Salty Salmon Luke
Pteranodon Mk6 2-HA
With Breto-Major's prolonged involvment in the Cuerno Isle debacle, the Union's peacekeeping forces came to the conclusion that just mobilizing more of the well trained Expeditions Wing's squadrons did not yield suffiecient results in driving back Royal Patagorian expanditionist efforts.
Although both parties commonly fielded the same aircraft, Royal Patagorian air superiority over the unforgiving terrain was evident and undoubtedly owed to their formidable use of carrier airships.
In order to increase their squadron's effectiveness and survivability when met with "blimp nests", the Expedition Wing's command pleaded for the supply of multiple heavier versions of the well-tried Mk6.
These planes were to accompany every squadron in small numbers and be able to quickly evade enemy escort fighters before striking hard on the armored airships.
Maintenance and upkeep were also required to be possible with mostly interchangeable parts.
After an impressively short trial phase the first Pteranodon 2-HA ('high altitude, heavy armament') were produced by a contractor in southern Breto-Minor and sent to the front lines.
The machines had an elongated fuselage to accommodate two engines in tandem, driving a pair of counter-rotating propellers through a special gearbox. Together with an increased wingspan, the plane retained decent handling characteristics while easily outpacing previous rival fighters.
The modifications also allowed for the installation of two heavy cannons below the upper wing supports.
The Mk6 2-HA was considered by it's designers to be an overall improvement to the original but the revised, heavier and slightly less nimble plane necessitated better preparation of runways and made it entirely unsuitable for the use on carrier airships.
Surviving units captured by Patagorian troops or Isleño rebels were thus generally treated as trophies and kept for distinguished pilots with only a small number actively used in skirmishes by each.
Both parties lacked crucial supplies to reliably maintain the more intricate powertrain and had to field the planes in missions where they would be operated outside each side's usually preferred strategies of airship raids or guerellia tactics.
Pteranodon Mk6 2-HA
With Breto-Major's prolonged involvment in the Cuerno Isle debacle, the Union's peacekeeping forces came to the conclusion that just mobilizing more of the well trained Expeditions Wing's squadrons did not yield suffiecient results in driving back Royal Patagorian expanditionist efforts.
Although both parties commonly fielded the same aircraft, Royal Patagorian air superiority over the unforgiving terrain was evident and undoubtedly owed to their formidable use of carrier airships.
In order to increase their squadron's effectiveness and survivability when met with "blimp nests", the Expedition Wing's command pleaded for the supply of multiple heavier versions of the well-tried Mk6.
These planes were to accompany every squadron in small numbers and be able to quickly evade enemy escort fighters before striking hard on the armored airships.
Maintenance and upkeep were also required to be possible with mostly interchangeable parts.
After an impressively short trial phase the first Pteranodon 2-HA ('high altitude, heavy armament') were produced by a contractor in southern Breto-Minor and sent to the front lines.
The machines had an elongated fuselage to accommodate two engines in tandem, driving a pair of counter-rotating propellers through a special gearbox. Together with an increased wingspan, the plane retained decent handling characteristics while easily outpacing previous rival fighters.
The modifications also allowed for the installation of two heavy cannons below the upper wing supports.
The Mk6 2-HA was considered by it's designers to be an overall improvement to the original but the revised, heavier and slightly less nimble plane necessitated better preparation of runways and made it entirely unsuitable for the use on carrier airships.
Surviving units captured by Patagorian troops or Isleño rebels were thus generally treated as trophies and kept for distinguished pilots with only a small number actively used in skirmishes by each.
Both parties lacked crucial supplies to reliably maintain the more intricate powertrain and had to field the planes in missions where they would be operated outside each side's usually preferred strategies of airship raids or guerellia tactics.