Design Phase, Early Summer 1916 Squadron 1 and 2 of Equilibrium Fighter Monoplanes and Observer 2 of Hykib balloons have reached Regular experience level. Squadron 6 of Feathers and Observer 3 and 4 of Hykib balloons have reached Rookie experience level.
In the north, the generals are getting more frustrated with the lack of support from the KPAF. While the EFM is a great fighter and outmatches the Verusan Rhinos, that isn’t any use if the Verusans have artillery spotting balloons, and the army doesn’t. As little as a single squadron of Hykibs would have helped even out the situation. With the way the battle here is progressing, the generals warn that the Verusans might make slight advances here in the upcoming months, even accounting for the air superiority that the KPAF enjoys here.
On the central plains, the army is happy that Estwice has been captured, but less so at the news of Dreidansk falling and a new Sky Crusader fighter appearing, albeit in limited numbers. For now, the generals are planning to recapture Dreidansk, although the threat of Verusan bombers weighs heavily on every commander’s minds. However, the army is still confident of recapturing Dreidansk, assuming that the new Swallow fighter does not appear in greater numbers next month.
To the south, the marines continue the slow push toward Basselton. Their commander requests that you order the Equilibrium squadron here to take on a more offensive role, speeding the advance by actively hunting and shooting down Verusan Sky Eyes.
High command has increased your budget by 3 PP, as the country devotes more factories to war. In addition, your budget is increased by 2 PP from the licensed sale of designs to the Ottomans, and by 1 PP from the ticket sales of the Crimson Knights airshows.
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.
-31 production points base
-1 production point from the Crimson Knights airshows
-1 production point from the Midako sale (1 turn remaining)
-2 production points from the Ottoman sale (1 turn remaining)
Squadron 1 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R9 model) | Hawkeye Reflector Sight | Air Superiority | Regular | Piotr | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority outside Dreidansk
Squadron 2 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R7 model) | Hawkeye Reflector Sight | Air Superiority | Regular | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority in Estwice
Squadron 3 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R9 model) | Hawkeye Reflector Sight | Defensive Patrols | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to patrol friendly lines along the Derboise-Demisonne Road
Squadron 4 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R9 model) | Hawkeye Reflector Sight | Air Superiority | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to secure air superiority outside Dreidansk
Squadron 5 | Equilibrium Fighter Monoplane (R9 model) | Hawkeye Reflector Sight | Defensive Patrols | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 2
Currently assigned to patrol friendly lines along the Kodemo Trail
Squadron 6 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | Type 11 LMG | Air Superiority | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to secure air superiority in Estwice
Squadron 7 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | Type 11 LMG, Oracle Camera | Aerial Reconnaissance | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to perform aerial photoreconnaissance outside Dreidansk
Squadron 8 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | Type 11 LMG, Oracle Camera | Aerial Reconnaissance | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to perform aerial photoreconnaissance outside Estwice
Squadron 9 | Feather-1914 Scout Plane | Type 11 LMG | Air Superiority | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to secure air superiority in Estwice
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 outside Dreidansk
Observer 2 | Hykib Observation Balloon | Artillery Spotter Equipment | Artillery Spotting | Regular | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to artillery spotting in Estwice
Observer 3 | Hykib Observation Balloon | Artillery Spotter Equipment | Artillery Spotting | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to artillery spotting along the Kodemo Trail
Observer 4 | Hykib Observation Balloon | Artillery Spotter Equipment | Naval Artillery Spotting | Rookie | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to naval raiding
Prestige: Little
Status: Auxiliary Service
Army Relations: Warm
Navy Relations: Lukewarm
Production Points: 35
Total Maintenance: 19
Author
Topic: Knights of the Skies: Kolechia Thread - Early Summer 1916, Production Phase (Read 55484 times)