Project Archer II

[Kingdom of Reitzmag]

[Kingdom of Reitzmag]

Manchester Aircraft Assessment Facility
December 18 2021

BW: "So, how's the Archer II doing?"

Samsung's engineers working on the Archer II are in shock as the Defence Minister visits them without prior notice. At that time, they were preparing the craft for large scale wind tunnel testing at the Manchester Aerodynamics Center located within the complex. The lead engineer of the project, D. Eng. Lee Han-Gyeol, led Minister Wallace to the prototype slowly being transported to the facility.

LHG: "We're about to begin the wind tunnel testing of the prototype, we've been working quickly on the assessments to meet the target first flight of April next year. As long as the government keeps the funds flowing for the development of this craft, I see that the first flight may occur earlier than the target."

BW: "Good, I'm sure you know that the government will always be true to its words. And we want this craft to be ready as soon as possible to meet the demands of the Armed Forces."

LHG: "Well then, shall we proceed to the wind tunnel facility and wait for the prototype to be delivered them. It's good that you're here Minister Wallace, so that you'll see for your own eyes the results of our work."

The engineers led by D. Eng. Lee and Min. Wallace proceeded to the wind tunnel facility and waited for the protype to be delivered and prepared for the testing. After a few minutes, the prototype is then secured inside the tunnel and the engineers with the defence minister fix their eyes on the aircraft's behavior. The prototype is loaded with a temporary engine which is used in the Falcon FA.10 to simulate the weight of the aircraft as well as some payload to simulate fuel, weapons, and the crew's weight. Then, the wind tunnel operators enter the control room as everyone watches.

PA: "Wind tunnel testing will begin with air speed of 200 km/h and a gradual increase up to 1200 km/h."

The fans turn on, everyone wears their safety gear. The airspeed display screen turn on and the numbers slowly increase from 0. The operators increase the airspeed further until it reaches 200 km/h, then the temporary flight control surfaces are activated to make the aircraft take-off. At 350 km/h, the prototype's nose climbs but the rear remains on the ground. Then, the speed increases to 370 km/h and the craft fully lifts off from the ground. Engineers began taking records of the events, and it was as they had expected. When the scaled down wind tunnel tests were done, they knew that the craft would be heavier and would have a higher take-off speed than the Archer I. Engineers clapped as the craft stabilizes within the tunnel and the speed keeps increasing. Then, the speed reaches 1000 km/h and then 1200 km/h yet nothing had happened. None of the parts broke off and were removed even with the high air speed. But the test was not done yet, the part that the engineers were fearing was about to come. Slowly, the operators increase the speed to supersonic. Carbon dioxide is then injected to visualize the flow of air around the craft. Then, the engineers pay close attention as the craft remains stable. There were no shaking on any of the parts, neither were anything starting to break apart. Seconds later, the screen displays the speed and changes from km/h to mach. From 0.9 the number jumps to Mach 1, and it was like the longest 5 seconds of their lives.

PA: "Supersonic speed achieved."

The speed increased further and further to Mach 1.2, and then a big sigh of relief was heard around the observation room.

LHG: "It seems like we've done it. No unusual activity so far. But things might change in the future as we add more avionics and the actual equipment."

BW: "Congratulations D. Eng. Lee, I hope these successes will continue as more of the testing proceeds. That said, I also want you to make sure that the results of these tests and the development of this aircraft will remain secret for now. It will depend on the situation on whether we'll let our allies have a share of technological information on these."

LHG: "I assure you that we will do everything we can to quickly develop this project as quietly as possible. With that, I recommend you visit the Rolls Royce Facility later to see their progress in the engine's development. Thank you for being with us today Min. Wallace."

BW: "I appreciate that, and yes I'll be going to Oxford to check on the development of the engine. The Government hopes that this project will be fruitful, considering what we have learned with the development of the Falcon. Well, I must get going now."

LHG: "And one final thing Min. Wallace, I hope you can be with us too when we test the aircraft's radar and infrared signature."

BW: "Of course, I'll also invite the Prime Minister so he can see for himself the developments in the country's military technology."

Ben departed the facility and took a helicopter from RAF Manchester to Oxford International Airport. D. Eng. Lee turned to his engineers and congratulated them.

LHG: "Well boys, I think we've got more work to do. Let's scare the sh_t out of that bald emperor, this time with a plane and not with a soap."

They laughed before continuing back to the facility where 2 flying prototypes are being built based on the results of the tests on the ground prototype.

[Kingdom of Reitzmag]

Manchester Aircraft Assessment Facility
January 12 2022

LHG: "Alright just a bit more, careful...careful, stop."

The model aircraft received further avionics and is starting to look like a real flying aircraft. Finally, it had received its control surface systems and landing gear just a week after New Year's. The test was important as it's a major deciding factor as to whether the project is successful and would attract the RAF or the FAA's attention. As promised the Defence Minister came, this time with the Prime Minister. Just as the aircraft was being moved out of the hangar and into the Radar Evaluation Facility, the guests arrived.

BW: "This way Simon."

LHG: "Ah, Mr. Prime Minister. It's good to see you here with Mr. Wallace."

SB: "It's good to see you too Eng. Lee. Luckily Ben managed to convince me to go here and see the developments go on."

LHG: "Thank you for coming here, I'm sure Mr. Wallace's efforts at convincing you will not be wasted as to what you'll see today."

BW: "Well it better be."

LHG: "Anyway gentlemen, shall we proceed to see the current state of the prototype before we head to the viewing area. Our test for today will be the radar cross section, and this will be crucial to knowing how our aircraft will perform against enemy radar."

D. Eng. Lee led the guests to the prototype which at that time was being loaded with dummy weapons in its internal weapons bay. Simon and Ben take a quick look at the aircraft before proceeding with the engineers at the viewing area. Later on, the aircraft is then raised and attached to a robotic mount and brought inside an anechoic chamber.

SB: "Archer seems to be looking fairly decent now, it wasn't as good looking as this when I last saw it."

LHG: "That was primarily because of some design changes which we are now going to put to test."

The platform is then brought into the chamber and the large door is closed. Everything has been enclosed and the test is about to begin. The radar is then tested at various frequencies to ensure an accurate reading while the robotic mount starts to move the aircraft at various angles before the main test.

Operator: "Sir we're ready to go with the S-Band test."

LHG: "Alright then, proceed."

The robotic mount resets the position to normal horizontal flight while the S-Band Radio Antennae is switched on. Slowly, data starts being fed into a computer where a 3D illustration of the radar cross section for various frequencies is generated. The robotic mount starts rotating the prototype to various positions and angles to simulate various in-flight maneuvers. Minutes later, the test is done.

LHG: "I don't think this data is reserved for me, so I think it's best Engr. Gallows give us a short summary of the result. These processes might take long so I don't know if you'll be willing to wait until the entire test is done."

SB: "No worries, we're visiting the Rolls Royce Facility for the engines after this. So I think hearing about the results of the S-Band test will be enough to satisfy us for today."

EG: "Well as you can see in this diagram, there's a strong frontal-aspect radar cross section which means that the design of the nose and the cockpit area is pretty good. Some weaknesses can be seen here at the back with the engines, however it is not a significant weakness due to the rcs being reduced by the engine's nozzles. There's a few more weaknesses from here at the wing tips, but overall the performance seems to be greater than the expected result from the simulations. I can say that a quick estimation of this craft's radar cross section based on the S-Band test results is 0.0012 m^2."

LHG: "Well that sounds great, thank you Engr. Gallows. I hope you are satisfied with this Mr. Prime Minister."

SB: "Well indeed I am, congratulations for such a breakthrough D. Eng. Lee. However I'd expect to be briefed by more results in the future once the entire test and analysis has been finished."

LHG: "I guarantee that these promising results will reach your desk as soon as it's complete."

SB: "Well then, let's go Ben. Thank you once again D. Eng. Lee."

Simon and Ben went off to the Rolls Royce Facility to check on the engine. When they came, it was exactly in time for the new engine to have a test fire to assess the thrust.

[Kingdom of Reitzmag]

Rolls Royce Engines Facility
February 9 2022

GA: "Yes sir, we're ready for the showcase."

Engr. George Acton had just ended his phonecall with the Prime Minister as final preparations are made for the exclusive unveiling of the brand new engine. Rolls Royce was tasked at creating the new engine that would fit the Archer II. Instead of starting from scratch, they opted for something that would make the process for developing all the craft's important avionics and equipment way faster. Minutes later, the Minister of Defence arrives with a keen eye on everything happening.

BW: "Engr. Acton, I'm glad to see you again. Seems like we've made great progress here since I last came."

GA: "Indeed sir, this new engine would be a great boost to meeting the deadline the government set for the development of the aircraft."

BW: "Very well, save your pitches to the Prime Minister. He'll be here in about 30 minutes."

GA: "I look forward to meeting him again sir, feel free to wander around our facility here and check out other developments."

Just as Ben said, Simon came with helicopters from the Army Air Corps. He then walked into the facility with a positive mood. Engr. Acton then approached him to welcome the important guest.

GA: "It's very nice to see you again here sir, welcome back to the Rolls Royce Facility. I'm George Acton, the lead engineer for the new engine's development."

SB: "Nice to meet you Engr. Acton. I'm very much excited to see the new progress."

GA: "Wait no more sir, this way."

The engineers lead the Prime Minister and Ben to the new engine and begins to explain how it was developed.

GA: "If you've been wondering sir how we managed to develop this new engine very quickly, it's because we did not start from scratch. Instead, we combined the technology from the engine of the FA.10 Lightning and the engine of the FA.8 Archer. This engine is mainly based on the structure of the FA.8 Archer's engine with improved propellers and stealthy nozzles based on that of the FA.10's engine. We are currently also exploring the possibility of using a 2D thrust vectoring derivative of this engine by incorporating the technology similar to the Duxburian F-22. Due to the many improvements over the original design, this engine is capable of propelling the Archer II on a supercruise without afterburners and make it more maneuverable and agile fit for taking on air targets. We have considered the fact that the Archer II will be deployed as an air superiority fighter jet in the development of this, and ensured that the technology used are fit for the roles."

SB: "Your data seems impressive, but how does this compare to engines of other stealth aircraft developed based on the data available?"

GA: "Well sir, this engine is pretty much better than most of the stealth engines used in other 5th generation air superiority aircraft."

SB: "Has this been tested yet on the prototype?"

GA: "We have tested fitting this on the prototype and we have been successful, but we are yet to see its true performance in-flight. You may refer to Samsung for the schedule of the initial flight tests."

SB: "I'm expecting these flight tests to occur within this month and the results remain satisfactory. We want the craft to fly in its first production version at the upcoming 2nd Anniversary of the Communist Insurgency. But of course, a big reminder to everyone here. I want none of the information shared in here to come out of this factory, the government, the Samsung facility, or from any other institution involved here. Our foes must pee their pants and slip on a soapbar in fear as they are not capable of matching our technological prowess. That's all for now, I wish to see this officially attached to the Archer II soon. Thank you for the work and effort everyone spent on this, I guarantee you that your service will be forever remembered by the people of this nation and the future generations to come."

Simon then shook the hands of every engineer at the event before going out onto the helicopter with Min. Wallace. They then proceed to the Samsung Facility at Manchester to see the developments on the prototype.

[Kingdom of Reitzmag]

Manchester Aircraft Assessment Facility
February 26 2022

LHG: "Careful, careful."

Beeps of a truck are heard to warn those nearby to clear the way as the aircraft prototype is towed into the hangar in preparation of a big event. A test pilot named Steve Moseley from the Empire Test Pilot's School then shows up in his specialized test pilot gear while carrying a Gen III Universal Helmet Mounted Display System, and climbs into the aircraft while it is being fueled. He begans to test and asses the flight control systems of the aircraft by simulating a roll, yaw, and pitch while then checking the appropriate control surfaces if it moves the way it should. He then starts checking the glass cockpit which does not look far from the original Archer that he once flew.

He's then handed a checklist to which he begins placing checks on Control Surfaces and Glass Cockpit. The fueling ends and the aircraft is ready, but he does not leave yet to check the Weapons Bay which does open properly. A button is then ticked to enable thrust vectoring, and he proceeds to move to stick again to see if it behaves properly before then placing a check to verify that it does. It seems as if the aircraft is ready for the next part of Day 1 Flight Tests.

Right at that moment, cars pull over near the hangar. It was the Prime Minister and Defence Minister Wallace again, they really want to see how well it performs. They get off the car and meet the Engineer Lee once again.

SB: "Glad to meet you again Mr. Lee. It seems like the product of all your hard work is to be challenged by the physics of this world."

LHG: "It's good to see you again too Mr. Prime Minister, and you too Min. Wallace. Indeed, but we're doing everything to finalize this aircraft to prepare for a maiden flight at the 2nd Anniversary Celebration. Anyway, I think it's best you see this beast up close."

He then leads the 2 to the aircraft. Test Pilot Moseley then gets out of the aircraft to salute the Prime Minister and Defence Minister, to which they also respond with a salute.

SB: "I'm glad to meet you Mr. Moseley, you will certainly be part of history for what you're doing today."

SM: "It's an honour and privilege to meet you sir and to serve this country."

LHG: "Well Mr. Prime Minister, I think it's best you see the flight test from the best view up at the control tower. We'll be commencing the first flight test in a moment."

Simon is then led by another engineer to the Control Tower where seats are prepared for the best view of the aircraft. Back at the hangar, the test pilot returns to the cockpit. He wears the HMD which has been calibrated to be connected to the aircraft's flight computer. Tick after tick, switches and buttons are turned on in sequence to start the electrical systems to begin injecting power to the aircraft and the cockpit turns on along with the HMD and HUD. A small truck tows the craft to the runway slowly as engineers pay attention to the aircraft's behavior. In the cockpit, Steve proceeds to activate the avionics necessary for the flight along with the communication systems. The control tower then begins to communicate with Steve through the Callsign Archer II and directs him to the runway.

From the tower, Simon and Ben see the aircraft at the end of the runway like an F1 racing car ready to accelerate. The flight plan is then handed to them to give them information on how the aircraft will fly. They then start hearing Steve's radio from inside.

SM: "Manchester Test Tower, Archer II, Runway 25, Ready for Takeoff. Alright boys, let's hit this."

He starts throttling up slowly while checking carefully the instruments and other avionics and sensor suites. And as he starts seeing the signs on the ground, he starts pulling on the stick and the nose starts rising. Eventually, with enough speed, the aircraft got off the ground and started flying. The landing gears are raised and were verified to have been working through a landing camera available as well as a sensor in the cockpit. He then proceeds to rock the craft left and right, and to which it responds appropriately. As a surprise and celebration, he does a 360 degree roll. He opens the weapons bays to test it in-flight, to which it also responds properly.

Simon pays close attention and begins smiling as the craft starts doing a few minor aerobatic moves. It then circles and does a hard left turn with the thrust vectoring nozzles on, and it does successfully. No stress has been seen so far in such a high G maneuver, recorded to be around 6Gs.

Steve turns off the thrust vectoring and levels the aircraft to proceed with the flight plan before turning around and approaching the runway.

SM: "Manchester Test Tower, Archer II, entering left downwind Runway 07."
Tower: "Archer II, cleared to land Runway 07."
SM: "Cleared to land Runway 07, Archer II."

The craft begins its descent as it approaches the runway. The landing gears are extended and, touchdown. The craft successfully lands and stops before the end of the runway. It then taxis to the hangar where it is greeted by the engineers. At the tower, Simon claps with joy and shakes the hands of the controllers. They all descend to the hangar to greet the pilot.

SB: "Congratulations for a job well-done Mr. Moseley."
SM: "Thank you sir, it's just part of my duty."

The engineers check the video footage and the checklist and the craft passed the first test. However, more tests are necessary to certify that the aircraft is safe to be commissioned in service.

After the short celebration, Simon approached the engineers and controllers for a request.

SB: "I hope that the secrets of the aircraft's developments will not be leaked elsewhere. It must be heavily guarded and encrypted whenever being transferred. Also, I hope that no one was able to track or see what we did."

The engineers and controllers assured Simon that the information on the aircraft is still safe within Reitzmag, however they said that the flights may have already been spotted by onlookers who are trying to get a nice view of the developments of the aircraft just near the facility.

Simon and Ben thanked the engineers and left. Samsung's engineers went on to work further and asses the results of the test and then shared the information to the Rolls Royce team.