GCC D28 Skyguard – Early Terran Aerospace Patrol Craft

Origins and Development

After Major Perry Rhodan’s historic return from the Moon in June 1971 and his first contact with the Arkoniden aboard the AETRON, humanity began its accelerated rise into space. To support the technological transition and finance global unification, Homer G. Adams founded the General Cosmic Company (GCC). While the GCC had access to Arkonid technology, full-scale implementation of anti-gravity drives and high-energy field systems was still too expensive for everyday aviation needs.

To bridge the gap between traditional terrestrial aircraft and advanced Arkonid systems, GCC initiated the development of a light aerospace vehicle that combined conventional aviation with limited alien technology. The result was the GCC D28 Skyguard, one of the earliest hybrid designs of the post-STARDUST era.

Design Characteristics

The airframe of the Skyguard was based on the decommissioned Dornier Do 28. The original passenger cabin was stripped and refitted to hold fuel tanks, power cells and avionics. Vertical take-off and landing capability was achieved through two large lift-fans embedded in the fuselage, while forward thrust was provided by a pair of turbojet engines. These systems allowed operation from short or improvised landing zones—ideal for Earth-based security missions.

Although designed at a time when anti-gravity flight was already technically possible, the D28 deliberately avoided such advanced systems to reduce costs and reliance on Arkon technology. It was armed with two light disintegrator cannons, powered by compact energy cells that allowed only six minutes of continuous fire before recharge or replacement. The cockpit was configured for two crew members—pilot and systems officer—and there was limited space for additional personnel or equipment.

Operational Service on Earth

The first prototypes were tested in 1973, and series production started the following year. The D28 became a common sight above major Terran cities throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, serving with the Terran Federal Police, Solar Security, and regional air patrols. Its tasks included traffic surveillance, border reconnaissance and rapid-response duties.

The aircraft gained a certain notoriety during the “Neo-Jakarta Riots” of 1976, where it was deployed for aerial crowd control, and during an incident in 1979 when a Skyguard intercepted unauthorized smugglers attempting to transport illegal Arkon crystal technologies across the Alps.

Deployment to Other Worlds

A small number of Skyguards were transferred to Venus in 1978 for patrol and rescue duties around the Venusian jungle research bases. Despite initial promise, the thick, corrosive atmosphere and unpredictable weather quickly exposed the design’s limitations. Only five Venus-based Skyguards were ever brought back to Earth; the rest were either scrapped or cannibalized for spare parts.

Another small group of aircraft was transported to Ferrol in the Vega System by GCC subsidiaries in the mid-1970s. There, they were used briefly for desert patrol, convoy escort and mine facility protection. They remained in use only for a few years until grav-shuttle designs made them obsolete.

Decline and Legacy

By the early 1990s, nearly all Terran aviation had shifted to anti-gravitational technology. The Skyguard, once a symbol of early post-contact innovation, had become outdated. Most units were dismantled, and only a few survived in museums or private collections. One restored aircraft—bearing the registry number 12844—remains airworthy and occasionally appears at historical flight demonstrations near Terrania.

Although technologically primitive by modern Terran standards, the D28 Skyguard symbolizes the transitional era between atmospheric aviation and true cosmic flight. It represents a time when humanity was still learning to merge its own engineering traditions with the vast potential of Arkonide science.