Advices on my Space Plane (Ninja 0)
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Pink
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Yeah, it does look more like an opened out chicken than an aircraft.
My advice? Decide what kind of space plane it is, where it operates, what it is supposed to do and then use the answers to these questions to design it. This is how aircraft are designed in the real world, as answers to requirements.
For example, is it designed as a long range (and by that I mean interplanetary) reconnaissance craft? Does it need weapons? How far is it to be expected to travel (in terms of fuel / Dv carriage and also engine selection). If its not operating in atmosphere, does it need wings? If it is going to be expected to launch from a ground based installation, then from where? Does it have the TWR/Dv to attain orbit, achieve its task and then return? If it is orbitally based, it'll need docking ports and be compatible in size to whatever facilities its designed to work with. If it is a warplane, what kind? Long range fighter, short range carrier interceptors, fleet bomber, ground attack?
A long range orbital fleet bomber will be better suited with being larger, carrying bigger/more numerous orbit denial weapons and be fitted to low thrust / high efficiency engines as it has all the time in the world to set up its runs and increases its operating range.
Conversely, a fleet carrier interceptor needs to get to speed quickly and sacrifices range for acceleration and manoeuvrability. This will require higher TWR engines like Hawk and liberal use of capsules/probes to generate rotational torque so it can change direction and accelerate quickly to get into an intercept position before the 'bombers' can get into their positions.
Then if it must be armed, decide again its target and how you intend on taking it out. Separators make (loosely) usable 'guns' but you need to be close to use them. Larger fighters could carry self guided missiles with a far higher chance of a kill, especially at higher orbital speeds. Orbital bombers can just insert themselves in a counter orbit on the other side of the SOI, deploy some 'mines' in a spread and then transfer out of system before retribution reaches them, using the counter orbit closing speeds to do the damage. Ground attack craft can either de-orbit and get in close for a 'strafe' of an installation, or drop orbital kinetic kill weapons.
Or it could be none of these and just be a transport plane, or a pleasure craft. Again, decide where, why and what and add features accordingly.
You may think this isn't being helpful, until you remember that aircraft (and a lot of other things) generally design themselves from their requirements. Concorde isn't shaped how it is out of looks alone (although it is a fucking beauty). The long narrow fuselage and downward curved delta wings were the only way the aircraft was going to achieve the ridiculously high speeds required for supersonic transcontinental flight, but generate enough lift at low speeds to have a realistic landing and take off speed. Ever wondered why all similar role aircraft in a generation all roughly look the same? It's not accident or plagiarism. It's necessity.
My advice? Decide what kind of space plane it is, where it operates, what it is supposed to do and then use the answers to these questions to design it. This is how aircraft are designed in the real world, as answers to requirements.
For example, is it designed as a long range (and by that I mean interplanetary) reconnaissance craft? Does it need weapons? How far is it to be expected to travel (in terms of fuel / Dv carriage and also engine selection). If its not operating in atmosphere, does it need wings? If it is going to be expected to launch from a ground based installation, then from where? Does it have the TWR/Dv to attain orbit, achieve its task and then return? If it is orbitally based, it'll need docking ports and be compatible in size to whatever facilities its designed to work with. If it is a warplane, what kind? Long range fighter, short range carrier interceptors, fleet bomber, ground attack?
A long range orbital fleet bomber will be better suited with being larger, carrying bigger/more numerous orbit denial weapons and be fitted to low thrust / high efficiency engines as it has all the time in the world to set up its runs and increases its operating range.
Conversely, a fleet carrier interceptor needs to get to speed quickly and sacrifices range for acceleration and manoeuvrability. This will require higher TWR engines like Hawk and liberal use of capsules/probes to generate rotational torque so it can change direction and accelerate quickly to get into an intercept position before the 'bombers' can get into their positions.
Then if it must be armed, decide again its target and how you intend on taking it out. Separators make (loosely) usable 'guns' but you need to be close to use them. Larger fighters could carry self guided missiles with a far higher chance of a kill, especially at higher orbital speeds. Orbital bombers can just insert themselves in a counter orbit on the other side of the SOI, deploy some 'mines' in a spread and then transfer out of system before retribution reaches them, using the counter orbit closing speeds to do the damage. Ground attack craft can either de-orbit and get in close for a 'strafe' of an installation, or drop orbital kinetic kill weapons.
Or it could be none of these and just be a transport plane, or a pleasure craft. Again, decide where, why and what and add features accordingly.
You may think this isn't being helpful, until you remember that aircraft (and a lot of other things) generally design themselves from their requirements. Concorde isn't shaped how it is out of looks alone (although it is a fucking beauty). The long narrow fuselage and downward curved delta wings were the only way the aircraft was going to achieve the ridiculously high speeds required for supersonic transcontinental flight, but generate enough lift at low speeds to have a realistic landing and take off speed. Ever wondered why all similar role aircraft in a generation all roughly look the same? It's not accident or plagiarism. It's necessity.
Thank you very much for that long ans very precise message !! That will be helpful ! I want to make a plane, I really want to have wings, that can go in orbit with or without a rocker, I don't care. And for weapons, I want to have short range weapons, that's why I put some ugly side separators. I made a second version, without separators and a fairing for the top of the craft.
My second attempt :
My second attempt :
Pink
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Ok !
I've finished the 3rd version... So I made little wings, and I added more fuel + Hawks si now it can reach Low Earth Orbit. But if I want to dock it with something, I'll need to send it in LEO with a one stage rocket
New version of my chicken
View attachment 41607 View attachment 41608
I've finished the 3rd version... So I made little wings, and I added more fuel + Hawks si now it can reach Low Earth Orbit. But if I want to dock it with something, I'll need to send it in LEO with a one stage rocket
New version of my chicken
View attachment 41607 View attachment 41608
Thanks ! I really want to improve my english as my SFS skills, that's important for me and I don't like to do some grammatical mistakes. In french, I don't care but not in languages I'm studying
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Ha!
Voilà! In view, a humble heretical veteran, cast vicariously as both Warmaster and Primarch by the vicissitudes of 40k. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the patrician, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a galaxy sized vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding wHEn UPdAtE and vouchsafing the violently over-powered and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is waffles; in long form, held as a lesson, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day educate the discord and the reddit.
Verily, my vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me Horus.
Voilà! In view, a humble heretical veteran, cast vicariously as both Warmaster and Primarch by the vicissitudes of 40k. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the patrician, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a galaxy sized vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding wHEn UPdAtE and vouchsafing the violently over-powered and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is waffles; in long form, held as a lesson, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day educate the discord and the reddit.
Verily, my vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me Horus.
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Hi Horus !
Hum, I understood only 2 things : waffles and that you used lot of "v"... That's it... It sounds great but I don't have enough english skills to understand that ! I can do that on french I think
Hum, I understood only 2 things : waffles and that you used lot of "v"... That's it... It sounds great but I don't have enough english skills to understand that ! I can do that on french I think
There's quite a strong French following on the forum as well, Altaïr and Tony are also from there and can help with translations for the more...complex concepts on here.
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