M-0209 Skytalon

'' "This is Grey Ghost. All systems are go. She flies like a dream and I can play her like a virtuoso's Stradivarius. If this unit went into mass production under Yuktobanian pilots, gentlemen, no foreigners would ever have trouble finding Yuktobania on a map ever again." — Isa Reichert (née Raisa Marskaya), Recorded Russian transmission during the debut test flight of the M-0209 Skytalon, 05 August NCA 116 16:30''

Only one prototype of this ambitious fighter aircraft exists, created for the sole purpose of countering hostile mechs units. Funded by the Soviet Union and designed by a corps of Yuktobanian aerospace engineers, its design hearkens back to the glory days of the best Yuktobanian fighters, but the Skytalon’s capabilities are far more sophisticated than that. Its improved design allows it the mobility and precision of a helicopter, with all the thrust and power of a conventional supersonic jet. Its weapons systems are formidable, to say the least, and it carries everything it could possibly need to destroy its intended targets... but officially, as a mass-produced unit, the M-0209 "Skytalon" does not exist.

History
The Skytalon was originally developed as a joint venture between the Soviet Union and one of its satellite nations, the Federation of Yuktobanian Republics. Yuktobania, lacking the resources or the training to field an air force of mecha pilots, decided instead to create its own niche unit capable of taking down most conventional "humanoid" mechs. Yuktobanian engineers wished for a unit that was small, light, and could be reliably mass-produced without breaking the bank.

Thus began Project Skytalon.

Development was in part sanctioned by the Earth Federation Alliance, for it provided an alternative to conventional mechs, and the idea of an entire wing of these specialized, highly mobile "tank killers" was an attractive one. Fast deployment and fast response were attractive, though years of pilot training was acknowledged as a weak point of the program. Yuktobanian scientists wanted something that was

In spite of the project's generous budget, the Skytalon suffered several initial setbacks. It seemed cursed from the start by mechanical problems, design flaws, and a plethora of personnel issues. Despite this, development continued in earnest. The mechanical problems were repaired, the design flaws were smoothed over, and personnel was shuffled around (or mysterious resigned, in the case of a minor scandal or two).

On 05 August NCA 116, a single, streamlined prototype finished production and was transferred to Murska Air Base, in eastern Yuktobania. The Skytalon was brought forward for a short maiden flight east over the ocean, and the pilot chosen was none other than Raisa Marskaya, a brilliant test pilot and a famous war hero of the One Year War; accompanying her to operate the Skytalon's subsystems were her fiancée, the Belkan Dominic Heinslett, and a Belkan-born Yuktobanian pilot, Liese Lustig.

The Skytalon's maiden flight proceeded smoothly, with no hitches or problems during takeoff, flight, or landing. Lauded a success, the project had every plan to go into mass production in the next two years.

In the meantime, the Skytalon and a small complement of Yuktobanian escorts were scheduled to accompany a Soviet squadron during a recovery mission into the Siberian wastes to recover critical material from a crashed Soviet prototype.

Though never recorded, an incident occured during the mission, resulting in the termination of all present Soviet aircraft as well as the destruction of the snowbound prototype. The Skytalon was lost when the test pilot fled south, and what few official records exist suggest that the Yuktobanian pilots resigned after the incident.

Following this incident, the Skytalon seems to vanish from history. No effort was ever made to recreate it. In fact, the plans and blueprints detailing this prototype also seem to vanish. Official record denies anything beyond the prototype's unsuitability for mass production, but the situation is awfully fishy, and some officials believe that the blueprints were stolen — possibly by the traitorous test pilot that stole the single functioning prototype.

Technology
As an advanced prototype, the Skytalon boasts a number of technological improvements from its predecessors and a number of improvements over standard combat aircraft. It's fast, mobile, and capable of maneuvers that would leave normal aircraft in the dust. It can turn on a dime, apply its air brakes at impossible speed, and can even hover in place. Most of this is made possible by improvements to its airframe, surface areas, and lightweight engine systems.

Airframe
Nearly every square inch of the airframe has been designed for speed and maneuverability. Control surfaces, ailerons, additional air brakes, and canards have all been used for the sake of fast response time. The Skytalon also boasts an improved and expanded VTOL system, dubbed the All-Directional Advanced Control System, or ADACS.

This allows the aircraft to take off without a runway, thrusting straight up and easing itself back down on a strictly vertical trajectory. Through the use of similar technology, it can also hover, supported by a large array of small, vernier-like thrusters positioned throughout the fuselage, and at key points on the undersides of the wings.

The wings themselves are backswept, centered vertically on the fuselage. They are also variable geometry, which basically means they can change their shape, to a limited extent. In the case of the Skytalon, they have two basic configurations. At slow speeds or low altitudes, they're programmed to point straight out like a normal aircraft wing. At high speed or high altitude, they sweep back, forming a delta to reduce drag and increase speed.

They don't change mass at all, instead relying on a complex system of hinges, concealed hollows, and computerized mechanisms to change their orientation. The leading and trailing edges of each wing also sport a narrow line of vernier-like thrusters, designed to work in tandem with the air brakes and the ADACS system.

Powerplant
Though its airframe is light, Yuktobanian designers wanted an engine system that would be responsive, lightweight, and above all offer unparalleled thrust to weight ratio. Special twin engines were designed to fit the Skytalon's engine bays.

These engines are designed to produce phenomenal thrusting power. Though they lack sufficient power to achieve escape velocity, they do have enough power to keep pace with even the most sophisticated aircraft engines in existence. These dual engines are smokeless due to their modern component materials, and they generate incredible heat during use, especially combat operations. (On conventional heat-seeking radar, this tends to show up like a big glaring neon "EAT AT ED'S" sign.)

In order to function at all, the engines have been outfitted with a circuitry of durable, high-tech coolant piped around, over, and through the engine blocks. Visible as a bright and luminant cyan, this liquid coolant is a top-secret formula developed specially for Project Skytalon. If these coolant circuits were damaged, the Skytalon would destroy its own engines within seconds.

With these engines, the Skytalon is capable of reaching speeds up to 2310 mph, with comparable engine thrust. This allows it to keep pace with the likes of high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft without breaking a sweat. The engines' basic design are afterburning turbofans, which are normally inefficient at high altitude, but adjustments and tweaks were made to correct this inherent flaw, and the Skytalon performs just as well at high altitude as it does lower in the atmosphere.

Cockpit
By virtue of its complexion, the Skytalon necessitates a crew of three in flight. The first seat is the pilot's, the second is the weapons operator's, and the third is the communications and navigation operator.

Like most aircraft, the Skytalon's cockpit is designed to eject when the pilot is in danger or the airframe suffers massive damage. The Skytalon's cockpit is equipped with its own thrusters to clear the wreckage, and it even has its own parachute. Though the cockpit has no weapons, it does have a beacon implemented, for ease of retrieving compromised pilots.

Weapons Systems
The project originally called for an aircraft that could act as a mobile weapons platform. In that aspect, the Yuktobanian engineers definitely succeeded.

Cannon
The Skytalon's main weapon is a cannon, located at the root of the starboard wing, which fires 30mm shells. The aircraft carries a load capacity of several hundred rounds' worth of ammunition, with the ammunition storage reached via access hatches. Though such a cannon is a relic from Yuktobania's earlier forays into air combat, simplicity is still best in some respects... and using such old technology also means cutting costs.

Hardpoints
Under each wing rests several pylons, or hardpoints, which can be loaded with a large variety of weaponry. Air to air and air to ground missiles are the most common type of ordinance, guided by the aircraft's own avionic systems. In the absence of reliable systems, they will fly unguided.

The hardpoints can also be loaded with standard bombs. These in turn can be laser-guided, designed for precise targeting, or they can be unguided, used to deal a large amount of splash damage to an unspecified target. Finally, fuel-air explosive bombs are the third type of bomb ordinance. These potent munitions are filled with a volatile mix that ignites relatively easily, causing an enormous explosion at high temperature. Though designed primarily for ground targets, a skilled pilot could theoretically slag anything they could hit...

Talon XCL-02 Chemical Laser
The pride and joy of the Skytalon's designers is the Talon XCL-02 chemical laser. Situated between the engines' air intakes, this massive chemical laser is designed to incinerate most mundane materials on contact with its beam. Originally developed as a mining technology, it was appropriated by the Yuktobanian military, refined by the Soviet military, and finally developed into an effective, high-intensity weapon.

The Talon can only fire in a short, seconds-long burst and only carries a few charges at a time; any more than this would endanger the Skytalon's airframe due to the heat it creates, which in turn would interfere dangerously with the heat generation of the engines. Even so, it can be a devastating last-ditch weapon in the right hands.

Flaws
As a prototype, it's only natural that the project is still plagued by flaws. Since it was stolen before completion, the Skytalon still has a few major problems; problems which may never be corrected as they were originally intended.

At the heart of the matter the Skytalon's avionics are useless. Based on the latest generation of military avionics, they're cutting-edge in traditional air warfare, but in the midst of super robots, radar and wireless communication are almost impossible. Even mild interference from Minovsky particles can ruin any ingoing or outgoing signal.

Worst among the Skytalon's flaws are its engines. Though touted as a high-tech solution to the need for mobility, speed, and reliability, they were never developed to their full potential. Problems in their heat generation were inherent to their design from the start. They're very prone to overheating. A specialized coolant system is visibly wired all around the engine housings to keep them from slagging the airframe (or themselves), but any damage to the coolant systems will guarantee massive damage to the engine blocks and the airframe, if not destroying it outright.

The armor systems are also poorly designed. Vernier-like thrusters allow for precision maneuvers, but they were a trade-off, eschewing armor for high mobility. Beam-based weapons are particularly devastating to the airframe, mostly for its lack of effective plating. Its designers apparently had evasion in mind rather than sinking damage, and it was never moved far enough into production to strike a balance between the two.

In terms of mobility, the Skytalon is versatile over most land and sea terrains. It can perform well in high altitude and maintain respectable speed, but it was never designed to pass through the atmosphere into the crushing realm of space. The engines aren't powerful enough to achieve escape velocity, and the thinning air pressure would only stall the engines in an attempt. Furthermore, the fuselage isn't thick enough to withstand the pressure vacuum -- the cockpit would be crushed like a tin can.