Belle 815 Swallowtail
- Classification: Aerial Support
- Place of Origin: Coalition of Western Republics
- Armor: 1.2 inch ceramic
- Empty Weight: 6.15 tons
- Crew: 2 (Pilot, copilot)
- Primary Armament: Varies; default V60 sonnecoil vollgey gun
The Belle 815 Swallowtail was a aerial support aircraft of the Coalition military.
History[]
During the gusano crusades, the relentless advance of the Coalition armies taxed logistics massively. The traditional M215 halftracks of the Coalition Army couldn't keep up with the tritium-guzzling M4 Schusters, which sometimes had to halt an advance to wait for refueling, letting the dreaded xeno enemy get away. A solution presented itself in the form of National Socialist Germany, an auszeit state that used "fliegenpanzers:" advanced rotorcraft that harassed Coalition units that lacked EMSEL batteries. While it was clear the concept could not be copied verbatim, the general idea of aerial support re-entered the minds of Coalition military thinkers. Belle Aeronautics, which normally manufactures civilian spacecraft, was contracted to solve the problem of armies advancing further than their supply lines would allow.
In 2711 two aircraft were born from the project: the Belle 202 Thundercloud and the Belle 815 Swallowtail. Unlike the rotorcraft the Germans possessed, these new aircraft used modern thrusters to maneuver around the battlefield. They were designed to be space-capable, but no sane commander would use them in orbit unless they were desperate and their thrusters can't generate enough lift to break an Earth-sized planet's gravity. The two were designed to fill the niche of the M215: the Thundercloud filled the assault role and the Swallowtail filled the support role. While the Thundercloud's design left little room for customization, the Swallowtail was designed specifically to have a multitude of variants: medivac, infantry support, transport and most importantly, refueling. Although the military was initially skeptical, the Swallowtail quickly found its way into the hearts of Coalition commanders who adored it for its versatility and allowing their men to operate out in the field for longer. This is not to say the Swallowtail was perfect. To save weight and space, its engines and fuel tanks are relatively small, making it slow and rather ironically have a very strict flight schedule. Its armor is thin, once again a weight saving measure, making it vulnerable to enemies who frequently have orders to prioritize them as targets. Its shield generator is an outdated M18, one that sticks out prominently from its fuselage. Its default armament is light, meant only for self-defense. However, despite these flaws, the Swallowtail has successfully fulfilled its role in the battlefields of the galaxy. The pictured Swallowtail is the 815F, a tanker variant.