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Confederate Hawker Jumpjet[]

P-55 Hawker Jumpjet
IconConfedsHawker
800px-Hawker
A Hawker hovering mid air.
Faction ConfederateLogoThumb Confederate Revolutionaries
Minor Faction(s) ReserveLogoThumb Allied Reservists
Unit Type Fighter
Designation Anti-Air
Production Building Airpad
Secondary Ability Ambush/Attack
Can land anywhere & stealth/Fly with short attack boost
Cost $1400
Production Time 0:10
Heroic Upgrade Anti-Air Machine Guns
Dev. Status In game
Country of Origin  GreatBritainthumb United Kingdom
Recovered from  USAthumb McCarthy Memorial Air Reserve, Vermont
Key Features  » AAM-8 "Rattler-1" heat-seeking missile (x6)
 » Omni-directional thrusters
 » Poorly maintained .303 Machineguns
 » Customized flight helmet
 » Weightlifting magazines (for "personal use")

"You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead."

- Anonymous Hawker Pilot

Tactical Analysis[]

  • It's a bird, it’s a plane, NO IT'S A, er... nevermind: The Hawker is a rather oddly shaped VTOL aircraft, and the Confederates' air superiority fighter. The Hawker has a rack of six heat seeking missiles, capable of blasting through aircraft with ease. The Hawker's decent armour also can sustain several hits from flak shells and keep on flying.
  • All Terrain Landing Capabilities: Additionally, unlike other aircraft, the Hawker can land anywhere and stealth itself with a fibre optic netting, ready to ambush the next enemy that dares to pass. Additionally, the Hawker gets a fire rate boost when popping out of stealth due to the ease of locking on in such a state.
  • Limited Reserves: However, care must be taken while deploying the Hawker. The Hawker is vulnerable to ground based AA, and also struggles against heavy air, as it usually takes more than six missiles to take down heavy aircraft, thus requiring the Hawker to make multiple passes. Lastly, the Hawker requires reloads often and is very vulnerable when out of ammo due to its slower speed and inability to retaliate.
  • DIY Repairs: Hawker crews eventually realize that all they need to get the .303s operating again is a dash of lubricating oil, some ammo and a new gunsight. This gives the Hawker even more firepower and some defensive capabilities when it runs out of missiles. Unfortunately new Hawker pilots generally are over enthusiastic and take time to find out that fact.

Operational History[]

The P-55 Hawker Jumpjet was introduced by British aviation company United Aviation in January 1954 as the world's first VTOL aircraft. Before this point, the Soviets had enjoyed massive air superiority due to their field airstrips and the ubiquitous MiG-9 jet fighter, which was faster and more manoeuvrable than the Allies' staple WP-501 Stallions, Vampirs and Nimbuses, and more numerous and closer to the front than the Gic-D Cutlass Ramjet, the most advanced Allied fighter around at the time. Though organic Allied air support was arguably superior, with the Rascal Dive Bomber comparing favorably to the Soviet YaK and the Longbow consistently outperforming the Hind, the risk of a sudden strike from a MiG squadron was ever present.

This all changed on February 16th, 1954 when the first Hawker squadron lifted off from a field just five kilometres from the front lines and engaged a larger group of MiG-9 fighters, using their unique maneuverability and Rattler missiles, the first heat seeking missiles in history, to devastate three whole squadrons of MiGs, but once the survivors recovered they realised they could easily outmaneuver them with their super jet engines and blast them apart with their missiles superior range, revealing the Hawkers main flaw, and while all three squadrons were wiped out only two Hawkers survived the battle.

With a machine that could land anywhere, change altitudes with frightening speed, and knock out a MiG before it could hope to return fire, at the cost of horrendous speed, short range, and needing to actually return to an air pad to reload, the Allies had evened the playing field in the skies overnight, and neither side truly ruled the skies.

CloakedAirbase

Allied reconnaissance photograph of a Confederate refueling base

The Confederates have captured somewhere just over two thousand Hawkers in various states of disrepair, which they have cobbled together into an unknown number of aircraft, all upgraded with a fibre-optic camouflage system along its broad wings originally designed to hide squadrons close to the front lines in World War II. Having universally applied this upgrade as well as tuning the engines, the Confederate Hawker takes to the air once again, a true jumpjet presenting the bizarre image of a plane that can point in one direction while flying in another.

Behind the Scenes[]

  • The Hawker is basically an extreme version of the BAE Harrier, inspired in shape by birds of prey (note the beak-like nose). The "Hawker" part of its name comes from the Hawker Hurricane.
  • The Hawker's ... fruity unit voice may be a reference to the perceived homoeroticism of movies like Top Gun.
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Reserve Hawker Spectre[]

A-55D Hawker Spectre Jumpjet
IconReserve
File:AR Hawker Spectre.jpeg
A modern day Hawker in the service of the Allied Reservists
Minor Faction ReserveLogoThumb Allied Reservists
Other Faction(s) ConfederateLogoThumb Confederate Revolutionaries
Unit Type Ground Attack Plane
Designation Anti-Ground
Production Building Command Centre
Secondary Ability Bombs Away
Drop bombs over the target, activates RTB afterburners
Cost Unknown
Production Time Unknown
Heroic Upgrade Sol autocannons
Dev. Status In Game
Country of Origin  GreatBritainthumb United Kingdom
Produced by/
Recovered from
 SINRO Aeronautics, Hull
Key Features  » PV-3 20mm autocannons (x2)
 » CBU-45 napalm bombs (x2)
 » Omni-directional thrusters
 » AM radio (inaudible over engines)
 » Friend-or-foe designator (unused)

"Smell that? You smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory."

- Hawker Spectre pilot

Tactical Analysis[]

  • Close Air Support: A variant of the venerable Hawker modified for air-to-ground duties, the Hawker Spectre is used to provide close air support for many Reservist militaries. Its primary armament consists of two 20mm autocannons, capable of shredding vehicles and aircraft.
  • Napalm in the Morning: In addition to the autocannons, the Hawker Spectre also carries a pair of bombs. Controversially, Hawker Spectres operating in Vietnam are often armed with CBU-45 napalm bombs, which are known for their devastating effects on people and structures.
  • Range Limited: The Hawker Spectre is of course, far from perfect as a ground attack craft. Its autocannons, while precise, lack the power to do any real damage to tanks or structures, while the napalm bombs must be reloaded back at an airfield once they have been dropped, which led to its all-terrain landing gear being stripped off.
  • Crowdpleasers: Some Hawker Spectres are currently trailing 20mm Sol autocannons and explosive ammunition from the Apollo Fighter. These guns not only deal more damage to aircraft, they also add substantial splash and knockback against ground targets.

Operational History[]

As the Allies made their plans for the event of a second Soviet invasion following the Second World War, one of the elements they factored into their plans was air support. With the advances in aircraft, it was expected that they would play a pivotal role in slowing down a second attempted invasion, striking at Soviet tank divisions as they crossed the borders into Poland.

With air support comprising a key part of any Allied plans for the defence of Europe, the Allied Nations would need capable, high performance ground attack planes to support the ground forces. Though by this time jet fighters already comprised a significant portion of the Allied air force's fighter planes, the best ground attack aircraft in the Allied inventory was still the propeller driven Rascal.

NapalmStrike

Famous photograph taken of a Reservist Hawker Spectre napalm striking a Vietcong battle group

A replacement was quickly found; it was decided the the P-55 Hawker would be suited for the task; all that it needed was a more appropriate weapons loadout, and then it would be servicable as a strike aircraft, though it had to have its all terrain landing gear stripped off in exchange. The A-55D Hawker Spectre would enter service several months after it was conceived, and was snapped up by many Allied member nations for their air forces, though a few countries did go on to develop their own indigenous strike aircraft. The Vindicator would eventually replace the Hawker Spectre in the Peacekeeper forces and elsewhere, but many Allied member nations continued to keep an inventory of these aircraft nevertheless.

As such, the Hawker Spectre continues to be used even after World War III. The most recent conflict it has seen is Vietnam; with the deployment of Allied Reservist forces to the war-torn country, Hawker Spectres have seen action in the theatre, favoured over other ground attack planes for its all terrain VTOL capability, an advantage in the mountainous tropical terrain of Vietnam. Recently, Hawker Spectre squadrons have also been making use of CBU-45 napalm bombs with considerable success, though this has also turned into somewhat of a public relations nightmare for the Allies.

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Blue China Hawker Jingwei[]

A-55P Hawker Jingwei Jumpjet
IconBlueChina
A Hawker Jingwei on the grouond, hiding
Minor Faction BlueChinaLogoThumb Praetorian Reinforcements
Other Faction(s) None
Unit Type Fighter
Designation Anti-Air
Production Building Warlord Reinforcements
Secondary Ability Land/Attack
Can land anywhere & reload/repair/Fly
Cost Unknown
Production Time Unknown
Heroic Upgrade Stealth
Dev. Status Conceptual
Country of Origin  RepublicChinathumb Republic of China
Produced by/
Recovered from
 
Key Features  » Browning .50 cal heavy machine gun (x6)
 » Omni-directional thrusters (straining)
 » Incredibly large ammo storage
 » Suspiciously small cockpit
 » Improvised painting (in the shape of a bird)

Tactical Analysis[]

  • When Tanks Fly: Armored to the point it can barely fly. The Hawker Jingwei is the NRA, and later on Warlords, answer for an interceptor. Compared to other aircraft the Hawker Jingwei is incredibly tough, capable of easily shrugging off most flak shells, but in turn they are incredibly slow, with most aircraft easily easily flying circles around them.
  • Clouds Of Death: The major difference the Hawker Jingwei have from the baseline model is that six Browning machineguns are mounted in place of its missiles. While their deal less damage they fire at a much faster rate, capable of shredding apart most aircraft with a steady barrage, and hold more ammo. But they still need to reload, which leads to...
  • Everwhere's An Airpad: ...Like the Confederates Hawker, the Hawker Jingwei can land anywhere and, unlike the Confederate Hawker, reload its cannons and conduct repairs, though it can't stealth itself, before lifting off to fight again.
  • The Silent Stalker: During the tail end of the Civil War many Jingwei were slated to be equipped with stealth equipment, allowing them to remain hidden until they fire, but only a few had the retrofit before the bombs fell. Thus these stealth Jingwei are incredibly rare, with many Warlords being reluctant to use them in battle unless the situation is dire enough.

Background[]

Before the Bombs[]

It was popularly said the Civil war was the perfect showcase of an "unstoppable force meeting an immovable object". And at the peak of the war, a literal tide of PLA soldiers and tanks thundered forth, in such numbers that it was theorised that to be impossible to stop, only to be gunned down by a literal rain of lead, shell, and explosives, such was the NRA defences that it was theorised to be impossible to break, with the battleline barely moving an inch. As by the time the PLA force finally broke through and claimed NRA territory they would have been weakened to the point that the slower NRA could easily push them back and reestablish their defences. Such was their strength in attacking and defending that they equal out. But if there is one thing the PLA will proudly boast to have over the NRA, who will begrudgingly admit is true, is that they ruled the skies of China.

On paper, it would seem like the NRA had the superior airforce, thanks to the Allies giving them the Cutlass, Skyfortress, Longbow, and Hawker minus the camo equipment. But in reality the PLA, despite having to use the even more outdated Mig Nine, easily drowned them out in number. And that was before the heavily loathed North Korean "Red Eagle" Mig Nine and Hind Siege Helicopter came in.

While the NRA had to rely on lend-leases and limited manufacturing for their aircraft the PLA didn't have such a problem, their factories easily stamping out Mig Nines by the dozen each day, to the point that for every Mig the NRA downed three will take its place, while the North Korean airforce of aces easily ripped them apart without breaking a sweat. Thus the PLA had air superiority by simply swarming the skies with planes supported by the North Koreans, and in the later stages of the war even turned most of their planes into piloted missiles, first with conventional explosives to Jade "dirty bombs" nearing the end, to break apart NRA lines. Thus the NRA scrambled to find an interceptor before the PLA aircraft finally overwhelmed them. And in the end, saw the Hawker as the best solution they have.

Thanks to its rugged landing gears the Hawker is able to park close to the frontlines and rapidly liftoff to counter any sudden PLA, and later on North Korean, airstrikes and sorties, compared to the Indian Cutlass, which needed a runway far from the front, and while slow they were never meant to pursue aircraft in the first place but to stop PLA and North Korean airforce from breaching their territory. But the main issue that hampered it was that its default armaments required an airfield to reload and that it was simply too frail to stand up to a horde of Mig Nine. But that was swiftly fixed by simply replacing its missile racks with six Browning machineguns and using the remaining space for ammo, though with spacing issues it can only be reloaded on stable ground, and bolting on as much armour as it can possibly hold and still fly, which became the Hawker Jingwei, and for a time it seemed to be perfect, until they snagged on a major flaw.

It was too heavy to liftoff. The armour, combined with the machineguns and ammo and pilot meant that it would struggle to liftoff, and even if it did it was so unstable that trying to move in any direction beyond the speed of "snail" would have caused the plane to tip and crash. So they reach a dilemma on what to remove, obviously they can't remove the engines or thrusters since it was already struggling to lift the plane, removing the armour would have made it too fragile, removing the machineguns or the ammo storage would have defeated the point of the modification, and try as they might they can't make the pilot seat or controls smaller. That was until a soulless officer and a necro-scientist made a "simple" suggestion, and upon hearing it many generals accept it without hesitation, and those who refused were demoted or shot.

Thus the Jingwei began lining along the trenches of the NRA. And would liftoff whenever the air raid alarm sounded, and to the shock on both sides, it performed better than it looked. The PLA and their North Korean allies were baffled at how the NRA Jingwei moved with a speed contrary to their bulk, its small frame seemingly holding an endless amount of rounds, or how fast they respond and manoeuvre as if it was alive, and on a fateful day their question was answered. As during a failed assault a Jingwei had chosen to pursue a fleeing Hind, right into a Gatling Crawler nest, which send it crashing down before it could escape, and when the Red Guards rushed in to capture the pilot, what they saw in the pilot seat shooked them to their very core.

As the cockpit had only contained a brain! A brain in a jar that was connected to a myriad of wires, its control panels gutted out and replaced with a rudimentary nervous system.

Such was a sight so horrid that once news reached back to command. The PLA began writing furious reports demanding the Soviets to give them Vacuum Imploders to kill these monsters before they cause more harm, while others began making news articles, to distribute to their cities to fill their citizens with righteous anger and to show to the Allies, knowing full well that such news will have the Allies abandoning all support, or better yet attack, their hated foe.

But before they could get out the bombs fell, and the NRA dark secrets remain hidden.

After the Bombs[]

During the tail end of the Civil War. Many Jingwei, after a heated discussion with the Allies, were given the camo equipment that was mounted on the baseline Hawker. With this, their Jingwei could stay close to the frontline without fear of an artillery force or a sudden strike taking out the Jingwei. and lure the NRA and North Koreans airforce into an ambush. But they only managed to fit a few Hawkers before the bombs fell.

Like the Crossbow. Nearly all of the Hawker Jingwei were wiped out due to their proximity to the front. Though a few still managed to survive, either by being locked in a storage facility or having the stealth refit.

And in the blasted hellscape of China the Jingwei are considered a great find for a Warlord, as outside of Indian Cutlass support they had no interceptors, and having a squadron is considered a sign of power. And in the new world of China the Jingwei role is relatively unchanged, laying around the perimeter of a Warlords city and lifting off to attack incoming PLA/North Korean and Atomic Chinese airforce, and the few mutated birds coming their way. With many Warlords developing an obsession in painting their Jingwei black and adorning it with feathers, the "black hawk" to the North Korean "red eagle" and Atomic Kingdom Bird Of Prey. And rarely would they send them out to battle, seeing how rare it is to find one intact, and they lack the materials to make more, relying on the Confederate and Allies to send spare Hawkers.

Though the rarer stealth Jingwei, if a Warlord even managed to get their hand on one, personally guards the Warlords palace. And in order to keep their stealth equipment functioning most Warlords made a deal with the Confederates to give them spare Hawker stealth equipment in exchange for stolen blood diamonds, and in rare cases Jade.

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