(yes, I made my own blueprints)

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Contents

- Last Build...?
- Lore
- Features
- Weapons

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Last Build...?

TL:DR: Not really...

As I've said in my teaser post, I won't be doing much building for the time being.

Besides academic reasons, I seem to have just lost my drive for building planes. I guess me not playing the game for 3 weeks made me realise that I can take it easy.

However, I have one more project planned. It's not a bird, it's not a plane, it's SPMR!

No idea if any of you still remember this. As I needed to revise for exams and thus didn't have a lot of time on my hands, I halted this in July and haven't come back since... until now.

I've finally started the curved portion of the track (it's a loop line), and my plans are now more ambitious: on top of the stations, there will be scenery surrounding the railway, such as buildings, trees and roads. Also, I have self-elected to continue with the underground section, so for the first time in SP history, you get tunnels!

Hopefully I can pull this off by December. If I do, mobile players can finally rejoice in finally having a railway after 9 years. If I don't... well, let's just hope I do!

Now, on with my lore (that took me 2 days to write)!

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Lore

Disclaimer: As this lore is integrated into WW2 history, some events mentioned here may be controversial, so please read this with an open mind. I acknowledge the suffering caused by these events, and do not intend to promote them in any way.

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The Wright Meteorite (colloquially known as the Meteorite), is an early-1944 six-engined heavy jet bomber manufactured by the Wright Island Aircraft Company, based in the British colony of the Wright Islands.

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Development

As early as 1940, the WIAC had drafted plans for a 4-engined jet-powered bomber with a service ceiling of 35,000 feet and a top speed of 650km/h (350 knots), labelled Project 350. Taking priority above other conceptual projects, WIAC had gotten to an advanced stage of design by 1942. However, the Blitz of Wright by Nazi Germany began on 23 May 1942, destroying many of WIAC's key facilities and forcing resources to be allocated to crisis management.

After the failure of the planned invasion of Wright in July 1942, Nazi bombings subsided, allowing the situation in the Wright Islands to stabilise. This allowed WIAC to continue devoting resources to Project 350, and a prototype was furnished by late 1943. The new bomber was given the name "Meteorite" to complement the actively-serving Gloster Meteor.

On 15 December 1943, the prototype Meteorite, clad in a British camouflage livery, took off from RAF Eton Airbase.

A Wright Times newspaper issue from 16 December 1943.

After sorting out several technical issues, the first Meteorite, serial number B09008, entered service on 18 April 1944. Over the next 12 months, a total of 24 Meteorites were produced, with 8 more built until July 1945.

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In Service

Throughout 1944, the Meteorite was mainly given reconnaissance roles over Allied-captured France and Italy. This was due to Allied commanders remaining hesitant on sending jet-powered aircraft into the Axis frontlines as any captured aircraft would prove invaluable to the Nazis.

The Meteorite participated in its first major assignment when 20 of the aircraft were sent as part of the opening wave of the Bombing of Dresden. Flying faster and higher than the Lancasters and Halifaxes accompanying them, they were the first group to reach Dresden and destroying military installations, opening up a window of opportunity for the other bombers to strike.

A photograph of Dresden post-bombing. Tragically, 20,000 civilians were killed in the raid. The bombing remains a controversial issue to this day.

A squadron of 12 Meteorites were deployed into the Pacific Theater to assist US bombers in bombing Japanese cities. Their speed and altitude meant that they were invulnerable to Japanese fighters, who had no hope of catching up with them.

Meteorites parked at Pearl Harbour, early 1945.

At one point, the Meteorites were seriously considered for the launch of the atomic bombs "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" for the Manhattan project.

However, Major General Leslie R. Groves Jr., the Manhattan Project's director, and General Henry H. Arnold, the Chief of United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), preferred using an American plane if possible. Hence, the B-29 was still chosen to launch the bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After the end of the war in 1945, the Meteorites were stationed at Wright Island air bases and kept on standby, in case an invasion of the western Soviet Union commenced. Ultimately, it never came to fruition.

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Cold War Variant: Wright Valour

Yes, you can try making a replica of this (but please credit me!).

With the threat of the Soviet Union looming in the horizon, it was of great importance that a new bomber be provided to provide nuclear deterrence. In November 1946, the British Air Ministry issued an operational requirement for an advanced jet bomber capable of carrying a 4,500 kg bomb to a target 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 kilometres) from a base anywhere in the world with a cruising speed of 500 knots (930 km/h) and at an altitude of between 35,000 and 50,000 feet (11,000 and 15,000 m). On 30 April 1947, WIAC, Armstrong Whitworth, Avro, English Electric and Handley Page were invited to submit formal design tenders.

WIAC submitted an updated version of the Meteorite, known as the Meteorite B, which contained better avionics, computer-aided bomb sight, a reduction of engines to 4 and a more swept-back wing. While not being as advanced as Avro's delta-wing proposal, the Operational Requirements Committee recognised that the Meteorite was the cheapest and most proven option out of all the other proposals, and could be converted from existing Meteorites.

The first Meteorite B prototype took off on 5 August 1950, being the first of the new bombers to enter the testing phase. In October 1952, in order to give all the bombers alliterate names, the Meteorite B was renamed to the Wright Valour and hence joined the V-bomber force.

Besides serving its primary role of nuclear deterrence, the Valour was deployed for the Suez Crisis and the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation.

After the Wright Islands's independence from the British in 1970, the retirement of the 40 Valours was put into consideration. Ultimately, the bombers were removed from service considering the diminished role of the V-bomber fleet and the advanced age of the airframes.

A Wright Meteorite (registration B09040) and a Wright Valour (registration CV219) are currently on display at the Museum of Cursed Planes in Wright City. A second Valour (registration CV220) is also on display at the Dunford Aerospace Museum in western Luther.

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Features

• Individual engine startup (each button on the center console in the cockpit now corresponds to just one engine. To perform a complete startup, all 6 buttons must be pressed.)
  

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• Highly detailed interior
  
  Cockpit
  
  Bomb Bay
  
  War Room (with cup o' tea and map of Dresden)
  
  Radio/Navigation Room

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• Panelled Wings (wanted to make a more realistic airfoil. It's tedious, but is just so satisfying.)
  

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Weapons

• 32 Boom 25s (AG1 to activate)
  

• 2 machine guns (1 on top, 1 tail gunner)
  
  

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Well, that's it. If you like this bomber, make sure to leave an upvote or comment! Thank you all so much for your support over the past 1 year, and I'll see you again!

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Full List of My Builds (click on this)