Branta model 2695

Introduction

A Branta model 2695 is the latest model of the Branta series airships, build by the Areal Steam Carriage company. They are build for the Air Corps of the Glorious Kingdom of Eglen. And are designed and build as bombers.

Layout

Like most Air Corps airships, the hull has the boiler room along the centre line, where it is least likely to get damaged, Four funnels protrude up through the balloon. Forward in the hull is the command and navigation station. To the sides there are the bomb holds, with two gun position on either side tucked in there, And on top of the balloon there are another two gun positions. To cover the top. As has become custom in modern airship design the distance between the balloon and the hull is reduced to just a few pases and the sides are enclosed from hull to balloon with canvas. Creating an enclosed deck. On the Branta bombers the coal bunkers have been moved here, and they gravity feed into the boiler rooms.

Engineering plant

The Branta is equipped with eight double ended boilers, supplying steam to four 4 cylinder triple expansion engines. Which move six wings along each side. The condensers are placed in the stern section of the hull.

Standard bombs

After the debacle with fire bombs (see below) the newest Branta model was again equipped with stone ball bombs of ¾ dp each. From the altitude they are dropped, the model 2695 can fly higher then it's predecessor, they are deadly to any infantry troops below. And will create mass destruction on any town, where they will punch straight trough buildings. The capacity of the newest Branta bomber has been increased by 1000 bombs to 5500 bombs.

bombing machines

The bombs don't just simply fall down a trap door, no they are stored in racks in the bomb holds, where they roll down tracks and rails. These bombing machines can regulate the falling of the bombs. If they go down all together, or one by one to cover an larger area. The 2695 has eight bombing machines, each with an equal amount of bombs in them. But in case of failure the bombs from one hold can feed to another machine via a central track. The machines not only control the amount of bombs that fall, but can also control the spread. The slides, each machine has twelve, can be angled outwards, so that the bombing pad widens.

A common tactic of bomber crews is to move their airship diagonally along the to bomb area, to create the widest possible path, and that way lay down a blanket of destruction.

"How can a simple stone ball be so dangerous?"
"Lay your hand on the table."
The instructor dropped the ball, on the hand, from a mere four fists high.
The student understood.

Self defence weapons

The Branta bombers are equiped with six self defence weapons. This six locations are equiped with a single 2 fw steam gun, and a single version 2 steam launched harpoon, combined in a single mount. With steam supplied from the central boilers. The onboard weapons are for last resort efforts only, the Areal Steam Carriage company wanted to equip the bombers with only three, but the Air Corps insisted on six, for actual defence the bomber squadrons rely on their escort corvettes.

Loss of a fire bomber

The Areal Steam Carriage company build 2 airship as a test, to test new technologies, and to show the Air Corps what they are capable off, after a year of testing, and redesigning some parts, production started and 15 airships where delivered to the Air Corps to replace their aging bomber fleet. As an experiment the Areal Steam Carriage company converted test ship 2 to a fire bomber. The bomb holds where lined with stone, and filled with coal that was set a blaze before allowed to dropping down to crude hatches. The spread of the burning coal on the surface was disappointing. And a modification to drop the coal slower was made. Also the coal was made to burn hotter, so that they had more energy after the drop. But the stone lining of the bomb holds couldn't withstand the heat, and the fire spread trough out the airship, after the balloon lost it's lifting gas it crashed, killing the whole crew.