HCA-22A Draconis

The HCA-22 Draconis is a multi-use, quad-fan helicopter focusing on Close Air Support (CAS) designed to provide heavy fire support for airborne formations and destruction of enemy vehicles while carrying supplies and personnel for reinforcement. The HCA-22 Draconis is operated by the Confederacy of Atreus, Pan-Veiidic Commonwealth, and Tachystani Liberation Front and is a design based on a concept from the Principality of Belka. First flying in 2197, the HCA-22 acts as a airborne headquarters for Forward Observers and Airborne Brigade Command Staff.

HCA-22 Draconis Heavy Command Aircraft 22 Draconis
Heavy Command Gunship
A HCA-22A Draconis being escorted by two ZH-2C Scorpion Gunships during a joint training exercise with Zokesia. c. 2199
National Origin		Confederacy of Atreus
Production History
Designed
2193 - 2198
Produced
2198 - 2199
Designer		Odyssey Aerospace Arienela Dynamics
Unit Cost		212,976(√)
Number Built		~6
Service History
In Service
2199 - N/A
Used By		Confederacy of Atreus Pan-Veiidic Commonwealth Tachystani Liberation Front
Aircraft Characteristics
Dry Mass		127,764kg
Length		30.5 m
Width		23.3 m
Height		5.1 m
Propulsion		4 Arienela Dynamics AD-H216B Turboshaft Engine
Maximum Velocity		30 m/s
Operational Range		unknown km
Crew		9 (1 pilot, 1 gunner/co-pilot, 2 gunners, 1 flight engineer, 1 crew chief, 1 loadmaster, 1 airborne commander)
Sensor Systems		AN/AAQ-28 Targeting Pod APG-77(V)1 Air-to-Ground Radar AN/MAR-37 Missile Approach Warning System
Armament		1 AK-630 37mm Rotary Cannon, 4 M230 30mm Chaingun, 12 AGM-114 Hellfire ATGM, 24 Brimstone ATGM, 266 AGR-20 APKWS Guided Rockets, 2x32 Hydra-70 Rocket Pod Turrets
Variants		XCA-22, HCA-22A

Development and Design

Origins

With the rising popularity in rotary wing and tilt-rotor aircraft spearheaded by Zokesia and Cyten-Ward Industries, it demonstrated to the Atreian Army a new need for a heavy CAS aircraft to support both armored spearheads and air assault attacks, as well as providing a command center for rapidly relocating headquarters staff for airborne formations. The Atreian Ministry of Defense began the Experimental Command Aircraft (XCA) program in early 2192.

With multiple proposals coming from throughout the Pan-Veiidic Commonwealth and from corporations such as Penguin Logistics And Internal Defense (PLAID), Cyten-Ward Industries, Odyssey Aerospace, and Starline Industries . Encouraged to form teams by the Atreian Army, the Northwind Design Team joined forces with Arienela Dynamics to develop Fire Control Systems (FCS) and Avionics packages for the XCA-22. The Atreian Army finally selected the Northwind Aerospace proposal of the XCA-22 in June of 2196.

Initial Prototypes and Design Changes

Being designated the Heavy Command Aircraft 22 (HCA-22) in July 2196, the first prototype began construction a month later, being completed in October of the same year. Initial flight testing showed concerns with the initial single quad rotor per each ducted fan, which over torqued the rotor causing structural concerns with the Arienela Dynamics AD-H216 Turboshaft engines that powered each fan. This was later changed to a two rotor per fan setup in which the three-bladed rotors rotated opposite of each other, with the top set of blades controlling both collective and roll, while the bottom set of rotors controls collective as well as pitch.

With the first flight in January 2197, the HCA-22 proved to be quite difficult to handle, at high blade angles, control authority was reduced, nearly leading to a crash in 2198. Various issues were rectified in the production variant of the HCA-22, known as the HCA-22A.

Design

Propulsion

The HCA-22 is built around four ducted fans driven by four independent AD-H216B Turboshaft Engines which linked transmissions ensuring that in the case of the failure of a single engine meant only a slightly reduced amount of thrust and not a complete loss of the aircraft's control.

Each ducted fan features two independent rotor heads, with 3 blades mounted on each. Both rotors on each fan rotates at 451 RPM, with the top rotor spinning clockwise with a maximum blade angle of 9 degrees and 2 degrees of control authority for the roll axis. The bottom mounted rotor spins counterclockwise with a maximum blade angle of 9 degrees and 5 degrees of pitch authority. Each AD-H217B turbofan is mounted on hull, with a driveshaft extending to the rotor pair it is closest to.

Intake air for the engines is fed from large intake ducts mounted on the housings for the front set of AD-H126B Turboshafts on either side of the cockpit, and is fed to the rear engines through ducts that run the length of the hull, with the rear engines being fed through secondary ducts that automatically open in the event of insufficient intake air requirements.

Crew Compartment

The HCA-22A features a unique twin-cockpit system with the smaller, central cockpit being used for control and flight of the aircraft, and the offset cockpit on the right being used for secondary control of the aircraft and gunnery with the station for the aircraft commander's station being situated behind the gunner's station.

Both cockpits have 1 inch of bulletproof glass, as well as the hull around the cockpit being built of 1 inch armor that has not been publicly announced by the Atreian Army. Additionally, all crew stations in the primary crew compartment being crash-rated up to a 20m/s impact straight down, and a combined impact velocity of 40m/s.

The interior of the crew compartment features two gunners stations using augmented reality goggles with a monitor backup to aim and fire the gun and rocket turrets of the HCA-22A, and multi-functional displays to use the APG-77(V)1 Air-to-Ground Radar and AN/AAQ-28 Targeting Pod to reduce workload on the primary gunner (also called Gunner-in-Command, or GIC) in the event of a incapacitation of the pilot or loss of the pilot cockpit.

The crew compartment is sealed and NBC rated, being pressurized to 1.2 bar to prevent the ingress of any hostile air-borne weapons or harmful environmental conditions such as volcanic ash. However, this proved concerning in the case of the crew compartment being penetrated by a large explosive such as a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) or anti-tank guided missile (ATGM). For this reason, the HCA-22A comes with 9 independent oxygen masks with optional adapters for the aircraft's own oxygen supply, but can also be depressurized for regular operation.

Weaponry

As a gunship, the HCA-22A is heavily armed, featuring a majority rocket-based armament, being built around the AGR-20 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System, also known as APKWS, for a total of 266 rockets in 14 pods, with 19 rockets per pod. As the rockets are laser guided, all rockets are guided based off of the AN/AAQ-28 Targeting Pod based on the bottom of the command cockpit. 4 of the 12 rocket pods are mounted on the wings on either side of the crew compartment in vertical stacks of 2 on each side inboard of the sextuple mounts for AGM-114 Hellfire ATGMs. The rest of the 10 rocket pods are mounted on wings in the midsection of the aircraft, being mounted with 5 on each side in a horizontal configuration allowing them to fire under the forward set of ducted fans.

All twelve of the HCA-22A's AGM-114s are mounted between two sextuple mounts, with 3 vertical stacked tiers of two rails each side of the center, for a total of 6 missiles on each side of the crew compartment. Similar to the AGR-20 pods, the AGM-114s are guided via the AN/AAQ-28 targeting pod mounted on the underside of the command cockpit and are used for specific anti-armor work such as countering hostile Main Battle Tanks, Infantry Fighting Vehicles, or armored Air Defensed vehicles while AGR-20s are used for general purpose operations.

The HCA-22A's 24 Brimstone ATGMs are mounted underslung on each wing in racks of 12 in two rows of 6 each. Unlike the AGR-20 and AGM-114, the Brimstone ATGMs are guided via the APG-77(V)1 Air-to-ground radar and as they are High-Explosive warheads, the Brimstones serve in a precision anti-structure and anti-infantry and light vehicle work where the longer range than the AGR-20 is required.

Uniquely, kinetic guns make up a large amount of the armament of the HCA-22A, being built around a modified, shoulder-mounted AK-630 Naval Close In Weapons System refitted with Armored Piercing Incendiary (AP-I) rounds to engage lightly-armored ground targets, and High Explosive (HE) rounds to engage structures and infantry formations. This is backed up by 4 M230 30mm Chaingun equipped with High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) rounds to engage both lightly armored and infantry formations. Additionally to the 30mm and 37mm cannons, the nose of the HCA-22A contains a six-barreled 20mm mount of the M61 Vulcan Autocannon.

Production and Early Service

With majority of the issues solved with the HCA-22A, the Atreian Army officially ordered production of two airframes of the HCA-22A which began construction in early 2198, and finishing production later that same year, entering into service with the Atreian 19th Airborne Brigade Combat Team in 2199 serving as the headquarters aircraft for the Brigade Commanding Officer (CO), and Brigade Executive Officer (XO).

During live fire exercises, the HCA-22A earned the unofficial nickname "Draconis" due to the amount of fire and smoke produced during rocket attacks in low-light conditions. This nickname became the official name for the aircraft in mid 2199.

With joint rotary-wing exercises with Zokesia taking place in late 2199, the HCA-22A proved to work well with lighter aircraft such as the ZH-2C which destroyed any major threats to the HCA-22A before the heavy fires from the Draconis destroyed what was left of any enemy formations.

Operators

Pan-Veiidic Commonwealth

Atreian Army

2 HCA-22A Draconis gunships are currently operated by the 19th Airborne Brigade Combat Team under the Brigade Headquarters.

Tachystani Liberation Front

It is unknown how many HCA-22As the TLF currently operates. It is also unknown how the TLF acquired the design or production capability required of the HCA-22A, but is rumored to be caused by corporate espionage or a data leak.