Greeting everyone! This is the first ever fanfiction I've made. So lately I've been doing a lot of reading on subjects like, helicopters, black projects, the CIA SAD/SOG's Air Branch, and also watching a lot of Airwolf and Blue Thunder over and over again. Then, well, the idea just hit me.
Striker Units are based on aircraft, like the Messerscharf Bf 109 models derived from the Messerschmit Bf 109 fighter. But what if, they are also based on helicopters?
I imagined that in this universe where Striker Units are also based on helicopters, there will be three main types of rotary wings vehicle, which are:
1.) Regular helicopters. Does not require magic to be operated.
2.) Rotary Strikers. They are helicopters on the outside, but they are basically Striker Units. They're equipped with a device that connects the user's legs to the Unit; hence they are powered by the user's magic. The development of Rotary Strikers began in conjunction with helicopters, starting with the first operational Rotary Striker, the Focke-Wulf Fw-61M (M for Magie) by Germany in 1936. This is because Rotary Strikers are always derived from existing helicopter models.
The difference between Rotary Strikers and helicopters, beside their power source and Wizard/Witch pilot, is in their designation. In the US, for example, H is the military designation for helicopter, as for Rotary Striker, RS. More example, we have the Apache attack helicopter:
-Helicopter designation: AH-64
-Rotary Striker version of it: ARS-64
The advantage of Rotary Strikers above regular helicopter is that the magic diverted into the Unit from the pilots enhanced its ability to perform tasks. ARS-64 will always have a better firepower capacity than the AH-64. This is because the magic drawn from the user to power the Unit is also diverted to the weapons carried by it.
Rotary Strikers uses a type of aviation fuel universally called the LMAF (Liquefied Magic Aviation Fuel). This liquid is inactive when not in contact with a magic source. However, when exposed to magic, a chain reaction will happen, resulting in the liquid amplifying the amount of magic radiated into it. Types of engine that requires LMAF to run are usually derived form existing engines, but with a slightly different naming.
3.) Miniature Rotary Strikers (MRS). Referred to as 'leg helicopters', this is a type of small Rotary Strikers also derived from existing helicopters. The size of them is just like Strikers derived from aircrafts; usually slightly bigger than the user, but no more than that.
There are three main parts of a Miniature Rotary Striker, the leg piece, the back piece, and the headpiece. The leg piece is where the user inserts the both of their legs. The back piece keeps the user back straight. That's where the magic engines are. The headpiece is a fixed part, keeping the user's head from getting chopped by the magical blade manifesting from the back piece. The joint between the leg piece and the back piece are flexible, however.
The first Rotary Striker is developed in conjunction with the development of miniaturization technology. The first operational MRS is the AMRS-1 Cobra, derived from the AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter in the year of 1967.
Maybe some of you are wondering, why there have to be Rotary Strikers and Miniature Rotary Strikers? Why not just use MRS? The answer is, MRS is personal. Only one, carrying only them, pilots them, while the Rotary Striker retains their original function.
One example, let's compare the CRS-47 Chinook with the CMRS-47 Chinook HLU. CMRS-47 Chinook HLU (Heavy Lift Unit) can carry perform weight-lifting tasks such as airlifting ammo containers and supply crates held by its user. The CRS-74 can, however lift much more weight than it, due to its size. The CRS-47 Chinook still has its troop carrying capacity of 33-55 from the CH-47, while the CMRS-47 only carries its user. Rotary Strikers and Miniature Rotary Strikers complimented each other, and they are both needed by the military on the battlefield.
That's a lot of lessons to begin with, isn't it? Okay, without further ado, let's get it started! This fic will center mostly on the so-called 'Black Strikers', both those derived from aircrafts, and, rotary wings developed at Area 51. Focusing on a group of advanced secret Rotary Strikers and the experience of their Wizard pilots, which is employed by the CIA Special Activity Division's Special Operations Group's Air Branch when they are faced with the reality that they've been sent to a different reality than theirs. Have a good one!
_PROLOGUE
WENDIGO
2205 Hours, Tonopah Test Range
Restricted Airspace 4809
The United States
It has to be cold as hell outside; Special Agent Colter Mason thought as he is looking down at the portion of the desert he is flying above right now. Fields of sand are visible below him, though they weren't as distracting as the moon. The light of the night coming from the lunar object is not an easy thing to ignore. He found himself staring at it, along with the stars alongside it. The tranquil situation of the night almost made him forgot that he is to tear it apart within the next few minutes.
It also made him forgot that he wasn't flying alone.
"Hey, Pilot, you copy? Turn left to heading 0-3-8." a voice called him.
"Oh, yeah," he replied to his co-pilot Field Agent Andrew Miller, who was just a few feet on his back. He gazed away from the dozens of instrument panels surrounding him and paid attention to his leg, and a heading indicator in front of him.
Though quite hidden in his flight suit and flight helmet, a pair of animal ears and a tail manifested in him. His legs are inserted through a pair of cylinders, connecting him to his vehicle, a Rotary Striker Unit apparently.
Flying low and fast, the CIA Special Operations Group Air Branch Wizard Pilot was inside the cockpit of a RAH-70 twin-seated Attack Rotary Striker, the biggest hit in the Agency's series of hi-tech asset since the secretive U2R Striker model. The designation "H", for helicopter was used when it should've been "RS", for Rotary Striker, a form of counter-intelligence to protect its secrecy.
It was colored black with radar-absorbent paint; the substance was aimed to assist it to hide its radar cross-section in addition to its usage of harsh angles and faceted-shapes in its lifting body fuselage.
The rigid composite main rotor blades utilizing MVR technology on the RAH-70 were configured in a coaxial design, with its two five-blades pair of rotors stacked above one another. The tip of each of the ten blades was shaped unusually, with a double-edge design that allows it to minimize its BVI. In addition, the space between each blade weren't even, helping in further reducing acoustic signatures.
The Advancing Blade Concept implemented on its rotor system enables it to travel as fast as its LHTEC M-800 Magic Turboshaft allows, without the interruption of that of helicopters with a single main rotor blade system.
The most peculiar feature on this cutting-edge Rotary Striker Unit was, however, its secondary propulsion system. On the end of its tail boom is a gaping rectangular hole with serrations along its edges. It was an exhaust for its single General Magic M404 Magic Turbofan complimentary engine, which was able to top its already high speed.
Located before the exhaust for its turbofan, attached on its tail boom is an inverted ruddervators, a replacement for tail that allows the Rotary Striker to pace the agility of an airplane, or even another Jet Striker, increasing its maneuverability while negating the need for wings as the apparatus is, as the name suggests, rudders and elevators combined together.
In a short sentence, the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works-Sikorsky RAH-70, or unofficially had coined the nickname 'Wendigo', is currently the most advanced Rotary Striker, should it be declassified.
"Heading 0-3-8 confirmed. ETA to firing range, with our speed is approximately five minutes. Get ready for some targets, Miller."
"Roger. Activating the M-TADS as soon as we're on range."
Earlier today, he had been tasked with flying the bird on some unusual night sortie. Unusual, because as long as the time span is when he had been recruited by the Agency's Air Branch, stationed at the so-called Area 51, saw the Wendigo for the first time, and been appointed the test pilot for it for about ten months, this was the first time he had been sent off to live-fire the weapon it carries.
Having turned the Rotary Striker to the correct direction, he took a moment to glance at the Wendigo flight instrument panels. He suddenly remembered all the time he thought it was pointless for the CIA to train ex-USMC Aviation airdale like him in an Army RAH-66 Commanche regular helicopter simulator. The unit was cancelled, why did they waste so much money on him?
That is, until he noticed that they stole the majority of its LCD configuration from it. It was then when he realized that the Commanche wasn't really cancelled, but instead deemed unnecessary as it was built as proof-of-concept for the technology used aboard Wendigo.
He paid attention again to the view ahead of the windshield of the Rotary Striker. Amidst the cover of the night he could, in the middle of the desert landscape riddled with bomb craters and vehicle wrecks, is a small village. It was supposedly a simulated terrorist compound.
The houses inside the town were actually constructed to exact traditional houses in Afghanistan, the area the Unit is aimed to operate at. Inside the village were also unused trucks and sedans, either lying in its streets or just parked inside one of those buildings.
Mason thumbed on the VHF radio button on the flight panel and spoke to the microphone on his helmet again, but this time not to his co-pilot. He was contacting the ATC of Tonopah Air Force Base, the installation responsible for operations inside the Test and Training Range.
He had been previously briefed that besides the base personnel supervising the live-firing test of the Rotary Striker, there will also be CIA supervisors from the National Clandestine Service watching live feeds from their headquarter at Langley, the George Bush Center for Intelligence. He certainly don't want to make the Air Branch he serves in looks bad in the most advanced Rotary Striker Unit of today.
"Tonopah Tower, this is Wendigo 0-1. We have eyes on Range 90. Requesting instructions and clearance to fire."
"Wendigo 0-1, Tower. Proceed to destroy all houses and vehicle inside the village marked by IR panels. Your primary is marked in one of the house in there by a targeting chip. You should be able to pick it up now. Refrain from destroying the rest of the house if you got the primary target first and RTB. Cease all communication until end of the mission. You're cleared hot."
"We're cleared, Miller. Safeties off on the guns." he ordered at his co-pilot.
Field Agent Andrew Miller did as he is told. He activated the M-TADS aboard the RAH-70, using its thermal imaging camera. It was slightly different than its own kin that is installed on the AH-64 regular as it was buried inside the Striker's nose. The targeted village quickly appears on one of the two LCD on his front as stacks of white lines differentiated thermally from the black image of the desert sand, along with a cross on the center of the display.
By pressing another button on the left side of the LCD displaying the thermal imaging, he also activated another thing, a TGS protracting from under the RAH-70's chin.
The armament subsystem, also derived from the 'cancelled' RAH-66 consists of an XM301 Gatling rotary cannon, which were developed under black funds by the CIA's Directorate of Science and Technology, deeming its 20mm bullet dispersion of only 2.2 milliradians is a must-install for the Wendigo.
Mason, having the same two-LCD on his flight panel, is seeing at the same display his co-pilot is, only paying attention to a set of different information.
On the top of the screen is a linear compass, displaying the heading of the Unit, pointing at the number 038.
The onboard targeting system, having identified numerous signatures inside the village has started marking them on-screen with yellow writings below the image, designating the vehicles as WHL, for wheeled and the houses as BLD, or buildings. The system was further assisted by Mason's Three Dimensional Understanding capability.
On the bottom of the screen is another set of writing. On the right is the airspeed the Striker is currently cruising at, showing the number 150 KT, or knots, while on the left is the Striker's height above ground at 100FT, or feet.
The right LCD was displaying something completely different. It was a digital moving map used to pinpoint everything manmade or natural on the ground below the Striker. It also serves as a tactical situation display to the Striker, able to confer with the onboard Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system, recognizing friendly units and tracking their movement.
"Miller, you sure you're going to be able to hit those target at this speed, or do I need to slow down?"
"Yeah, would favored it of you put her into hover and let me shoot them like normal people." he answered jokingly. "Put her to 50 knots, will you?"
"WILCO, buddy." Mason said as he used the single joystick on his right to slow the Striker's speed. The airspeed indicator's number started dropping as the Magic Turboshaft sucking up magic from the user is giving less power to the Rotary Wing Striker. Another one of the invention 'stolen' from the Commanche, the Hands On Grip (HOG) control enabled the pilot of the Wendigo to fly the lifting body with only one hand.
The RAH-70 was getting closer to the village as it maintains a constant airspeed of 50 knots, by the control of its pilot., while lowering its altitude. Under the cover of the night, and its acoustic inaudibility due to the soundproofing of its Magic Turboshaft and the shaping of the rotor blade tip, its arrival was with little warning. If it were to be used on a scenario against real terrorist, the only warning the Taliban would have is visually by its black outlines, not matching the plenty of stars of the night sky.
Miller pressed a button on the border of his M-TADS LCD that says "SLAVE". He slaved the system onto his Helmet Mounted Display, and soon the movement of the Turreted Gun System was following the directions of his head, the XM301 gun pointing to anything his retina is looking at.
And he had his eyes locked on one of the house on the simulated terrorist compound, ready to light the fires.
"Locked on." he reported, flicking a cover on the top of his joystick, uncovering a red button, the trigger for the Gatling cannon.
"Fire guns." Mason ordered.
"Firing."
Hails of PGU-28/B 20mm armor-piercing high explosive incendiary came out of the 301's barrel at the rate of 750 rounds per minute. They were loaded for the live-firing exercise tonight because of their high velocity, and thus, high hit ratio. The rounds weren't equipped with tracers, so they didn't leave a visible burning light when they were out of the Gatling cannon. The magic of both the user aboard the Wendigo is infused in them, thus increasing their power significantly.
Miller kept guiding the rounds to their target accurately as he kept his eyes and head looking at the houses below flashing white because of the IR marks placed on them. He was careful not to hit the houses that were not marked.
The houses that was pointed at by the RAH-70's cannon when it fired were bombarded with the rounds coming from the Rotary Striker's chin and blew off puffs of smoke on the sides which they are hit, followed by an explosion that resulted from the incendiary nature of the rounds itself and barrels of gasoline placed inside the houses. The explosions that enlighten the night are the sign that the rounds managed to hit their targets and the Rotary Striker doesn't need to perform another run on it.
The bright flame produced by the explosion slightly reveals the appearance of the Wendigo. It also lightens the cockpit a bit as the Rotary Striker flew by, finishing its first pass along the mockup terrorist compound. Mason looked back to see all the fire and towers of smoke coming from houses and vehicles his co-pilot managed to destroy.
"I count ten explosions. Good work, Miller!" Mason complimented.
"Thanks, but not yet. Haven't detected the chip yet. Also missed a few spot there." Miller reported.
"Okay, I'll bring her around and hover. Let's try what we got on the I-RAMS."
"Four Hellfire and two Scorpion. I'll use the Scorpion on the primary. Gotta make it quick, Special Agent."
Mason got the RAH-70 to turn left while maintaining his current airspeed by pushing the joystick of it left. The Rotary Striker continued to change its direction, heading back into the village. Its onboard digital attitude indicator tilted to the left as it banked to that direction. Mason didn't stop pushing on the joystick until the village is in the windshield of his cockpit again.
Once the RAH-70 had re-aligned itself with the village, Mason puts the bird onto hover. Miller pressed a button on the far right of his right LCD, with the indicator above it saying "I-RAMS".
The Integrated Retractable Munitions System bay on the belly of the Rotary Striker unit opened, revealing the wider range of armament stored inside its belly. Unfortunately, by doing this move the stealth capacities of Wendigo is reduced, making both of its operators have to act quickly once the act is performed.
"Paint that thing, come on." Miller urged his pilot, who quickly uses the M-TADS on the nose of the Striker. The device fired a beam of laser onto the house his co-pilot had his eyes on, which will then be used as a reference for the AGM-114's semi-active laser homing guidance system to help the air-to-ground missile find its way to its target.
Miller locked the AGM-114 Hellfire missile onboard via the M-TADS to the one of the house marked with IR panels. He placed the aiming cross; visible in his HMD to the house that is now marked with a box, and writing below it that says 'BLD-7'.
"Got it on my sight." he said as he placed his hand on his joystick's missile firing button.
But unfortunately, a notification appeared in the M-TADS display; the word "BACK SCATTER", followed by a diagonal cross overlapping the aiming cross.
"Hold fire, hold fire." Mason ordered at his co-pilot. The laser beam he had fired to the house is currently reflected by atmospheric particles, rendering it useless to further guide the missile. A quick prediction he did on his head would blame the dust kicking up below him as a cause.
"Miller, we're going to have to move into a new position. Standby."
Damn backscatter, Miller cursed inside. He waited as Mason stopped his designation of the house on the village and changed location, once again pushing the Rotary Striker's control joystick forward, making it pitched its nose down before moving forward.
But the pair of green antenna appearing through his helmet all the sudden turned red. He realized that his Electric Wave Tracking magic capacity, amplified by the radar aboard the Wendigo had managed to locate the main targeting chip inside one of the house. The chip is the same one with the types of chips used by the Agency to increase accuracy in their drone attacks. It was the simulated targeted killing subject in the firing range.
Thank you, back scatter!
"I got the targeting chip, Mason!" he reported as his co-pilot. "Building number twenty!" he asked while moving the M-TADS thermal camera and places the aiming cross on the house he meant, marked as BLD-20.
"Alright, I see it. Let's use the Scorpion on it."
The Wendigo increased its altitude slightly, in order to get an unblocked view of the target from above. Once the entire village was visible in an oblique angle from the M-TADS field of view, Miller chose another set of weapon in the I-RAMS bay.
The Scorpion SSW carried onboard is a small missile made by Lockheed Martin utilized by the Agency to decrease collateral damage on their drone attacks. The Wendigo, although is not the weapon's acknowledged launch platform, is also capable of carrying and firing it beside the MQ-1 Predator drones used by the Agency. It was now locked on towards the house.
"Scorpion locks on, and, firing."
The small missile were launched off the open belly of the Rotary Striker, its folded wing unfolded itself, followed by its forward movement towards the targeted house. The shortwave infrared signature emitted by the chip guided the Scorpion precisely to its target. This time, the Wendigo managed to destroy its designated target. The house was blown to pieces as the small missiles lands on it. It did not damage any houses nearby that weren't marked with IR panels.
"Ow!" Miller said in excitement. "That is spot on!
"Hell yeah!" his pilot joined him, chuckling.
They were both amazed at the accuracy of that thing, since it was new for them. They haven't got a chance to fire weapons made especially for drones from a Rotary Striker, and it is quite the reason to be surprised.
"Alright, that's the last." Miller informed at his co-pilot. "Let's get back home."
"Gladly." Mason replied, pushing the control joystick forward, making the Wendigo move forward, increases altitude and leaving the test range.
"Tonopah Tower, Wendigo 0-1. Objective completed. BDA to follow, the primary target plus ten enemy infrastructures along with numerous vehicles are destroyed. We are RTB to Groom Lake, how copy?"
"Solid copy, 0-1. Proceed to heading 0-8-5 to Groom Lake. Last transmission, have a good one."
"0-1 out."
"Hey, Special Agent." Miller talked to his pilot. "You imagine what this thing would do in Afghanistan?"
It was silent for a bit before he answered.
"We could've used this." Mason answered, his tone becoming flat with a hint of sorrow.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."
"It's okay, Miller." he replied. "Hey, want to try the turbofan? Let's top this thing on our way back."
Miller thought for a bit. Activating the turbofan and go to full speed? This is the second sortie they had of the Unit, after its maiden flight three months ago. This was not theirs.
Their original Wendigo, the one with a different serial number, one of all three RAH-70 already completed was taken by In-Q-Tel, a CIA-funded company which purpose was to develop technology for the Agency's use. The only information they had was that their Wendigo is to be upgraded with, certain 'enhanced surveillance technology'.
And so, if anything happens to the one they're riding right now, it's on them.
"Maybe it's a bad idea." He said, yet not admitting that he's also in for it.
"Come to think of it, nobody has ever tested this Unit's speed to its full potential, right?"
"Yeah, you're right." Miller finally caved in. "Want to be the first?"
"That's more like it!" his pilot replied excitedly. "What's your MCI status?"
"In the green. We might be able to pull this."
The Wendigo silhouette was visible slightly through the moonlight. It was zooming away from the test range, heading further towards the horizon. The two of its pilots reaches for a button inside the joystick that activates the auxiliary Magic Turbofan on the Rotary Striker. They readied their right hands just beside it. The turbofan's power was adjusted in a similar manner to a factory setting, so that it wouldn't allow the Rotary Striker to go beyond its never-exceed speed.
"Tell me when?" Mason asked his co-pilot.
"Anytime." he replied while looking at the airspeed indicated on the LCD. It was showing 175 KT.
"Okay, here goes nothing!"
Mason pressed the turbofan button and soon, it started giving thrust to the helicopter. A ghostly hum was heard as the Rotary Striker started cruising faster than before. The reduced acoustic signature of the turbofan wasn't compromising its stealth very much as the sound quickly mixes with the howling night wind.
The pressure on both the Rotary Striker's user's chest increases along with the number on its airspeed indicator.
200 knots.
225 knots.
250 knots.
275 knots. The current fastest record of rotary wing vehicles was the XRS-59 ABC Rotary Striker, at 263 knots. Was.
"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Miller said as he saw the airspeed indicator.
"That's a new record, Field Agent! Let's make some distance in case anyone tries to break it!" Mason replied, pushing the RAH-70 to its limit.
300 knots.
"We're going ballistic, Special Agent!" Miller exclaimed at his co-pilot.
"Turbofan is still going, let's not stop just yet!"
325 knots.
And, 350 knots! The number's addition started slowing down after, and completely stops at 400 knots. The turbofan has stopped increasing its thrust, forbidding the Wendigo to increase its speed more than that.
As the Wendigo reaches its full speed potential, it uses the cover of the night to return to its lair, a remote detachment of the Edwards Air Force Base used by the CIA and the US Air Force, the Nevada Test and Training Range and Groom Lake, commonly recognized as Area 51.
Notes!
Advancing Blade Concept (ABC)
-A system consists of two contra-rotating co-axial rotor on a rotary wing. When a rotary wing travels at high speed, the main rotor blades are tilted forward, resulting in it having a retreating side and an advancing side. The retreating side tends to stall and prevented the rotary wing from going any faster. But with the Advancing Blade Concept implemented, the rotary wing gains balance, because each of the rotors, both on the top and the bottom compliments their advancing and retreating sides.
Examples of rotary wings using this system would be the Sikorsky S-69, Sikorsky X2, and Kamov series, namely Ka-50 and Ka-52.
RTB
-Return To Base
MCI
-Magic Capacity Indicator. A standard instrument in every Rotary Striker measuring the user's magic.
Blade Vortex Interaction (BVI)
-One of many source of noise from rotary wings. It happens whenever a rotor blade passes close to the vortex resulted from the previous blade.
SSW
-Small Smart Weapon
M-TADS
-Modernized Target Acquisition and Designation Sight, combined targeting device and sensors housed together.
TGS
-Turreted Gun System
Milliradian:
-A unit of angular measurements. Commonly used in military for calculating size and range of an object from the observer seeing it through a telescopic sight. The term if it is used in a telescopic sight is 'mil-dot'. Also used to determine the accuracy of a weapon.
MVR (Manipulated Variable Rotor)
-A system developed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. Fictional, imagined by me, but based on a real tech called the Active Aeroelastic Wing by Boeing Phantom Works. MVR enables active control of each rotor blade's behavior, so that it could adapt to its maximum potential at any given condition. This is what enabled the Wendigo to go beyond the theoretical speed limit of a rotary wing.
IR
-Infrared
Proof-of-concept
-Demonstration of an idea to ensure if it works or not. For example, in our world is the Lockheed Have Blue, an aircraft made to demonstrate the principle of stealth aircraft. The data gathered from test sorties of the Have Blue ended up being useful in development of the F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft.
Airdale
-A US Marine Corps jargon, used to refer to someone who works in the USMC Aviation.