Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Skyfortress

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The Skyfortress is the strategic bomber used by the Survivors. is planned to be voiced by *TBA*

History
"Bomb goes in; corpse comes out. I can explain that."

-Skyfortress

The B-15 Skyfortress was already integrated into the Aquilan Air Force before GVAW had even started. It had yet to see any combat, but maneuvers had hinted at a useful future. As soon as Aquila had entered the war, entire squadrons of B-15s were shipped to Fereldan to begin strategic bombing (as the Aquilans replaced their old B-15, B-17, B-24, B-26 and B-29 bombers in favor of B-36, B-45, B-47, B-57 and the new-then at the time, the B-52). While Voshkod industry was dampened, and many factory complexes were smashed, the B-15 had a severe vulnerability to interceptors. The ball turrets of the Skyfortresses had trouble following jet fighters, and entire wings of these planes were lost.

It wasn't until each bomber had a fighter escort that losses were minimized, but the damage had been done. These bombers were also shifted to front-line duty, destroying Voshkod bases and armor columns. To increase Skyfortress crews' drained morale, they were given the best luxuries in the Allied army. Colour televisions, ample leave time, actually prepared food, and high combat pay were made available to Skyfortress crews. This caused them to be resented throughout the Allied military, but they were quick to point out they'd gladly trade places with anyone else.

By the war's end, the Skyfortress was obsolete, as newer fighters and anti-aircraft systems were developed and deployed, limiting the bomber's effectiveness. Most Skyfortresses were retired in order to cut costs, dumped in the Embry island of Arizona and left to slowly rust. There they stayed, however, until the fledgling Minutemen decided they needed a stronger punch against Aquilan installations. However, this was easier said than done. Warfare had changed, and the Skyfortress was even more vulnerable to interception.

To that end, Minutemen sympathizers tuned the aging Skyfortresses to the best of their ability. Engines were supercharged, while the aircraft were stripped of as much weight as was possible to maximize speed. Old turrets were replaced by faster-moving equivalents to better track modern fighters. The original bomb load, however, had to go due to weight issues.

Mechanics replaced the high explosive "dumb" bombs with a smaller amount of lighter bombs, which were more specialized and designed to cause more damage. Seismic bombs used the initial blast upon hitting the ground to force the heavier warhead underground, which itself detonated and caused a miniature earthquake below the structure. Napalm bombs are much less subtle; when they hit the ground, they spread napalm around, a jelly-like substance that ignites, causing a devastating firestorm!