Aardwolves

Two Welgarhielean Rp-31 aircraft provide close air support for a training exercise.

The Republique Rp-31 Aardwolf is a unique strike aircraft. Historically, the nation of Welgarhiel has been suspicious of its larger neighbor, Strojia. In any conflict, the Welgarhieleans knew they would be outnumbered and outgunned, so their military doctrine puts a premium on survivalbility. For instance, highways in Welgar can be turned into makeshift airfields and many of their aircraft types are multi-role to allow tactical flexibility.

This type of thinking was put into the Rp-31 strike aircraft. The Rp-31 is designed to attack targets at and behind the front lines, in contested airspace. With a top speed of 606 mph, the Aardwolf is barely not supersonic. However, this allows the Rp-31 to transit contested airspace at high speed without the use of an afterburner, saving fuel. This makes the aircraft ideal for close air support missions where loitering may be required.

The bi-plane wings were a unique solution to STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) requirements, as well as the low level maneuverability needed for interdiction missions. Control surface redundancy is increased since both the upper and lower wings, have flight control surfaces. Lastly, the Aaardwolf has armored fuel tanks, an armored cockpit, and reinforced glass to protect the pilot.

Length: 46 ft.
Span: 32ft.
Height: 16ft.

Weights
Empty: 21,700 lbs
Max T/O: 40,549 lbs

Performance
Max Speed: Mach 0.82 (606 mph)
Combat Range: 522 miles

Powerplant
2 x Reyes-Motola P72Echo turbofans generating 9,921 lb dry thrust each.

Armament
1 x 30mm cannon + 8 hardpoints. Can carry up to 8,500 lb of stores.