Kolechia Design Phase, Early Summer 1916Levib Bomber Biplane (2 dice spent)
Progress: 7+2+6 = 15/14. 4 PP spent.
The design blueprints for the Levib Bomber Biplane (sometimes referred to as the LBB) are completed this summer, marking several firsts for the KPAF: its first two-engine plane, first multi-seater plane, and first dedicated bomber. There continue to be some concerns about the lack of appropriate air-dropped ordnance for the Levib, but for now the bomber itself is fully operational and ready to be deployed to the front.
Project Complete! You can now deploy as many squadrons of the Levib Bomber Biplane as you can afford.
Project: A Shinier New WorldA Shinier New World
For as long as we have known it, the world of aeroplanes has been one of wood and canvas. It's time for that to change. The recently cheapened metal "Aluminum" shows promise as a metal light enough to lift into the air (with some engine upgrades) but strong enough to truly surpass wood. Our goal is to order some samples from the captains of industry in whatever formulations they possess, and to generate a truly innovative airframe material.
The samples are to be accompanied by a shipment of stock aluminum. Our engineers have some ideas regarding possible designs, and would like to explore alloying it with Zinc, Magnesium, or Copper.
Once a metal with suitable material behavior has been selected, the engineering team will then attempt to apply the material to a new kind of airframe body, a Monocoque body. While the typically laminated skin will likely need some internal bracing to hold the weight of the metal and associated rivets, it shows promise for the line of aircraft to come.
Time: 1 | Progress: 4 | Expense: 4
For their next project, the KPAF designers decide on a purely theoretical project – exploring the possibilities of aluminium alloys and monocoque construction for aircraft construction. As it stands, the project is divided into two phases: the first phase dedicated to experimentation with various combinations of metals to find the optimum aluminium alloy with the best strength-to-weight ratios, and the second phase dedicated to improving the engineers’ knowledge of metal monocoque construction.
Unfortunately, a well-intentioned directive to parallelize these two phases seems to have misfired. The original intention of the bureaucrats was to get a few engineers started on theoretical considerations for monocoque construction while the majority worked on getting the alloy correct, but somewhere along the line this seems to have been twisted into a call for half the engineers to get started on wooden monocoque structures while waiting for the results of the first phase. Needless to say, the project will have a longer timetable as a result.
On the somewhat brighter side of things, progress gets off to a good start, with the KPAF acquiring several shipments of aluminium as well as booking time at a variety of industrial smelters to test alloy formulations. The cost of getting these shipments is also not too high, with the recent cost savings from the test pilot recruitment drive being used to subsidise this project as well.
A Shinier New World | 4/19 progress | 2 PP per die | Rushed 0 times | 1 PP invested
Effectiveness: 4 | Cost: 2 | Bugs: 3
After weeks of painstakingly tedious experimentation, Kolechian engineers finally arrive at what they believe to be optimum – Aluminium Alloy #247, prosaically named for the number of failed trials required to arrive at it. Alloy #247 is an aluminium-copper-zinc alloy, using precipitation heat treatment to improve both the hardness and strength of the resultant alloy. It offers a somewhat better strength-to-weight ratio over the zinc-aluminium alloys used elsewhere in Kolechian industries, and far better than that of traditional steel.
On the monocoque construction team, some engineers seemed to have gained aptitude in drawing up the structures and correctly computing the stresses and forces involved, but the true work here is still waiting for the production of enough Alloy #247 to commence building.
The downside of Alloy #247 lies in the very method of its manufacture: the precipitation heat treatment requires relatively precise control over the furnace temperature, and each batch of alloy must be age-hardened for a week, inconveniencing true mass production. The figures are still uncertain, pending an actual design proposal for an all-metal aircraft, but back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that an all-metal equivalent to the Feather scout plane could cost from 7 to 9 PP per squadron. Nevertheless, the whole airfield is abuzz with excitement at the possibilities that Alloy #247 could bring – and some engineers believe that with its importance, it should be given a better name than ‘Aluminium Alloy #247”.
Heavy Machine Gun Requisition:A heavier machine gun, with a firerate of 150 RPM
The army quartermaster, scowling, informs the design team that the Kolechian army does not currently have a machine gun in larger calibre than the Type 11. The Type 12 HMG, despite its name, is simply a Type 11 with an elaborate water-cooling system and heavy tripod mount, utilising the same 7.65x53 mm Argentine rounds as the Type 11. Some machineguns chambered for 8mm rounds were previously in use, but they have all been discontinued to simplify logistics. He does suggest, however, that you could always strap on bricks to the current Type 11s and fit the Equilibrium’s interrupter gear on a hand crank to get a heavier machine gun with a fire rate of 150 RPM.
The offer of the Hawkeye Reflector Sights and incendiary ammunition, however, causes the army generals to light up. The reflector sights, while a tad too expensive for issuing alongside all Type 11 LMGs, could be adapted to fit sniper rifles, which still use iron post sights. Incendiary ammunition, which in the KPAF’s terms are simply improved tracer rounds, could give machine-gun crews a distinct advantage in accuracy, as they do for pilots in the air. Relations with the army have improved because of the KPAF’s gift.
Meanwhile, the navy admirals are less enthralled by the offer. The navy has little use for reflector sights, and incendiary ammunition, while theoretically capable of setting enemy ships ablaze, is judged to be not worth of the logistical hassle of issuing it, given the rarity of machine-gun engagements in ship combat.
It is now the Production Phase, Early Summer 1916. You have no dice remaining to spend on Revisions, so the Production Phase has begun instead.A Shinier New World | 4/19 progress | 2 PP per die | Rushed 0 times | 1 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
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
-Aluminium Alloy #247, improved strength-to-weight ratio (In Development)
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: Friendly
Navy Relations: Lukewarm
Production Points: 30
Total Maintenance: 19
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Topic: Knights of the Skies: Kolechia Thread - Early Summer 1916, Production Phase (Read 55429 times)