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wingsofwrath — Ol'Salty


Ol'Salty
Published: 2012-11-16 00:54:00 +0000 UTC; Views: 14998; Favourites: 110; Downloads: 109
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Description A small reference drawing for Inner Space, the plane belonging to Tambrian pilot Artana Pohimvi , "Ol'Salty".

EDIT, 28.08.2013: Finally, I am able to come in with some technical specifications:

The IAT-180 is a heavy interceptor / ground attack plane of the "Confederation of Tambr", derived from the ubiquitous IAT-153 carrier borne fighter.

Like it's parent, the basic structure of the aircraft is aluminium, with the wings covered with laminated plywood strips glued with tree resin derived glue. To give a measure of "self sealing capabilities" to the fuel tanks in the top wings and fuselage in the conditions in which rubber is unknown in this world, those areas are also padded with a layer of resin bonded cork.


Unlike the fighter version, though, the ground attack/heavy interceptor is fitted with an aluminium supercharged 16 cylinder H water cooled engine, capable of producing 120 abe (1500 hp), in a stretched nose, but, because of the type's increased weight, the top speed is only 300 ksome (498 km/h, were one "ksom"=1 verst / 1 ur) at an altitude of 1000 steje (1333 m) and about 315 ksome (523km/h) at sea level, with the engine running at 1600 revolutions/tem (3136 revolutions/minute).
Since the engine is water rather than air-cooled, the whole of the lower wings are given over to radiators, with the right one for cooling water and the left for both oil and water.

The armament is the main difference and consists a single 40 hatte (53.3mm) autocannon firing in between the two crankshafts of the engine, with an ammunition reserve of 52 rounds and a cyclic rate of fire of 130 rounds/tem (254 rounds/min).

Since the recoil force spikes at aproximatively 7 terran tons, the cannon is fitted with a gas vent channelling some of the gas through two venturi nozzles towards the back as well as a muzzle brake, reducing the recoil force to a much more manageable 4.5tons.
Because the cannon itself, along with the ammunition feed system and the recoil nozzles approach 350kg and is placed very close to the CG, the 400kg aluminium engine is placed well forward. This results in a somewhat nose-heavy design with poor low speed handling characteristics, but, as firing the cannon moves the CG back the designers decided to err on the side of caution, because, as the old saying goes, "a nose heavy aeroplane flies poorly; a tail heavy one flies once".

Also, the pilot is provided with an optical illuminated gunsight with three levels of magnification (5X, 2X and 0X) ensuring theoretical long range interception capability, obviously more useful against stationary or slow moving targets.
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