TW-A-20 Ghostwing class Techno-Wizard Stealth Attack Fighter:


While powerful, the Giant Robot Juggernauts built by Techno-Wizard which our troops have been fought in the war of pacification against the rebel kingdom of Tolkeen have given our military forces a false sense of what techno-wizard designs are capable of. The problem is that this ignores a growing variety of stealth aircraft built by Techno-Wizards. At least four seem to have been identified. Their electronics are the equal of ours and their aircraft are virtually impossible to detect. As well, some of them seem to have the ability to become mist like almost like a Ghost. The newest design seems to be a flying wing design similar to our Talon fighter but the design seems to be slower. While it might not be thought to be as much of a threat as the two high mach speed capable stealth aircraft, it still needs to be treated with caution. The ability for this aircraft to make surprise attacks should not be underestimated.


- Part of a Top Secret Coalition Intelligence Report.


The Ghostwing has many similarities to aircraft designs from the past but it is actually a completely new design. In appearance, it could probably be considered closest to the pre-rifts B-2 Spirit stealth bombers in general wing configuration but it is far smaller. It is much taller when compared to the length and width of the aircraft than the United States Stealth Bomber. Some might want to consider the design to be a rebuilt version of the Coalition Talon fighter but unlike the Talon, the Ghostwing is tailless to increase the aircraft's stealth. In physical size, the Ghostwing is closest to that of the canceled US Navy Attack Bomber known as the A-12. There have been many other flying wing designs including German fighter designs from World War II and an American bomber around the same time. The Ghostwing is matte black and is covered with radar absorbing materials. In spite of the heavy pre-rifts influences, the Ghostwing should be considered a modern post-rifts design and not the rebuild on an old design. In design, it is probably closest to that of the TW-F-19 Ghostrider.


The history of the aircraft is quite interesting even though only the first prototype has been completed. Before the Ghostwing was designed, a Techno-Wizard named Aurora Earheart designed a smaller stealth fighter design she called the Ghostrider. After learning of her design, another Techno-Wizard, named Jason Windrider, went to her for help with a larger stealth fighter design. He kept running into problems with his design. She was able to help him solve his design problems so he could build a prototype. There are rumors that the two designers are lovers but there has been no actual proof of this. As might be expected, many of the features of the Ghostwing are similar to the Ghostrider. Even so, the Ghostwing and Ghostrider have many differences and fill different roles. The Ghostwing is designed as an attack plane although it is designed to be able to dogfight while the Ghostwing is design primarily as fighter and interceptor. Because of this, the Ghostrider is both faster and more maneuverable while the Ghostwing is designed with the ability to carry a larger payload. Like Aurora, The Ghostwing's designer used as many pre-rifts parts as possible on his aircraft. Most of these parts come from later designs and the Ghostwing includes many advanced systems. While only the prototype of the Ghostwing has been completed, several people have expressed an interest in the attack aircraft and it is likely that once production begins that it will sell quite well. One interesting note is the fact that the Coalition considers the Grey Death Cyborg Fighter flown by the New German Republic as an unknown techno-wizard fighter related to the Ghostwing and similar aircraft.


The Ghostwing is designed with high strength composite materials with stealth features built right into the main body of it. The materials are modern and are designed to be easily replaced. The engines on the Ghostwing are basically the same as is carried on the Ghostrider but due to the larger size of the attack aircraft it is slower. While the Ghostrider is capable of speeds up to Mach 1.4 in normal flight, the Ghostwing is only capable of speeds of Mach 1.2. One of the changes in the engine design is in the VTOL thrusters and this due to the difference in the shape of the fuselage of the attack aircraft. Like most stealth designs, the Ghostwing flies by a fly by wire system and could not fly without the computer system which controls the flight system. The Ghostwing uses a crew of two instead just having a pilot like the Ghostrider. The weapons include a large ordnance bay, a nose laser cannon, and two mini-missile launchers. The main ordnance bay can carry six long range missiles or a mixture of smaller ordnance. The bay is about 50% larger than the bay on the Ghostrider. The laser cannon is identical to that carried on the TW-F-19 and is the standard laser weapon carried on aircraft designs built by Metalworks Industries. The Ghostwing's two mini-missile launchers are mounted in the wings instead of behind the cockpit like the Ghostrider. They also have a much lager capacity than the launchers in the smaller fighter. The magical systems are the same as carried on the Ghostrider and in most cases are identical to those carried on techno-wizard converted SR-71 Blackbirds.


Model Number: TW-A-20 Ghostwing
Vehicle Type: Double Engine Stealth Attack Fighter
Crew: Two (Pilot & Weapons Officer)


M.D.C. by Location:

Ordnance Bay (1):160
[1] Nose Mounted Pulse Laser Cannon (1):50
[1] Internal Wing Mounted Mini Missile Launchers (2)80 each
[2] Wings (2):160 each
Cockpit / Reinforced Pilot Compartment:150
Pilot Seats (2):2 each
[3] Engines (2):200 each
[4] Main Body:420
Landing Gear (3):30 each
Magical “Armor of Ithan” Force Field (3 times per day):150


Notes:
[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot;” but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[2] Destroying a wing will cause the plane to crash
[3] The destruction of one engine will reduce the fighter’s top speed by half and give the pilot a -2 penalty to dodge as well as giving a -15% penalty to piloting. Destruction of both engines will cause the aircraft to crash. Pilot may attempt an emergency landing or pilot can choose to eject.
[4] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the aircraft down completely, rendering it useless and causing it to crash if in flight. Damage to the main body will also reduce the aircraft's stealth, for every 10% of damage to the main body, reduce the aircraft's stealth by 10% of its total.


Speed:
Driving on Ground (Taxiing): Only possible for take offs and landings as well as for parking and storage. Speed is 40 mph (64 kph) when traveling and not on take off or landing.
Flying: Unlike the Merlin but like the Black Ghost and Ghostrider, the Ghostwing engines are pure technological in design. Unlike the Black Ghost, the Ghostwing can hover. The TW-A-20 has a maximum speed of Mach 1.2 (889.7 mph / 1,431.9 kph) while solid and Mach 1.8 (1,334.6 mph / 2,147.9 kph) while Intangible. The aircraft must slow down to Mach 1.2 before becoming solid or piloting is at -20% while above that speed. The fighter’s cruise speed is up to Mach 1.0 (741.5 mph/ 1193.3 kph) and has a maximum altitude is about 60,000 feet (18,288 meters). Due to the fact that all ordnance is carried in internal bays, the aircraft's performance reduction when fully loaded is negligible.
Maximum Effective Range: Effectively Unlimited. Unlike most Coalition and other governments fighters, the Ghostwing does not overheat and can run indefinitely.


Statistical Data:
Height 11.3 feet (3.4 meters)
Wingspan: 69.8 feet (21.3 meters)
Length: 38.5 feet (11.7 meters)
Weight: 18.5 tons (16.8 metric tons) empty and 36.2 tons (32.8 metric tons) fully loaded
Power System: Nuclear, Should have an average lifespan of 20 years
Cargo: Minimal (Storage for small equipment), does not include ordnance bays. Ordnance bay, of emptied of ordnance can carry up to 6,000 lbs (2,721.6 kg) of cargo.
Black Market Cost: None have been sold. When the fighter is produced, it may cost up to 120 million credits initially.


Weapon Systems:

  1. Pulse Laser Cannon: The aircraft's laser cannon is from the barrels and inner working of the JA-12 Assault Rifle. The laser cannons pull power directly from the fusion reactor of the aircraft. It is mounted on the fighter’s nose and is fixed forward. Unlike most Metalworks' fighter designs, the fighter only carries one laser cannon.
    Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet (1,200 meters).
    Mega-Damage: 4D6 for single shot and 1D6x10+10 for three round burst from cannon.
    Rate of Fire:Equal to the pilots combined hand to hand (usually 5 or 6).
    Payload: Effectively Unlimited (Draws Power off the main engines).
  2. Mini-Missile Launchers (2): A small mini-missile launcher is mounted internally in the Ghostwing's wings. The launchers are designed with special doors to reduce the fighter’s drag. This weapon is mostly used against enemy aircraft, missile volleys, and other aerial opponents, or on strafing runs against troops and other ground targets. The weapon has a much larger punch than the laser cannons.
    Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, mini-missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
    Mega-Damage: Varies with mini-missile types (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
    Rate of Fire: Equal to the total number of hand to hand attacks per melee. The missiles can be fired one at a time, or in volleys of two, four, or eight.
    Payload: forty-eight (48) total; twenty-four (24) mini-missiles in each launcher.
  3. Internal Ordnance Bay: The fighter has a large bay in the main body that can carry a wide variety of different ordnance types. Ordnance types include missiles or bombs. Missile and bomb sizes may be mixed between different types of ordnance but an ordnance drop or launch must include the same type and size of ordnance. Ordnance may be carried at the rate of four short range missiles, four light bombs, two medium range missiles, or two medium bombs for one long range missile or heavy bomb. Both guided and unguided ordnance may be carried. An equivalent number of torpedoes or depth charges to the number of missiles and bombs may also be carried. This ordnance is usually controlled by the pilot but the pilot also has controls.
    Maximum Effective Range: Varies by missile type for missile and varies by altitude bombs are dropped at (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
    Mega-Damage: Varies by missile or bomb type (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
    Rate of Fire: Ordnance is dropped or fired one at a time or in volleys of two to twenty four but must be the same size (light, medium, or heavy) and style of ordnance (all missiles or bombs in a volley.)
    Payload: 24 short range missile or light bombs, 12 medium range missiles or medium bombs, or 6 long range missile or heavy bomb. Ordnance can be mixed and torpedoes and depth charges may be carried as well as missiles and bombs.
  4. Magical “Fireworks” Anti-Missile Chaff/Flare Dispenser (1): In many ways this system is similar to technological versions of the Chaff/Flare system. The anti-missile system works by combining three spells. The three spells are Fire Bolt, Apparition, and Telekinesis. The physical effects of the system are identical to the Triax Anti-Missile chaff but instead of being reloaded, it is recharged by spells.
    Effect:
      01-50 Enemy missile or missile volley detonates in chaff cloud - Missiles are all destroyed.
      51-75 Enemy missile or missile volley loses track of real target and veers away in wrong direction (May lock onto another target.)
      76-00 No effect, enemy missile or missile volley is still on target.
    Also note that the chaff cloud will also blind flying monsters that fly through cloud. They will suffer the following penalties: reduce melee attacks/actions, combat bonuses, and speed by half. Duration: 1D4 melee rounds.
    Payload: 10 Uses before being recharged. The dispenser is recharged by the spells Apparition (20 P.P.E.), Fire Bolt (7 P.P.E.), and Telekinesis (8 P.P.E.).
  5. Magical Intangibility Field: Very unusual enchantment that give the aircraft the ability to become intangible or be unaffected by most normal attacks. While intangible, the fighter is only affected by magical and psionic attacks. The aircraft can actually pass through solid objects and will glide slowly to the ground instead of crashing if it has no forward velocity. The aircraft's speed is greatly boosted (Mach 2.1) and can glide for vast distances while intangible. The aircraft must slow down to Mach 1.4 before becoming solid or piloting is at -20% while at that speed. While systems on the aircraft all work, weapon systems cannot be used to attack targets that are solid. Sensor systems work on the aircraft itself but the Ghostwing is undetectable by radar and the engine noise is reduced to a small fraction of normal.
    Duration: 30 minutes and can be activated up to three times per day
  6. Techno-Wizard Modifications: The Ghostwing has the following techno-wizard modifications built into the aircraft. These require P.P.E. or I.S.P. from the pilot.
    Special Features:
      Shadow Meld (6th Level) - 10 P.P.E. or 20 I.S.P.
      Impervious to Energy (6th Level) - 20 P.P.E. or 40 I.S.P.
      Invisibility-Superior (6th Level) - 20 P.P.E. or 40 I.S.P.


Special Equipment:
The TW-A-20 Ghostwing has all the standard features of a standard fighter (same as standard robot minus loudspeaker and microphone) plus these special features listed. The special equipment is a combination of both magic and technology.



[ Altarain TM, Bandito Arms TM, Brodkil TM, Chipwell Armaments TM, Coalition States TM, Cyber-Knight TM, Federation of Magic TM, Free Quebec TM, Golden Age Weaponsmiths TM, Horune TM, Iron Heart Armaments TM, Kankoran TM, Kittani TM, Kydian TM, Larsen’s Brigade TM, M.D.C. TM, Mechanoids TM, Mega-Damage TM, Megaversal Legion TM, Millennium Tree TM, Mutants in Orbit TM, Naruni Enterprises TM, Naut’Yll, New Navy TM, New Sovietskiy TM, NGR TM, Nog Heng TM, Northern Gun TM, Phase World TM, Psyscape TM, Rifter TM, SAMAS TM, S.D.C. TM, Shemarrian TM, Splugorth TM, Stormspire TM, Sunaj TM, Tolkeen TM, Triax TM, Wellington Industries TM, Wilk’s Laser Technologies TM, Xiticix TM, and Zaayr TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

[ Beyond the Supernatural®, Heroes Unlimited®, Nightbane®, Ninjas & Superspies®, Palladium Fantasy®, and Rifts® are registered trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]


Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).


Copyright © 2002, Kitsune. All rights reserved.


Return