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GWOT VI - RCS Panoptes

CALIFORNIA TOP SECRET
SECURE COMPARTMENTALIZED INTELLIGENCE
KEYWORD PATCHEN PASS

This briefing document is physical. COPY TWO OF THREE. It must be kept under continuous physical control by the Strategic Defense Forces.

Persons authorized access to this document must endorse this copy on the signature page at the end.

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_RCS Panoptes_ is a dynamic lift, lighter than air aircraft. A stealth blimp. RCS = Republic of California Ship

Manufacturer Lockheed Aerospace California Division
Plant Long Beach Naval Shipyard
Owner State of California
Operator California Air National Guard
Serial never assigned
Aircraft none
Flights classified
Total hours 1768
History classified
Fate destroyed in foreign service, over Iowa

Length 80 meters
Deadweight 80,000 pounds (40 tons)
Live weight 100,000 pounds (50 tons)
Cargo weight 20,000 pounds (10 tons)

Lifting Gas hydrogen

Range classified
Speed classified, no less than six (6) knots, no greater than fifteen (15) knots
Travel Endurance classified
Flight Endurance classified but greater than six (6) weeks
Flight Ceiling over 60,000 feet
Fuel aviation gasoline
Tankage classified but over 1200 gallons in at least five (5) tanks

Crew six (6) one command officer
four systems operators
one deckhand

Armament six (6) AIM-120 AMRAAM air to air missiles - or other (classified) in the six pack top-of-ship launcher
four (4) AIM-9 Sidewinder air to air missiles in two pairs fore and aft
one (1) underslung turreted 20mm M61A2 lightweight Gatling gun with +7 tilt up -180 tilt down and 360 degree coverage
self destruction charges throughout vessel
crew arms locker with machine pistols, thrown grenades and soft launch anti-tank grenade launchers

Sensor Suites comprehensive

avionics comprehensive
optical classified
electronic warfare classified but includes ballistic tracking
navigation dead reckoning, GPS, GLONASS, Gaileo, inertial, triangulation, classified
communications all commercially available systems and technologies, including INMARSAT, HUGHES, BearLink
radar (rarely used) air and surface search modes, air and space warfare capable
independent targeting self defense radar in Gatling gun turret
identification IFF, SIF, CAIFF, classified
targeting compatible with naval Aegis arrays including support for SM-3 Standard Block C [California]
weather comprehensive

_RCS Panoptes_ is the prototype for a new generation of California lighter than air, dynamic lift stealth aircraft.

As a testbed platform, _RCS Panoptes_ was configured to mount a dizzying array of sensors and supply those sensors with onboard power from a combination of hydrogen fuel cells, gasoline powered small generators, and intregal flexible solar cells on the upper lifting body. These last require periodic cleaning, preferably in dock.

Propulsion is provided by electric motors incorporating hybrid gasoline engine technology. Any power not directly applied to motive force is used to supply 'house' loads and charge the frame. Safe operation of these gasoline engines in a hydrogen environment is a major design criterion.

The frame of _RCS Panoptes_ was manufactured to serve as both a power conduit and battery storage casing. Over 500,000 individual 18650 battery cells are built into components of the airship, taking up nearly half of the deadweight.

The habitable working area of the airship is approximately the size of a large passenger cargo van. There is bunk space for only two of the crew to sleep at the same time. A tiny kitchen uses two microwaves, a hot plate and a hot water heater with a 'warm' tap for sponge bathing. Much of the reason for the small size relative to the size of the craft is heating and life support - waste heat is carefully managed as part of the recirculation systems. These combine sealed oil (thermal), potable water and separate storage for oxygen. Hydrogen is cracked and added to the lifting body. Two spacecraft style toilets are provided - one for urine only and one for urine and feces. It is rare that both work at the same time. A tiny washer and dryer suitable for a single jumpsuit, a single bunk sheet or several small towels is also provided. Each crewperson has a console position from which they perform their duties, surrounded by sixteen independed LCD touchscreens and with hands and feet able to operate keyboards and foot pedals. The seat is infinitely (manually) adjustable but cannot quite lie flat and incorporates a reusable and washable bottle / diaper system with suction. The bottle is emptied into the water recyler. The diaper is scraped into the feces toilet and washed and dried for reuse. Every inch of the area kept at habitable temperature is packed with deydrated food rations and critical equipment. The need to conserve on space and weight of items carried compares unfavorably to manned spaceflight but for missions of much longer duration. The one crew amenity is that the information storage of _RCS Panoptes_ is for all practical matters infinite. Videos, music, books, games ... all are available when time permits.

The crews of these airships are selected for extraordinary situational awareness in three dimensions, endurance of boredom, a complete lack of claustrophobia and personally small size and weight. The maximum height of an airship crewman is five foot four inches and maximum weight is one hundred forty pounds. As an operating practice, the Captain is a fully qualified fixed wing command pilot cross trained to dynamic lift, the systems operators are experienced battle staff cross trained from Air National Guard command centers or Naval Militia combatants, and the one deckhand is a special warfare soldier with electronics and small motor repair skills. When seen on bases (rarely) they are often called 'Hobbits' for their small stature, love of eating anything other than dehydrated rations, and complete lack of personal modesty.

The stealth systems are divided into two components - active and passive. Passive stealth includes details of construction to minimize flat or cornered reflective surfaces, special metals and composites and weights, and shaping of components. The bottom of the airship is a dusky light blue, the sides are slightly grayer, and the top of the airship a subtly patterned white. All information on active steath is classified.

The purpose of _RCS Panoptes_ is to serve as an AWACS - Airborne Warning and Control System - that provides comprehensive situational awareness over an entire air-land battlefield but includes naval and space warfare components. The systems operators work via datalink with hundreds of other systems support technicians located safely far away. From time to time a systems operator dons a rubberized heated suit with respirator when direct maintenance of a sensor or other system is necessary. Despite the rigors of such an assignment, this is considered a rare treat. The deckhand does this far more frequently and does not consider it a treat, but the deckhand combines this with mandatory PT in the 'non habitable' parts of the vessel to stay in shape as a soldier.

The weapons are for self defense against one or two enemy aircraft or a handful of inbound missiles. It is rumored that _RCS Panoptes_ may be able to fire at least one anti-satellite (ASAT) missile into low earth orbit. The engagement window is relatively narrow and of short duration, so such a launch would the product of meticulous planning and precise timing, at the expense of one or more AMRAAMs.

The weapons armory and emergency equipment storage is located some distance aft of the crew compartment, and also includes liferafts in the event of a water landing.

It is known that there is cold storage, mostly of rations, forward of the crew compartment. The size of this storage is unknown.

It is rumored, mostly as the result of an unauthorized release of a piece of pornography, that there is a semi habitable 'viewing' space approximately the size of a small closet or large coffin somewhere in the upper hull frame. This 'sun deck' may perhaps also be used as sleeping quarters but is an arduous climb from the crew compartment on an open ladder in a hydrogen environment.

Further information on classified components is further handled on a direct need to know basis.

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CALIFORNIA TOP SECRET
SECURE COMPARTMENTALIZED INTELLIGENCE
KEYWORD PATCHEN PASS
KEYWORD SPACE SHUTTLE DOOR GUNNER
KEYWORD TRUNK MONKEEIAH

This briefing document is physical. COPY ONE OF ONE. It must be kept under continuous physical control by the Strategic Defense Forces.

Persons authorized access to this document must endorse this copy on the signature page at the end.

###

SPACE SHUTTLE DOOR GUNNER

The _RCS Panoptes_ frame set consists of eight trailerable components. Three of the trailers contain the rubberized cotton gas bag systems. Two trailers contain the framework and mountings. One trailer conceals, as a unit, the crew life support module and associated storages as the keel. One trailer contains a mix of the sensor systems and the weapons. The last trailer contains the secret systems and a hydrogen generator.

The mover cabs of the eight trailers are themselves the eight (8) engines of the _RCS Panoptes_ array. The transmissions and cab fairings are discarded.

It takes a special crew working at a remote base three weeks to assemble _RCS Panoptes_ from this component set. For practical reasons this needs to be at a large air base with hangars, preferably with direct access to fly in certain specialized components that can be flown by air and are light enough to do so readily.

Unfortunately the _RCS_ component set is not itself air transportable - mostly the gas bag systems.

This means that _RCS Panoptes_ does not have to be flown from a California base to its target operating area, if the trailers can be brought in on the ground using whatever reasonable pretext.

TRUNK MONKEEIAH

... such as a carnival or circus show.

END