KerbalX

Album contains 16 pictures.

Diverted from a Mach 4 interceptor project, the Thunderwarrior is an experimental spaceplane using early TRCC (Turbo Rocket Combined Cycle) propulsion system. The original weapon bay is replaced by a crew cabin for 2 research personnel.

Key Features

• Just like my other SSTO spaceplanes, despite being in the collection Echo ‘47.
• Even if only playing in atmosphere, it’s still a fun plane to fly.

Design Notes

• It’s based on the Republic XF-103 Thunderwarrior. The prototype easily goes hypersonic with tons of fuel to spare, so I think why not make it SSTO?
• This craft uses part clipping: The engine is an aerospike rocket engine clipped with a Whiplash. This is not entirely unreasonable, because the XF-103 itself is actually a tandem twin-engine aircraft, albeit turbojet + ramjet with switchable air intake (TBCC: Turbine-Based Combined Cycle). I effectively changed this to TRCC. If you don’t like this, then only use the air-breathing mode and don’t go to space.
• Sometimes, the front intake will be blocked by the fairing, making the precooler the only source for intake air. However, this has almost no impact on the remaining dV after achieving orbit, so I don’t plan to fix it. Let me know if the precooler also gets blocked (never happened to me).
• Fuel drain priority is carefully adjusted, so that the Center of Thrust goes through Center of Mass after air-breathing stage, while the CoM remains constant horizontally.
• It takes only one day from project start to publish, a very rare case for my SSTO spaceplanes. It’s a relatively simple craft after all.

Flight Instructions

Ascent: 5-10 Degrees to Space
- Rotate at 90m/s, keep 5 degrees pitch until 5km altitude, then keep pitch ≤10 degrees for the rest of the flight.
- When speed hardly increases (~1350m/s @ 18km), press [2] to switch to rocket mode and fly to space.

Descent: 40km PE aerobraking
- Burn PE to ~40km above landing zone.
- Lock radial-out to aerobrake, until estimated impact point reaches lading zone.
- Use 0-40 degrees AoA for a controlled gliding. Do big-S turns like the Space Shuttle if necessary.
- Action group [Brake] engages airbrake, which is rather powerful.
- Action group [1] switches the engine back to air-breathing mode.
- Touchdown speed ~90m/s.

Wish you enjoy and happy landing!

XF-103 Thunderwarrior maiden flight, Edwards AFB, July 1957

Description

A stock aircraft called Echo 1947 - Thunderwarrior SSTO. Built with 72 of the finest parts, its root part is mk1pod.v2.

Built in the SPH in KSP version 1.12.1.

Details

• Type: SPH
• Class: spaceplane
• Part Count: 72
• Pure Stock
• KSP: 1.12.1