Fn.L GL-135 (13.5 mm Feuermund-Luftblitzkanone) RefitAs the war is never won and the Teufel has been bogged down in development, the Luftjäger has been left in need of a lethality boost for their aerial fleet to keep up the Adderscourge, given an anticipated enemy answer in the form of a better fighter - most likely better armed, but unlikely as fast or maneuverable as the SBD.II Adderbolt.
To accommodate this newfound strategic hole, two camps formed in the Luftjäger - those who saw the future in larger caliber automatic cannons which could be potent anti-bomber weapons and provide aerial support without the need for bombs, and those who sought out something in between rifle caliber machine guns and these larger cannons to retain the large ammunition loads and make the adoption with the SBD.II as painless as possible, citing the lack of durability in enemy airframes and the potency of heavy machine gun cartridges as reasons enough. Namely, by simply refurbishing the currently serving GL-12 machine guns, it would be possible to obtain a fast firing, light and proven armament that could most likely be integrated in the SBD.II Adderbolt at minimal additional costs.
The Feuermund-Luftblitzkanone GL-135 is thus their entry for a redesign to the GL-12. The gun itself is not very large (1.8 x 0.3 x 0.3 m; 1.2 m barrel), keeps the same action and general capabilities of the GL-12 (1000 RPM, low weight) and is chambered for a custom built 13.5x118mm Feuermund HMG cartridge, with detailed specifications listed in a separate entry. Suffice to say, the cartridge is made to possess a high exit velocity and kinetic energy (1055 m/s, 30000 J), as well as with the aim of good ballistic performance.
This cartridge is created specifically for the new HMG and represents a rimless cartridge measuring 19 by 160 millimeters, where the casing weights 30 grains, firing a 13.5 by 42.5 mm 830 grain boat tail round, meant to supersede the old 12 mm cartridge and give an edge to our armed forces against future armored threats and enemy materiel. To give the cartridge a big punch, the casing is elongated to 118.2 mm, with a 29.55 mm neck which houses the bullet firmly, leading to an overall length of 160.5 mm, and the base is enlarged to 19 mm, and sloping down to 14 mm from the shoulder to the neck. This all leads to a total capacity of 512 grains H2O, of which only 83.5% (420 gr) is filled with a slow burning propellant, used to propel the bullet to 1055 m/s by the time it exits the barrel and giving it the power necessary to cause significant damage to all known aircraft built up to this point at decent range (30000 J at the muzzle).
To summarize - we take the gun we have and know works and just fit it to fire a different cartridge. This really shouldn't be at all difficult, and I could see it costing 1 PP to refit all 4 guns on the SBD.II with these.
Grundsätzlich Besichtigungsausrüstung Fünf-Objektiv-Kamera (FOK GrB-15)This represents the Luftjäger's first real development in terms of observation gear and comes in the form of a five-lens camera with one central lens, two sitting at 45° angles to it to the left and right, and two offset by 45° to the fore and aft - allowing aircrews to capture a large area around the aircraft and represent the situation in a wide arc under it to commanders. The image from the five lenses is combined before ariving into the observer's binocular sight so as to show the observer the whole picture before the picture is taken. Alongside the camera, the observation package carries with it a notepad and pen, as well as an additional altitude gauge so as to allow the observer to gauge the scale of the images being taken and write them onto the notepad, to be given to commanders alongside the shots.
ZhS-16A "Doppelteufel" (40.36 L D75/30)As development of the ZhS-8A had come to a close, the Luftjäger and more specifically the Roheshmiede-Dehnert company had obtained the most powerful reliable engine in the world - but there was yet more to be achieved. Funds were assigned to pursue a two-row radial engine based on the Teufel which was slated to achieve between 1260 and 1360 horsepower, using the engine's thermal characteristics to its advantage so as to achieve a higher specific power. Cooling of the rear bank is made easier by both the higher thermal efficiency of the engine and the added water cooling system in place around the original Teufel, which may take over in case heat buildup in the rear occurs during high stress operation.
ZhS-8B "Teufel"Given the added time before the Tuefel is allowed to enter production, a team is assigned to increase its performance before it enters the factories so that benefits can be felt in other projects that are to use it - namely the SBD.II production variant and the Drachen. The goal is to achieve a power output of around 700-730 hp by optimizing the injection system and performing tweaks to systems that were being held back on during original production, as more experience has been gained during its development.
Sicherheitsnetz Fallschirm Modell Ende des 1915The common Fallschirm is improved upon by making it a portable package capable of being fitted to a pilot in the form of a backpack with an additional chute for emergencies. Hopes are high that this would incur non-existant costs when converting existing fallschirms.
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Topic: They Who Dare: The Empire of Schwarzes Holz - Kaiserliche Luftjäger (Read 22535 times)