E/A-110 Hatchet

E/A-110 Hatchet

"Thanks to these girls, we can even keep a MEF in the shadows."

- First Lieutenant Karen Vanis

The is a UNSC transatmospheric Electronic Warfare Strike Fighter

Description
The E/A-110 Hatchet is a uniquely designed ground attack plane designed by a joint effort between the United North American Defence Systems and UAE Systems, combined ideas and designs for a potent attack plane. The plane itself is designed to be capable of flying at both extremely low and high speeds without the use of clunky VTOL technology, while providing direct and indirect fire on enemy targets.

The plane is designed rather simply, with an aggressively shaped, elongated fuselage, with several pylons underneath and ends in a somewhat standard tail design. The wings are long and feature tilts at the wing tips, allowing the wing tips to be dropped at low altitudes to allow it greater agility. Overall, it is a stealth design, with RADAR resistant shapes, S shape air intakes implanted in the fuselage, a delta shape and canted tail wings, supplanted by RADAR and LIDAR absorbent materials and advance electronic countermeasures.

It features 8 external pylons, featuring medium hard points, eight medium hard points internally and then two rows of internal hardpoints. This enables the jet to carry a massive amount of ordnance, in comparison to its size, and deploy them in combat. Thanks to its wide body lift principles, common with many UNSC craft, if can operate at low speeds to allow for optimum gun accuracy and tactical combat ability.

The jet is capable of Mach 3 on full afterburners and is capable of super cruising, in which state it can reliably sustain a speed of Mach 2.5 with excellent fuel efficiency. Its dual vectored thrust, variable inlet engines are capable of giving it excellent agility and when it deccelerates from super cruising (usually when beginning an attack run), it produces an unusual audio effect. It produces a continual series of sonic booms, giving the nick name of 'rolling thunder'. This is used as a form of terror weapon, signalling the arrival of probably one of the most destructive strike fighters in the galaxy. The engine, like all other X-13 series, is capable of preforming transorbital transfers.

The frame is constructed from superplastic-formed diffusion-bonded metal matrix composites. These light, oxidation resistant matrix composites are formed from high modulus, high strength gold and chrome doped zirconium oxide reinforced fibres and a titanium aluminide matrix. The skin is formed from four layered plates attached to the frame. The inside layer is a carbon composite which is bonded to the middle layer of single crystal carbon, which does not melt on reentry and protects the ship and occupants. The third layer is a resin bonded layer of structural titanium aluminide with a titanium mesh insert.The fourth layer is a outer layer of AEGIS, providing thermal and oxidation protection. The cock pit is situated in titanium-AEGIS compound armoured 'tubs'. These give limited protection against enemy fire. The windscreen is bullet-proof diffusion-bonded stretched-acrylic with gold tint finish. Aside from its hardy nature, the plane's hydraulic systems are all double redundant, as are the avionics, meaning even under heavy damage it can continue to function. While the pilot system is computer and Hydraulic assisted, it can be reverted to totally manually controlled if either or both systems are disabled. Its landing gear is also full of fail safes, so should the hydraulic system fail the wheels are hinged to the rear of the plane to gravity then wind resistance will pull them out. The fuel tanks are also protected by being self sealing and protected by fire retardant foam, to prevent them leaking or exploding. The plane itself is designed to fly with half a wing missing, the hydraulic and computer system disabled, half the tail missing and only operating on one engine.



Avionics
The cockpit features an internal wrap around holographic HUD system for both Pilot and CSO, displaying all systems and targets, replacing analogue systems. These display all pilot navigation, war fighting, flight systems and operations. Both Pilot and Co-Pilot seats are equally outfitted with HUD interface and control gear. Along with the GPS and LASER Inertial Guidance system, the Hatchet uses four primary sensors to not only detect targets but also navigate and lock on to both air and ground targets.

The primary sensor system is the AN/APG-190 INTRUSION Active Electronically Scanned Array. This Phased Array RADAR is made up of 1300 bottle cap sized transmitters/receivers. The highly advance RADAR allows the vehicle to perform a wide range of operations. Also, the radar occupies less space than typical RADARs, because of its lower requirements and its lack of need for physical motion, making it much more reliable, and requiring less maintenance. It has a increased field of view, an extremely fast scanning rate, a much larger range, the ability to track and engage large number of air and ground targets, simultaneously through multiple agile beams and simultaneous air and ground modes, a low probability of interception and detection, the ability to function as a Electronic Warfare Jamming system, and a Synthetic Aperture Radar mode capable of penetrating cloud coverage and sandstorms.

The AN/ASQ-144 TRACKER Remote Operated Infra-Red is an Infra Red camera slaved into the helmet of the current operator, allowing them to observe beneath them (even though their standard ACES helmet has night vision capability) and gives the operators the ability to navigate and target enemy targets beneath them even at night. The ROIR is kept in an internal bay on the vehicle to preserve stealth. The Hatchet also uses the AN/ASQ-107 RED EYE LASER Targeting Module is a multipurpose module attached to the ROIR that allows for a wide range of LASER applications. It is a LIDAR system, capable of scanning moving air and ground targets and gives a detailed profile. It also houses a LASER targeting module, to allow the operator to designate targets for their own LASER guided munitions or other units. It also acts as a range finder, which both aids in engage with ordnance and navigation. Lastly, it can act as a receiver for LASER targeting systems from other units, mostly ground units, so its targets can be designated by ground forces.

The last system is the AN/ASQ-144 FINDER Distributed Aperture System places small passive infrared cameras all around the aircraft which acts as a missile warning system, reports missile launch locations, detects and tracks approaching aircraft spherically around the aircraft and provide additional navigation systems.

In place of the two 30mm cannons, the Hatchet has two electronic warfare pods. The Electronic Warfare systems consists of two pods, the AN/ALQ-57 VANGUARD jamming system, capable of intercepting and deciphering radio systems, intercepting RADAR transmissions and intercepting MASER transmissions and then tracking the sauce and jamming it through low detectable directed narrow ban jamming or wide area jamming, at the cost of stealth. It has the added functionality of being able to feed false information to any of the above sensor or communication systems, further confusing enemy forces. The second pod is a Electronic Protection Pod, the AN/ALQ-61 PACK RAT that interferes with enemy attempts to intercept and jam communication and detection systems by producing narrow beam 'burn outs' that confuse and jam enemy attempts to jam them. Along with that, it uses a CPU driven decryption system that protects against attempts to intercept communication systems or preform cyber warfare attacks, usually through vicious back hacks and maze barrier systems.

Role
The primary role of the E/A-110 Hatchet is to provide close air electronic support to ground units, specifically against tanks and RADAR systems. It is designed around the concept of tank hunting at low altitudes, with heavy armour, plenty of weaponry, agility and two destructive cannons. Despite this, it is also highly agile and relatively fast, allowing it to encounter enemy air power. It is fully capable of taking on and destroying Seraph fighters that may try to impede its mission. Its unique audio signature allows it to act as a massive morale booster to Marine forces and terror weapon against their enemies. With a relatively long range and effective loitering ability, it can act as a long range strike fighter well behind enemy lines. On top of its role as a strike fighter and electronic warfare jet, it can preform Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) missions with ease.

Crew
The two man crew consist of a pilot who operates the jet and uses the majority of the direct fire (rockets, bombs, air to air missiles) weaponry and the Combat Systems Officer who operates the navigation systems, indirect weapon systems (air to ground missiles) and weapon targeting and electronic support, however, both crewmembers can perform all aircraft roles thanks to multipurpose HUD and control systems.

UNSC Remarks
"While it's primary role is to operate electronic warfare to protect Marine Groups and Air Groups, its a monster in Wild Weasel Missions. It can not only jam but also find enemy RADAR positions and then light them up. It can go the job solo and nail them from long range with cruise missiles, get in close with PINCERs and ACID HARMS or just cruise with the TSAMS."

"The damned Necro's never got a lock on the air group. You know the meaning of Shock and Awe when you see enough ordnance to blow up a city dropped on a city block full of Necros."