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PROJECT OVERVIEW: What the
hell is this.
The Rapier is not really an aircraft. The Rapier itself is an airframe… a very simple, good looking 54-62 foot airframe (depends on radar housing at rear). I named it Rapier because I decided that all my aircraft from then on (starting with Excal—Excalibur) would be named after medieval weapons. Rapier is a sword I do believe, a narrow, curved sword used for slashing. I’m like, whoa… cooool. And so Rapier was born. The first Rapier aircraft (wish I had a screen in the development stage) was basically the HIMAT without the canards. Started out without Artificial Stability as well. Big mistake. HUGE mistake. It was interesting… you got some interesting turns, very quick, uncontrollable turns. Still a novice at CG, I went through a huge period of trial and error with CG… which blew. Once I got better at the FBW system X-Plane uses everything got a lot better. Kept adding thrust, and Voila! I got Rapier HIMAT. It really is officially the first in the Rapier Series, and I do consider is very much so a R&D craft. And let our tour begin:
Research and Development: I
hate restarting my computer.
BACKGROUND:
I wanted an agile aircraft. That’s about it. I’ve been fascinated with vehicles like the X-31 and F-15 ACTIVE, with their vector thrust capabilities which make them turn like a housefly. HIMAT broadened my understanding of maneuverability by huge leaps and bounds and as a result I designed the final production Rapier, the F-01, as a matured version of the HIMAT. The dual stabilizers and insane vector thrusting are a common link between them. HIMAT did it first… and I ended up making the F-01 a bit more maneuverable… I don’t understand how… fly the HIMAT once and you WILL understand.
PERFORMANCE:
Turns incredibly quickly. Problem is, with AOA ranging into the triple numbers (ouch!!) this means you bleed a hell of a lot of speed. Don’t worry, a healthy 1.2:1 (around there) thrust to weight ratio bumps you up to velocity quickly, but it makes you think twice before making sharp, unnecessary maneuvers, especially at low altitudes. Max speed is mach 2.01 in wet thrust, 1.8 in dry thrust (at 30,000 feet, both). Your takeoff run can be as short as you really want it… with the thrust to weight ratio it is a rocket, and the vector thrusting pops you right up. Landing, though, is fast. The flaps (triple fowlers, if I’m not mistaken) help, but you still will probably end up touching down around 190-200kts. Once you can land this thing… there isn’t an aircraft on the registry (other than helos… damn helos) that you won’t be able to land. Trust me.
NOTES:
Just the high AOA again, you gotta watch your speed and VVI at low altitudes, or you will just ram into the floor. It sucks, but it happens. Some fun things to do with this aircraft are carrier landings and funky approaches. Come in PERPENDICULAR to the runway, make a right angle turn (mwuhaha) to bleed off speed, and touch down. I have a fictional base off the coast of Santa Cruz with a 20,000 foot dry lake bed runway to do this, Edwards AFB would work too. Enjoy this vehicle.
BACKGROUND:
A successor to the
HIMAT, the Rapier Technology Demonstrator is a link between HIMAT and the
F-01. Although identical in appearance
to the F-01, the demonstrator is very different in the inside, being heavier,
less agile and overall a lot tamer.
Also has a sport red white and blue paint job, which looks good. The canopy is also smaller and more
forwardly located, as there would be no radar in the tech demonstrator. If you find the F-01 too much to handle, try
this one out for awhile, get used to high AOA flying, then come back to the
F-01. Baby steps.
PERFORMANCE:
Not
nearly as impressive as the F-01 or even the HIMAT. If your engines go out, bye bye.
It is almost completely dependant on the vector thrusting system to keep
it going in the right direction it is scary.
Keep some throttle at all time.
Specifications are similar to the HIMAT except it bleeds less speed in
turns as a result of them not being as sharp as the HIMAT’s or the F-01’s. This aircraft is here primarily to wean you
into the handling characteristics of the F-01.
NOTES:
Keep
the throttle up, and it lands fast.
Just remember this, and you will do fine.
THE RAPIER GROWS TEETH: Proposed Combat Vehicles (and a trainer…)
BACKGROUND:
I realized quite early that the only reason I could control HIMAT is because I had become used to it, as I was its GOD. If I wanted to release this aircraft, I would first have to make something a little tamer, yet display similar characteristics, as to not completely discourage people from flying my aircraft. And so was born the Trainer. The Rapier airframe with unswept, high-lift wings for sub-sonic flight. Don’t let the afterburner fool you… this is NOT a supersonic aircraft. I put the afterburner in there for maneuvering fun.
PERFORMACE:
You
can break mach in a dive, but I wouldn’t recommend it. X-Plane has a nasty habit of crashing as a
result of supersonic flight over thick wings, as we have all probably
experienced. Its fairly agile if you
can get it up to speed, I gave it a reward CG as the FBW system compliments it
quite nicely. It lands fast for a
straight wing, but all the better to get you used to my other aircraft. It’s a fun little bird.
NOTES:
Fly
this at least a couple times in a pattern before attempting one of the more
difficult aircraft in this collection.
You’ll thank me later.
BACKGROUND:
I wanted to create
an aircraft that could one day replace the F-14 Tomcat in its role as fleet
defense. Face it, the F/A-18 can NO WAY
take on that role… it’s a fantastic strike vehicle, but a lousy fighter. Delta wings have their advantages, I knew
this, but I didn’t know how maneuverable a delta-winged craft could be. In a way, Rapier Delta is a bit like a
R&D craft matured. As soon as I
realized I could get enough maneuverability with a lot more stability from the
Delta, I decided that I would make that into my Carrier based aircraft instead
of a matured version of the HIMAT.
PERFORMANCE:
It glides through
Mach numbers like a knife. Mach 2.4 top
speed, good range… around 2400 miles in dry thrust (supercruise, of
course.) It turns really quickly
without much aid from vector thrusting (I gave it a little just to give it a
little more umph), without losing all the speed like the HIMAT derivatives
do. Sustained turns are possible for
prolonged periods of time. Tis a good
plane.
NOTES:
Somehow I got the flaps working correctly, which I imagine is difficult on a Delta configuration, with the CG being so messed up. The flaps help a lot, don’t forget you have them just because you are flying a delta aircraft. Take offs are strange… all of a sudden, the aircraft decides it wants to fly (???). Landing can be accomplished at 170knots, carrier landings are fast but easy. Try them for yourself.
PROPOSED ARMAMENT:
Assortment of medium
and short range missiles, don’t know about the AIM-54 Phoenix, I guess any good
Tomcat replacement should have them, but I imagine something better is being
developed. We will wait for that. A M61A2 20mm Cannon is mandatory, never
again will the US make the F-4A,B,C mistake again, I hope. Also, with the large delta-wing generating
so much lift, I wouldn’t hesitate to strap on heavier strike munitions like GBU’s
and AGM-45. It would make a good SEAD
platform, especially with the two-man crew.
Did I mention the two-man crew?
Any decent carrier defense fighter should have a RIO, its an important
role for a fleet.
BACKGROUND:
The
Strike bares a great resemblance to the SU-33 Platypus, with its broad, flat
nose and large aft radar cone. Two man
crew, sitting side by side, with a small sleeping quarters and toilet perhaps
(very small… remember, this is still based on the Rapier airframe… an aircraft
a little bigger than an F-16.). The
engines are larger and more widely spaced, and put out a lot more thrust. The aircraft ended up also with the
secondary role as high-speed reconnaissance, as its range and speed make it a
good candidate. Also good for
precision, long-range strikes against a surgical target, say, a radar station
or something that needs to be removed from a civilian block. This aircraft takes off 5000 miles away,
refuels twice, blasts in at Mach 3, drops a GBU or a JDAM, and rockets out…
refuels twice, and lands.
PERFORMANCE:
Mach
3 at altitude, can go for about 2000 miles on a tank at that speed. Unfortunately, this aircraft is in BETA
stage as it lands and takes off ungodly fast… around 300 knots. I need to work on that… but I’m
stumped. Any ideas? Please E-mail them to me at: SJRyan84@hotmail.com. I would greatly appreciate this.
PROPOSED ARMAMENT:
Assortment of heavy strike weapons, GBUs, Iron Bombs, JDAMs, Cruise Missiles, Durrandals… all the regular fun stuff. Nuclear too maybe… but I think the days of the Nuclear bomber are over.
RAPIER F-01A Air
Superiority Fighter
BACKGROUND:
The ASF is probably my favorite of the Rapiers right now because it is an example of all the research I have accomplished with every one of the other aircraft, built into the most agile fighter the west will ever have had. It bears a strong resemblance to its father, the HIMAT, and also to the SU-35, which also exploits tremendous maneuverability. The paint scheme you see it in right now is a UN one I devised, with the UN wreath on the wings. It is number 00001, the fictional first F-01A to role off the production ramp. The only external differences to the Tech Demonstrator is the canopy… which is larger and more reward in the F-01A. This aircraft is FUN to fly… I love it. I really wish X-Plane had some limited ACM capability… it would be fun to fly this against one of my friends who is in say, a MiG-29 or a F/A-18. HAHAH. No competition. This plane IS the house fly.
PERFORMANCE:
Mach 2.2 at altitude, supercruises at mach 1.7-1.8. Takes off at whatever speed you want, like a rocket because of the vector thrusting. Lands (if you are good) at around 170-160knots, if you are not so good, 200knots. But I can consistently land it at 160knots… it just takes practice.
NOTES:
I put an arresting gear on this puppy for fun… I can stick landings in it no problem… they are just fast and hard. But I can do it. Carrier catshots are ungodly easy because of the vector thrusting. This thing is a rocket.
PROPOSED ARMAMENT:
Strictly AA weapons, I wouldn’t bog down this sexy vehicle with air-to-mud weapons. This bird is a bird of prey, it hunts other birds. Hence, Air Superiority Fighter. I’m tempted to say that if this was a real plane I would push for TWO M61A2 cannons, which would be awesome… but I don’t think that’s all that practical. But you could REALLY tear up some red-commie planes with 12,000 RPM coming at them. Drool.
RAPIER F-01Ex
Export Fighter
BACKGROUND:
A stripped down F-01A without the canards and vector thrusting, which turned out to be a hot fighter. Designed to be cheaper than its technologically superior brother, the F-01Ex was made to give smaller air forces a BIG advantage in combat. With two seats, the aircraft SCREAMs multi-role, with promising strike capabilities since it posses good low-speed handling, and assured place in the air combat scene because of superior maneuverability, the Ex is a good aircraft. In fact it’s a great aircraft. It also aided my skills at developing an agile aircraft without the aid of vector thrusting.
PERFORMANCE:
Identical to the F-01A, which, considering the physical differences, is a bit odd. It is a little heavier, and its range is a little less, but landing speed is identical as well as top speeds.
NOTES:
This aircraft is done up in IAF camo, which I think is the coolest camo in the world. This aircraft is so awesome… sometimes I don’t believe I made it. It bears a strong resemblance to the MiG-29, a coincidence that happened on accident, and probably attributes to much of the aircrafts maneuverability.
PROPOSED ARMAMENT:
Whatever the export country decides to throw at it. It would be a fantastic multi-role aircraft, competing great in both the air-to-mud department and air-to-air field. Some countries would probably stick French Matras and Magics on it instead of Sparrows and Winders, all depends.
RAPIER Night
Prowler
BACKGROUND:
Bearing obvious resemblance to Northrop’s YF-23 ATF, the Night Prowler was designed at the start as a stealth aircraft. The agility part came secondary, but ultimately proved quite pleasant. Made almost exclusively for night flying, as the F-01A would far surpass its handling in day-time hours, the Night Prowler has small amounts of vector thrusting through thermal-signature reduction nozzles. It also features a butterfly-stabilizer-rudder which at first I was skeptical of, but it proved ultimately extremely stable and maneuverable.
PERFORMANCE:
Mach 2.0+ at altitude, with landing speeds much tamer than the HIMAT derived craft… around 150 if you get lucky.
NOTES: Aircraft has no identification lights. It is a night fighter… lights would defeat the purpose.
PROPOSED ARMAMENT:
Strictly AA weapons carried internally as to not disrupt stealth. A M61A2 cannon hidden by a door, as to not affect RCS.
These are the Rapiers. I will probably not be creating anymore, as I have become fairly exausted with the design… maybe later if I want to experiment with a radical idea without having to create a new fuselage, landing gear, panel… ect. If you read all this… you will be much better off flying these beasts, trust me.
Download Rapier Version 5.65-.66