Author Topic: Space Fighters  (Read 28634 times)

Offline Litvyak

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #25 on: October 19, 2012, 02:53:21 AM »
Ah, so the Russians are cheating... :P
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Offline Weaver

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #26 on: October 19, 2012, 07:52:32 AM »
Typed all this once after work then lost it in a system time out.... :icon_crap:

Russian/former Russian sites:

Baikonur/Tyuratam : 46 deg North
Kapustin Yar: 48 deg North
Vostochny : 51 deg North (New facility in the Russian Far East to replace Baikonur, which is in now-independent Khazakstan)


Other sites:

Woomera : 31 deg South
French Guiana : 5 deg North
Kennedy : 28 deg North


High latitude sites:

Kodiak : 57 deg North
Plesetsk : 63 deg North


Although the southernmost points in Canada are at about 41 deg North, they're in the Ontario "salient" so any space launches from there would have to cross the north eastern USA, creating safety and political issues. Most of the practical launch sites in Canada are well north of it's 49 deg southern border, which is why, when looking for a "Commonwealth" launch site, Woomera was the clear winner.

You can launch rockets from northern sites, as Plesetsk and Kodiak demonstrate, but they are mostly used for high-inclination polar orbits and can't be used economically for equatorial or geo-stationary ones, which is where most of the commercial revenue lies. Polar orbits are mostly of interest for scientific and military purposes, so their rewards are not financial in nature.

Even with their sites being further south than most theoretical Canadian ones, the Russians still pay a price for their geography, getting less payload per pound of rocket than launches from more equatorial sites. Since any large-scale British launch programme requires a stretch of the imagination and wallet, it's hard to see it volutarily accepting the extra penalties of a Canadian launch site when Woomera was available. The running costs of a large space programme (i.e. expended rockets) would be much more of a burden on a limited budget, so the pressure would be on to develop the most efficent launch site as soon as possible, even if that meant investing in exotic options like sea or air launch.

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Offline elmayerle

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #27 on: October 21, 2012, 01:01:23 PM »
A joint RN, RAN, RCN effort for a sea-launch Black Knight or development thereof?

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #28 on: May 17, 2014, 05:06:15 AM »
Something I found online:












I have a kit that is going to get the same treatment as the last one.
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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #29 on: May 17, 2014, 12:16:57 PM »
Oh, yeah!

I saw the work of that guy on DeviantArt, I think... Lots of ideas and this one is my favorite.

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Offline Silver Fox

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #30 on: May 17, 2014, 02:23:37 PM »
The MK VII Viper looks good in those schemes. The Mk II does too, but the Mk VII looks weird most times so the effect is really noticeable. :)

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #31 on: May 18, 2014, 04:31:48 AM »
Another that deserves to be here:




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Offline Volkodav

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #32 on: May 19, 2014, 09:33:55 AM »
Space, Above and Beyond

Offline mrvr6

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #33 on: May 19, 2014, 11:50:46 PM »
always liked the look of it but the visibility looks terrible lol

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #34 on: May 20, 2014, 03:15:02 AM »
Space, Above and Beyond

Indeed - I have a 1/48th kit that will get RAAF markings…after all they were operating on a RAAF base. ;)
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Offline taiidantomcat

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #35 on: May 22, 2014, 07:48:31 AM »
Space, Above and Beyond

Indeed - I have a 1/48th kit that will get RAAF markings…after all they were operating on a RAAF base. ;)

I actually scratched a 1/24 scale one when the show was still on, using cardboard.  :) and tape (pretty good for a 12 year old) I have been thinking of ways to scratch build some versions properly  :)
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Offline philp

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #36 on: May 24, 2014, 02:11:58 PM »
While I have always liked the look of stuff like the X-Wing, Viper, F-302, etc. one of the best stories I read on the subject described a completely different idea.  Can't quite recall the actual shape but was more like a cube or an ovoid shape with the pilot buried in the middle of the ship in a cocoon like cockpit to absorb stresses from drastic maneuvers.  Think it had an engine in the front and rear so it could decelerate as quickly as it accelerated.  Or it rotated to decelerate.  also think there were maneuvering jets so that it could go sideways, etc.  Really need to find the story and read it again.

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #37 on: May 25, 2014, 02:57:22 AM »
Something perhaps a little less exciting than the ones shown so far, but at the same time, potentially the closest to a real world space fighter:  the Soviet Soyuz PPK from 1964:



The Soyuz 7K-PPK (pilotiruemiy korabl-perekhvatchik, manned interceptor spacecraft) was a revised version of the Soyuz P manned satellite inspection spacecraft.  The PPK provided the cosmonaut with a standoff capability for destruction of enemy satellites. For this purpose the Soyuz was equipped with eight small rockets.

As in the Soyuz P, the spacecraft would rendezvous with the enemy satellite. But the cosmonaut would remain in the spacecraft, using visual and other on-board systems to inspect the satellite. If the satellite was to be eliminated, the Soyuz would back off to a distance of 1 kilometer, and then destroy it using the on-board rocket-mines. Delays in the development of the Soyuz led to abandonment of this plan.
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Offline sotoolslinger

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #38 on: May 25, 2014, 03:20:03 AM »
First off Queeg is a pretty fikken great designer ain't he 8) :-* and B where the ef do you find models of the Hammerhead? :o I didn't even know they existed :-\ ???

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #39 on: May 25, 2014, 03:56:49 AM »
where the ef do you find models of the Hammerhead? :o I didn't even know they existed :-\ ???


Mine is a 1/48 one by Comet Miniatures:



They are out of production now.

You can however get a 1/72 one from Fantastic Plastic:



Click on image to go to store.
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Offline raafif

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #40 on: May 25, 2014, 06:16:00 AM »
the Games Workshop guys used to have very similar designs in their Warhammer 40K range (plastic, resin and also miniture resin ones).
Google "Warhammer Hammerhead" - approx 1/48th scale

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #41 on: May 25, 2014, 06:41:07 AM »
Another real world "space fighter":



And it has been superbly modelled by SAustin16:


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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #42 on: May 27, 2014, 02:47:34 AM »
F-35 replacement announced  ;):

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Offline Buzzbomb

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #43 on: May 27, 2014, 06:29:38 AM »
That "real world" jobbie is really nice.. and totally plausible.

Most likely.. crew station aside.. they are up there as hunter-killer satellites.


Offline sotoolslinger

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #44 on: May 28, 2014, 07:09:13 AM »
I like this un


Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #45 on: January 11, 2017, 03:39:14 AM »
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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Offline Camthalion

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #46 on: February 15, 2017, 06:06:29 AM »


Any British equivalent would be hamstrung by the unsuitability of Britain as a launch site (too far north)....


Not at all!

Britain would have any one of a number of former colonies in closer geographic proximity to the equator to strike a deal with for setting up a launch site. It would be no different than France shooting their Arianne rockets from Guyana.

India or Malaysia would be perfect places inside the Commonwealth to set up such a launch site. Both are quite close to the equator and both are quite industrialized nations with technically skilled work forces. Not only would you have a good location, you'd also have a good local labour pool to hire from as well to save you from bringing in too many staff directly from Britain.

Definitely doable for Britain

I seem to recall someone, can't remember who, talking about building a launch facility on Cape York some years ago.

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #47 on: February 16, 2017, 02:29:48 AM »
There was a lot of interested in a Cape York Space Launch complex but it all died.  Just do a search on "Cape York Space Base" and you will get plenty of articles and the like such as this:  https://www.tropicnow.com.au/2016/may/13/cape-york-space-station-wouldve-been-out-of-this-world.html

Its a pity that it never happened as both myself and my wife would probably be working there if it had happened.  Cape York is also a far, far more practical solution than Woomera which really has only ever been a test range and extremely unpractical as a space launch facility despite what is sometimes said.
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Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Space Fighters
« Reply #48 on: July 10, 2021, 01:44:25 AM »
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

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But you can make the Bastard work for it.