E-11 Saint

The official blurb: "The E-11 Saint is the flagship of the fleet. Although she is sluggish, she can take you all the way to orbit and beyond. With room for over 100 MT of cargo in her hold and standard VTOL she has all the flexibility you are looking for (if you can get past the sticker price)."

The E-11 is a VTOL-capable aerospace vehicle, in so far as it has conventional flight surfaces but is also capable of ascending beyond the atmosphere, maneuvering in orbit and re-entering under its own power.

The E-11 first went into production on February 24, 2243 and supersedes the E-10 model. It is the second in the Explorer class of aerospace vehicles.

Statistics

E-11 Saint — Aerospace vehicle specifications

General
Manufacturer	Trimbal-Kneers Aerospace	Type / role	Explorer-series aerospace vehicle
Price / MSRP	10,900,477 CR	Availability	Not specified
Restrictions	Not specified	IVR series	Not specified
Dimensions and weights
Length	48.751 m	Width	Not specified
Height	14.877 m (with gear)	Empty / curb weight	113,933 kg (BOW)
Fuel capacity	27,216 kg (Iagreous)	Payload	124,248 kg
Maximum gross / takeoff weight	238,182 kg (gross)
Capacity and equipment
Seats	Not specified	Passenger capacity	Not specified
Cargo bays	6	Cargo capacity	Not specified
Internal stowage	7 MT (Bay 0)	Avionics bays	5
Weapon mounts	2	Engine count	3
Life support
Cabin pressurization	Not specified	Rated pressure differential	Not specified
Performance
Engine / propulsion	Not specified	Maximum speed	130–150 m/s IAS (VNE), depending on loading
Normal range	Indefinite (capable of reaching orbit)	Endurance	Not specified
Flight
Wingspan	48.75 m	Effective wing area	280.104 m2 (projected wing and aileron area)
Cruising speed	Varies with loading, altitude, engine condition and trim authority	Service ceiling	Indefinite (capable of reaching escape velocity)
Engine critical altitude	Not specified	Bypass ratio	Not specified
Thrust	3,454,000 N total vacuum rating; approximately 3,212,000 N at reference sea level	Maximum acceleration	1.48 standard G thrust/mass at maximum gross in vacuum; before gravity and drag
VTOL capability	Yes; subject to loading and balance limits	Rain Protection Type	Bleed air system
Flight controls and landing gear
Flight Spoilers	Not specified	Ground Lift Dump (GLD)	Not specified
Retractable Landing Gear	Not specified	Landing Gear Type	Not specified
Leading Edge Flaps	Not specified	Trailing Edge Flaps	Not specified
Space operations
Orbital capability	Capable of reaching orbit and escape velocity	Interstellar capability	Not specified
Docking / interfaces	Not specified

VNE is an upper indicated-airspeed limit, not a target cruise speed. Available thrust can limit sustained level flight below VNE, and available trim can be exhausted before the remaining control-column authority. Maximum gross weight is not a guarantee of hover or hands-off level flight. See VTOL for vertical-flight controls and limitations.

Standard Equipment

• GPWS
• Autoflyte
• 320 km LRS with TCAS

C-17 compared with the E-11

Operating envelope

The operating references below assume the nominal CG, healthy propulsion and clean surfaces on Vieneo. Loading, engine condition, temperature, configuration and control authority affect the achievable flight path. Maximum gross weight is not permission to ignore balance, IAS, AFT or crew/airframe loads.

Hover capacity and CG

The nominal CG is at the model origin, midway between the wing engines' front and rear outlets, approximately 2.786 m forward and aft of the CG. It is about 48.3% of the isolated-wing mean aerodynamic chord; the complete wing, tail, body and thrust balance matters, so that percentage alone does not define an approved CG range.

Both opposing outlets on each wing engine tilt down through 54°. Equal front/rear flow cancels longitudinal thrust and adds lift; both outlets consume fuel. The aft engine stays axial during VTOL. See VTOL engine arrangements for the controls, transition and operating limits.

The three axial engines provide approximately 3.454 MN total in vacuum, before vectoring. Under reference sea-level conditions, their combined axial thrust is approximately 3.212 MN. The wing-engine hover installation provides approximately 3.465 MN vertical thrust, corresponding to a theoretical support mass of 307,420 kg (677,744 lb). This is a thrust ceiling, not permission to exceed the 525,100.4 lb maximum gross weight. No vertical RCS or nozzle ground-effect contribution is included.

Sea-level hover reference: healthy engines, still air, nominal CG

Loading	Mass (kg)	Available lift required	Vertical thrust reserve
Dry empty	113,933	37.1%	169.8%
Full fuel, no cargo	141,149	45.9%	117.8%
Maximum gross	238,182	77.5%	29.1%

Reserve is available vertical thrust divided by weight, minus one. The lift fraction is not a direct throttle recommendation: TVM and the propulsion allocator coordinate the flows. Allow for engine response and leave control reserve. Off-center loads require unequal thrust and can reduce usable lift; no generic aft or forward CG shift is guaranteed safe.

Augmentation and axial pitch vectoring

With AUG on, the aft engine can vector in pitch by up to 15° at up to 5°/s while the wing nozzles are axial. It helps balance main-engine pitch torque in manual and automatic flight, including forward and reverse thrust. RCS still supplies residual attitude control. AUG off removes this assistance and returns the vector toward neutral; do not rely on the normal powered-ascent procedure with AUG off. Vectoring is neutral during VTOL/hover and ground idle. It neither adds a fourth engine nor changes the fuel capacity.

Ascent and spaceflight

All three main engines provide the powered climb after the initial VTOL transition. Continuous F9 is not the high-altitude propulsion procedure. See DOR automated ascent for PARKING ORBIT and ground RENDEZVOUS for an ascent followed by transfer.

The E-series DOR departure clears approximately 750 m AGL, builds forward speed, then uses a nominal 30° pitch target below 25 km MSL and a steeper target as wing support fades. Guidance subsequently lowers pitch to build tangential orbital speed. These are state-limited pitch targets, not a universal altitude/pitch envelope or a fixed FPA. IAS, AFT, current velocity and AP/PE remain essential. Reaching 100 km alone does not establish orbit; low station staging may require a subsequent powered transfer rather than a long unpowered coast.

WING OVHT caution is above 125°C AFT; warning is above 225°C. DOR plans below 100°C, with a 95°C forecast target for managed atmospheric descent. These margins do not replace monitoring or establish a structural clearance. Observe the displayed VNE for the current loading and configuration; it is an upper IAS limit, not a target cruise speed.

These references use Vieneo's current atmosphere: surface density 3.063 kg/m³, surface pressure about 2630 mb, density scale height 7.5 km and surface gravity about 11.27 m/s². Main-engine nozzle vectoring is available at any altitude, including vacuum; power, engine condition and balance still limit the delivered thrust. See VTOL operating limits. Suborbital coast, orbit and reentry require their own guidance and energy management. No terrain/weather avoidance or automatic landing is implied.

External Links

• Detailed specifications