Difference between revisions of "CDF bomber aircraft"

Latest revision as of 21:38, 21 May 2006

The Community Defence Forces of Sober Thought relies on B-10 Bob heavy bomber squadrons for strategic bombardment and FB-1 Fabien fighter-bomber squadrons for tactical bombardment.

Both strategic and tactical bomber squadrons share a single ordinal sequence and bear names like 6th Bomber Squadron, 17th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 23rd Bomber Squadron. Their aircraft also bear the standard three letter squadron codes in which a fourth letter indicates the specific aircraft in the squadron. Sober Thought raises about four squadrons of all types of bombers per one hundred million national residents.

No. 10 Airframe

The Community Defence Forces' No. 10 airframe is similar in concept to the real world B-52 Stratofortress but somewhat smaller and less cumbersome. It has four jet engines and a large bomb bay used for various weapons, evasive and surveillance systems. Its ceiling is 15 000 metres and its range before in-air refuelling by TL-62 Toulouse or TL-63 Tuileries tankers is 10 000 kilometers.

The B-10 Bob strategic bomber is armed with various conventional ordnance, chiefly gravity bombs and ground-attack missiles. The pilot (Chief Lieutenant, Lieutenant or Vice Lieutenant) and the co-pilot (Lieutenant or Vice Lieutenant) sit side by each on the upper-level flight deck near the front of the plane and visible through the canopy. There is room for a relief flying crew to sleep behind them, should especially long missions be necessary.

Below the flying crew located on the upper-level flight deck, able to look out side windows only, are the navigator-communicator (Master Flier), the weapons chief-bombardier (Warrant Officer, Vice Warrant Officer or Leading Flier) and the electronic warfare technician (Master Flier). There is one air gunner (Flier) in each of three gun emplacements, a turret topside behind the flight deck, a turret bottomside below the lower-level weapons deck and in the tail assembly.

The BE-10 Bessie strategic electronic warfare variant has no turrets but retains the tail gun emplacement. Instead of explosive ordnance like its more aggressive counterpart, it drops chaffs, launches dummy aircraft and controls reconnaissance drones. The BE-10 still has eight flight crew, four of whom hold the same positions and ranks: the pilot, the co-pilot, the navigator-communicator and tail gunner. The electronic warfare chief technician (Warrant Officer, Vice Warrant Officer or Leading Flier) directs three electronic warfare technicians (one Master Flier and two Fliers) on the lower deck.

Command and air crew

The commanding officer of a strategic bomber squadron is always a Chief Lieutenant, the executive officer a Lieutenant and the Squadron Sergeant a full Warrant Officer. An additional five non-commissioned members complete the spare crew which is used to exercise command functions in the are, replace temporary absences and combat losses.

There are three airborne Flights of three aircraft each, the flight leaders being Lieutenants and Vice Lieutenants piloting the other two aircraft in each flight. Squadrons belonging only to wings are only airborne fighting units consisting of the three command crew and twenty-four aircrew. The squadron CO and/or XO may take the place of a usual pilot, and serve as in informal backup or relief crew. Besides the pilots there are twelve Leading Fliers who serve as air weapons specialists. In total, these ten crews of eight troops form the airborne-only element when the squadron is part of a wing.

Ground crew

There are 173 ground crew, organized into the Air Maintenance Flight of 120 all ranks. Under a Lieutenant and three Vice Lieutenants, the maintenance crew are responsible for keeping the aviation fuel topped up, jet engines running smoothly, airframes up to scratch and most importantly bombs and bullets filled to the brim.

The Administration Flight of 53 all ranks is headed by the Squadron XO assisted by a Vice Lieutenant. Its medics, logisticians, clerks and administrative staff ensure people are paid, fed, clothed, housed and kept health.