Aerodynamics do not apply in space. Design quality is entirely based on capacity and – depending on the enemy’s weapons – how big of a target the ship is.
The concern is target profile, not aerodynamics. Look at the ship, and look at how one would best try to draw a bead on it in a dogfight. Its rear profile is enormous.
Actually, the greatest concern is heat dissipation, since that’s the only thing that shape substantially affects in a space combat situation, and a real concern for survival (as opposed to things like outmaneuvering weapons fire which in realistic combat simply isn’t possible).
Assuming the level of technology of this ficticious universe I’m with HonoredMule on this one. Outmaneuvering weapon’s fire isn’t “realistic” (and one of my worst gripes with Star Wars. 😉 )
Shields, armor and Point-defence cannons are a lot more feasible.
Then again, it’s not my universe and many authors disagree with me… But if we’re making assumptions and judging ships in the comments this is where I stand. ;P
Well, first off, if we’re applying realistic rules, manned fighters in space are generally an idiotic design. You’re putting a person into a more vulnerable position and restricting the craft to what the person can handle (or adding more systems into it in the form of inertial dampeners) for something that could be automated or remote controlled and be able to act with just as much, if not more lethality. Unless shields affected hull design, your next best design for a purely space-worth craft would then be spherical, as it’s the structure most able to absorb and deflect damage. With… Read more »
Actually… it’s not a bad design for a fighter at all. It looks slightly larger than the Fed fighters, but size does not determine capability. The F14 Tomcat was a big boy, and never lost an engagement. Capability is more important. The ventral protrusion actually has geometric function if you look at how the weapons are mounted. It allows the ventral guns to swivel and fire in about a 300* arc without hitting the wings. The ventral guns appear to be swivel mounted like those we saw firing on the Aphelion, allowing near 360* spherical firing arc, which renders blind-spots… Read more »
it’s got a single point of failure for significant mass and maneuverability, as if the spot where the wings connect to the body gets damaged or attacked they will fly right off. And the completely asymmetrical design and power load means the body will be under constant stress with twisting and pulling forces from multiple directions, making it liable for failure.
also the wings clearly have what appears to be flaps for aerodynamic maneuvering, which the entire craft is unsuitable for with this design
That “single point of failure” you’re talking about is the cockpit/primary engine. If that gets destroyed, “the wings flying off” is the least of your problems XD
Come to think of it, you could make the same argument about a TIE fighter. “Oh no, my wings!” the pilot screams as he’s consumed by fire and shrapnel XD
Sounds to me, that we have a lot of Elon Musk’s spaceship designers here! How about we make it a competition, who makes the one design everyone likes and nobody dislikes? (ha ha) ;P
As for the ships in here, i seem to have seen the designs in various games already, maybe not 100% but it is allowed to be inspired by others. So just enjoy the story guys. 😉
Yeah… it’s operating in space. The wings don’t really have function outside of atmosphere, so I think “oh God the cockpit just exploded” would be higher on the “Oh Crap” List ™ than “the wing came off!” As for the unsuitability of the design for atmospheric flight, I got a vague impression of VTOL-esque capability in the wings. If they rotate around an axis attached the the fuselage, the ship could ignore this vertical design aesthetic and direct the ventral appendage forward into a more aerodynamic design. (e.g. Slave 1) Either way, the design fits with the rest of the… Read more »
BTW, technology makes all of this irrelevant. Successful implementation of an IMRD or device with similar capabilities would allow any craft to function in atmosphere without experiencing the effects of gravity or drag. This would permit craft to exit planetary gravity easily, change direction instantly when vectored thrust is applied, subject the pilot and craft structure to no g-forces during turning or acceleration, and rendering the drag of air, water, or any other medium a non-issue (the craft could move underwater just as easily as in air, with no drag). The joy of sci-fi often comes from the fact that,… Read more »
They were headed in different directions. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had to come around to follow it. Physics is physics – the fighters would have had to change vectors, giving it time to open a gap.
I don’t think it’s a matter of the Drangalex fighters are superior in terms of speed but more the federation ships are just on patrol and so depending on how much scanning those federation fighters are doing and how long they take to get done, then they are more likely not wanting to go at full speed to ensure they get accurate scans.
If anything, I wouldn’t be surprised if Drangalex fighters are slower than Federation fighters but more heavily shielded/armored and have more firepower.
It is possible, as the Dranglaex ship seems to have four primary engines to the Fed’s one. Aerodynamics, not really a concern in the vacuum of space. Although I suspect this delta-v is because the Draglaex ship was coming in at speed, while the Fed ships are just on standard patrol.
Colin
3 years ago
What’s interesting is that the federation ships only detected the enemy fighter as it was moving at high speed, and as it turns out VERY close to them.
Does this mean the enemy are very confident of their abilities against a couple of patrolling fighters, or is it a trap of some kind?
As an expert in make-belive-spaceships, i would like to point out that they are in an asteroid belt and it would make sense that those rocks cause interference.
I mean, i saw that same explanation on Star trek 30 years ago, so that is my point of reference. :p
fun fact, “expert” is not a protected title, just like “financial advisor” or “journalist”.
So in fact, i can proclaim being an expert at something without having to show you proof of it. 🙂
24
It’s a T-wing!
Do the dranglaex outstrip the federation’s ships in speed, or are they just not operating at full capacity?
Genuine significant asymmetry in warfare (as opposed to numbers vs numbers) is fascinating.
I think in this case it might just be a difference in what they are doing -> Patrolling vs. Full Throttle travel.
Might be balanced by the fact that that’s a shit design for a fighter specifically. Looks more like a science vessel, or possibly a scout.
Aerodynamics do not apply in space. Design quality is entirely based on capacity and – depending on the enemy’s weapons – how big of a target the ship is.
The concern is target profile, not aerodynamics. Look at the ship, and look at how one would best try to draw a bead on it in a dogfight. Its rear profile is enormous.
Actually, the greatest concern is heat dissipation, since that’s the only thing that shape substantially affects in a space combat situation, and a real concern for survival (as opposed to things like outmaneuvering weapons fire which in realistic combat simply isn’t possible).
Assuming the level of technology of this ficticious universe I’m with HonoredMule on this one. Outmaneuvering weapon’s fire isn’t “realistic” (and one of my worst gripes with Star Wars. 😉 )
Shields, armor and Point-defence cannons are a lot more feasible.
Then again, it’s not my universe and many authors disagree with me… But if we’re making assumptions and judging ships in the comments this is where I stand. ;P
Well, first off, if we’re applying realistic rules, manned fighters in space are generally an idiotic design. You’re putting a person into a more vulnerable position and restricting the craft to what the person can handle (or adding more systems into it in the form of inertial dampeners) for something that could be automated or remote controlled and be able to act with just as much, if not more lethality. Unless shields affected hull design, your next best design for a purely space-worth craft would then be spherical, as it’s the structure most able to absorb and deflect damage. With… Read more »
Rule of cool
Actually… it’s not a bad design for a fighter at all. It looks slightly larger than the Fed fighters, but size does not determine capability. The F14 Tomcat was a big boy, and never lost an engagement. Capability is more important. The ventral protrusion actually has geometric function if you look at how the weapons are mounted. It allows the ventral guns to swivel and fire in about a 300* arc without hitting the wings. The ventral guns appear to be swivel mounted like those we saw firing on the Aphelion, allowing near 360* spherical firing arc, which renders blind-spots… Read more »
it’s got a single point of failure for significant mass and maneuverability, as if the spot where the wings connect to the body gets damaged or attacked they will fly right off. And the completely asymmetrical design and power load means the body will be under constant stress with twisting and pulling forces from multiple directions, making it liable for failure.
also the wings clearly have what appears to be flaps for aerodynamic maneuvering, which the entire craft is unsuitable for with this design
That “single point of failure” you’re talking about is the cockpit/primary engine. If that gets destroyed, “the wings flying off” is the least of your problems XD
Come to think of it, you could make the same argument about a TIE fighter. “Oh no, my wings!” the pilot screams as he’s consumed by fire and shrapnel XD
Sounds to me, that we have a lot of Elon Musk’s spaceship designers here! How about we make it a competition, who makes the one design everyone likes and nobody dislikes? (ha ha) ;P
As for the ships in here, i seem to have seen the designs in various games already, maybe not 100% but it is allowed to be inspired by others. So just enjoy the story guys. 😉
Yeah… it’s operating in space. The wings don’t really have function outside of atmosphere, so I think “oh God the cockpit just exploded” would be higher on the “Oh Crap” List ™ than “the wing came off!” As for the unsuitability of the design for atmospheric flight, I got a vague impression of VTOL-esque capability in the wings. If they rotate around an axis attached the the fuselage, the ship could ignore this vertical design aesthetic and direct the ventral appendage forward into a more aerodynamic design. (e.g. Slave 1) Either way, the design fits with the rest of the… Read more »
BTW, technology makes all of this irrelevant. Successful implementation of an IMRD or device with similar capabilities would allow any craft to function in atmosphere without experiencing the effects of gravity or drag. This would permit craft to exit planetary gravity easily, change direction instantly when vectored thrust is applied, subject the pilot and craft structure to no g-forces during turning or acceleration, and rendering the drag of air, water, or any other medium a non-issue (the craft could move underwater just as easily as in air, with no drag). The joy of sci-fi often comes from the fact that,… Read more »
They were headed in different directions. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had to come around to follow it. Physics is physics – the fighters would have had to change vectors, giving it time to open a gap.
I don’t think it’s a matter of the Drangalex fighters are superior in terms of speed but more the federation ships are just on patrol and so depending on how much scanning those federation fighters are doing and how long they take to get done, then they are more likely not wanting to go at full speed to ensure they get accurate scans.
If anything, I wouldn’t be surprised if Drangalex fighters are slower than Federation fighters but more heavily shielded/armored and have more firepower.
It is possible, as the Dranglaex ship seems to have four primary engines to the Fed’s one. Aerodynamics, not really a concern in the vacuum of space. Although I suspect this delta-v is because the Draglaex ship was coming in at speed, while the Fed ships are just on standard patrol.
What’s interesting is that the federation ships only detected the enemy fighter as it was moving at high speed, and as it turns out VERY close to them.
Does this mean the enemy are very confident of their abilities against a couple of patrolling fighters, or is it a trap of some kind?
As an expert in make-belive-spaceships, i would like to point out that they are in an asteroid belt and it would make sense that those rocks cause interference.
I mean, i saw that same explanation on Star trek 30 years ago, so that is my point of reference. :p
An expert? Is that PHD?
fun fact, “expert” is not a protected title, just like “financial advisor” or “journalist”.
So in fact, i can proclaim being an expert at something without having to show you proof of it. 🙂
That reminds me of one of my old coworkers – he said that you could claim to be a “professional” anytime you were being paid to do literally anything.
(Big) asteroids are just mountains in space, so that checks out.
I’m digging the BSG-like style of the Federation fighters. Kinda curious about whether they’ll also have similar capital ships…
The unfortunate thing about peace, especially a long peace, is it leaves your frontline soldiers ill prepared for war.
So the Fed fly Battlestar Galactica Vipers; the Dranglex fly Star Wars Kuat Firesprays / Slave I?
Please let the main cast steal one (or several) of These.