Approved Discussion on Hypersonic Aircraft

[Ceausescu]

I'm well aware of the stealth and airflow issues. My idea was that the aircraft would cruise in stealthily, drop its bombs, then accelerate to hypersonic speeds and GTFO. The plane was never intended to be able to drop its payload at supersonic speeds, its designed as a hit & run plane. Alternatively, the same airframe can also be used for recon missions. This is by no means an end-all-be-all aircraft. Its a highly specialized piece of equipment which was originally intended as a research platform and would be pressed into service because it'd be a shame to waste the money it cost to develop it (Carpathia also did this with its first generation railway railguns, which were essentially naval railguns transplanted onto a railway carriage. Three prototypes were built and after a period of testing and adjustments, they were pressed into service).

OOC, the purpose of this aircraft isn't to give myself some sort of advantage, as I'm well aware of its limitations. The sole purpose which this plane serves, is to be cool. It adds a bit of fluff/window dressing which could be used in a number of ways (see my recent "UFO sighting" tweets, as an example). AKA its a fancy plot device, not a strategic game changer.