E.B.S.I.S. Aircraft
Mi-24 Hind-D Assault Helicopter Mi-24 Hind-D helicopter is the standard combat transport of the Baltic States, obtained via trade agreements from the Rostvertol company in the Caucasus Autonomous Region. The nations that formed the Baltic States inherited many Hinds when the old Soviet Union collapsed, and most retained these aircraft in service after joining NATO and later the U.E.D.F.. Several dozen survived the Belarus crisis intact, and after contact with the CAR was normalized, purchase agreements were capable of supplying the needs of the E.B.S.I.S. military. In addition, several companies in Belarus and Poland (as of 2018) have begun producing knock-off versions of the Hind, primarily for export to nations in Africa and East Asia. The Hind is a hybrid helicopter gunship and transport. in addition to its two man crew, it can carry up to 8 passengers internally (or 4 stretchers), with large side doors for access. It is armed with a chin turret housing a 12.7x108mm four barrel gatling (with 1470 rounds of ammunition) situated between Night vision and Thermal imagine sensor systems on the nose. it has a pair of stub wings with 2 under wing hard points each (each with a maximum of 500lbs weapons carriage each, including Missiles, Rocket pods, and machine gun pods), and a pair of wingtip hard points capable of carrying a pair of short Range Missiles each. Built to withstand hits of up to 40mm explosive shells, the hind is none the less one of the fastest helicopters in the world, capable of attaining speeds of 208mph/335kmh, with a service ceiling 14,750ft/4,500meters, and a range of 280 miles/450km. The E.B.S.I.S. has refit Mi-24's in their service to include digital cockpit and communications systems, Electronic countermeasures systems, IR jamming, and laser designators.Mi-28N Havoc Attack Helicopter The Mi-28 Havoc is a two man Attack helicopter produced by Rostvertol in the Caucasus Autonomous Region. created during the cold war for anti-tank duties, the Havoc abandoned the Hind's secondary transport role for superior attack performance. similar in appearance to the American AH-1 cobra and the H-64 Apache, the Mi-28 is heavily armored, and armed with a substantial arsenal. integral armament is a 30mm autocannon in a chin mounted turret, with 250 rounds. however the primary armament is the rockets and missiles capable of being mounted on the helicopters 4 wing weapon stations (2 per wing). the outer hard points can each be fitted with racks of 8 Short range missiles, 2 medium range Missiles, or a mine dispenser housing 96 light anti-personnel and/or anti-tank mines. the inner hard points can be fitted with 30mm gunpods with 180 rounds each, rocket pods holding 40 mini missiles, or external fuel tanks. the Mi-28 is equipped with forward Looking Infrared thermal imaging, laser designators, and rotor-boom mounted millimeter radar system. The Mi-28N is capable of reaching speeds of up to 199mph/320kmh, and a ceiling of 19,000ft/5,700meters and a range of 270 miles/435km (683miles/1,100km if fitted with external fuel tanks.) The Baltic States have adopted the Mi-28N as their standard attack helicopter, alongside the Mi-28 Hind. Assigned primarily to anti-mecha duties, the Havoc has been refitted in E.B.S.I.S. service with digital cockpits and communications, electronic countermeasures, and IR jamming systems. the Mi-28N is sold by the CAR to nations in Eastern Siberia, as well as in South America as the Mi-28D, an export version without the Radar system and with less capable imaging systems.
F-16C/D Block 52+The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force. The Fighting Falcon is a fighter with numerous innovations including a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, a seat reclined 30 degrees to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system that makes it a highly nimble aircraft. During the Global War Poland sought to modernize their airforce with western aircraft, to better coordinate with their NATO allies. Although several offers were considered, Poland chose to purchase 6 squadrons of American F-16C and F-16D Falcon fighters, specifically the Block 52+ variant. This variant of the fighter had a lengthened fuselage fitted with carry points for LANTIRN nightvision/laser designation pods, Dorsal Confomal fuel tanks, and an ECM module in the tail. The Block 52+ variant's avionics include a APG-68(V9) Phased Array Radar, and a helmet mounted heads up display and target cueing system, in addition to the standard fly by wire system . The 52+ is a multirole, all weather fighter with capable of employing specialist munitions like the AIM-120C AMRAAM Medium Range Missile, AGM-88 HARM Missile, and WCMD Explosive Bomblet Dispenser. It has two wingtip hard points capable of carrying a single medium range missile each, as well as 6 under wing hard points able to carry one Medium range Missiles or up to 1500 lbs/500kg of munitions each, with the inner two capable of carrying external fuel tanks, and three belly hard points capable of carrying a single external fuel tank or up to 2000 lbs/1000kg of munitions. Integral Armament is one M61 vulcan cannon with 511 rounds. The F-16c and the two seat F-16D are capable of reaching speeds of up to mach 1.2 (915mph/1470kmh)at sea level, and Mach 2 (1500mph/2410kmh) at altitude, with a range of 590 miles/944km without tanks, and 2620miles/4220km with external tanks or conformal tanks,and a service ceiling of 60,000 feet (18,000 meters). The Baltic States employ the F-16C and F-16D as front line fighters, although due to difficulties in obtaining replacement parts they are very sensitive to aircraft losses. By 2020, the Baltic States could only deploy three squadrons of Falcons, the others having been lost in combat or grounded due to maintenance issues and cannibalized for parts.
Su-27S Flanker-B/Su-27SE-Flanker-B+ The Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker is a front line multi-role Fighter developed during the last years of the cold war by the Soviet Union. The Baltic States inherited roughly a Squadron from the state of Belarus, all of them Su-27S Flanker-B early production models. Although almost 30 years old at the time of the formation of the E.B.S.I.S., these fighters were the most capable 'heavy' fighters available to the Baltic States. These fighters underwent refits in 2017 'zeroing' the airframe and adding improved Avionics and sensors, increasing their combat capability to roughly that of the Global war era Su-30 Flanker-C. In 2023, several squadrons of more advanced Su-27SE variants were obtained from the Amur Freehold, allowing the Baltic States to retire its older fighters. The Su-27 is a single seat, twin engine long range fighter aircraft, originally designed to compete with the United State's high powered F-15 Eagle and F-14 Tomcat fighters. propelled by twin Afterburning turbofans allowing it to reach speeds of up to mach 2.35 (1,550 mph/2,500 kmph), a ceiling of 62,336 feet (19000m) feet, and a range of 1750 miles (2800km) on internal fuel, or 2325 miles (3,720km) when fitted with external Fuel tanks. The Su-27 is fitted with an analog fly-By-Wire system and in the Su-27SE Flanker-B+, Three Dimensional Thrust vectoring nozzles giving it extreme agility. It is equipped with a Passively Electronic Scanned Array Radar system (Providing AESA level capability in a simpler, cheaper system, but lacking the secondary modes of the AESA system) mounted on a hydraulic mounting that increases it's scan coverage to 120 degrees to either side of the nose in azimuth (horizontal), although it is still limited to only 60 degrees coverage in elevation (vertical). This radar system has a 250 mile range (400km), can track up to 30 targets simultaneously, and is capable of attacking up to 8 separate targets at the same time. In air to ground mode this radar can provide ground mapping and allows for up to 4 simultaneous attacks on different targets by guided munitions. Supplementing the radar is an Infrared Search and Track camera system (a passive thermal camera with range finding ability used to target missiles without activating the radar. can be used to target both IR and radar guided missiles. effective range of 5 miles/8km) in the later, the missile's radar will self-activate as it nears the targeted plane and supply terminal guidance). The Su-27 is armed with an internal Gsh-30-1 30mm single barrel autocannon supplied with 150 rounds as its integral armament. Primary armament is munitions carried on the fighter's 10 hard points (2 center line, one under each engine, one under each wingtip, and 2 under each wing.) The two wingtip hard points and the outer two wing hard points can carry a single medium range missile each. the inner two wing hard points, two under engine hard points, and two center line hard points can carry a single Long or Medium Range missile, 2 Medium bombs, or 5 light bombs each, or up to 2000 pounds/1000kg of other munitions, including rocket pods and Gunpods.
BAW-40 Сокал (Falcon) Vertol (by taalismn, with edits by me) The BAW-40 Сокал was an attempt by the Belarusian Baranovichi Aviation Works company to produce a low-cost contender for the multi-mode Project Valkyrie aircraft in the wake of the arrival of the ASS-1 and the subsequent global unified military reformation and re-equipping. There was also some anticipation of possible reinforcement of the Belrusian military in the event that the UEG broke down, and the Russians used their own spinoffs of the alien technology to expand once more and re-extend their influence over the breakaway republics. Though the Baranovichi Aviation Works effort, like many other prototype designs, stood no real chance against the main line of development that led to the famous VF-1 series, many of them both benefited from and contributed to a greater understanding of the alien technologies.
The BAW-40 borrowed heavily from a number of sources; the main one being the Cold War EWR-SUD VJ-101C, a German experimental VTOL fighter. In the free exchange of information in Europe in the heady days of the pre-Rain UEG; EADS shared the EWR VJ-101C data with Baranovichi Aviation Works, and several airframes were produced and tested. Several testbeds and prototypes survived the Zentraedi Rain of Death at the newly built reinforced Baranovichi Aviation Works facilities and the surviving Belarusian government, desperate to bolster its forces, authorized the conversion-completion of them as armed units. Working what available equipment they could salvage in the region, Baranovichi Aviation Works was able to assemble a new combat ‘mecha’ they named the (Falcon) and then worked to produce wholly new machines on the same blueprint .
The prototype BAW-40 kept the distinctive VJ-101C configuration sporting twin jet engine pods that swiveled at the ends of the stub wings, with two smaller engines in the main fuselage, one for vertical lift, and another for horizontal thrust. Smaller, more compact SLMH turbojets allowed for greater power and range over previous jet engine designs. Joined at the underside of the BAW-40, under the main wing box, are two reverse-jointed robotic armatures ending in dual-mode manipulators/foot pads. In hovering flight, these armatures could unfold to serve as arms, capable of picking up objects(and people) from the ground, and even holding gun pods. The robotic limbs could also serve as bipedal landing/walking gear(though the BAW-40 also possesses conventional landing gear), though this would require anything held in the hands to be dropped or hooked to mounting racks under the fuselage. The forward section of the BAW-40 would be revamped, copied largely from the Sukhoi-25 ‘Frogfoot’ in order to incorporate a forward-firing double-barreled 30mm cannon, but modified to include a more powerful air search and targeting radar. Main armament of the BAW-40 Сокал consists of two large wing hard points outboard of the robotic arms and inboard of the engines, the hard points capable of accepting 80mm rocket pods, gun pods, bombs, missiles, or ECM/avionics modules. Two over wing pylons, another contribution from Western German engineers familiar with such aircraft as the SEPECAT Jaguar, can carry a single short range or medium-range AAM, typically the AA-11D(R73G) AAM. An attachment rail under the center body can be used to hook on a gunpod or other cargo module. Armor was modest, but consisted of tough post-ASS-1 polycarbonate composites. Still, overall armor protection is little better than that on a Zentraedi Regult, and the BAW-40’s best defense is its agility. Though the vertol’s engines in their wing-end nacelles are vulnerable to damage, the BAW-40 possesses a high degree of agility and control has a light touch on the stick.
Baranovichi Aviation Works did its best to mass-produce the BAW-40, but supply fell far behind demand as Belarus found itself under attack by Zentraedi renegades and human outlaw bands, and it took intervention from the Baltic States to reverse the military situation. With E.B.S.I.S. assistance, Baranovichi Aviation Works was able to expand its production facilities and produce more BAW-40s, but ultimately the decision was made to switch production over to that of the tougher and more heavily armed PZL-260 Orzel developed by the Polish Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze. The existing BAW-40s continued to soldier alongside the PZL-260's for several more years, often serving as a recon unit and light strike aircraft. E.B.S.I.S. flight crews often joked that with its arms, the Сокал was the ‘missing half’ of the Orzel (which lacked arms). Other jokes included the rag that BAW-40 pilots learned to walk on their hands, and indeed one of the constant complaints about the BAW-40 was the constant repair and replacement of the dual robotic manipulators/landing gear on the armatures. Another complaint of crews was the difficulties switching from using the robotic limbs as arms or feet to the other mode; the use of hand held gun pods, once touted as part of the design’s versatility, was discontinued after too many of the weapons were lost by pilots who could not quickly enough attach the weapon to the hard-to-reach ventral hard point on the fly. Despite this, these problems, the Сокал continued on, doing counter-insurgency work, search and rescue, and reconnaissance. Ultimately, though, the BAW-40 was deemed too fragile for heavy combat, and finally withdrawn from service in 2024.