ALB-65F Gladius

The ALB-65F Gladius is a UNSC Attack Bomber. It is a modified version of the B-65 Bomber, designed for precision aerial strikes against ground targets. 
==Description==
The AB-65F is an intelligently designed attack bomber aircraft, focusing on being able to go between tactical and strategic missions, including high altitude missions and close range, low support strike missions. To do this it focuses on a large flight body focused around the forward cabin, weapons, two main engines then the wide wings with vectored thrust engines. This format allows it to preform high altitude missions and even travel transatmospherically but also loiter at vary altitudes with some degree of agility. Its wing tip mounted vectored thrust engines are rocket engines while the main engines can vary between ramjet and rocket modes, like many UNSC engines. These new engines allow it to supercruise at mach 2.
The ALB-65F Gladius's airframe is constructed from a basis of superplastic-shaped diffusion-adhered metal matrix composites. These light, oxidation resistant light-matrix composites are formed from high modulus and high strength gold doped zirconium oxide fibres and a titanium/aluminium laminate matrix, formed by heat bonding layers of titanium, aluminium and titanium aluminide, forming high strength crystal matrices, the results forming a high strength, yet flexible and light airframe. The skin is formed from four layered plates attached to the frame. The inside layer is a high strength carbon nanotube nanobud mesh composite, which does not melt on re-entry and protects the ship and occupants. Above this is an environmental layer, which regulates internal and external heat, preventing layers from outright melting or freezing, and protecting the occupants. The third layer is a resin bonded layer of structural titanium aluminide with a titanium mesh insert. The fourth layer is an outer layer of AEGIS tiles, built on a non-newtonian shock absorbing layer, providing thermal and oxidation protection. The cockpit is situated in titanium-AEGIS compound armoured 'tubs'. These give limited protection against enemy fire. The windscreen is bullet-proof diffusion-bonded self-regenerating stretched-acrylic, with a coating of liquid glass, with a variable electronically controlled gold tinted setting, which protects it from solar rays, laser dazzles and electronic interference. These give limited protection against enemy fire. The skin is painted with thermal diffusing paint, heat controlled hull to generate a black body exterior, infra-red suppressors on the engines, RADAR absorbent paint, liquid glass composites and LASER absorbent laminates, which when compounded with its stealth design, gives it excellent stealth abilities.
The Gladius utilises a LASER weapon system instead of a bomb bay, powered by a pair of CENTURION Fusion power plants. The Gladius can utilises a pair of TITAN LASERS in a Firestorm CIWS styled set up, with them firing in sequence to achieve a higher rate of fire, or one single, custom made HYPERION LASER, with an output four times that of the TITAN and many times more powerful than the SPARTAN LASER. These differing set ups allow the Gladius to precisely engage ground targets with high power weapons and total accuracy, with them being able to differ between engaging armoured columns or engaging heavily defended targets, such as bunkers and other kinds of hardened buildings. It is fitted with two heavy pylons for additional bombs or stand-off weaponry and two medium pylons for housing short range defensive weapons against air and ground targets. 
The Gladius uses a multidirection passive phased array RADAR with emissions control and Synthetic Aperture operational capacity, defensive RADAR receiver and ECM jamming abilities, an optical all weather/IR optical viewing system and LIDAR systems.
==UNSC Remarks==
==Gallery==
Image:ShortSword.JPG
Category:UNSC Aircraft