So lately i've been getting into a lot of Cold War era stuff, and also aircraft of that era and modern era as well. Then the thought came into my head...why don't we have aircraft design like we have now in SC time? I know there have been advances and stuff, but at the same time I wonder. Take the Wraith for example, it's a spaceship I know, but at the same time it is used largely in atmospheric environments where drag is a problem. Also with its long third cannon, it can be detected by Radar (since what radar actually finds is large protruding parts of the aircraft.) The same could also be said about other ships such as the Corsair. My question is why do you think that design in the future got so different to how it is now in planes such as the F-22 Raptor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-22_Raptor or the Eurofighter Typhoon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurofighter On a side note, yes I know its a game, but a little imagining and theorizing never hurt anyone
You also have to think that with advances in technology things may not work as they do with more primivite technology. The method of lift and propolison could be entirelty different and far more efficent. Like for example the cloaking field it has could easily make it invisible despite all the things that would otherwise make it detectable. Same goes with how they are designed, I mean they could have some kind of method or enigne where they don't need it to be aerodynamic or anything.
At the same time though, all though you don't necessarily need the aerodynamic design, wouldn't you still want it, considering that it still takes off the drag, plus making it a harder target to aim at?
So you want them to be more imaginative and creative by borrowing from designs of current airplanes... I don't follow. Yeah in the future they use these large spinning blades mounted parallel to the ground to create lift and another one perpendicular in the tail to create stability.
I never said it was original...just a small inquiry. Partly due to the fact that I hate everything about the Wraith from its usefulness to its design, and partly because like I said...i've become an aircraft buff lately. **Edit** oops, sorry, thought Paragon's thing was pointed at me.
HAhaha. Anyway, the most current day aircraft looking unit is not even human: The scout. Looks like a golden mirage with a fish tail.
Thats not what I'm talking about Paragon. I don't care how they look in the game. We are talking about how they could behave futuristically and why they don't seem to be designed like modern aircraft.
One plausible reason I see is that we fight a enemy that differs in tactical ability. Does the Zerg have a hidden radar hub within their Overlords? Do the Protoss send out Psionic Signals to send are Radar into disarray? No. Now they may have some form of detection for us, but, it differs largely from what we use to detect each other. The Human Race as a whole has advancements like it does because we are fighting each other and advancing to defeat each other. If we were fighting Aliens like the Zerg and Protoss then yes the Wraith would be a good choice I presume. Another part of this could be that Wraiths could possibly be easier to mass produce than say are normal Aircraft. As we need a massive amounts of Wraiths considering that were fighting Enemies numbered in the Billions. Its just a necessary change to designs. The fact that the Wraith can travel in both space and a planets atmosphere is a bonus. I don't expect Earth to have a war in space for a long, long time so why would we need a craft similar to a Wraith. Alongside this is that we as Humans have not developed a mainstream laser weapon that can be supplied and mounted on a craft such as a wraith in massive quantities. This would be one design that we cannot copy as of yet. Although I imagine their is a laser similar to it that has already been developed. If we could mainstream a weapon of that magnitude then we would as I Imagine that any weapon with ammunition would take a large amount of weight. I presume a laser would not as it would not have to store the ammunition. All in all its part of the changes in technology based on the circumstances of the need. Its only a matter of time before we will see this change come to Aircraft. Though, we can say it'll only be a matter of time for all things. So ya... thats about it. 8)
It was pointed at you. It wasn't pointed at you. @ShdwyTemplar - the terran stuff was made to combat other terrans. it was not made after making contact with the protoss and zerg. Aside from the valkyrie... sorta. And if they DID want to mass produce something easier. Taking off that third wing would cut the cost.
Very much so...reminds me a lot of the Apaches. I dunno, I just love how aircraft nowadays is shaped...just looks so awesome ^_^
Well, I seriously dont belive that the company really thought about that during the design phase... Actually you must look at a wraith just to know that that kind of jet aircraft cant just hover in one spot without vertical propulsion. They were designed just to look cool and original. The banshee looks quite modern day, but it doesnt look like a ship that is capable of flying out of a planets athmosphere. Maybe it doesnt even need to, since it is not meant for space dogfighting, but for bombarding missions.
@ paragon Ah very good point I forgot that bit their. Well, that eliminates my first idea for it. Well after reading Blizzards analysis of the Wraith its purpose was for Space Battles. Since we don't have fighters developed for a war like that we can't say much to compare it with. The versatile, one man Wraith fighters are a new addition to the Colonial space forces. Traditionally, most space battles took place between the large capitol ships and medium gunships, but Tarsonian technicians found that small, dynamic high-speed fighters could repeatedly deal damage to large ships while still evading most defensive battery attacks. The Wraith is armed with both air-to-air missiles and a versatile burst laser for ground attacks, and is equipped with the latest in ECM and Stealth technology. So ya guess I kinda slipped with my last post and forgot to research the Wraith. I'll address the Banshee in my next post.
@ Itsmyship i was thinking perhaps the air equivillant of the cobra? Edited out quotes. Please read the forum rules and refrain from quoting unnecessarily.
Thats not true. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_High_Energy_Laser http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_tactical_laser http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_laser
Obviously there is a difference in the general mechanics of flight in Starcraft since all flying units can hover in one spot without jets being visible (exception of the Zerg Mutalisk). Of course, its a game, but in order to accomplish that they would need some kind of anti-gravitational generator that would negate the forces of gravity. That of they would need a space platform (similar to a space "elevator") to be pulling them upward with some force..... I would suspect the first is more likely to be true. So we already know that all of these races must have completely mastered the mechanics of flight simply to be able to have a unit that has no need to continue moving to generate lift or use propellers. My final note is that stealth technology (avoidance of radar) is based on the premise of absorbing or deflecting radar waves. It can be done simply through the use of proper materials and design. Take for example the F-117 Nighthawk. It was the first aircraft to ever use stealth technology and did so through radar-absorbent materials and shapes that deflected the remaining radar energy in every direction but toward the source, making it incredibly hard to pick it up, if not impossible. In the case of the F-22, it is more of the material. It simply absorbs almost all radar energy. This could be the case of the Wraith. What is more likely is that the wraith simply bends the light around it to make it appear that you are looking through it. I would expect that radar is still effective against the Wraith unless it is made of radar-absorbent material. Furthermore, since the Sensor Dome will undoubtedly pick up the Banshee at a distance, I would assume radar is still effective. That means the Observer, the Missile Turret, etc. all had radar capabilities. The Overlords probably have something similar to echolocation, which is pretty much the organic version of radar.
Or they could of developed a detection system of some sort that doesn't even use radar waves but is much more advanced and able to detect the cloaking fields that more primivite technology wouldn't. In a Scifi/Fantasty world anything is possible.
Okay. Design for the wraith / pred is the classic 3 axis fighter which is perfect for space combat, and which is what it was designed for. it still fits the role for ground support and high altitude air superiority fighter but the reason for it looking so diff is because it's a space fighter bro, and in that regard imo it's perfect.
