Malgravean Air Force
| Military of The United Kingdom of Malgrave | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 |
| Headquarters | The Ministry of Defence, Epping (Civil HQ) Puffin Air Force Base, Epping (Military HQ) |
| Leadership | |
| Paragon-Queen | Helena Wlls |
| Minister of National Defence | Katia De Campo |
| Air Marshall | Claudia Smolarek |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 18-60 |
| Conscription | Not in Effect |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | MalDef |
| Foreign suppliers | KAE Systems |
The Malgravean Air Force is the aviation branch of the Malgravean Armed Forces. It is designed to achieve air supremacy, support other branches of the military and assist in the transport of supplies and troops to combat zones and areas troubled with disaster.
It is one of the oldest branches of the Malgravean Armed Forces having been established shortly after the establishment of the Malgravean state as a way to monitor and attack hidden Imerian insurgents and slaver forces that were then hidden on the original homeland, however, it has since evolved into a fully fledged combat service.
Due to the nature of aviation and defence spending in Malgrave, it is often joked that the Air Force is always stuck in at least one cycle modernisation. At present this is correct, as the air force is going through a major modernisation following on from recommendations from an earlier series of military exercises, with the Air Force replacing older interceptor, ground-attack and fighter aircraft with newly designed manned and unmanned aircraft.
History
The Malgravean Air Force was established shortly after the establishment of the Malgravean state in 1910. Initially, the Air Force was tasked with gathering intelligence on insurgents present in the original homeland and was instrumental in a handful of operations which resulted in the capture of Imerian prisoners and the liberation of a slave labourers, however, over the following two decades the Air Force developed into other combat operations providing support to local troops through bombardment and strafing runs on enemy positions.
Starting in 1915 the Air Force started to cooperate more closely with the Malgravean Royal Navy in an attempt to provide some of the benefits brought by advancements in aviation to the Royal Navy. Initially, the project focused on the establishment of coastal air bases maintained by the Royal Navy and Air Force to scout the surrounding waters around Malgrave for hostile fleets, however, in 1920 this changed as the Royal Navy started investigating launching aircraft from vessels.
At that point naval aviation was under the purview of the Royal Air Force, however, with the development of ship-based carrier aviation in the 20s this was moved over to the control of a naval aviation branch under the control of the Royal Navy, although, interservice cooperation between the Navy and the Air Force continued with multiple joint exercises carried out over the following years in an attempt to perfect new weapon platform and tactics.
In the short conflict between Imeriata and Malgrave prior to the Great Exodus, the Air Force cooperated heavily with the Royal Navy and Royal Army to strike against Imerian naval platforms and assist counter-offensives against Imerian positions. Both tactics enjoyed limited success, although, the Air Force sustained high casualties in these engagements and many pieces of equipment were purposefully destroyed prior to the exodus itself to prevent technology from being salvaged by the Imerians.
After the Great Exodus, the Air Force was invited to join a growing plot formed by dissatisfied members of the Royal Army, however, a majority of Air Force members refused this request. As a result in the early stage of the Malgravean Civil War a majority of defensive positions established by Malgrave were manned by a mixture of service personnel of the Air Force and Royal Navy.
Starting in the 1950s the Air Force was tasked with supporting a number of planned offensive operations by the Territorial Defence Force. Notable objections emerged within the Air Force to this course of action which was vindicated during Operation Swift in which assets from the Air Force were unable to provide proper support to the Territorial Defence Force due to shortages of fuel and ammunition.
After the failure of Operation Swift, the Air Force wasn't engaged in serious operation until the Battle of Pakosc when assets from the Royal Air Force flew several missions over Pakosc cementing air superiority over the region, delivering supplies to friendly units in the area and conducting key strikes against NWR positions. Such actions were praised heavily in the Royal Malgravean Times and used as an example to proclaim the recovery of the Air Force.
In 1974 the Air Force was able to establish air superiority over the territories of the National Workers' Republic which presented them with the opportunity to conduct more aggressive operations against key NWR infrastructure and military bases. As a result, the Air Force was able to proclaim complete air supremacy over the NWR in 1977 which allowed them to assist operations of the Territorial Defence Force in the liberation of Aria in 1979.
Post-War Operations
In 2011, the Royal Air Force took part in a series of operations off Naxos, a medium-sized island that was settled by the Malgravean state in the 1950s as a research hub. As part of these operations, the Air Force cooperated with the Royal Navy to perform search and rescue operations to assist ships from a non-Mystrian nation that entered into difficulty during bad weather conditions and were later called upon to intercept a hostile force which attempted to claim the Naxos island for their own ends. Netizens praised the Air Force for being able to operate in harsh conditions to rescue foreign nationals and protect Malgravean territory.
In 2012, the Air Force formed part of Malgravean operations in Bael, D'hɑlbrisir, as the United Kingdom formed part of a multinational mission designed to help stabilise the country and provide vital aid and reconstruction support. Assets from the Air Force were used to deliver supplies to remote communities, establish supply networks with TDF units and transport members of the Ancestral Study Group and Free Democratic Youth as they organised charitable efforts in the country.
In the same year, the Air Force was deployed to assist the deployment of humanitarian aid in Vorradia, with units from the Air Force involved in the evacuation of wounded civilians and the fast deploymnt of soldiers from the Territorial Defence Force. Air Force assets also assisted in the deployment of Crystaline, a method developed by Malgrave to clean up nuclear waste and pollution caused by the launch of certain types of spaceship which is now exported by MalEn.
After both crisis, the Air Force was used in Altea to help transport volunteers from the Ancestral Study Group and Free Democratic Youth to assist that country as it was undergoing radical reforms following C'tani occupation.
In 2015, the Air Force was deployed to assist peacekeeping operations in the non-Mystrian country of Ejima. As part of this operation, the Air Force helped establish logistical corridors for TDF forces and also delivered aid and engineering supplies to remote areas of the country, with the deployment of heavy-lift helicopters seen as instrumental in aiding economic recovery in remote areas which was useful in reducing unrest in the country.
In 2017, the Air Force formed a key part of a multi-branch operation to provide humanitarian support to Takshistan following a series of earthquakes. A combination of heavy-lift helicopters and large transport aircraft meant that the Air Force was able to provide equipment which greatly aided recovery efforts in the country, and past experiences in D'hɑlbrisir and Vorradia meant that many lives were saved.
In 2020, the Air Force formed part of Malgravean efforts to aid Silverdale in a series of military operations known in Malgrave as the Silverdalean crisis. A multitude of assets from the Air Force were used in these operations, as the branch evacuated civilians, delivered logistical supplies to allied troops and struck against hostile targets with a mixture of manned and unmanned operations, as part of these operations experience picked up hunting monsters in D'Halbrisir proved invaluable.