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Description

The H-40K spaceplane was designed and manufactured by the Zhojin Dao Airframe Factory, a subsidiary of the Nashimara Keiretsu, after the war as a way to shift its focus from the large colonial empires to the many smaller states of the unaligned. Many of these unaligned states are too small and primitive to sustain fleets of interstellar craft so the H-40K was offered as a low-cost means to destroy capital ships. It is significantly larger than the average naval strike bomber, at 160m in lenght, making it impractical to carry onboard and deploy from ships. It is also mostly unarmed and lacks any FTL capability, as such it is referred mainly as a "capital interceptor".

The H-40K uses four large fusion engines with both closed-loop and airbreathing modes. In order to save costs, ZDAF used the same engines as those of the famous RRK supertorpedo. The RRK's maneuver engines are also mounted on the H-40K within protective bays, giving the interceptor a degree of translational maneuvrability. It can carry up to three PL-19 torpedoes in external aerodynamic housings although when it is fully loaded the spaceplane requires over a mile of prepared runway and RATO boosters as the electrogravitic coils do not provide enough thrust to fly the aircraft into space. It possesses a respectable suite of passive sensors which include a front-mounted passive radar and an optoelectronic sensor to the right of the flight deck. As these are nowhere near as sensitive as the sensors normaly mounted on capital ships, the H-40K normally operates with the help of ground-controlled interception (CGI) stations that direct the spaceplane to its target. In an effort to lighten the spacecraft no defensive weapons whatsoever were fitted and it relies solely on its array of electronic countermeasures and high speed to survive retaliation.

The H-40K's main role is to haul torpedoes close to their targets allowing them to burn towards the target at full fuel. It is not just a missile truck, however, as it is also meant to "escort" the torpedoes to their target and protect them with an impressive array of optoelectronic and EM jammers meant to confuse or blind enemy midcourse interception and point defense weapons. Additionally it serves as a command craft with enhanced ECCM to ensure the torpedoes are not spoofed by enemy electronic countermeasures. Once the torpedoes reach their terminal phase, the H-40K breaks off and sets course to return to its base, using its huge engines to outrun enemy fighters.

The spaceplane's low cost offers a significant strategic advantage: even the smallest interstellar escort costs thousands of times more than these spaceplanes, which are easily able to overwhelm targets with sheer numbers. Even if they sustain heavy losses, the H-40K's small crew (only 32 men) and ease of manufacture makes it an extraordinarily dangerous weapon in long wars of attrition.

Description

The H-40K spaceplane was designed and manufactured by the Zhojin Dao Airframe Factory, a subsidiary of the Nashimara Keiretsu, after the war as a way to shift its focus from the large colonial empires to the many smaller states of the unaligned. Many of these unaligned states are too small and primitive to sustain fleets of interstellar craft so the H-40K was offered as a low-cost means to destroy capital ships. It is significantly larger than the average naval strike bomber, at 160m in lenght, making it impractical to carry onboard and deploy from ships. It is also mostly unarmed and lacks any FTL capability, as such it is referred mainly as a "capital interceptor".

The H-40K uses four large fusion engines with both closed-loop and airbreathing modes. In order to save costs, ZDAF used the same engines as those of the famous RRK supertorpedo. The RRK's maneuver engines are also mounted on the H-40K within protective bays, giving the interceptor a degree of translational maneuvrability. It can carry up to three PL-19 torpedoes in external aerodynamic housings although when it is fully loaded the spaceplane requires over a mile of prepared runway and RATO boosters as the electrogravitic coils do not provide enough thrust to fly the aircraft into space. It possesses a respectable suite of passive sensors which include a front-mounted passive radar and an optoelectronic sensor to the right of the flight deck. As these are nowhere near as sensitive as the sensors normaly mounted on capital ships, the H-40K normally operates with the help of ground-controlled interception (CGI) stations that direct the spaceplane to its target. In an effort to lighten the spacecraft no defensive weapons whatsoever were fitted and it relies solely on its array of electronic countermeasures and high speed to survive retaliation.

The H-40K's main role is to haul torpedoes close to their targets allowing them to burn towards the target at full fuel. It is not just a missile truck, however, as it is also meant to "escort" the torpedoes to their target and protect them with an impressive array of optoelectronic and EM jammers meant to confuse or blind enemy midcourse interception and point defense weapons. Additionally it serves as a command craft with enhanced ECCM to ensure the torpedoes are not spoofed by enemy electronic countermeasures. Once the torpedoes reach their terminal phase, the H-40K breaks off and sets course to return to its base, using its huge engines to outrun enemy fighters.

The spaceplane's low cost offers a significant strategic advantage: even the smallest interstellar escort costs thousands of times more than these spaceplanes, which are easily able to overwhelm targets with sheer numbers. Even if they sustain heavy losses, the H-40K's small crew (only 32 men) and ease of manufacture makes it an extraordinarily dangerous weapon in long wars of attrition.