Talk:AFOH/@comment-27510151-20170503061415/@comment-14850713-20170510000936

OOC: Copied this from Page 11 or 12 of the Comments. The FBW-N is basically a rocket/ramjet-powered, hypersonic, nuclear-tipped Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). A non-nuclear version (FBW-T) was introduced in succeeding posts. It is also referred to as the Hades (to go with the convention of giving our missiles names starting with "H", ex. Harpoon, Hyperion, Helios).

IC:

As a response to the threat of killsats, the fleet has decided to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons and delivery systems. As AFOH considers the space-launched tungsten rods of killsats, due to their destructive capability, as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the High Command adopted an indirect response, meaning the fleet will not develop its own killsats but will instead have a more conventional approach.

With the same warhead configuration as the Heavy Armor Penetrator (HAP) round of the Mk 8 240cm railgun at 1/3 the size, the Focus Blast Weapon - Nuclear (FBW-N) is a tungsten-tipped powered bomb with a variable yield warhead (from 5 kt up to 350 kt). A rocket and ramjet combination accelerates it to hypersonic speed (after which it detaches), with the velocity enabling it to penetrate deep into mountains and smash into steel & concrete-reinforced underground bunkers. Before the bomb hits, a massive shaped charge in the nose fires a cone of molten steel, weakening the target's protective layer (usually rock or concrete), helping the penetration of the tungsten core and focusing the nuclear blast forward rather than outward, limiting atmospheric radiation. The nuclear warhead itself is lightweight and compact, with much of the weight taken by the engine combo and the tungsten penetrator. The FBW-N has active radar, IR, optical and terminal laser guidance, making it extremely accurate. The maximum range at which the FBW-N can be fired without significant impact degradation is 2,500 km.

To carry and deliver the FBW-N, the fleet has started to receive the first units of the new Fantome BS-1H strategic bomber. Obviously impressed by PANZER's Horten flying wing stealth bombers encountered during the Battle of New Britain, AFOH has commissioned its first purpose-built bomber after noting that payload was the main weakness of the Vautour FB-10DS strike fighters employed In the battle, which had to fly all the way from bases in Oceania (and forcing the use of Paladin aerospace fighters in the bomber role, for which they were ill-suited). With a maximum capacity of 80,000 lbs, the Fantome can carry 4 FBW-Ns in its internal weapons bay (or 40 regular nuclear bombs). The Fantome flies at Mach 1.5 using a lighter version of the nuclear power plant on the Durandal aerospace fighter which gives it unlimited range. It also utilizes advanced stealth ("near-cloak") technology developed in the Next Phantom experimental stealth fast attack craft.

With the formation of the first Fantome squadron, AFOH has launched Operation Constant Sentry which calls for squadrons patrolling round-the-clock in international or AFOH-controlled airspace. The FBW-N's range means that strategic targets in Germany and Egypt can be attacked from the North Atlantic or the Gulf of Aden respectively.