Ed Island Air Force

Ed Island Air Force
EIAF
EIAF Balkenkreuz
War Ensign of the EIAF
Military overview
Formed	1909
Anthem	Erzherzog Albrecht Marsch
Jurisdiction	Ed Island and her colonies
Headquarters	Luftwaffe Ministry, Bridgestadt.
Employees	Undisclosed number
Annual budget	Undisclosed amount
Child Military	Ed Island Astronaut Corps

The Ed Island Air Force is the renowned air-based military of Ed Island. While not as old as the navy, the air force of Ed Island is one of the most important military branches, as the country's military abilities are limited by it being an island. The EIAF was downsized following the Fall of Nexon in late 2013, after the ability of the Ed Island Space Command was shown.

History

While aircraft in Ed Island were first created in 1897, the EIAF would not be formed formed until 1909, after the first four warplanes were created. No more than wood and canvas monoplanes, these P-40 Snowhawk airplanes were later mass produced until the air force numbered at 120 aircraft. By the time heavier-than-air flight was developed in Antarctica, Ed Island already had a sizable air force, though mostly unknown to the rest of the continent. In 1915, breakthroughs in steelworks allowed the creation of all-metal Snowhawks, and canvas aircraft were refitted with the superior metal frames. Another aircraft, the P-38 Supercharger, was designed and constructed for the air force as a heavy fighter and bomber. The Supercharger was the first plane designed to be constructed out of metal, unlike the Snowhawk.

When the Khanzem War broke out in Antarctica, Ed Island's military jumped into action. The newly founded Air Corps, a branch of the air force formed for international affairs, was sent to aid the Allies to defeat Khanzem and liberate Antarctica. Three Zeppelins, the Lightning, Striker, and Firefly, were used to great effect carrying both aircraft and bombs into battle. The inferiority of enemy weaponry allowed Air Corps aircraft to remain above the effective range of fire. The advanced aircraft of Ed Island gave the Allies an aerial edge, cutting paths through the simple biplanes used by the Axis. During the war, the Ju-88 Stormer was developed as the first pure-bomber plane. Despite its several advantages over the enemy, it was developed too late to have a major effect on the outcome of the war. After the Khanzem war, the Air Corps was disbanded and merged with the Air Force, as both served the same purpose. While nearly every ally of Ed Island requested several of the advanced aircraft after the war, these requests were all denied as to not give an edge to any possible future adversaries.

By the mid-1930s, jet aircraft were developed and used heavily throughout the Wulfen War, alongside massive six-engine bombers. The Wulfen developed many unorthodox aircraft ranging from the Ho 229, the first flying wing aircraft, to the Triebflügeljäger, predecessor to the Ed Islandian Triebflügel. When the Wulfen seemingly vanished, their mastery of the air was left behind in the form of many of the advanced aircraft used in the war. Using these aircraft as templates, the EIAF became larger and more advanced due to the superior Wulfen designs aiding research.

Fleet

Ed Island possesses a large number of Generation 4, 4.5, and 5 aircraft, many of which are kept in storage in case of emergencies. Due to Ed Island's unique Advanced Automated Aviation Plants, which are capable of autonomously producing nearly any airframe in existence when provided the materials and schematics, large numbers of aircraft are produced by the EIAF for a fraction of what they would normally cost.

Type	Role	Nation of origin	Amount	Description
Fixed-Wing Aircraft
F-9 Grey Ghost	Multirole Fighter	Ed Island	581	The F-9 is the primary fighter in the air force used to gain and maintain air superiority in combat. It is continuously updated to meet ever-evolving warfare demands, and features internal weapon bays and thrust vectoring engines. It replaced the previous F-8, commonly known as its exported variant, the Antarctican P-15.
F-10 Vulcan	Lightweight Fighter	Ed Island	928	Lightweight fighter designed to be a cheaper, more plentiful alternative to the F-9. The Vulcan is the most commonly-exported aircraft from Ed Island, being used by over 20 countries around the continent.
A-12 Mixmaster	Close Air Support	Ed Island	40	The A-12 is a heavy CAS aircraft famed for its solid construction and ability to take extreme amounts of damage. Its usefulness has been called into question, as tank armor has developed beyond what the A-12's 30mm cannon is capable of penetrating effectively.
SF-23 Virus	Interceptor	UnitedTerra Ed Island	150	The top-of-the-line aircraft of the EIAF, used as a dedicated interceptor role. The Ed Islandian Virus is classified as a spaceplane, as it can operate above 80km for short periods of time.
F-24 Reaper	Air Superiority	Ed Island	421	A fifth-generation air superiority fighter with cutting edge avionics and electronics. It was the basis for the Antarctican P-22 fighter, constructed and sold to the nation beginning in 2002.
F-27 Lightning	Interceptor	Ed Island	80 (Planned)	Designed as a long-range fighter escort derived from many of the same design features as the SF-23, the F-26 is designed to escort tactical bombers deep into enemy territory.
EA-200	Electronic Warfare	Ed Island	18	Large jamming aircraft converted from Snowing 767 airliners, the EA-200 serves as a mobile jamming platform and provides assistance to allied forces by generating signals that tamper with enemy radar.
Bombers
FB-25 Strike Reaper	Strike Bomber	Ed Island	110	Strike bomber variant of the F-24 Reaper, possessing a delta-wing and an extended payload bay that allows it to carry more armament than a standard F-24.
B-198H Great White	Strategic Bomber	Ed Island	141	More conventional bombers capable of carrying 70,000 lbs of bombs, although to a shorter distance than the Annihilator. A single B-198, nicknamed Sky High, was loaned to the EIAC for use as an aerial laboratory and launch platform.
Unmanned Aircraft
QF-17 Hunter	Unmanned Fighter	Ed Island	60	Unmanned variant of the EIN's F/A-11 with air-to-ground and basic air-to-air capabilities, although inferior to a penguin pilot. All QF-17s are currently being tested at the Comona Islands Launch Facility.
Rotary-wing Aircraft
UH-24C Vosper	Assault Gunship	Ed Island Rusca	387	Large, armored attack helicopters with the capacity to carry troops or supplies in a troop bay. The UH-24C possesses an updated, heavily armored cockpit area compared to the older UH-24A, which is no longer used by the EIAF.
AH-56 Chippewa	Attack Helicopter	Ed Island	238	Less armored and more nimble than the Vosper, utilized in a ground-attack role. The AH-56B is a bomber configuration of the Chippewa capable of carrying and dropping iron bombs.
UTH-66 Blackfoot	Transport	Ed Island	315	Transport helicopters used to ferry troops and supplies. Blackfoots are often used for extractions, or can be outfitted with missile pods and passenger-mounted machine guns to be used for air support.
Aggressor Aircraft
F-8 Swift	Fighter	Ed Island	18	Outdated lightweight fighters used to simulate enemy aircraft in trials. They are painted to resemble aircraft of the Ninja Archipelago.
F-10 Vulcan	Lightweight Fighter	Ed Island	18	Vulcans are often painted in color schemes of the Asiapelago.
F/A-11 Striker	Multirole fighter	Ed Island	18	The only F/A-11s used by the EIAF, painted to resemble aircraft from USA, UnitedTerra, and Rusca.
MiG-29 Fulcrum	Air Superiority	United Provinces Rusca	12	Leftover aircraft from the Snowinian control of Ed Island, retaining their original Snowinian Air Force and Snowinian Ed Island camo patterns. Ed Island often receives numerous requests from the United Provinces to return the aircraft, none of which are answered.
S-32	Multirole Fighter	United Provinces	6	As with the MiG-29, leftover S-32 aircraft are utilized as aggressor aircraft by the EIAF.

Gallery

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  Greek Cross of the Ed Island Air Corps, later evolved into the EIAF Balkenkreuz.

See Also

• Ed Island
• Ed Island Military

Ed Island