KerbalX

Description

With other nations venturing into SSTO programs throughout the 2070s-80s, the Holidian Government also invested in one. Most SSTO Aircraft of the era relied on multiple engines which were expensive to maintain and inefficient as the spacecraft essentially carried dead weight into space. UCA and Kujira industries worked together to create a singular aerospike engine which was expected to be more cost effective and more efficient than the traditional jet + rocket combo most SSTOs of the era used.
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The experimental aerospike engine (developed by UCA) was fitted to an air-frame created by Kujira Industries. The wings were forward swept as most of the weight was in the rear of the aircraft. The UCA-412 was used to test the properties of the aerospike engine and how it affected the performance of the aircraft. First flying in 2086, the test aircraft flew well showing fighter-like handling at low speeds and rocket-like acceleration at high altitudes. It was shown that the aircraft was not powerful enough to leave the atmosphere.
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With the Second Korean War in 2097, the funding for the project was cut and moved towards producing more fighters for the war effort. With the collapse of the Holidian Empire in 2130, UCA moved its assets to South Australia. The South Australian desert was home to one of the largest spaceports in the world at the time. The UCA-412’s data would assist the development of the UCA-505 ‘Space Hopper’ Cargo SSTO which would first fly in 2135.

Details

• Type: SPH
• Class: aircraft
• Part Count: 204
• Pure Stock