The Dreadnought

Commissioned from designs that were antique even before the bombs fell, quite a few modifications have been made to optimize its performance for the twenty third century. Most effective performing large supply runs and reconnaissance missions, less emphasis was put on aerial point defense. To compensate for this, a system was designed to launch and retrieve small fighters, allowing for greatly expanded range and zone of effective operational control. These combat systems focus on ground bombardment however, as the Dreadnought has never been attacked by another vehicle in the air to date.

Without the luxury of proper storage hangars for such a large vessel, repairs must be performed on the go. Many additional layers of canvas have been added over the years to patch holes and reinforce weak points. Most damage is 'self-repaired' however by a unique layer of ballistic weave designed by the First Citizens. Although not any more difficult to penetrate from the outside, it traps projectiles inside a series of helium pockets that prevents them from exiting the other side. The expanding energy from this process triggers reactive layers at the point of entry, effectively restoring pressure so quickly that the perforation seals itself shut before structural integrity is lost. These holes will still need to be fixed by hand, otherwise they can still spontaneously expand from exterior wind conditions. Engineers are forced to crawl across the netting ladders running along the outer length of the airship to complete this and other maintenance tasks, giving their position a high turnover rate that First Citizen Martin is always looking to fill.

The engine room has been designed as a sort of adaptor for multiple forms of combustion. As fuel is scarce, they often make use of whatever is at hand. This comes in the form of solar energy from panels installed on the upper gangways, several tanks for various fossil fuels, a converter for various energy cells, and even an oven for shoveling in coal and other solid combustibles. This is another general labor job that is assigned to the expendable recruits taken from Undercity and anyone on the VCP's shit list.

Captured by The Robco Liberation Army in late October of 2277, this vessel returns to The Vault Crawler in December having gone through a shocking transformation. Unsure of what waits inside, the Thunderbirds enact Operation Icarus to end the mystery once and for all..

New map commissioned from Xecthar! If you want to support the artist, this and more maps on his itch.io!

by Xecthar

• Length- 800ft


• Crew- <50


• Maximum Airspeed- 100/mph


• Maximum Altitude- 10,000 feet


• Climb Speed- 1,000 feet per minute


• Cargo Space- 22,000 lbs


• Armaments- Four 105mm Battle Cannons, (11k meter range), Four Rapid-Fire 40mm Autocannons, (8k meter range), Twelve 25mm Gatling-Style Rotary Cannons, (4k meter range), Eight 7.62 Air-Cooled Medium Machine Guns, (1k meter range), and Eight RD44 Cutlass class Light Biplane Fighters.