#space defence

[retrocgads]

UK 1982

[willwediejustalittle]

I just checked and I spent nearly 20 hours in total sketching snape. I still have a few ideas but feel free to send me a request - I could really use them once my inspiration runs low!

[artemisfowlcodex]

LEP space defence

The LEP maintains an orbital grid of cloaked satellites for a variety of purposes. Communications and tracking are the two most commonly used, but new threats necessitate the construction of new sats. 

Orbital weapons platforms now sit in a stationary low orbit over Earth, borne aloft by repulsorlift bursts. This allows them to remain in their positions while still being low enough to actually hit their targets. These armed satellites come in several types, all closely linked. Some carry missile pods, while others utilise super heavy Neutrino or Laser cannons. This gives the LEP several things: easy fire support from the highest ground there is, in case of war on the surface, defence against hostiles in space, and, unbeknownst to the Humans, a complete and total aegis against nuclear armed ICBMs. The Cold War brought with it the prospect of irreparable damage to Earth, should the Button ever be pushed. The Fairy people do everything in their power to defend the planet, so there are a number of satellites placed directly above missile launch locations, ready to blast every single one of them out of the sky if the moment ever comes. 

This is the absolute last resort. If the satellites ever fire on such a large scale, they will be revealed, and consequentially the Fairies will be too. They are fine with the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction, as it has kept the world’s major powers from total warfare for over half a century, but they are not fine with someone actually being dumb enough to open fire. The LEP prefers to take preemptive action against nuclear threats, if they are deemed major enough to require their attention. During the 1980s, a missile base in the Soviet Union went rogue and prepared to fire its payload. If NATO detected the launches, it would all be over. Wing Commander Vinyaya personally led a bomber mission to strike the base, using powerful munitions to destroy the facilities in such a way that it was written off as being an accident and quickly hushed up by the Soviets. Many of the base’s troops and crew were killed during the mission, but everyone can agree that their deaths were vastly preferable to those of millions of people across the world.

The orbital weapons platforms can also point outwards, against external threats. No one has managed to prove the existence of aliens, let alone hostile ones, but the LEP has contingency plans for an invasion. A much more likely threat is that of a large asteroid. Science teams have got the paths of all dangerously sized asteroids and comets plotted out, and while they all appear to be safely out of the way, it is always prudent to be prepared. A two-stage plan is ready for this event. First, a superheavy missile is fired at the incoming meteor, boring into the surface with a nose mounted laser cannon before detonating inside, breaking it down to smaller chunks. More missiles can be used if there are still parts too large for other weapons. Once the chunks are down to a manageable size, the Neutrino and Laser platforms open fire with pinpoint precision, swatting fragments until all that is left is a pretty meteor shower. Again, this course of action would expose the Fairies. Some events are just too big to hide.

The LEP’s new Spitfire fighters are fully capable of spaceflight, flying beyond Earth orbit with ease. They are just as, if not more nimble in space as they are in atmosphere. The Hurricane gunship is also able to go to orbit, although it doesn’t perform quite so well up there. The C-38 Heron transport is generally used for deployment and maintenance of orbital assets. For more information about these craft, please refer to article ‘LEP Aircraft’.

(Concept of Spitfire in orbit. Note the asteroid fragments and satellite weapons fire against them. This art was created as part of the campaign for the orbital defence grid. Source: Star Citizen)

Hiding things in space is harder than it sounds. Human space agencies track everything up there, and the LEP must be careful not to let their expensive satellites be detected. They are set to de orbit and self destruct in case of discovery. 

[retrocgads]

UK 1982