Kolechia Revision Phase, Late Spring 1915Reflector sight
It's often hard for a pilot to see precisely where he is aiming. After all, if a pilot looks wrong through sights, he may encounter parallax or other errors, causing him to miss his target. The reflector sight resolves this issues ingeniously.
At it's core, the device is simple. Ambient light enters through a small hole at the top, where a targeting reticle has been painted. It is then reflected by an internal mirror towards a partially reflective concave glass. This conclave lens has it's focussed placed upon the reflective targeting reticule, which result in the creation of a virtual image it infinity.
As a result, the pilot sees a targeting reticule superimposed upon his target, and always in the right spot, no matter at which angle he looks through it. For easier targeting, the reticule consists of multiple concentric circles, which the pilots can use a visual reference in case they need to lead or lag the target
Efficacy: 5
The idea of reflector sights isn’t new to the rest of the world, but it might as well be to Kolechia, where the reflector sight has so far only been used on sniper rifles and surveying equipment. Nonetheless, after a thorough explanation of the sight’s principles by the design team, the engineers get to work with gusto, rigging up several prototypes of reflector sights suitable for the Type 11 LMG.
The final product, which remains unnamed for now to the annoyance of many engineers, is a remarkably good version of a reflector sight. It uses a half-silvered concave lens to reflect the image of the reticle into the user’s eye, collimated such that the reticle appears to be at infinity, and shifting to match the movement of the user’s eye. Preliminary reports from testing on the ground are promising, and although the device will have to wait until it is introduced in combat to prove itself effective against a manoeuvring opponent, the pilots are excited for such reflector sights to be installed on their aircraft.
Perhaps the only drawback, if it can be called that, is cost: producing and equipping reflector sights will cost 1 PP per squadron. If future weapons were made which included the reflector sight as standard, then economies of scale might be achieved in production, but for now the sights will have to be purchased separately from the Type 11 LMG.
Reflector Sight: A basic reflector sight that produces an image of the targeting reticule at infinity using reflected ambient light, shifting to offset the user’s eye position. Is unnamed, to the annoyance of many engineers. Cost: 1 PP
Incendiary/AP Ammunition
These belts consists out of a mixture of large phosphor filled bullets, and hardened armorpiercing bullets. They're intended to be used against enemy balloons, bursting and then igniting their large fuel reserves. Even so, they're still useable against planes.
Efficacy: 3
The development of incendiary ammunition is a natural outgrowth of the KPAF’s expertise in pyrotechnics and invention of tracer rounds. Between this and the development of a reflector sight, the sound of a Type 11 LMG firing is almost omnipresent in the airfield this month, but the constant work pays off. These incendiary rounds are fundamentally quite similar to tracer rounds, but they rely on a phosphorous-based charge that ignites when the round is fired and are effective out to a distance of approximately 300m before the charge burns out. In a particularly striking demonstration, a test pilot manages to down a moored Hykib balloon with less than ten rounds fired. For now, Kolechian planes equipped with the Type 11 LMG will fire mixed belts of normal rounds, tracer rounds and incendiary rounds, with squadrons assigned to balloon busting being given only tracer and incendiary rounds. The details of ammunition loadout can be changed via general orders, or orders to a specific squadron.
Standard Uniform Revision
A lot of negotiation, minor gifts and other activities have resulted in the parachute being included in the standard uniform of the Kolechian airforce. As such, we no longer need to concern ourselves with budgetting for it.
Efficacy: 6
After several rounds of budget negotiations, backroom deals and the occasional blatant bribe, the bureaucrats in charge of uniform provision across the entire armed forces are persuaded to write in the Tactical Escape Parachutes into the standard pilot’s uniform, which will remove the need for the KPAF to budget for those themselves. Some pilots oppose this proposal due to fears that it will supplant their capes, but they are mollified when it’s explained to be just a trick to get the armed forces councils to pay for the parachutes. A bureaucratic arms race quickly ensues as the army and the navy attempt to get a slice of the pie by including helmets and lifejackets as part of their standard uniform too, but the KPAF, having the first-mover advantage, is ultimately successful in getting their changes approved. Future TEPs will be issued to all airmen at no extra charge, but the aftermath of this affair may leave a sour taste in the mouths of army and navy quartermasters alike for a while.
Dogbark Bomb
Take the Dogbite, remove the propellant, add some fins and fix the reliability issues. This should give us a solid, lighter bomb for aircraft use.
Efficacy: 1
Work on the Dogbark seems like it should be simple, just a matter of removing the propellant and adding fins to it. Unfortunately, it turns out that someone had the bright idea of slightly twisting the fins in order to impart rotation to the bomb in freefall, improving accuracy. While this seems like it should work, the Dogbite was made to be fired from a smoothbore mortar, and the spinning, combined with the lack of time to work on the reliability issues, has the disastrous effect of prematurely detonating the round. In practice, this means that the Dogbark usually explodes after it’s fallen about 100-150m away from the aircraft – still useful for extremely low-level bombing, but not much else.
“Dogbark” Bomb: A Dogbite round with the propellant removed and stabilising fins added, now weighing 40kg. Explodes after falling about 100-150m, limiting its effectiveness in anything other than low-level bombing. Cost: 1 PP
It is now the Production & Deployment Phase, Late Spring 1915. You have 27 production points remaining.Additionally, you will have to decide whether to accept or reject the Midako offer of 1 PP for two turns in return for the Feather blueprints.
Levib Bomber Biplane | 7/14 progress | 3 PP per die | Rushed 0 times | 6 PP invested
Planes:
-Feather-1914 Scout Plane: A unarmed, single seater biplane. High stability makes it easy to fly, but also woefully inadequate for anything other than scouting. Lightweight wooden fuselage combined with a five-cylinder rotary engine gives it good speed in the air. Now comes with ailerons for improved roll capability. Cost 3/1
-Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane: A single-seater monoplane with a 9-cylinder rotary engine and correspondingly good speed. It’s armed with a Type 11 LMG firing forward through the propeller arc with the aid of a rudimentary synchronisation gear, which reduces the fire rate but allows easier aiming. The synchronisation gear prevents the blades from being shot off, but pilots are reminded not to shoot more than two belts of rounds anyway. Cost 5/2.
--R7 Model: The original model of the EFM with a 7-cylinder rotary engine, noticably slower in comparison to the newer R9 model.
-Levib Bomber Biplane: The KPAF’s first bomber, it’s a twin-engine biplane with a crew of three: pilot, bombardier and rear gunner. The Levib can carry up to 420 kg of bombs mounted under the fuselage and wings, dropping them with the aid of a bomb sight that accounts for altitude and airspeed. It’s powered by two RE-18L-V8 engines between the wings on either side but is rather slow. To defend itself, the Levib is equipped with two Type 11 LMGs on a swivel mount operated by the rear gunner, covering the aircraft to the rear and a little above. Cost: 7/3 (In Development)
Balloons
-Hykib Observation Balloon: A single-pilot hydrogen balloon designed for aerial observation. Its elongated and finned shape helps it remain stable even in high winds. The basket has an inbuilt telephone to relay messages from the pilot to the ground, and what can charitably be described as a very rudimentary parachute. Painted a glorious red throughout. Cost 2/1
Equipment
-Lvoc Camera: A glass plate medium camera with a 150mm focal length, coincidentally about the size and shape of a 150mm artillery shell. Requires manual changing of the plate for each photograph taken and is moderately durable. Cost 1 PP.
-Oracle Camera: A new camera based off the existing Lvoc Camera, and possibly made of three of them merged together. It takes separate photographs from three lenses offset at a 35-degree angle, producing a wide-angle view of the ground. Is mounted under the cockpit and accessible through a hole in the cockpit floor, while being remotely triggered. The glass plate magazine doesn’t work, and pilots must still change the plates manually. Cost 2 PP.
-Type 11 machinegun: An air-cooled light machine gun firing 7.65x53 mm Argentine rounds at 600 RPM. Sometimes overheats after prolonged use. Cost 1 PP.
-Artillery Spotter Equipment: A set of good binoculars with range markings and a Kolechian ‘comtant’, a combination of compass and sextant for taking precise bearings. Questions of whether a sextant is really necessary for doing so are met with offended looks. Cost 1 PP for 2 squadrons.
-K-09 “Dogbite” Mortar Round: A 155mm high explosive mortar shell, carrying 45kg of high explosive. Is very temperamental when roughly handled. Cost: 1 PP.
-KF-15 Signal-Illumination Flare Pistol: The K-15 fires up to eight Rainbow flares in colours from red to purple for signalling, and a bright white for illumination, allowing planes to signal to the ground. Each pistol is single-shot only but are cheap enough to be issued in bulk.
-KTW-15: A trench radio set with a spark-gap transmitter and crystal receiver, which sends and receives Morse code. Weighs 60kg, with a 60m aerial assembly and has a range of up to 4km. Suffers from bad interference if operated too close to another set on the same frequency. Cost 2 PP.
-K-4524 Torpedo: A 700kg deck-launched torpedo with 2 kilometres of range at 33 knots, the K-4524 is a reliable design already in use by the Kolechian Navy on its destroyers and torpedo boats. The torpedo is powered by a kerosene wet-heater engine, with a 200kg explosive charge. Cost 2 PP.
-Reflector Sight: A basic reflector sight that produces an image of the targeting reticule at infinity using reflected ambient light, shifting to offset the user’s eye position. Is unnamed, to the annoyance of many engineers. Cost: 1 PP
-“Dogbark” Bomb: A Dogbite round with the propellant removed and stabilising fins added, now weighing 40kg. Explodes after falling about 100-150m, limiting its effectiveness in anything other than low-level bombing. Cost: 1 PP
Pilots:
-Coordinated: Strength in numbers! Kolechian pilots work well together and are better coordinated in combat.
-Uniforms: Red with silver accents. Pilots are issued a thick, flowing red cape which flutters gloriously in the wind, inspiring the men on the ground. Now includes a Tactical Escape Parachute, that isn't worn on the back due to its size and weight, and because wearing a cape instead is much more dashing.
--Tactical Escape Parachute: A backpack parachute deployed by a ripcord system, which slows the rate of fall enough for a pilot to survive bailing out from a plane, at reasonable altitudes. Is somewhat heavy and too bulky to be worn in flight, instead being stored under the seat. Cost 1 PP for 2 squadrons.
Technology:
-Basic/Intermediate biplane design
-Basic/Intermediate monoplane design
-Basic/Intermediate balloon design
-Wooden frame construction
-Basic control surfaces: wing warping, elevator and rudder and ailerons.
-Foster mount technology
-Rudimentary synchronisation gear
-Pyrotechnics
-Basic spark-gap radio, crystal receivers
-Tracer rounds
-Basic/Intermediate rotary engine design
-V8 engine design
-Two-engine layout
-Basic bombsight
-Incendiary rounds
-Basic reflector sight
Resources:
-1 Pilot Training Institute: Teaches new pilots what each lever does. When to pull each lever is up to the student.
-1 Developmental Airfield: Designs new planes and other air-related equipment. Produces five dice worth of progress every turn.
-28 production points base
-2 production points from the Ottoman sale (2 turns remaining)
Squadron 1 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R9 model) | No Equipment | Air Superiority | Rookie | Piotr | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority over the Kemilov-Dreidansk Road
Squadron 2 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R7 model) | No Equipment | Air Superiority | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority over the Kemilov-Dreidansk Road
Squadron 3 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R9 model) | No Equipment | Air Superiority | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority outside Basselton
Squadron 4 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R7 model) | No Equipment | Air Superiority | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority outside Estwice
Squadron 5 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | Type 11 LMG | Air Superiority | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to secure air superiority along the Derboise-Demisonne Road
Squadron 6 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | Type 11 LMG | Air Superiority | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned as Squadron 5's wingmen
Squadron 7 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | Type 11 LMG, Oracle Camera | Air Superiority | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to perform aerial photoreconnaissance at the Kemilov-Dreidansk frontlines
Squadron 8 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | Type 11 LMG, Oracle Camera | Air Superiority | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to perform aerial photoreconnaissance at Mizogorod
Crimson Eagles | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | No Equipment | Performance | Regular | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned as the KPAF's Official Acrobatics Squadron
Observer 1 | Hykib Observation Balloon | Artillery Spotter Equipment | Artillery Spotting | Regular | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to artillery spotting along the Kemilov-Dreidansk Road
Observer 2 | Hykib Observation Balloon | Artillery Spotter Equipment | Artillery Spotting | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to artillery spotting along the Estwice-Zydinah Road
Observer 3 | Hykib Observation Balloon | Artillery Spotter Equipment | Naval Artillery Spotting | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to artillery spotting at Basselton
Observer 4 | Hykib Observation Balloon | Artillery Spotter Equipment | Naval Artillery Spotting | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to naval raiding
Prestige: Little
Status: Auxiliary Service
Army Relations: Warm
Navy Relations: Lukewarm
Production Points: 27
Total Maintenance: 17
Author
Topic: Knights of the Skies: Kolechia Thread - Early Summer 1916, Production Phase (Read 54544 times)