Shipbucket

In 1953, Aurian Sea Organisation (ASO) member Kallego announced their desire to procure a method to spy on Rexington pact activities deep into the Arctic, as well as the activities of nations further from away from the central continent of Euro. This was revealed the Kallegian Defense Paper of 1953, which outlined that even though the primary nations of the ASO (Kallego and Aldel) and the Rexington pact (Andalowë, The Nord and Miyateska) were in close proximity to each other, the Rexington pact held an advantage in which they could develop items out of the prying eyes of the ASO by hiding them in the arctic circle (primarily Nordic and Miyateskan territories), much farther than the ASO's reconnaissance aircraft could reach without interception at that time. The paper called for a design that could fly faster and higher than all intercepting aircraft known to the nation, in service by 1960. In 1954, Long-Range Reconnaissance Aircraft (LRRA) program was announced, the requirements of which being an aircraft capable of Mach 3, a service ceiling above 20,000m, a range of 1,500 miles or greater and carrying a payload of a ground imaging radar, and a reconnaissance camera unit to be developed concurrently. Several aircraft builders and reconnaissance systems companies would send in designs.

Stenson Aircraft would be chosen with their aircraft proposal known as SA-203, a twin-engine design theoretically capable of Mach 3, with a crew of 2 (pilot and reconnaissance systems officer) and a service ceiling of 25,000m. The aircraft would be equipped with a ground imaging radar in the nose, and rely on speed, maneuverability and light electronics warfare to combat air defense systems and interceptors. In regards to mission systems, Beecher Company, would be chosen to develop a multiple camera system useable by the aircraft, housed in a pair of bays in the underbody of the aircraft, with a ground resolution of at least 6 inches at 25,000m, designated RC88AU3 (Recon Camera 88, Airborne Unit 3). Further development would be given the government go-ahead in 1955, including refinement of SA-203, which would hit a rut not a year later, resulting in the delaying of the initial plans for a first flight by 1959. Kallegian engine manufacturer Mobley would be brought onto supply the engines designated AJ93. Delays in delivering the first unit of SA-203 would mean that engine testing would be independent of the airframe for a longer period than expected. Owing to the size of the unit, the AJ93 would be tested on several Kallegian bombers in the meantime, to which it was noted that the engine "produced enough thrust to jeopardize the structural integrity of whatever aircraft it was run on", as commented by a technician riding on once such test flight.

In March 1960, the first unit of SA-203, now designated YRS-1 by the Kallegian Air Force, and known unofficially as the Skylark by other government agencies, would embark on it's first flight. From then on 5 prototypes were created, and a series test flights would take place between then and 1964, testing the airframe, engines and reconnaissance systems, in which YRS-1 unit #003 would reach a top speed of Mach 3.1 at 25,210m and unit #004 would be lost in an accident. By June 1964, well past the original, the aircraft was considered mission capable by the Kallegian Air force, and was accepted into service officially as the RS-1A Skylark. A total of 32 aircraft would be ordered, and prototype aircraft #002 and #003 would be converted to commission specification for a total of 34 total aircraft.

24 service aircraft (#006-030 would be located in fellow ASO nation Fuyukawa, who of all members of the ASO, owned the closest airbase to the primary projected mission area of the Arctic Circle, Holburn Air Base. There, the aircraft would take off, be refueled by a loitering tanker, and fly over the Arctic to skirt the northernmost border of Miyateska and The Nord at an altitude of 25,000m, where they would take pictures of military activities taking place, mapping the locations several nuclear testing and launch facilities, before returning to Holburn for image processing and maintenance. The remaining 10 aircraft would operate on the Southern Continent, Kallego's home territory, where they would engage in reconnaissance on nearby nations that share sentiments with the Rexington Pact, and would assist in several clandestine operations to dissuade such nations from joining the Pact. It is also suspected that several of Skylarks were pivotal in the planning and execution of the War for Turic (Invasion of Turic to non-ASO nations), in which Turic, a set of neutral islands off the northwestern coast of Kallego, announced their intent to align themselves closer to Rexington Pact, and were subsequently invaded in 1965, capitulating in 1969.

The skylark flew uncontested from its introduction until 1969, where Andalowë would introduce their new fighter aircraft, the Vantel 21. Though it was expected not to be able to intercept the Skylark, it was apparent that the advances in technology shown over the Vantel 19, as well as increasingly more advanced surface-to-air missile technology meant that by the mid-70's, the Skylark would not be able to fly as liberally as it usually could. Therefore, upgrades would begin development in late 1969, the result of this being the RS-1B, the first major upgrade for the craft which sought to increase the speed and altitude at which the aircraft operated, including an increase in thrust for the engines, as well as new reconnaissance cameras (RC90AU5) to compensate for the altitude increase. 3 aircraft (#013, #018 and #021) were pulled from regular service and tested the new upgrades, however severe issues came from the upgrading of the AJ93's resulting in the crash of #021 and the severe damage to #018, which was later scrapped. As such the program would consist only of the new camera system and a flare and chaff system to countermeasure incoming missiles, introduced in 1975. Though the upgrade increased the operation capabilities of the aircraft, the systems were reaching their end of service. Though the system was never the most reliable, a series of hull losses and other minor accidents after the upgrade would force Kallego to reconsider their use of the system, and, in The Kallegian Defense Paper of 1981, increasing costs of maintenance, were cited as reasons for retiring the Skylark by 1990. The aircraft would see it's last mission on Septemer 15th 1989, in which it observed a significant geological event in the eruption of Mount Kiriani whilst spying on neighbor nation Crelia. After decommissioning, some of the surviving aircraft would be placed in museums, with 12 located in Kallego, 3 in Fuyukawa and at 1 in Aldel. 2 were retained for further use until 2004 as airborne research aircraft by KASA, Kallego's space agency, before being placed into museums, and the rest would be stripped for parts.

I decided on a little more "Out there entry" based based on some of the Isinglass stuff for which an entry date of 1965 is highly optimistic but on the other hand the AU this is for has silverbird and I did want to draw a rocket plane. At one point I considered something closer to X-20 but kiwi nixed spaceplanes so I switched to a hyper glider. He can't get close to space but he does go very fast. Originally I intended draw it on the carrier aircraft (A modified form of my WWII Bomber entry) but after doing a quick mockup and showing it to kiwi he ruled that including the launch aircraft fell outside the scope of what was allowed in the challenge. All in all mostly pleased with everything but the front view.


"Though I fly towards the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for I am at 60,000 meters and climbing" - Creed of the GUANO Pilot

In the eternal race between high altitude air recon and air defenses, the Shintari Air Force's GUANO was, briefly, the undisputed king. The GUANO (Gliding Upper Atmospheric Nuclear-force Observation" was the absolute peak of performance. Developed in secret during the early 1960s for the National Institute for Geo-Reconnaissance, the GUANO System was composed of two aircraft, the "Mission Airframe" and the "Mothership." The mothership (Not shown) was a modified Model 60 Arbalest, the "Mission Airframes" was a rocket propelled hyperglider launched from atop the back of the mothership. The GUANO Mission Airframe would use a powerful rocket engine to accelerate before glidfing through the upper atmosphere at altitudes of more than 60,000 meters and speeds in excess of Mach 20. Following the downing of earlier generation recon aircraft, it was thought that only at these speeds could the United Assembly of the Workers (UAW) be safely overflown.

Although GUANO was air launched from a bomber, the Mission Airframes's large size meant range of the carrier aircraft was limited and extensive support infrastructure was required. In order to reach launch points which would send the aircraft on a trajectory which would both pass over the UAW silo fields and return to a suitable landing site, several operating bases complete with fuel plants and equipment for mounting the aircraft to the mothership needed to be constructed in the colonies and allied nations. While 3 forward sites were planned, only two code named "Wheatfield" and "Ranchland" saw operational launches. A third site "Rice Paddy" was canceled partway into construction, with only the Mate/Demate Apparatus constructed.

While initially speculated by the UAW and later the press, as nuclear powered and/or capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the "Nuclear" in the name referred instead to the intended observation targets, the nuclear forces of the (UAW). Specifically the nuclear missile silo fields and bomber bases. In order to survey these targets, the air frame was equipped with a pair of cameras and side looking radar. While originally intended to carry modular payloads, only two payloads were ever developed both of which were permanently mounted to the airframes. One module, the "Camera Module" was composed of two cameras, One of the cameras was a steroescopic systen which mapped the entire area beneath the aircraft from horizon to horizon, the other camera offered a higher resolution image with a more limited field of a view. The other payload was a Synthetic Aperture Radar. ELINT Payloads were planned but never fielded. Rudimentary Electronic Countermeasures were also fitted.

Despite it's impressive performance, the GUANO saw very limited service. The rise of reconnaissance satellites spelled the end of the program. Satellites could be launched from space centers in the homeland and provide global coverage, while the GUANO required extensive support infastructure to be constructed in the colonies. An additional issue that arose during the program was the concern that the program could spark a nuclear war. The UAW was concerned that the GUANO aircraft were full on space planes designed to conduct nuclear strikes from orbit. The fact the GUANO was never intended to be armed and was incapable of even approaching orbit did not stop the UAW from going to a nuclear alert on 4 out of the 7 over flights. (It is believed that the other 3 flights were not detected due to reliability issues with the UAW's "Gaurd Dog" Early Warning Radar). When these factors were added to the high cost and a low sortie rate, the program was canceled after only a year and a half of operational service.

Following the conclusion of the program there was a brief discussion on turning the Airframes over to the space program to conduct actual high altitude research, however the sensitive nature and high cost of the program meant that no such plans came to fruition. Following the last mission both the Mission Airframes and Motherships were mothballed. As the years went by Airframes 1 and 4 were scrapped while Carrier 1 ended up being canabalized for spare parts. After many years of storage in 1995, Airframe 3 and Carrier 2 were donated to the National Museum of Aviation. In 2003 Airframe 2 was relocated from the boneyard to the National Institute for Geo-Reconnaissance Headquarters to serve as a gate guardian.

In total 4 Mission Airframes were built and 2 Arbalests were modified as motherships.

GUANO Mission Airframes
Airframe # 1 "Eye Spy" - 10 Flights (5 Glide Tests, 4 Powered Tests, 2 Operational Mission)
Airframe # 2 "Photo Shy" - 8 Flights (3 Glide Tests, 3 Powered Tests, 2 Operational Missions)
Airframe # 3 "Jumpin' Joy" -7 Flights (2 Glide Tests, 2 Powered Tests, 3 Operational Missions
Airframe # 4 "Whiz Kid" - 3 Flights (2 Glide Tests, 1 Powered Flight, No Operational Missions)


GUANO Motherships
Carrier # 1 "Wild Wendy"
Carrier # 2 "Flying Fox"

LRRA-101

In 1959, the UFMR began building a new batch of warships, large in size and would-be-equipped with a newly-developed missile system that is capable of delivering devastating damage in battle. Seen as a threat to the country, the government of Gosverik (Official name, Kingdom of Gosverik) ordered a proposal of a Reconnaissance Aircraft that is capable of operating with a ferry range of 2,500km and the top speed of Mach 2. Several aerospace manufacturers submitted their designs for the proposal. In the end, a design submitted by Mateborg Aircraft Corporation (Mateborg Flygplan AB) was chosen to be developed, built and delivered to the Royal Gosverik Air Force (Kungliga Gosverik Flygvapen).

Design XRA-01, submitted by MFAB was chosen because of their small size, making them cheaper to be built yet still fit the requirements of the proposal. The first prototype of the XRA-01 was made in 1961 and has a ferry range of 2,550km with a cruising speed of 940km/h at the height of 15,000m, and is also capable of reaching Mach 2 during testing. With the excellent results of the XRA-01 prototype, the Commanding Officers of the KGF were happy enough to secure a deal with the MFAB to produce and deliver 15 LRRA-101, an improved version of XRA-01 equipped with a 20mm rotary cannon and countermeasures for defensive purposes, and a new camera with the resolution of 150mm.

In 1965, MFAB successfully delivered the first 5 LRRA-101 to the KGF, while the second and the third batch were delivered in 1966 and 1967 respectively. All 15 aircraft were operated by the KGF 24th Reconnaissance Squadron. In 1966, the 24th Reconnaissance Squadron conducted a mission in which the objective was to take pictures of one of UFMR’s new warship currently being built in a shipyard on the east of UFMR. LRRA-101 no. 2 was chosen for the mission. The aircraft, which was carrying 3 external fuel tanks made it to the UFMR shipyard and returned back to base. The operation was a success and 3 high resolution images were successfully taken and processed.

LRRA-101 remained in service until 1990, where it was outdated and phased out in 2000. 5 aircraft have been reserved and currently displayed in museums and air bases.

Dornier B-3P Allsehendesauge



The plane is inspired by the book "The Visitor" (only available in Spanish). Hitler and the Nazi leadership are murdered, and a monarchical restoration takes place.

The Dornier B-3P Allsehendesauge was the reconnaissance version of the bomber B-3A Zweihander, which had entered service earlier due to delays of the X-71 ballistic rocket.

The B-3P was an aircraft with an ogival delta wing and canard planes, powered by two BMW Z-15 Olymp jet engines. Although lacked the performances of the American Lockheed A-12, their speed and altitude meant that the anti-aircraft systems and interceptors had a very small firing window. In addition, the canard planes improved agility and allowed the use of shorter runways. By the sharing components with the B-3A, was easier the maintenance.

The B-3P was commissioned in September 1965, and starting in 1967 was used in the Nigerian civil war, without the F-04 and F-110 interceptors being able to engage. However, the deployment of Nike Hercules and Hawk anti-aircraft missiles led to the B-3P being replaced by satellites. The B-3Ps were deployed in lower threat scenarios.

The "Allsehendesauge" (all-seeing eye) was the emblem of the Luftwaffe's strategic reconnaissance groups.

Northrop U-11

In 1955, the U-2 proved that flying out of range of soviet defence systems was possible. The aircraft proved to be a versatile and capable asset, and many set out to improve upon it's unique capabilities.
Northrop proposed an unique design that could take a larger payload over a longer range at an slightly higher speed and altitude. The design did so based on the work of the engineer Werner Pfinninger. Jack Northrop, with his dedication to drag-free designs, saw potential in Pfinningers designs which used Boundary Layer Suction (BLS) to reduce drag on the wings, reducing the total resistance while keeping the same lift.

One such design was proposed to the USAF in 1958. It used 3 high power compressors (one in the tail, 2 under the engines) to pull air trough thousands of holes in the central panels of the wings and tail surfaces, avoiding the flow around the wings becoming turbulent. The entire shape of the wing was optimised to make this as effective as possible, to the point that the engines were positioned far out and the hull was moved away from the wing to avoid interference with the flow around the wing. The supporting structure for the wing was set up in airfoil shape to generate more lift without drag penalties.

The design amazed the USAF. 8 small and 4 large equipment bays in the hull could mount radars, camera's or electronic recon systems and the aircraft could fly up to 5500 nautical miles at an cruising altitude of 80000 feet. It could cruise at Mach 0.87. The aircraft could also take a crew of 5 which would allow a smaller load on the pilot and more optimal use of the carried sensors. The aircraft was, at least on paper, such an immense step up that it was ordered in a small series immediately, to start running tests and to start using it's capabilities if at all possible. So, in 1959, detailed design starts.

In 1960, Gary Powers is shot down. This proves that the U-2 is not enough to stay out of the hands of Russian air defences. The capabilities of the new design are not that much different that it is thought that it has a better chance, so it is feared within Northrop that the project will be cancelled. However, the opposite is true: it is decided to no longer enter Soviet territory with these aircraft so the longer range and room for heavier equipment would be an more than welcome addition to the USAF!

The first flight of the new U-11 is in 1962. However, in the initial testing program, many issues are found. The main issue is that almost everything is sucked into the BLS system. Insects, ice, etc. The system clogs up almost every flight because of it. Because of that, the promised performance is unattainable at first. Modifications are made, notably a change in the wing support airfoils and the addition of some under-wing flaps that allow the aircraft to land and takeoff without initiating the boundary layer control which allows the aircraft to cruise efficiently at higher altitudes while the amount of stuff sucked in is reduced. The aircraft starts flying operational missions after these modifications are made from 1965 onwards, but only 8 are build due to the reduced performance and the much higher then expected maintenance requirements of the boundary layer control. From 1969 onwards the aircraft are mostly used to gather electronic intelligence data with passive sensors, something the SR-71, A-12 and U-2 could not do due to the limited equipment space on board compared to the large U-11.

The aircraft were finally decommissioned in 1988 due to rising maintenance time resulting in barely any usable flight time remaining. Due to miniaturisation of electronics, most of it's role could by then be taken over by more recent iterations of the U-2, the aircraft it was meant to improve upon.



hope you all like my entry, I decided to design something closely based on a real life Northrop concept. I tried to challenge myself by doing something out of my comfort zone that was still based on a real design. I do not know if it would work, but it was fun exploring

USA, Project "Tumbrel" - Ship 2 "Constellation" (Serial Number 60-1017)

Just to be clear, I live in England. I don't know what timestamp this post will have for you, but over here it's 5 o clock, in the morning. And I did not get up early to post this.

In retrospect, leaving this to the last minute was a bad idea. I've literally thrown this together over the last 2 or so hours. I could probably make it a hundred times more detailed and better looking, but honestly I'm too tired to continue, and I don't trust myself to be able to wake up before 12, so I'm posting it now. Hopefully it at least doesn't get last place.

Too tired to write up much, but in short, she's based on the General Dynamics FISH, Configuration 234. She's normally carried aloft by a B-58 style supersonic bomber, but I'm not allowed to include that in the submission image, and thank god for that because if I had to draw one within the next 7 hours at my current exhaustion level I would literally pass out at my PC half way through.

Anyway, see you all when I wake up I guess. Try not to go too hard on me, yeah? I know it's a really basic drawing, but I'm still proud of myself for throwing it together so fast.

EDIT: I managed to get up around 11 o clock, and I've improved the drawing as much as I can. Still, I'm not holding out hope to get a very high score, but it should be better than nothing at least.

The Eye of Malvinas

Polls Now Open
Submissions for the 1965 Strategic Reconnaissance Challenge are now closed. Members of the Shipbucket community can now rate each entry here.

The poll for the next challenge can be found here. The options are:
1. Your Nation's First Destroyer
- Your submission must depict a fictional destroyer.
- The vessel should be the first destroyer commissioned by a state of your choice.
- The destroyer should be commissioned before 1900.

2. Seaplane Carrier
- Your submission must depict a fictional seaplane tender.
- The tender should be capable of carrying the seaplanes it supports.

3. Modern Stealth Corvette
- Your submission must depict a fictional corvette.
- The corvette should be commissioned at some point between 1991 and 2030.
- Features intended to substantially reduce the corvette's radar signature should be included.

4. World War II Submarine
- Your submission must depict a fictional submarine.
- The submarine must be in active service between 1 September 1939 and 2 September 1945.

5. Define Your Own Requirement
- In the first week of the challenge, you must post a requirement in the form <mission> <platform> <constraints>. For example, "an anti-submarine corvette which can be built by small commercial shipyards and carries the Limbo system". The platform must be a surface vessel or submarine.
- Your final submission must depict a fictional vessel built to the requirement you shared in the first week of the challenge. In addition to drawing and design quality, the design will be marked on how well it meets your requirement.

Both polls will run until the 14th of June, ending at 23:59 (UTC-12) - Countdown Timer.

Results Now Available
The poll for the 1965 Strategic Reconnaissance Aircraft Challenge is now closed. Special thanks to 21 people who responded and the 13 artists who made this challenge possible.



In first place is TigerHunter1945 who received 366 points for their 'Eye of Malvinas', the I.Ae. 69R1. This last-minute entry was is my favourite and it seems I am not alone. It was not as large or novel as some other entries, but it was a well executed drawing of a distinctive design. TigerHunter1945 also achieved the highest score in the Drawing Quality category. In second place with 355 points is Rodondo and their impressively large 'Project Ysbadden'. I am not sure if such an aircraft is practical, but it is glorious. Third place is, surprisingly, a tie. Hood with BAC Thunderbolt SR. Mk. I and The_Sprinklez with Project Tumbrel both achieved 348 points. Hood also received the highest Design Quality score.

For those interested, the Modern Stealth Corvette Challenge is now open. If your favourite option was popular, but not popular enough to beat 'modern stealth corvette', don't worry. It will reappear in the next poll for a Shipbucket scale challenge.