The Red 10 was a jet fighter designed in 2638 by the now-defunct Buell Brothers Motor Company to supply the Terran Armed Forces in the interwar period with an effective and innovative air-superiority fighter.

As technology quickly advanced within the Terran armed forces, its defensive needs grew exponentially, as such, the development of military technology had advanced significantly throughout the interwar period. Airplanes like the Sky Hawk, still utilized standard jet fuel to propel themselves into battle, and though still useful under certain applications, the need for an alternative and more effective fuel source was identified. It was in this need that the Red 10 was born.

The Buell Brothers Motor Company, a small family-owned firm that concentrated on the development and production of motor vehicles, and civilian aircraft, took up the challenge of developing an upgrade to the existing jet fighter models in service at the time. The Buell Brothers believed that to secure a contract with the Terran Armed Forces they would need to create a fighter plane that would prove itself unique among the current designs that were offered up at the time, to do that they would need to innovate and think outside the box.

Jak Buell, the company's co-owner, would deliver just that with the Red 10 and bring about the very first known implementation of a fully functioning hydrogen-powered jet engine. During air speed trials, the Red 10 proved itself formidable where other contestants lagged behind. The hydrogen jet engines were powerful enough to keep up with standard jet fuel engines even when they had afterburners activated.

The Red 10 was also equipped with more extensive electronic systems compared to the other contestants which allowed it to equip a greater quantity and variety of missiles, additionally, the Red 10 was equipped with twin 20mm gatling guns, which would chew through ammo quickly but chew through enemy fighters even quicker.

The Red 10's hydrogen engine technology was, unfortunately, still in its infancy, which resulted in a number of issues. For starters, the engine burnt through fuel quickly, a consequence of the prototyped fuel injection system, this meant that the operational range of the Red 10 was very limited, additionally, unlike its competitors which utilized standard jet fuel and were equipped with afterburners, the Red 10's hydrogen engine did not have afterburner capabilities which left it vulnerable in situations where such equipment would assist the pilot. The gatling guns also suffered efficiency issues and required extensive maintenance as they were prone to jam when frequently used in short bursts.

Despite its impressive display during its trials, the Red 10 would not be considered for service but the hydrogen engine technology would attract the attention of engineers who were interested in learning how it functioned and how it could be implemented into future aircraft designs. This influx of attention would lead the Buell Brothers Motor Company to enter a private contract with the Terran Armed Forces to not only continue developing the Hydrogen Jet Engine Prototype but to continue the production of the Red 10 under a small sample size.

When the Septan Empire returned in 2662, the Red 10 prototypes were field-tested in The Defense of Terra and would prove themselves only marginally effective against Septan aircraft with many of its previous issues blaring up during its deployment. Once the Septans were expelled from Terra, upgrades to the Red 10 began immediately.

The Red 10 would serve for a large portion of the 1st SepTerran War with many of its issues being addressed through upgrades and variations of the original prototype, but by 2765 production would cease as the Buell Brothers Motor Company would file for bankruptcy, a consequence of poor management and financial decisions. Very quickly, the Red 10 would become a rare sight on the battlefield until eventually the design was lost to time. In the modern age, very few Red 10s exist with most of them being owned by either museums or private collectors.

Although the Buell Brothers did not survive long term, the Red 10 became a legend in the aeronautics industry, its introduction of Hydrogen Jet Engine technology paved the way for the development of some of the best Jet fighters currently in the market and set the standard for innovation in Terran industry for the foreseeable future.

Yet another aircraft from my Remake collection, have fun flying :DDD

Original:
https://www.simpleplanes.com/a/s1DTHi/Red-10