B-65E Shortsword

This fanfiction article, B-65E Shortsword, was written by Ajax 013. Please do not edit this fiction without the writer's permission.

B-65E Shortsword

Production information
Manufacturer	UNADS Aerospace
Model	B-65E
Technical specifications
Power plant	2 linked Mk. XXXIX CENTURION Fusion reactors
Shielding	PANTHEON Mark XIV Electromagnetic Shielding System (Grade 2 shield)
Hull	Multilayered thermal/kinetic armour plating
Sensor systems	1 forward facing AESA RADAR 4 flat plane multi-directional AESA RADARS Rear facing AESA RADAR/Receiver Distributed Optical/Infra-red/LIDAR Apertures PAVE CROW sensor Infra-red/optical/LASER targeting pod
Countermeasures	M980 Weapon Anti Ordnance/Anti Material Defence Weapon DECEPTION Countermeasure SUBTERFUGE Mine Dispenser
Armament	Rear facing dual 10mm railgun turret Two external Heavy hardpoints Two Medium Hardpoints Three internal bomb bays
Crew	Pilot Co-Pilot Offensive Systems Officer Defensive Systems Officer
Usage
Role(s)	Strategic Bomber Tactical Bomber
Era(s)	Necros War
Affiliation	UNSC, UNSCAF, UNSCN

[Source]

"I love the new Shortswords. I can choose between levelling a whole city block, levelling a whole city or just level that tank over there."

―Captain Wallace Argyle

The B-65E Shortsword is a UNSC Bomber. It can be used for a variety of bomber roles, especially tactical and strategic bombing roles. It has been in service for almost 80 years and sees continued use thanks to constantly being replaced by new versions and updated with new systems.

Description[]

The B-65E is an intelligently designed bomber aircraft, focusing on being able to go between tactical and strategic missions, including high altitude missions and close range, low support bombing missions. To do this it focuses on a large flight body focused around the forward cabin, bomb bay, two main engines then the wide wings with vectored thrust engines. This format allows it to preform high altitude missions and even travel transatmospherically but also loiter at vary altitudes with some degree of agility. Its wing tip mounted vectored thrust engines are rocket engines while the main engines can vary between ramjet and rocket modes, like many UNSC engines. The newer engine adjustments allow it to supercruise at mach 2. The Shortsword can be accelerated to Mach 11 through full setting the engines to scramjet mode and engaging afterburners.

The B-65E Shortsword's airframe is constructed from a basis of superplastic-shaped diffusion-adhered metal matrix composites. These light, oxidation resistant light-matrix composites are formed from high modulus and high strength gold doped zirconium oxide fibres and a titanium/aluminium laminate matrix, formed by heat bonding layers of titanium, aluminium and titanium aluminide, forming high strength crystal matrices, the results forming a high strength, yet flexible and light airframe. The skin is formed from four layered plates attached to the frame. The inside layer is a high strength carbon nanotube nanobud mesh composite, which does not melt on re-entry and protects the ship and occupants. Above this is an environmental layer, which regulates internal and external heat, preventing layers from outright melting or freezing, and protecting the occupants. The third layer is a resin bonded layer of structural titanium aluminide with a titanium mesh insert. The fourth layer is an outer layer of AEGIS tiles, built on a non-newtonian shock absorbing layer, providing thermal and oxidation protection. The cockpit is situated in titanium-AEGIS compound armoured 'tubs'. These give limited protection against enemy fire. The windscreen is bullet-proof diffusion-bonded self-regenerating stretched-acrylic, with a coating of liquid glass, with a variable electronically controlled gold tinted setting, which protects it from solar rays, laser dazzles and electronic interference. These give limited protection against enemy fire. The skin is painted with thermal diffusing paint, heat controlled hull to generate a black body exterior, infra-red suppressors on the engines, RADAR absorbent paint, liquid glass composites and LASER absorbent laminates, which when compounded with its stealth design, gives it excellent stealth abilities.

The variable bomb bay can take a wide variety of mission selective bomb ordnance, including a wide variety of general purpose, bunker busters, high accuracy, cluster, special objective and high power bombs and ordnance. This gives it the ability to spread untold amounts of destruction in its wake. With its bomb bay, it can alternate between nearly 200 small diameter bombs, a wide variety of 500 and 1000 lb bombs, 24 2000 lb bombs, a number of cruise missiles, or a single large bomb. As an alternate, it can carry rotary launchers, allowing a wider range of ordnancne at the cost of drop speed, allowing it to focus on a more tactical role. The Shortsword can vary between operating as a Strategic Bomber, with the ability to carpet bomb a wide area, focus on more of a Tactical role with selective guided munitions or outfit itself as a bomb truck, with a number of cruise missiles and air to ground missiles. The Shortsword can even carry a single long range nuclear missile. Externally it has two heavy pylons, for mounting large bombs, cruise missiles, even nuclear weapons, or mounting drones, such as the FQ-99C Scimitar for close in defence against interceptors, or the MQ-90 Bayonet for suppression of enemy air defence, reconnaissance or battle damage assessment. It also has two medium pylons for mounting defensive missiles against interceptors.

The Shortsword uses a multidirection passive phased array RADAR with emissions control and Synthetic Aperture operational capacity, defensive RADAR receiver and ECM jamming abilities, an optical all weather/IR optical viewing system and LIDAR systems. The wings on the Shortsword can fold back when landed to save room on-board carriers.