The Delta-glider (DG) is the ideal ship for the novice pilot to get spaceborne. Its futuristic design concept, high thrust and extremely low fuel consumption make it easy to achieve orbit, and it can even be used for interplanetary travel. The winged design provides aircraft-like handling in the lower atmosphere, while the vertically mounted hover-thrusters allow vertical takeoffs and landings independent of atmospheric conditions and runways.
This is the DG-S variant of the Delta-glider which is fitted with a pair of supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engines to assist in earthbound atmospheric flight. Unlike a standard jet engine, ramjets don't have moving parts to provide compression in the diffuser stage. This means that they can only operate at sufficiently high airspeeds. You will need the rocket engines for takeoff and landing. The optimal operational range for the scramjet engines is between Mach 3.0 and Mach 7.3. At lower speeds, the scramjets do not generate sufficient thrust for sustained flight. At higher speeds, the engines cut out due to overheating of the compressed airstream.
The scramjet engines can improve launch efficiency to some extent, but are mainly intended to improve DG crossrange capability.
Contents