and if a attacker was to use a shotgun spread weapon, or be willing to accept casualties, you'd be able to junk a lot of focusing mirrors and nodes fast.

And when I mentioned shields, in addition to sci-fi energy shields, I also referred to armor, or things used like armor. As a matter of fact, in another sci-fi series, they don't have artificial gravity or energy shields and instead use a sorta "Nanotech" metal that has self repairing properties; when it'd hit, it ablates away and shrinks to cover the point being hit. Not possible with todays tech, but not so far out there as "Energy" shields.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Lazurkri

[Sliinty]

Consider that the surface-orbit weapon is likely a SCUD launched from the back of a truck, it really doesn't matter if it gets blown up. Again, its cheaper for a country to launch a missile than a ship holding missiles, as for evasion, firstly a ship that accelerates faster than a missile is gonna be expensive, and really, the missiles dont even have to hit the ship, you have to launch logistics craft to keep it supplied, and those are easy targets.

Not to mention if you roll around the temperature of the ship on the whole is still increasing, you cant tank against lasers for long, and if you extend your radiators, goodbye radiators...

[Shyanmar]

Modular System? Why, yes, actually that's what I was working on the whole day ...

I give you the MC-690-01 "Loki" Modular cruiser system!

So, the basic idea with this design is to have a cruiser that works perfectly well by itself but has the capability to be modified with various modules. The Loki has a main module port in the back of the central fuselage that can basically take up anything you can dock to it via a Senior Clamp-o-Tron. Be that an extended Missile rack, additional fuel tanks (and engines), colonization gear (landers and whatnot) or, as in this case, a kind of space laboratory with a highly sophisticated sensor suite and room for 9 kerbals (plus the pilot, who unfortunately, thanks to a design oversight with the pod, is unable to EVA, but whatever. Jeb doesn't seem to mind.).

The two secondary module ports are located on the sides on the wing-thingymajiggers and can also be used as regular docking ports (yes, I know, since they are receded into the hull armor for protection it won't be able to dock with everything, the corresponding docking mechanism needs to be 1 m in diameter for at least 1 m or so.). Of course, if you can get it into orbit you can also cut the docking parts and slap the modules onto the ship directly in the spaceplane hangar (or use a tri-coupler docking design for fixed orientation, it's all a matter of preference). The outer hull also has more than enough room for additional weapon hardpoints if needed.

RCS will need to be rebalanced for each loadout, of course, in the event that it's necessary for precise maneuvering.

Contrary to my last design I built this ship more with protection of the pod in mind. It's only attackable from certain angles now (which can be closed to the enemy in advance if needed, simply by rotating the ship) and features some flimsy wing panels at the top and bottom. It's not perfect, but at least a lot more defensible than the widely open bridge window of the HC-128-01.

Anyway. It's still a little hard on your computer with modules, probably, since it comes in at just over 350 parts. I'll see if I can create a small version of it to enable larger modules and less lag (it runs fine on my computer, but that's no indication since my machine is quite powerful).

So, have a look. If anyone is interested in the .craft file, let me know.

EDIT:

Oh, yeah, and I did use a mod for this one, obviously: Aviation Lights is just awesome.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Shyanmar

[Sliinty]

Modular System? Why, yes, actually that's what I was working on the whole day ...

I give you the MC-690-01 "Loki" Modular cruiser system!

So, the basic idea with this design is to have a cruiser that works perfectly well by itself but has the capability to be modified with various modules. The Loki has a main module port in the back of the central fuselage that can basically take up anything you can dock to it via a Senior Clamp-o-Tron. Be that an extended Missile rack, additional fuel tanks (and engines), colonization gear (landers and whatnot) or, as in this case, a kind of space laboratory with a highly sophisticated sensor suite and room for 9 kerbals (plus the pilot, who unfortunately, thanks to a design oversight with the pod, is unable to EVA, but whatever. Jeb doesn't seem to mind.).

The two secondary module ports are located on the sides on the wing-thingymajiggers and can also be used as regular docking ports (yes, I know, since they are receded into the hull armor for protection it won't be able to dock with everything, the corresponding docking mechanism needs to be 1 m in diameter for at least 1 m or so.). Of course, if you can get it into orbit you can also cut the docking parts and slap the modules onto the ship directly in the spaceplane hangar (or use a tri-coupler docking design for fixed orientation, it's all a matter of preference). The outer hull also has more than enough room for additional weapon hardpoints if needed.

RCS will need to be rebalanced for each loadout, of course, in the event that it's necessary for precise maneuvering.

Contrary to my last design I built this ship more with protection of the pod in mind. It's only attackable from certain angles now (which can be closed to the enemy in advance if needed, simply by rotating the ship) and features some flimsy wing panels at the top and bottom. It's not perfect, but at least a lot more defensible than the widely open bridge window of the HC-128-01.

Anyway. It's still a little hard on your computer with modules, probably, since it comes in at just over 350 parts. I'll see if I can create a small version of it to enable larger modules and less lag (it runs fine on my computer, but that's no indication since my machine is quite powerful).

So, have a look. If anyone is interested in the .craft file, let me know.

EDIT:

Oh, yeah, and I did use a mod for this one, obviously: Aviation Lights is just awesome.

calling it "loki" is a bit of a giveaway *cough*EVE*cough*

but those twin hulls are gorgeous

[Shyanmar]

... Oh, right. I haven't even thought of EVE to be honest (haven't played in a while, but even so, as a dedicated minmatar player I should've remembered ^^). Makes sense though, that kind of ship perfectly fits the "Loki" character ^^

[Lazurkri]

Consider that the surface-orbit weapon is likely a SCUD launched from the back of a truck, it really doesn't matter if it gets blown up. Again, its cheaper for a country to launch a missile than a ship holding missiles, as for evasion, firstly a ship that accelerates faster than a missile is gonna be expensive, and really, the missiles dont even have to hit the ship, you have to launch logistics craft to keep it supplied, and those are easy targets.

Not to mention if you roll around the temperature of the ship on the whole is still increasing, you cant tank against lasers for long, and if you extend your radiators, goodbye radiators...

No offense, what part of "Kinetic Energy Weapon" are you not getting? if you control the high ground and can drop chunks of metal able to trash cities, your enemy either surrenders, or dies. And the thing about a ship holding missiles is that it can shoot down things lifting off quite easily; if not in the boost phase, certainly in the guidance stage as a missile is maneuvering to bring it in line with its target. And as for hitting a logistics ship..... Just because its logistics doesn't mean it can't mount minimal weapons of its own; not enough to kill another capship, but enough to deal with Singleships and missiles. Not to mention that once in orbit, a logistics ship can also do evasive maneuvers to avoid ground fire. and by maneuvers, I mean doing things like jink up, down, left and right; you do NOT need to OUTRUN the missile, just simply make it exhaust its own fuel, at which point, its ballistic and not much of a threat to you. I advise reading some books like the Honor Harrington series for more on ship combat strategies.

And about the laser thing.... you don't need extendable radiators; conformational strips along the hull would do the job. You could even use jettisonable heat sinks; pump the ships heat to a high thermal capacity sink, and eject it once it hit capacity.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Lazurkri

[Comrade Jenkens]

Shyanmar: Thats a damm cool looking ship there, I like it

People are getting good at this warship building stuff, I better come up with some new techniquics to keep up.

[Lazurkri]

Modular System? Why, yes, actually that's what I was working on the whole day ...

I give you the MC-690-01 "Loki" Modular cruiser system!

So, the basic idea with this design is to have a cruiser that works perfectly well by itself but has the capability to be modified with various modules. The Loki has a main module port in the back of the central fuselage that can basically take up anything you can dock to it via a Senior Clamp-o-Tron. Be that an extended Missile rack, additional fuel tanks (and engines), colonization gear (landers and whatnot) or, as in this case, a kind of space laboratory with a highly sophisticated sensor suite and room for 9 kerbals (plus the pilot, who unfortunately, thanks to a design oversight with the pod, is unable to EVA, but whatever. Jeb doesn't seem to mind.).

The two secondary module ports are located on the sides on the wing-thingymajiggers and can also be used as regular docking ports (yes, I know, since they are receded into the hull armor for protection it won't be able to dock with everything, the corresponding docking mechanism needs to be 1 m in diameter for at least 1 m or so.). Of course, if you can get it into orbit you can also cut the docking parts and slap the modules onto the ship directly in the spaceplane hangar (or use a tri-coupler docking design for fixed orientation, it's all a matter of preference). The outer hull also has more than enough room for additional weapon hardpoints if needed.

RCS will need to be rebalanced for each loadout, of course, in the event that it's necessary for precise maneuvering.

Contrary to my last design I built this ship more with protection of the pod in mind. It's only attackable from certain angles now (which can be closed to the enemy in advance if needed, simply by rotating the ship) and features some flimsy wing panels at the top and bottom. It's not perfect, but at least a lot more defensible than the widely open bridge window of the HC-128-01.

Anyway. It's still a little hard on your computer with modules, probably, since it comes in at just over 350 parts. I'll see if I can create a small version of it to enable larger modules and less lag (it runs fine on my computer, but that's no indication since my machine is quite powerful).

So, have a look. If anyone is interested in the .craft file, let me know.

EDIT:

Oh, yeah, and I did use a mod for this one, obviously: Aviation Lights is just awesome.

this is great! My idea though was more a cylindrical ship with a central "Spindle" that the mission modules docked to. Your ship is much prettier than mine would ever be though.

BTW... can you show us the different modules you've come up with? I'd like to see your module for Singleship operations....

Edited May 28, 2013 by Lazurkri

[Sliinty]

No offense, what part of "Kinetic Energy Weapon" are you not getting? if you control the high ground and can drop chunks of metal able to trash cities, your enemy either surrenders, or dies. And the thing about a ship holding missiles is that it can shoot down things lifting off quite easily; if not in the boost phase, certainly in the guidance stage as a missile is maneuvering to bring it in line with its target. And as for hitting a logistics ship..... Just because its logistics doesn't mean it can't mount minimal weapons of its own; not enough to kill another capship, but enough to deal with Singleships and missiles. Not to mention that once in orbit, a logistics ship can also do evasive maneuvers to avoid ground fire. and by maneuvers, I mean doing things like jink up, down, left and right; you do NOT need to OUTRUN the missile, just simply make it exhaust its own fuel, at which point, its ballistic and not much of a threat to you. I advise reading some books like the Honor Harrington series for more on ship combat strategies.

And about the laser thing.... you don't need extendable radiators; conformational strips along the hull would do the job. You could even use jettisonable heat sinks; pump the ships heat to a high thermal capacity sink, and eject it once it hit capacity.

if you want to trash cities.. use an icbm, a ship in orbit is a very roundabout and expense way of doing things.

I you seriously think your railgun toting behemoth can maneuvre faster than a missile, thats fine, just sayin point defense might be a little easier

Reading your posts, I dont think were on the same page, I mean space combat between nations around earth, so a logistics craft would be a lifter of some kind, like a Soyuz,

and my point is that trying to control lower altitudes and orbits closer to home is easier done with ASATs than with death stars. Of course planetary invaders will win, what I keep trying to say is that an ICBM is cheaper than space fighter!

if we're going to start referencing, "Close orbits are likely to be death traps for the attacker"

"pump the ships heat" sounds suspiciously like reducing entropy, another good one to read is this

[Sliinty]

Also id like to point out that a baseball bat is a kinetic energy weapon

[Varyon]

Okay, that thing is terrifying. And I was so proud of my dinky little space station... It looks like the love-child of a VT-49 Decimator and the Rogue Shadow. That's not a bad thing, by the way.

[Lazurkri]

Also id like to point out that a baseball bat is a kinetic energy weapon

Absolutly and completly wrong. Read this for what I meant by "KEW"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment

also. what you said about the ship heat pumping being close to reducing entropy... the page you referenced on ship defenses lists types of radiators that would be immune to weapons fire.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Lazurkri