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Blueprints -- Small Hangar

CLASSIFIED LEVEL BLACK

PHALANX Extraterrestrial Response Unit

Construction Precis, Sigma Clearance -- Commander's Eyes Only

Filed: 11 August 2008

By: Gen. E. Baxter, Base Commander, PHALANX, Pacific Operations Command

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Overview

Due to the recent restructuring of our airfleet, we've had to make a complete reassessment and redesign of our hangar facilities. The VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) requirement for all new PHALANX aircraft has eliminated our need for runways. This has allowed us to move all hangar facilities into the actual base to improve security and response times.

The Small Hangar provides underground space to store and maintain 1 small VTOL aircraft. Repairs, rearmament and refuelling can be carried out in complete obscurity. The aircraft never even sees the light of day until it's time for launch. During a launch, the hangar roof folds open and the large hydraulic lift raises the aircraft to a position above the roof where it can safely take off.

For landing procedures, the lift features several tall catchhooks that -- once engaged by the undercarrige of a hovering pilot -- gently pull the aircraft down into a landing position. The catchhooks can intelligently adjust their own grip and even pass the grip from hook to hook to properly line up the undercarriage for landing. Once the catchhooks have snared the undercarriage and pulled it down to the landing surface, all the pilot needs to do is power down his engines. The system is simple and easy to use once a pilot gets the hang of it.

A nearly-identical system has been implemented for the Large Hangar.

Obviously the Small Hangar cannot house large craft due to size considerations.

Recommended Doctrine

The primary function of the Small Hangar is to house interceptors for the interception of airborne UFOs. Please refer to specific aircraft files to review their capabilities and deployment strategy.

Every PHALANX aircraft requires 1 hangar of appropriate size for storage, maintenance and deployment.

Hangars are a particularly vulnerable installation due to their direct connection to the surface. They will be a primary point of entrance for any extraterrestrial attackers. They are an extreme damage risk, filled with volatiles such as jet fuel and possibly high-explosive aircraft munitions. Worse, any aircraft left behind at the base will be a highly tempting target; severe damage to our interceptors -- or even more frightening, the dropship -- might put us out of action for weeks.

If possible, all aircraft should be scrambled before an impending base attack and moved out of the area until the attack is over. They may be engaged in the air by an approaching UFO, but at least they will have the advantage of being able to manoeuvre. Still, this may not always be a viable tactic. Scrambling our craft within range of a heavily-armed attack ship could have more disastrous results than leaving them in their hangars, as tempting a target as that would make them.

Addenda

None.

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