Paul Revere
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Contents |
The Paul Revere
Transport Aircraft of The Guardian Force, the Paul Revere is designed to be able to insert a team of heroes anywhere in the world on short notice, allowing The Force to react to world situations and emergencies quickly.
Technical Overview
Name: Paul Revere
Aerodynamically Streamlined SCRAMjet transport
Length: 125 feet
Width (from wingtip to wingtip): 60 feet
Height: (landing gear raised): 18.5 feet
Hull Construction: Titanium alloy/High-temp Ceramic matrix for heat protection and dissipation, surface level force field generator (insulation shield) for additional thermal energy barrier.
Crew: 4 (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Flight Engineer, NavCom Specialist) + 6 passengers.
Powerplant/drives: Twin ISTAR-II Ramjet/SCRAMJet Engines using a hydrocarbon-based liquid rocket mode for initial boost to SCRAMjet operating speed. maximum speed: Mach 7.5 (atmosphere)
Four 'Freedom Torch" Hydrocarbon-Rocket Mode Booster engines, working in tandem with it's SCRAMjets these systems allow the Paul Revere to accelerate to 22,000 miles per hour, or at a rough speed of Mach 26, and enables the vehicle to reach low-earth orbit. The fuel is very compact in the boosters, allowing for two such boosts per boost drive to be made for suborbital flights, for orbital operations the reserve fuel is used for thruster burns.
'Puff Port': Cold thrust orbital maneuver thrusters for fine work and attitude controls, used in atmosphere for V/STOL landing (though this taxes the fuel supplies for the ports immensely if used for long periods.) twelve in all in concealed ports.
Weapons/defenses:
Defenses: Surface level force field (physical protection field) can be used in conjunction with insulation field to protect the Revere from enemy fire, deployable chaff and infrared decoys, communications and sensor snoop/jamming gear, limited stealth attrtibutes due to lifting body shape, speed.
Offense: six 'talon' missiles in retractable bays, variable warhead for missions: plasma to high-explosive, to fire-retardant warheads, depending on mission profile at the time.
One high-energy variable-spectrum laser cannon in nose (for target designation or offense)
Flight Modes:
Normal Atmospheric:
High-Subsonic over the united states due to federal laws, accelerates to supersonic or engages the booster to hypersonic velocities over international waters as mission requires. Capable of V/STOL landings.
Orbital:
High-subsonic to international waters, Paul Revere gains altitude and accelerates to SCRAMjet Mode using the engine booster mode, continues at Hypersonic speed until trajectory window is calculated and reached, 'Torch boosters are then engaged and the Revere makes a power climb to orbital velocity, shutting down the SCRAMjets as they lose efficiency and closing their intake ports to protect them and uses it's puff ports and remaining hydrocarbon fuel once in orbit. It reenters much like the space shuttle, using it's underside and force fields to safely reenter atmosphere, where the SCRAMjets can be reengaged for normal flight operations once the craft has slowed to safer speeds.
Suborbital Flight:
When you need to get anywhere in the world in under an hour, this is the way to go. The Paul Revere launches as normal, heading out into international waters, once there it gains altitude and ignites the SCRAMjet Boosters to accelerate, once at speed the Revere pulls up into an angled power climb and ignites the 'Torch boosters to send it to suborbital speeds, once the proper window is reached the vehicle reenters the atmosphere, slowing to a velocity using it's glide path until the SCRAMjets can be safely reactivated and used.
