E-11 Saint
From Rise: The Vieneo Province
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
| 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 | 3,134,469 N total vacuum rating; approximately 2,915,056 N at reference sea level | Maximum acceleration | 1.34 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
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 lies approximately 0.500 m aft of the wing-nozzle midpoint. The front wing-engine outlets are approximately 3.286 m ahead of that CG and the rear outlets approximately 2.286 m aft. The complete wing, tail, body and thrust balance matters; this reference point does not define an approved range for moving cargo or the CG.
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 3.134 MN total in vacuum. Under reference sea-level conditions, their combined axial thrust is approximately 2.915 MN. The wing-engine hover installation provides approximately 3.144 MN vertical thrust, corresponding to a theoretical support mass of approximately 279,010 kg (615,111 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.
| Loading | Mass (kg) | Available lift required | Vertical thrust reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry empty | 113,933 | 40.8% | 144.9% |
| Full fuel, no cargo | 141,149 | 50.6% | 97.7% |
| Maximum gross | 238,182 | 85.4% | 17.1% |
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 fixed aft thrust
The aft engine's front and rear nozzles remain fixed along the aircraft's longitudinal axis during forward thrust, reverse thrust, VTOL and spaceflight. AUG does not tilt the aft engine. Pitch control uses the available RCS and aerodynamic control surfaces; their authority is finite. A full-thrust command is not a guarantee of trimmed flight.
Ascent and spaceflight
Do not rely on DOR to complete a maximum-gross ascent to orbit with the current fixed-tail configuration. Pitch authority and heating constrain the climb; maximum-gross hover capability does not establish an orbital ascent envelope.
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. Wing-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.