Aeronautics
What is Black Void Aeronautics?
Black void aeronautics is a branch of the larger BVAA wich focuses on aerial vehicles and spaceplanes. Two major projects have been pursued, an unnamed spaceplane programme and the EXperimental Aerial Vehicle programme.
The latest vehicle, EXAV-6, is a crewed hypersonic jet aircraft with a swept wing design and dual afterburning jet engines.
UNNAMED SPACEPLANE PROGRAMME
The first aeronautical project drawn up was the USP. The USP was a crewed cargo spaceplane capable of 10 tonnes and a crew of two to low Kerbin orbit and only one succesful mission was preformed, taking a small Kerbin observation satellite, which has since deorbited.
The spaceplane has two atmospheric engines, and to vacuum engines, giving it just enough fuel to get into orbit. In orbit it could deploy a small solarpanel and a communications antenna.
To get down to the ground again, the USP is equipped with a set of wings, and a set of control surfaces to smoothly glide down to the ground where it deploys a pair of drogue chutes for safety.
EXAV
EXperimental Aerial Vehicle series of aircraft aiming to reach increasing speeds. The first successful flight was by the model EXAV 6u (u for unmanned) and it reached a speed of 612m/s and an altitude of 11km. The pilot was Billin Kerman.
The next planned flight will be of the EXAV 7 with a new airframe, enlarged design and twin seated cockpit. Future designs will have a cargo bay to airlaunch small payloads to LKO.
