STORY:
For the sake of our country, one way assault!
Eleven years ago, faced with the threat of a large-scale tank fleet from the Kisaa Federation, young people in the Skira Republic sat on M3H loaded with hydrogen bombs, ready to use their lives to buy time for a counterattack. That year, the youngest of them was only 25 years old. Eleven years have passed, and the patriotic youth of that year have retired one after another. The pilots of the new era have inherited their brave and fearless spirit of air knighthood, safeguarding the airspace of their motherland. But in the face of the new fighter jets of the Kisaa Federation, the outdated M3H is no longer suitable for the current situation, and researching new alternative aircraft is urgent... At least the design bureau has already thought so.
The previous written requirements of the Republic only stated that hydrogen bombs were being developed, but did not specify what they were. So the Miyanki Design Bureau believed that if it were only used as a hydrogen bomb carrier, the M-16 heavy fighter jet planned to replace the XF-2 would be fully capable of this task after modification, so they were still very confident at the beginning. But later, when the Republic pulled them into the 686 plan group, it was discovered that something was wrong. This led to the discovery that the secret SF-5 hydrogen bomb was larger than the previous SF-2: the M-16 with the central lift body layout could not fit. At this point, the Republic revealed its true goal: to develop the Republic's strategic bomber.
Since the division of the empire, although the Republic has always maintained its air superiority, there has never been a decent bomber, and even the XF series aircraft have been converted into tactical bombers. Is this okay? The Federation had its own strategic bomber 15 years ago! This has air control, but only the QX-3 can strike the ground. How can we protect the safety of the people of the Republic against this armor group? So the Republic requires a new type of strategic bomber: 1. The maximum flight speed is two Mach and above, and the maximum flight altitude is 20000 meters. 2. Have conventional weapons capable of striking a large number of targets on the ground. 3. Have the ability to drop nuclear bombs. At the same time, they demanded that bombers have a certain degree of maneuverability to quickly evacuate after dropping nuclear bombs. Regarding weapons, the hydrogen bomb has been developed and conventional weapons can use the latest TY-3 cruise missile. Regarding the bomber itself, although there is no experience in manufacturing strategic bombers, rapid design can still be achieved with existing aircraft data. The planning team quickly planned a combination of front wings and delta wings based on the M-5 fighter jet, with the front half of the fuselage elongated for supersonic flight and the rear half slightly wider to accommodate more weapons. After discussion on the engine layout, it was ultimately decided to use six BJ-2 engines as power (XB70). Not only the design bureau, but most of the people involved in the plan are also quite optimistic about this plan: except for the Republic.
The high-level officials of the Republic were originally concerned that the design bureau would not be competent due to insufficient experience in this area, so if the designed bomber is not ideal but roughly meets the requirements, it can still be considered. But if it's an arrow shaped design with a pair of triangular plates inserted on a stick... it still doesn't work. After the planning team submitted the plan, the Republic was initially quite hopeful, and at first glance, it was not a pair of triangles: two pairs.
So this plan was rejected. The main issue is that there were some issues with the subsequent upgrade version of the M-5 they referred to. The Republic believes that this plan may be feasible, but it is not currently feasible. R&D was once at a standstill. Just as everyone was at a loss, someone came up with a bomber blueprint designed by the empire before the division of the two countries: H1.
The design of H1 provides great reference value to the design bureau. Although it is not possible for the Republic to directly use Empire designed aircraft, it is still possible to make magic changes on this basis. But the most important controversial point is that the H1 adopts a variable sweep wing design, which is something that the Kisaa Federation excels at, and the Skira Republic has no experience either. And if this were designed, would it be considered treason. But the planning team has no other choice, and after multiple rounds of discussion, they believe it is still worth a try: mainly because the Republic urgently needs strategic bombers, and the senior management in this area should not be too much of a fuss, just build them.
They bet right. At first, the high-level officials of the Republic seemed very angry, but after calming down, they believed that this plan was still acceptable. Variable sweep wings not only provide excellent supersonic performance, but also ensure low-speed maneuverability. So, the high-level officials of the Republic decided to adopt this design blueprint. However, new controversies have emerged regarding weapons.
The original plan of the planning team was that carrying 12 missiles should be enough, and this thing is also a hydrogen bomb transport aircraft. However, the high-level officials of the Republic later demanded at least 45 missiles, which was unexpected for the planning team. After a tug of war, it was determined that the conventional armament was equipped with 30 TY-3A cruise missiles and 15 KD-8B guided bombs. This decision ultimately resulted in low maneuverability of the entire bomber in a fully armed state.
And how to install it? Can't missiles be tightly arranged like bombs and thrown down one by one? After much contemplation, the design bureau innovatively proposed a rotary magazine and finally solved the weapon problem. So the problem must have been solved, right? Now we can study the variable swept wing well. Then they discovered another problem during the research process: their variable sweep angle would block the nuclear bomb chamber when the afterburner was activated. This is troublesome. If we need to modify it, we may have to redraw the blueprint. The planning team quickly reported to the Republic that the Republic's high-level research aircraft are not good at this, but they are still quite good at it. They quickly came up with a solution: prohibit pilots from dropping nuclear bombs when starting afterburner.
So three years later, the first prototype machine left the factory. Using sidebar wings and variable rear wing, powered by four variable pitch engines located below the wings, with built-in and rotating magazine designs. The roaring steel giant flew over the demonstration venue at a speed of two Mach, trailing an orange tail flame. The high-level officials of the Republic were particularly satisfied with this, and soon the prototype had its own code name: KQ-2A.
After the first flight, the design bureau made additional modifications to it, adopting a wing body fusion design and adding a refueling system. After completing other details, it finally came to its current official name: KQ-2B Dragon Cavalry.
Nowadays, the Skaer Republic Air Force already has three KQ-2B aircraft. Unlike the tail flick launch of the M3H, the Dragon Cavalry adopts a low altitude penetration form, which will face more air defense threats. However, the former Air Knights needed to use one decoy fighter jet after another to escort hydrogen bombs, and now the Republic Air Force of the new era has the ability to clear all obstacles!
Anyway, whether it's M3H or Dragon Cavalry, they are all the Sword of the Republic, inheriting the spirit of the Republic Air Force: when that day comes, for the people, for the motherland, for the sky, attack the enemy! The sword is in its sheath, motionless in color; Sword unsheathed, blood splattered everywhere!