Date: Wed, 15 Nov 95 16:23:10 -0500
From: lewis@chara.gsu.edu
Subject: TL-8 Eternal Guardian: A nuclear powered plane!

TL-8 Eternal Guardian 
   The Eternal Guardian is a massive aircraft.  Its immense size
is dictated by its power supply, a nuclear reactor. It can stay airborne
for over 1 month at a time.  It was originally designed as part of a 
nuclear deterent.  It would be constantly flying, this way it would 
avoid being caught on the ground by a suprise attack. Upon receiving orders
it could enter enemy airspace and deliver its nuclear payload.  It would
deal with enemy air defenses, with tactical nuclear weapons that would
take out entire enemy air fields, and SAM sites.  
   Many TEDs in the wilds have found other uses for such a massive weapon.
It can be used as a propaganda weapon, constantly flying over rebellous
provences and broadcasting propaganda, or jamming alternative viewpoints.
Some Eternal Guardians have been equipped with video broadcasting suites,
to increase the effectivness of the propaganda.  It can also be used 
for its original purpose, to bomb something into the stone age.


TL: 8
Price: MCr 49.44 (Price does not include ammunition, but does include fuel)
Size: 30000 kl (2142 tons)
Mass: 500 tonnes
Power: 105 Mw fission power plant.  50 propellers produce 100 tonnes of
 thrust.
Maintenance Points
Controls: Enhanced Electronic Controls, TL-8 all-weather flight avionics.
2 Flight Computers.
Communications:  3000 km Radio
Sensor: 1000 km Radar, LA IE Scope
Electronic Countermeasures: 1500 km Radio jammer, 250 km radar jammer,
 100 decoys in 2 dispensers. The type can be determined at launch.
Life Support: Extended Life Support. 3 Small Staterooms.
Cargo: 10.2 tonnes.
Crew: 11 (Three shifts of Pilot, Co-pilot and Sensor operator, Flight Engineer
 and Bombardier.  Off duty flight crew act as gunners in times of combat)
Fire Control: Imaging Radar and Ballistic Computers (-2 Diff Mods)
Arament: 5 tonnes of missles in internal bays. 35 tonnes of bombs in internal
 bays.  5 turrets with 7mm rotary autoguns (see TNE rule-book). The autoguns
 are equiped with point defense computers. This allows them to attempt
 to shoot down incoming missles.
Ammo: Each autogun has 2500 rounds.
Maximum Speed: 665 kph.
Cruising Speed: 499 kph.
NOE Speed: NA
Travel Move: 1996.
Combat Move: 92.
Agility: 5.
Fuel Consumption: 20 tonnes of radioactive-s per 37 day period.
Internal Fuel Capacity: 20 tonnes.
Endurance: 37 days.
Range: 437124 km
Takeoff Roll: 5031 m   (2566 m with JATO unit)
Landing Roll: 2414 m
 
JATO: Jet Assisted Take Off 
This is  20 tonne TL-8 solid fuel rocket. It adds 109 tons of thrust
for 2 minutes.  This reduces the take off roll to 2566 meters.  It costs
40,000 cr.
The JATO isn't just one big rocket, probably a collection of smaller ones. 
Ten sounds like a good number, that way they would each weight 2 tonnes.  They
would be mounted on each side of the body of the jet.  They would fall off after
takeoff, and land via parachutes. They could be retrived and resused,
like the Space Shuttles Booster rockets are.