Attack Craft Orion, Block-2

Very Cool!

Cool! Is this a PowerPoint presentation used to sell the Board of Directors on the concept?

This is one of the best "post-built" picture showcases of a rocket I have seen on any forum.
Oh, and great rocket, BTW!

Thanks guys. The Powerpoint is a sales presentation for fleet operators, military buyers, security contractors, etc. At this point, the vehicle is developed and undergoing (wheat) field trials. I was going to write a press release as well, but that might be getting too carried away

I've got a bunch more pictures, I'll have post some later. Basically, the whole "Block-2" upgrade was inspired by, or a way to account for, the changes to the nose cone compared to the original version. And yes, the multiple cross-platform sci-fi references are intentional...

SWEET!!! Nice presentation... I'm sure they'll order more than just a few!

Complete photo album, for those that feel like Flicking:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132724805@N04/albums/72157657011693199

You'll never get this through the Appropriations Committee unless you agree to sub out assembly of the Mk. 74 generators to a company in the Chairman's home district. Expect the opposition party to insist on an environmental impact study to avoid a filibuster.

The MK74 is already a proprietary assembly, designed and manufactured by Fiat-Chrysler, and the Block-2 fuselage was modified specific to fit it. It really can't be changed at this point. That's part of the reason why ACO B-2 more marketed to private security companies, rebel alliances, and the like. A lot less red tape. As it is, government contracts often get rebid after a couple years and they prefer to own the design. Not really a desirable situation...

Alright! I've got official weights for this thing now. The Block-2 does have a higher wing loading than the basic Block-1 strike fighter does, in part because the wing structure is significantly reinforced - made of basswood, rather than balsa - to allow for a higher-G while in atmo flight. The extended nose, extra armament, and higher-output power supply also factor in. The dry weight is 2.36 oz when equipped with a 12" thin-mil parachute.

As much of the added mass is in the rear of the craft (let's face it, adding an R2-unit to the cockpit doesn't really add much), the CG is farther aft than the Block-1 model. The updates are all reflected in the attached Rocksim file, which shows it still quite stable with a C6 motor, even pretty reasonable with a composite D. So, I don't expect any stability issues with this in flight that the Astromech droid can't compensate for.

Base view:


Side view empty:


Side view w/C6-5:


The model (unloaded) is accurate to measured CG and mass of the actual model. This is done by placing suitable mass, not by using mass override (except on the canopy). For the nose cone, the best I could devise was to use to abutted transitions - one a stubbed cone, the other straight sided. The front and rear of the cone are diameters that are calculated to match the approximate cross section area of the front and rear portions of the nose cone. So, though the shape isn't right, the frontal area should be real close. And the canopy is a pod attached to the front cone. Again, it should be real close in practical terms, I think. I expect to fly this on Saturday.

View attachment Attack Craft Orion Blk2.rkt

Made the first flight on Sunday. I may have used too much shock cord length; it was tough to pack using a nylon chute. Anyway, here's the flight:












The shock cord got a bit tangled around the parachute shroud lines at the bottom, but didn't hinder the chute. All told, it was a pretty good flight. It weathercocked a little, as you might guess, and it had a slight roll to it all the way up, but the flight itself was straight and devoid of any funny business.

Wow! Wicked build and congrats on a great maiden voyage!

Well done!

Nice build & paint with such an great, eye-catching presentation! Great flight shots too!

I had a Block-1 version in my youth that disappeared with much of my fleet. I miss the days when Estes (& Centuri) would write little fictional blurbs about their products. Made for some entertaining reading. Maybe various vendors can hire you for copy, photo/graphics, or PR!

Congrats on a beautiful build!

Fiat-Chrysler? I thought for sure this was the work of the Kuat Drive Yards.

A snap-swivel thingy on the chute lines might help prevent some of that tangle.

Nice promotional material, and great photography. I just got one of the final shipments on sale from KDY of their big sister ship to do some Asteroid Hunting on my next tour of duty.

Great looking rocket and PowerPoint!

GlenP said:

Fiat-Chrysler? I thought for sure this was the work of the Kuat Drive Yards.

A snap-swivel thingy on the chute lines might help prevent some of that tangle.

Nice promotional material, and great photography. I just got one of the final shipments on sale from KDY of their big sister ship to do some Asteroid Hunting on my next tour of duty.

Click to expand...

Thanks.

Well, the "MK74" name actually was the internal development code for the Jeep Patriot, thus the Chrysler reference. I wouldn't expect most people to know that, but it popped in my head when I was writing that stuff.

The model does have a snap swivel, but it was attached to a loop tied into the shock chord (which as mentioned before is a bit on the long side), and the nose cone was on a longish leader line from that. The nose cone's line got wrapped around the chute shroud lines when things popped out, so it had the effect of reefing the chute some. I think the answer here is shorten the chord a bit, which will also improve the chute packing.