Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-111.68.32.71-20131007122233/@comment-24042984-20140507173202

Arkan421 wrote: Pyrrhomaniac wrote: I think it'd wouldn't be worth the resource cost of such roles since it is massive, which makes it harder to deploy and would be quite a waste in most engagements. It's slow speed would also pretty much make it impossible for rapid deployment, and since you can never know when you need air support, chances of it being helpful are quite slim. Plus, the helicopter role is basically already covered by the Bullheads.

That's a good point. Another possibility is that it could be used as a sort of flying fortress so if you need a base in an area just send a pre-built flying fortress to land exactly where you need it instead of wasting time to build a more specialized fortress during mobile warfare. In a way, this makes the flying fortress a temporary mobile fort while a specialized fort is being built to accommodate the geography if one is needed.

Also, if it is big enough and has enough space, maybe it can function as a carrier for jets and VTOLs. I like the "mobile fortress" idea, but if that were the case, I'm curious to how the "wings" would be arranged on the ground, seeing as they're quite wide and don't seem to be able to contribute much to any defensive structure. I also think the airship wouldn't function as a carrier due to the complexity of aircraft maintenance and the space required, but perhaps it can serve as a airborne refueling station, to allow the escorts to accompany it throughout its flight. That being said, I do think it is possible for maintenance duties to be carried out on the other aircraft once the airship lands, since there won't be the problem with weight and space. Kyran Kandosa2 wrote: Come to think of it, having big guns aboard could be useful in anti-Grimm operations. The Hunters carried aboard could take smaller monsters on their own, and call in artillery or missile strikes for bigger ones or large swarms. It might even have the option of using missile tubes to launch auto-turrets or ordinance pods like the rocket-lockers at Beacon, for things like covering retreats or resupply. The crew could also use the auto-turrets to defend the ship when landed, freeing some Hunters from guard duty. The artillery could also make clearings in wilderness areas for LZs on demand, like what the Americans did in Vietnam. I also wouldn't be surprised if it carried a compliment of recon drones too. As much as I like the ideas here, I don't think RWBY will take it to that level (if they go that direction at all). But who knows, we're still in the first season, after all.