Royal Imperial Air Force
From ExodusWar
| Royal Imperial Air Force | ||
|---|---|---|
 Badge of the Royal Imperial Air Force | ||
| Active | 2301-2323 | |
| Nation | Onyx Empire | |
| Branch | Air Superiority | |
| Size | 10 Major Commands | |
| Headquarters | Earth, Sol System | |
| Motto | "His Majesty's Foes Shall Fail." | |
| Colors | Black and Purple | |
| March | The Imperial March | |
| Engagements | Second Exodus War Imperial Civil War | |
| Commanders | ||
| Chief of Operations | General Marcus Rathbone (2300-2322) | |
| Chief of Staff | General Rose Morgan (2300-2322) | |
| Chief Enlisted Staff | Chief Sergeant Adrian Evans (2315-2322) | |
The Royal Imperial Air Force was the air combat, air superiority, and bombing arm of the Onyx Empire's military.
It was led by Marcus Rathbone from its inception until the Imperial Civil War. More than half of the Royal Imperial Air Force defected to the Prefecture at the onset of the Civil War, resulting in the Air Force being absorbed by the Royal Imperial Navy's Air Arm.
Contents |
[edit] History
The development of the Royal Imperial Air Force was plagued by political problems, technological limitations, and logistics nightmares. It required the support of the Royal Imperial Navy to move from one system to another, and the intense rivalry between the Air Force and the Navy's Air Arm often caused friction between personnel.
Once they achieved planetary insertion, the Air Force was a powerful asset to the Onyx Empire's expansionist ideology. Despite their value in an invasion, they proved far more valuable in the latter years of the Second Exodus War, when the Empire began fighting a defensive war on multiple fronts.
This high degree of success ended when Marcus Rathbone, the General of the Air Force, joined the rebelling Prefecture, taking over half the Air Force with him. The remaining loyal elements were absorbed into the Royal Imperial Navy's Air Arm.
[edit] Structure
The Air Force was the second-smallest branch of the Onyx Empire's military after the Marine Corps. It was led by the General of the Air Force, who reports to the Grand Admiral.
The Air Force had ten Major Commands in a defensive posture, all under the directive of the Forward Strategic Air Command.
[edit] Major Commands
Each Major Command was assigned to one or more planets, and placed under the command of a Lieutenant General. Each Major Command had three Numbered Air Forces.
[edit] Numbered Air Force
Below the Major Commands, the Air Force was organized into Numbered Air Forces, each of which had eight Wings. Each Air Force was commanded by a Major General.
[edit] Wings
The next layer of command, and the layer where organization began to vary, was by Wings. Each Wing was under the command of a Wing Commander, and had six Squadrons. There were multiple different types of Wings.
Fighter Wings were tasked with Combat Air Patrol, Air Superiority, and a variety of search and destroy missions. Most fighters are equipped for air to air combat, with some flexibility for ground support.
Bomber Wings were tasked with the strategic and systematic destruction of enemy assets on the ground.
Organic Support Wings had no fixed mission. The aircraft under their command were for recon, early warning, electronic warfare, and transport.
[edit] Squadrons
Squadrons were the next layer of organization below a Wing. Squadrons were under the command of a Colonel. The Colonel had a large command staff to assist them. A Lieutenant Colonel served as the Squadron's Executive Officer, and acted as the primary go-between for the Colonel and the pilots under their command. A Major served as the Squadron's base Materials Officer, and is in charge of coordinating the repair and rearming of all aircraft in the squadron. The Materials Officer did not usually fly. A second Major or Captain served as the Training Officer, who coordinated extra flight time for training purposes, and requisitioned dummy weapons for engagements against other Squadrons.
An Element was the next level of command in a Squadron. Each Element was under the command of a Captain. A Squadron had two flying Elements with nine aircraft in each, and four support Elements on the ground with twenty support personnel to act as maintenance and security for the aircraft while they are on the ground.
[edit] Air Force Components
The Air Force fielded an enormous amount of aircraft, from the nimble F-4 Raven to the lumbering Bloodhawk. All Air Force aircraft were technically "aerospace" craft, with twin SCRAMJET and Gravity Cavitation drive systems, allowing them to operate seamlessly in an atmosphere and in a vacuum.
The Air Force had multiple roles in modern combat. Air superiority is always important, and is the role of the F-4I Raven, as was interception and initial response. The flexible role of heavy fighter/bomber was filled by the F-11D Stuka, enormous by most standards.
In the pure attack role, the Royal Imperial Air Force had multiple bombers: the B-5 Warhawk was a medium tactical bomber, designed for precision targets and raids, but could not carry the largest ordinance loads available. For more strategic attacks, the B-6 Bloodhawk came into play. The Bloodhawk was armed for heavy torpedo strikes, carpet bombing, and city-levelling strategic nuclear weaponry.
