R1-B "Reeve" Advanced Fighter

Employed by the Grand Army of Voxelia in its aerial operations against the Coalition Defense Forces in the War of Reunification, the R1-B Advanced Fighter (also known as the Reeve or Shire Reeve after the lawmen of yore) is a quiet-running light fighter capable of filling interception, night fighting, and reconnaisance roles.

Propulsion

Unlike other vehicles employed in the GAV's fast attack doctrine, the Reeve relies as much as stealth (especially in night ops) as speed to accomplish its goals. The Reeves is undeniably faster than the ACG-1 "Aquila" Combat Autogyro it regularly faces off against, but it lacks the Aquila's ability to hover - and, thus, much of the former aircraft's ground support acumen.
Essentially a heavily modernized biplane, the Reeve is extremely unusual for its closed wing design and use of a coaxial ducted fan in a push configuration. The additional staggered wing surface over the top of the vehicle provides additional lift and gives the aircraft a smaller wingspan (better for hangar stowage or docking in an airship cradle as a parasite fighter) but reduces the vehicle's top speed due to the drag involved.
Placing the single engine within the ducted cowling makes the Reeve rather quiet, while the concealment of the fan behind the painted surface of a cowling aids in camouflaging the aircraft. These factors contribute well to the Reeve's unique role as a light stealth fighter, though they also make the fighter more difficult to fly and maintain due to its unusual geometries.

Weapons & Armament

The Reeve is relatively poorly-armed, featuring an 18mm grease gun of the variety that an auto-armor or machine gun crew might employ. The Reeve can also carry a limited number of small, unguided bombs which it can deliver to targets through dive bombing or toss bombing techniques. The unique geometries of cube layers can make the latter technique significantly more imprecise, meaning that it usually only gets used when launching anti-airship ordinance.

Armor and defense

Though the fighter is lightly armored overall, the fan cowling gives the Reeve's engine an additional degree of ballistic protection, while the closed wing provides some cover for the cockpit.

Communication Tools & Systems

The Reeve can use its radio equipment to navigate and communicate with other members of its parent squadron.

Sensors

Metal shutters can be opened along the fuselage below the cockpit to reveal glass viewports, allowing both pilot and copilot to see the ground directly beneath them. This is useful when operating in a reconnaisance role, as the copilot's instruments include a camera with adjustible magnification and pivoting sights aimed through one of these viewports.

Hangars & docked vessels

A Reeve can dock with a cradle aboard an airship, though doing so requires a degree of specialized skill. A Reeve can also be deployed from a skystation in an inflection layer, but its operational ceiling is too low to allow it to return. It is not believed to be capable of docking with - or being deployed from - a skystation in a commissure, though it might be able to cross on its own with very clever flying.

Nickname

Reeve; Shire Reeve

Manufacturer

Auburn Aerotechnical

Owning Organization

Voxelia

Complement / Crew

2 (1 pilot, 1 copilot)