The Atlesian Airship is a large military aircraft used by the Atlas Military.
History
The Atlesian Airship was designed by the Atlas military in conjunction with the Schnee Dust Company, a testament to the Dust company's good relations with its kingdom's forces.[1]
The airships are first seen in "Welcome to Beacon", where three such aircraft are seen transporting Atlas Soldiers to Beacon Academy. They appear to be under the command of General James Ironwood, who also seems to use them as his command post while in Vale.
They make a major appearance in "Breach", where one arrived along with a fleet of Atlesian dropships to assist in repelling the invading Grimm. Roman Torchwick is later imprisoned in the brig of one of the ships.
At the height of Atlas' strength in Vale, at least eight airships are present, as seen from Ozpin's office in "PvP", at the beginning of the Grimm invasion of Vale.
In "PvP", when the Grimm invade Vale, the airships immediately come under attack from Nevermores, with several sustaining damage. The captain of the airship designated Blue 4 attempts to move his squadron of three ships into defensive positions around Beacon Academy. However, Neopolitan had successfully infiltrated one of the ships, killing or incapacitating the bridge security and command staff. This is presumably Ironwood's flagship, as Roman is on board. After Roman is broken out of the brig by Neo, he proceeds to take control of the ship and turn it on the rest of the squadron, destroying the airships Blue 3 and 4 with ease.
In "Battle of Beacon", Ironwood pilots a dropship in an attempt to board and retake the airship from Roman. However, Roman introduces a Scroll infected with a computer virus that causes all of the Atlesian Knight-200s to go rogue and turn on Ironwood, who is taken off-guard and crashes his aircraft. Witnessing this, Ruby Rose decides to retake Roman's ship instead. She rides on a rocket-propelled locker and lands on the outside of the ship's hull. Roman and Neo head out to intercept her.
The ship is heavily damaged in the ensuing battle and crashes in Vale. After the destruction of the airship, the remaining androids and mechs shut down.
It is unknown how many airships survived the Grimm invasion of Vale and the Battle of Beacon. Aside from the three airships destroyed around Beacon, the other five ships do not make an appearance during the battle. Given that during the Grimm invasion the city of Vale was designated as the primary evacuation point by the Atlas military, and is overwhelmingly larger in population than Beacon Academy, it is likely that the majority of the airfleet was concentrated there. It is likely that at least a few ships were still operational defending the city of Vale, despite the fall of Beacon Academy. However, the airfleet undoubtedly took heavy losses, as at least a third of the fleet was lost through the actions of Roman and Neo.
Description
The Atlesian airship fulfills a role similar to that of the airship used by Beacon and Vale, transporting people across long distances. Like the passenger airship, it is massive and slow-moving. The main difference between the two is that the Atlesian Airship seems to be used exclusively by the military, as its first appearance shows three of them dropping off Ironwood's army and Atlas students at the Beacon sky-dock.
The airship is evidently the control center for the Atlesian androids and mechs. Roman is able to control the actions of the androids from the airship by infecting it with a computer virus, and once the airship is destroyed, all remaining units shut down.
The Atlesian airship also differs in appearance from the passenger airship. It has an arrow-shaped hull, with two nacelles coming off its sides, most likely its engines. It also has several spines protruding from the engine supports. There are also several nozzles in between the spines, as well as on the bottom of the engine supports, most likely its main source of propulsion. Given its size, slow speed and lack of wings, it most likely uses Dust to stay aloft.
The Atlesian airship is armed with forward-facing laser batteries that are powerful enough to easily shoot down other airships of its class.
Interior and Accommodations
The bridge of the airship
The bridge of the airship is seen in "PvP". It has several workstations as well as a large main screen which displays navigational info and ship status. In addition to these command and control facilities, it is also possible to pilot the ship and fire its weapons from the bridge.
The brig is seen in "Breach", where Torchwick was imprisoned after the Grimm attack on Vale. The interior aesthetic of the brig is unusual and does not in any way resemble the interior of an aircraft or secure holding area. It more closely resembled the interior of a cathedral or castle with flying buttresses and arched windows.
Trivia
- In "PvP", known designations for the airships include Blue 2 through 4.
References
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