The Prydwen
The Prydwen is an aircraft created and used by the Brotherhood of Steel
The next generation of Brotherhood airships was born after the defeat of the Enclave at Adams Air Force Base in 2277, with work starting around 2278. The sharpest minds the Brotherhood had at its disposal spent two years on its design and assembling the necessary parts, salvaging scrap metal and Enclave equipment from the ruined AFB. Once the design process was complete around 2280, it took over two years to assemble the airship and launch its maiden voyage in 2282. With Proctor Ingram's oversight, the first post-War airship has remained travel-ready and afloat, providing the Brotherhood with an unparalleled aerial advantage in the wasteland
Weighing in at 40,000 tons, the Prydwen is a rigid-frame dirigible, held afloat by four giant gasbags inside the frame of the ship. Due to the rarity of helium, the Brotherhood used hydrogen as a lifting gas, with heavy armor surrounding the main deck to protect the gasbags and all the people and equipment stored within from harm. The plating is designed to take plenty of punishment without losing the ability to fly, while the gas bags inside are maintained around the clock by a team of scribes overseen by a senior scribe, and off limits to anyone but authorized personnel. Even then, they'd require explosives to rupture and ignite the hydrogen inside, though any open flame is recommended to be kept outside the hull as a precaution.The heart of the Prydwen is a nuclear fusion plant, providing power to the systems and powering the main engines: Four massive propellers at the stern of the ship, supported by four large thrusters mounted on the flight deck. Before the journey to the Commonwealth, the original power plant was replaced with an updated fusion plant pulled by the Brotherhood from an aircraft carrier wreckage, and reached almost one hundred percent efficiency by arrival. However, the need to keep such a massive airship afloat puts a strain on the system, in particular the cooling, and requires constant supply of coolant to pass through the four main heat exchangers located on the exterior of the main deck. The thrusters also require regular maintenance, due to the proximity of the navigational beacon. While Ingram stays ahead of repairs and there's plenty of fuel for the fusion reactor, coolant remains a critical issue, as it may require the Prydwen to land if it runs out. Otherwise, a crash is likely.The Prydwen itself is not built for fighting, as any onboard weapon systems would just slow her down. Instead, it relies on its complement of troops, Vertibirds, and supplies to engage threats. The flight deck can service up to four Vertibirds simultaneously, and if all fails, the airship can take evasive action to avoid incoming fire. The only threat aside from internal sabotage is an overwhelming first strike, making evasion impossible. Any such attack only has one chance to succeed, as otherwise the Brotherhood would take it out of harms way. The greatest defense the Prydwen has is the degree of coordination it provides: As the nerve center and supply base, its sensors and computer systems provide a constant stream of intel to field units, while onboard spaces can be readily converted to labs to study the enemy and provide a further edge in battle.While it's well known she's a design prioritizing safety and reliability over looks, she is considered to be a triumph of Brotherhood engineering and serving aboard an honor (though the actual quality of life aboard is sorely lacking due to 18 hour shifts and the smell). Those so honored may be doubly "honored" by being reassigned to rust scraping duty on the outside, a method of reinforcing discipline favored by Captain Kells. To outsiders, it is a behemoth stretching the definition of airship, capable of bringing entire armies to a region.
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