Kondor K-50 Zeppelin

Kondor K-50 Ground Assault Zeppelin
General Information
Class Name	Kondor K-50
Ship Type	Ground Assault Airship
Operated By	Chisel Enterprises
Constructed By	Chisel Enterprises
In Service	25 (10 more under construction).
Compliment	750 (50 crewmen, 700 human deployable ground forces.)
Number Existing	25
Armaments
Heavy Weapons	6 ZK-2 Heavy Atomic Canon on 3 double-barrel turret mounts.
Missiles	Multiple silos for anti-airship/ground ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft missiles.
Point-Defense Weapons (Anti-Aircraft)	Multiple machine gun/canon emplacements on gondola and tail-fins.
Other	Bomb bay, machine gun emplacements.
Specifics
Maximum Range before Refueling	Indefinite
Powerplant	1xSIK Mid-Size Nuclear Reactor.
Aircraft/Spacecraft Carried	Certain variants give up troop space for quick-deployment hangars for Kolibri transport gunships or Razorback VTOLs, however the standard Kondor K-50 Zeppelin carries no aircraft.

The Kondor K-50 Ground Assault Zeppelin is a medium-sized craft designed for deploying and supporting ground troops in both small operations or large-scale invasions.

Use

The Kondor K-50 Zeppelin forms the backbone of the C.E. Ground Attack fleet. Utilized primarily to deploy invasion forces on the frontline, the firepower on the Kondor K-50 is mainly directed toward ground attack. Thusly, the vast majority of the weapons are located on the underside of the craft. While the air-to-air fighting capability of this craft is rather weak due to this fact, it has been known to be able to destroy smaller craft with ease, as was noted in the Grünau incident over Wiltshire, where two Black<Con made corvettes were completely destroyed by a Kondor class's main guns. Kondor were also employed, to lesser effect, in anti-ship roles during the days after the invasion of Oscdean when the Vindictus Ove retaliated. Their airships were notably superior than the Kondors in terms of air-to-air fighting capability. A tactic used by Kondor captains during this event was to gain altitude on the Oscdean ships and rain down their load of drop-pods, as well as dropping bombs and firing down. However, this tactic was only somewhat successful, as many Kondors were destroyed before they could reach this altitude.

In terms of their actual designed purpose, however, they performed superbly during the C.E.-Oscdean war. Oscdean troops lacking airship support learned to fear the distinct long shape of the airship, as it meant enemy reinforcements and withering, heavy fire and bombardment. The Kondor's main heavy guns and bombs proved successful at breaching Oscdean fortifications and bunkers. With the enlargement of the C.E. Luftschiffewaffe, the Kondor K-50's are not expected to be extended outside their assigned role again, due to the availability of newly-designed C.E. heavy ships such as the Albatross-Class Zeppelin-Kampfkruiser.

Ground Forces

The Kondor K-50 is notable for its massive troop bay, located within the main body of the craft. Due to the existence of C.E. superhydrogen, much of what appears to be the "gasbag" of the zeppelin is actually completely usable space, and is the main body of the zeppelin, with the gondola below containing the bridge, among other spaces. with only a fractionally tiny amount of space in the very upper area of the main body devoted to storing the tanks of superhydrogen keeping the airship aloft. The troop bay extends the entire length of the main body, and is large enough to contain hundreds of troops along with armored vehicles such as tanks and APC's. Human forces can deploy by rappelling down ropes from two long bays extending for most of the length of the main body. Armored vehicles are lowered by cranes from hatches opening on the lower sides of the main body.