KerbalX

Description

The Sparrow P Mk V - part of the Sparrow series of aircraft derived from the S4 Spotter - was a lightweight, performance oriented pursuit biplane designed by the Arcan Aeroplane Firm (AAF) during the Continental War. The type was developed in tandem with the larger, more heavily armed Mk VI, and first flew in May of 935. The Mk V entered service shortly after in August of the same year.
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History

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In early 933, a need for a smaller, single seat version of the S4 Spotter became apparent on shorter, frontline airfields - as such, the ‘Sparrow’ series of aircraft was developed. Consequently, the removal of the rear seat significally lightened the airframe which, in turn boosted the performance of an aircraft that already flew well. The extra speed and maneuverability made early Sparrow variants far less susceptible to enemy ground fire.
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By 934, Continental Forces - in an attempt to counter Troscan Reconnaissance - deployed captured aircraft crudely modified with forward-facing machine guns. These aircraft were fitted with armoured blades to prevent pilots from immediately destroying the propeller upon firing, however, even this was inadequate and pilots still managed to shoot their propellers off anyway. In spite of their crude, improvised nature, the Troscan Army caught wind of these enemy ‘pursuit’ aircraft and set off to create their own by attaching weaponry to Sparrow aircraft. Instead, the guns were mounted on the top of the wing so that the gun would shoot around the arc of the propeller. As the Sparrow aircraft became a purpose-built pursuit plane in later variants, a synchronization gear - invented by the Arcan Aeroplane Firm (AAF) - allowed guns to shoot reliably through the propeller.
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Earlier variants of the Sparrow were little more than incremental improvements from the original single-seat S4. The Mk V and VI, however, both saw complete redesigns, sharing commonality with previous Sparrow Variants only in name. The Mk V saw a shift in focus towards maneuverability and lightweight construction whereas the Mk VI was much larger with a much more powerful engine.
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The Mk V was fitted with a 700hp V-12 inline and featured a newly designed nose section to mitigate drag. The large, flat-faced radiators - characteristic of inline engine Arcan designs - was redesigned and split into three smaller radiators; two in the nose and one mounted on the chin. The extra attention taken to streamline the aircraft gave the Mk V a top speed nearly 80km/h faster than that of previous Sparrow variants and one comparable to the far more powerful Mk VI at 405km/h. To keep costs and extra weight down, a conventional, fabric-covered biplane construction was used.
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The high power-to-weight ratio and maneuverability made the Mk V a formidable fighter against more capable Native Continental pursuit aircraft designs. The aircraft’s simple construction made it easy to mass produce and maintain, keeping it in service long after the war even when far superseded by all-metal monoplane designs. The Mk V was retired from frontline service in 938 but, until 956, the aircraft served in secondary roles in the newly formed Troscan Air Guard. The aircraft saw a variety of export customers - most of which were sold to nations in the Far East, but some, ironically, saw service in a few Air Forces on the Caellian Continent who flew against them during the war.

SPECIFICATIONS

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MANUFACTURER
The Arcan Aeroplane Firm
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UNITS PRODUCED
3500+
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SERVICE LIFE
935-938 (Frontline Service)
935-956 (Officially)
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TOP SPEED
99m/s (in game)

Details

• Type: SPH
• Class: aircraft
• Part Count: 726
• Pure Stock
• KSP: 1.12.3