YAT program

The YAT program is a science and engineering initiative of the Zacapine government for the development of advanced technology. YAT is an acronym derived from the Nahuatl phrase Yancuic Amantecayotl Tlapalihuiztli (𐐏𐐰𐑌𐐿𐐶𐐨𐐿 𐐈𐑋𐐰𐑌𐐻𐐯𐐿𐐰𐐷𐐬𐐻𐑊 𐐓𐑊𐐰𐐹𐐰𐑊𐐨𐐸𐐶𐐨𐑆𐐻𐑊𐐨, "New Technology Initiative"), which refers both to the individual research units and design bureaus as well as the overall government program they belong to. The YAT program is responsible for much of the technological progress seen in Zacapican, contributing many innovations and discoveries to the fields of aeronautics, rocketry, computation, as well as material and nuclear science. This effort towards innovation and technological advancement is considered to be the greatest success of the Zacapine government and the culmination of a decades long ambition of modernization and technological supremacy. Sharing access to the fruits of the program through joint projects and technical assistance is one of the main vehicles for Zacapine diplomacy and form the basis of bilateral relations with other countries. The capabilities of many of the YAT bureaus are also enhanced by this exchange, which makes the expertise and knowhow of foreign firms and scientists accessible to Zacapine scientists and engineers.

The origins of the YAT program go back to 1922, in the middle of the era of rapid and often forced modernization and industrialization across Zacapican under the regime of Tepachoani Xolotecatl Acuixoc. The aim of the program in its early years was to advanced the industrial and military technology of Zacapican by inviting educated specialists from all over the world and sponsor the education of the best and brightest of Zacapican to spearhead technological initiatives across all fields. Soon after the start of the program, military innovation came to the forefront as the YATs were tasked with developing new weapons for use in the Hanaki War. After the war, the militarization of the program would remain with many YATs continuing to work primarily on military projects which would sometimes be secondarily adapted for civilian application, while some YATs such as those involved in the development of nuclear science have largely pursued civilian applications. Over the history of the program, hundreds of numbered YAT bureaus have been established. While some would be closed down and disbanded without ever rising to any real significance, a significant number of them would find great success in their projects. As each YAT office produces over its lifetime many engineers of great renown, they come to bear the name of their most influencial members, be they founders or engineers who came to head each YAT bureau.

Active YATs

YAT 4 - Amegatecah

Designer of trains and railway technology dedicated to the development and expansion of the Zacapine internal rail network including various forms of rail transit such as metropolitan rapid transit trains as well as long range high-speed rail transportation.

YAT 7 - Mika

Bureau involved in the design of gas-turbine engines for turboprop aircraft. Named for Janos Mika, a Lushyod immigrant and engineer who arrived in Zacapican in 1925 and was commissioned by the state to work on early propeller aircraft.

YAT 11 - Xochiquen

Naval technology bureau specializing in naval aviation technology. Unusually among YAT bureaus, it is not named for its director but instead for Admiral Aztlacatl Xochiquen, Zacapine naval pioneer and highly influential figure in the design of the first seaplane carrier ships which would eventually be developed into the first Zacapine aircraft carriers.

YAT 13 - Coyoltecatl

Artillery design bureau named for its third director Tecanyo Coyoltecatl. Designer of the formidable 155m Zacapine artillery system and various modern precision mortar systems.

YAT 19 - Xochiteotl

One of the early rocketry research units which would later specialize in military rocketry and MRL systems.

YAT 25 - Andras

Small arms developer, responsible for the well known TCN weapons platform.

YAT 33 - Xonda

Hovercraft engineers pioneering the design of both military and civilian hovercraft. Now primarily engaged in the design of amphibious landing craft and logistically support vessels based on the hovercraft concept.

YAT 39 - Colotl

Heavy armored vehicle engineering unit, specializing in main battle tanks and related vehicles. Usually in competition with YAT 114, the Mizyaotl bureau, for the primacy of their armored fighting vehicles within the military. Named for its founder and Zacapine military mechanization pioneer Yakim Colotl, it is most known for the O74 and O17 tanks.

YAT 45 - Mosegi

Turbojet engine designer producing engine types used in VTOL aircraft such as the Tlo-35 as well as more unorthodox designs such as the TC-14 ekranoplan.

YAT 48 - Mixcoyotl

Radar technology development unit, responsible for designing a variety of airborne and naval radar systems.

YAT 50 - Itzcoyotl

The central VTOL aircraft R&D unit named for aviation pioneer Tochin Itzcoyotl, designer of the Itz-31 and other complex and technically impressive VTOL aircraft of Zacapine origin.

YAT 64 - Cecihuatl

Helicopter design bureau, known for synchropter designs such as the Ilacatztli Ila-22. For this reason, also known as YAT Ilacatztli.

YAT 66 - Ometlacatl

Development unit specializing in heavy lift helicopters, particularly of various tandem rotor designs such as the MIAEZ-60.

YAT 71 - Chernomyrdin

Jet aircraft design bureau specializing in high complexity fighter jet projects such as the Tlo-45, with a closely related design lineage to the craft of Tochin Itzcoyotl's YAT 50. Founded by a student of Itzcoyotl, Director Valery Chernomyrdin.

YAT 114 - Mizyaotl

Military vehicle design bureau, named for its first director Necuametl Mizyaotl. Responsible for the design of the TNT, ZTA-1, and ZTA-2 as well as the ongoing development of the upcoming ZTA-3.

YAT 131 - Aketzalli

Amphibious aircraft and ekranoplan bureau spearheaded by Micol Aketzalli in the 1970s.

YAT 250 - Cihuacoatl

Rocketry engineering unit originally involved in the design of long range strategic missiles, later repurposed to design rockets for the Zacapine space program

YAT 444 - Yaxkin

Nuclear research unit developing next generation nuclear reactor types. Currently developing a hydrogen-moderated modular reactor design spearheaded by director Mocel Yaxkin.

Former YATs

YAT 224 - Kaluzhny

Nuclear research unit organized by Pyotr Kaluzhny in 1962 which developed nuclear reactor technology including the graphite-moderated TCTN reactor type. The meltdown of a TCTN reactor resulting in the Zacatlilco disaster destroyed Kaluzhny's reputation after it was found that the disaster was caused in part by a flawed design. YAT 224 was shut down in 1994 after supervising a safety retrofit program to eliminate design flaws from all remaining TCTN reactors in Zacapican.

Secret projects

The specifications of military equipment, vehicles and weapon systems are considered protected information by the Zacapine government. This designation legally restricts access to such information and establishes criminal penalties for unauthorized dissemination. As a result, many of the YAT bureaus which work on military equipment are subject to a degree of secrecy which prevents its engineers from divulging details regarding their work. However, the general nature of YAT projects is not protected information by itself. For example, the fact that the ZTA-3 armored vehicle is being developed by YAT-144 is not protected information, while the specifications of the ZTA-3 remain a state secret. This level of information security is not considered to be sufficient for the most sensitive YAT programs. Therefore, a special class of YAT unit exists to undertake projects which are of extreme strategic value or may be potentially inflammatory to the domestic or international public. These units are called YAT Ichtacayotl, Secret YATs, abbreviated to YATI. The very existence of YATI bureaus is a state secret, meaning that their projects and even their designations are not public information. Protecting the secrecy of YATI units as well as classified YAT projects is the responsibility of the TIAT, Zacapican's premier counterintelligence and government oversight organization. TIAT closely monitors personnel involved with secret projects to prevent leaks from inside.

A 2020 leak alleged the existence of two YATI bureaus, although the information was never confirmed by the Zacapine government and is impossible to corroborate. Nevertheless, the two bureaus named in the 2020 leak remain the only YATI units for which the designations are possibly known. The first is a cyberwarfare unit designated YATI-3, which the leak alleges was in some way involved with the creation of Poliworm exploit used in a 2014 cyberattack on the Belfrasian company Bravis attributed to the Zaca-Pulatec COCT. The second bureau named in the leak, YATI-7, is even more obscure as even in the leak there is a lack of specific information. According to the leak, the name of YATI-7's main initiative is Project Centlatoani and is related to space warfare. However, the document does not elaborate on the exact nature of this project. Project Centlatoani has been the subject of widespread speculation within various circles of the Nahuatl internet, with one popular theory suggesting that it is an anti-satellite weapon project and another asserting that Project Centlatoani is a design for a kinetic bombardment weapon. More official commentators such as some hosts of Zacapine TV news networks have put forward the alternate explanation that the 2020 leak was nothing more than a misdirection organized by TIAT agents, who have in the past purposefully leaked documents bearing false information and incorrect figures to mislead foreign intelligence analysts as to the actual specifications of YAT military projects.