Louis Airship

**Key Features** |  » Payload of 2500kg bombs » Self-sealing flame-resistant envelope » "Lancelot" Spectrum Mega-Blaster » Luxurious lounge and kitchenette » Intimidating "Shark-Tooth" paint job

## Tactical Analysis

* **Limitless Bombs**: In spite of the huge size of the Louis, it fits only a small number of individuals. Although it could conceivably carry hundreds of passengers, it instead holds thousands of bombs -- more than enough for any single battle. In addition, recoilless cannons are fitted onto the Louis in turrets placed on certain points to offer some preliminary bombardment of designated targets.
* **I'm having a blast myself**: The Louis Airship mounts a powerful spectrum megablaster in its nose that can charge up a devastating beam of energy that can virtually delete most targets it manages to strike. Though it takes some time to charge and its utility against swarms of units is limited, this powerful blast can target air units as well as ground targets and has substantial range; very useful for clearing out defences between the Louis and its target.
* **A premium cigar.**: In the extremely rare event that a Louis is shot down, it is quite likely that the volatile mixtures of chemicals within will start to combust after the craft has suffered fatal damage; ensuring the lumbering juggernaut's destruction. Louises are vulnerable to other aircraft and particularly fear interceptors and airship hunters, and are also prone to being kited by faster moving ground based anti-aircraft units; or being shot down with little chance at retaliation by longer ranged vehicles.
* **A flying lightshow**: The new marks of Louises are fitted with spectrum turrets that can offer protection against faster moving targets and aircraft as well, making sure that the lumbering Louis is safe against most targets as it ominously approaches the soon to be destroyed foe. But with the newness of the mark, only specially vetted crews will be transferred to a mark 2.

## Background

The colossal Louis Airship symbolizes the Alliance military's sheer size, strength, steadfastness, and, some might say, its propensity for excess. Named for the great French King (which one of the seventeen to bear the name is an open question), this dirigible is specially-built for war. A rigid, unbreakable frame and heavy-duty envelope make the massive vessel virtually indestructible, and its oversized cargo hold packs thousands of armour-piercing bombs, warhead launchers stand in ready turrets to bombard the foes of the Louis, and a mighty Megablaster is prepared to obliterate anything standing, while an industrial-strength engine block and manoeuvre props somehow keep the thing aloft.

Given its pure role as a heavy bomber, the Louis' only real shortcoming is its inarguable lack of speed -- a problem that is partly resolved by the Louis's posh living quarters and spectacular panoramic viewports, which let their prestigious pilot-bombardiers blissfully pass the time while their aircraft steadily trudge along toward their unfortunate targets. Along the way, Louises are able to simply shrug off most anti-aircraft fire, including attacks from enemy fighters. It is true, though, that Louises have no means of retaliating against most enemy aircraft, so the Alliance does tend to send escort fighters of her own or other airships to watch over each mighty vessel, just in case.

Further, Airbus has equipped Louis airships with an internal reactor that powers the mighty "Lancelot" Spectrum megablaster capable of obliterating a hardened SAM site in a single shot or smashing a hole into most enemy heavy aircraft or plain old vaporising a bothersome tank. Though to avoid heat build up these weapons are used sparingly. Of course, the greatest safety concern lies with the Louis' enemies. Even but one such gigantic vessel has within it the capacity to bring ruin to an entire military installation or enemy armour division.

Predictably, Louis Airships are flown only by the most decorated Alliance officers with years of good political standing, who enjoy lavish accommodations and fine dining inside the Louis' 1200-square-metre living quarters. Even so, stories abound about the ruthlessness of Louis pilot-bombardiers, who -- if the psychological profiling is to be believed -- are so impatient for combat yet feel so removed from it that they tend to use their bombs with liberal, merciless abandon.

### Post-War History

Each Louis Airship, as one might expect, is a tremendously expensive asset, constructed at a great cost in raw materials. Their bomb-carrying capacity gives them unrivalled destructive power, and the appearance of even one of these majestic zeppelins can terrify the bravest of soldiers. Naturally, given their expense and value to the Alliance military, the loss of a Louis is a matter of no small import (especially since they are commonly portrayed as being invincible in Allied propaganda).

After the war had ended and the Allies began to count their losses, a review of the number of Louises downed during the war quickly led to a short and rather unpleasant phone call from Number 10 to the company board. Make sure another debacle like Sevastapol doesn't happen again, or else.

Eventually, it was determined that one of the biggest weaknesses with the Louis was that it couldn't reliably hit moving targets. Though stationary buildings didn't stand a chance against the Louis' massive bombload and recoilless cannons, anti-air vehicles such as Multigunner IFVs presented targets too small to hit accurately with the bombs and warheads--worse, they could just move out of the way before the zeppelin released its payload. Fast aircraft were also able to dodge around the warheads while heavier ones were usually able to either outrange or out-trade the warhead launchers. The Mega-Blaster was a solution, but required the Zeppelin to point its front towards the target; often not possible while moving towards a more important target.

Against such moving targets, another weapon would be needed--while suggestions to mount anti-tank missiles or their own attack aircraft were considered and rejected, the solution that eventually won out was to mount Spectrum turrets onto the Louis Airship. This retrofit would not be very costly or take up an unacceptable portion of the Louis' payload capacity, so it was quickly approved for all Louis airships to receive the refit. However, the slow pace of retrofitting means that only a few Louises have been upgraded thus far.