Bomber Refit Center

[Sargent890]

I've been thinking about re-usable ships in KSP alot since I first heard of the idea. I've been mentally planning the infrastructure of a re-usable system for at least a week, so I decided to try and create one.

I created a simple bomber using mostly B9 parts with KAS winches on the ceiling of the cargo bay. These winches allow me to load and unload cargo (or bombs) into the same plane, instead of re-creating it multiple times with different payloads. The problem with this system is that there is not enough clearance between the ground and the bottom of the fuesalage to move the payload into position. To solve this, I decided to lift the entire plane up with a huge crane to increase the clearance. After the plane was complete, I rolled it off the runway and got to work on the crane.

The first step was to create a giant frame that I could fit the entire plane under. The first iteration rpoved too small, but expansions on the second provided about a metre of clearance on both sides of the wings. The next issue was stability. The first iteration of the frame was heavily strutted, but it was still a little floppy, even without a load. When I expanded the frame, I also added a stabilizing truss along the top. This greatly helped with the stability. I also added some Gigantor solar panels to ensure that I did not lose power during a lift or similar operation.

Refit process

1) The plane is rolled under the crane and the winches are attached courteousy of the pilot

2a) The plane is lifted about 10 metres off the ground, its cargo bay opened, and landing gear retracted

2b) Plane is stabilized, as it has a tendency to roll while it is hanging from the frame

3) The cargo truck is parked under the cargo bay

4) Cargo bay winches are extended and ground crew (Jeb) comes along to attach them to the truck

5a) The fuel tank (cargo/bomb) is detached from the truck and lifted into the fueselage of the plane

5b) The cargo truck is driven off the runway to ensure it doesn't get in the way

6) The cargo bay doors are closed

7) The plane is lowed to the ground

7) The crane detaches from the plane and its winches retract

8) Plane taxies out for takeoff, ready for the mission!

9) Plane returns to be refitted for future missions

The download links are provided below if you want to try it yourself.

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Download links

Bomber: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nziusoylktvs19k/Hypersonic%20Bomber.craft

Refit Facility: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tpepzjsoqh341uy/Bomber%20Refit%20Facility.craft

Fuel Truck: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ouhh8p3selrca5/Fuel%20Tanks.craft

[Cmdr. Arn1e]

wow that's cool! sure some people will find it a great help for some of the challenges, after they've had a play and come up with their own version based of your design, of course!

[Sargent890]

Thanks, it's a pretty effective design. One thing I would do would be to add some winches near the sides of the hangar and some radial attachment ports near the wingtips. This would remove a lot of the wobble I was seeing.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Sargent890