Kureman Imperial Air Force

The Kureman Imperial Air Force (KIAF) is the fastest growing and most important of the three branches of the Kureman Armed Forces, as well as the oldest air force in the world. It has the world's most technologically advanced war planes, giving the Kureman military wide power projection capabilities. The mission of the KIAF covers a variety of fields, including humanitarian missions, air invasions, non-conventional warfare, and air support of ground or naval forces. The KIAF is estimated to possess 7,500 manned aircraft as well as 4,000 active duty personnel.

Mission

 * Search and Rescue: The KIAF is responsible for general search and rescue operations where allied militants and/or civilians are stranded and lost. The Kureman Rescue Coordination Center is crucial to maximizing the efficiency of SAR operations.


 * Air Sovereignty: The skies have always been important to Kurema, thus KIAF's duties include maintaining control of the nation's airspace.


 * Airlift: Due to the advantages that aircraft bring, KIAF is often responsible for long-distance logistics.


 * Irregular Warfare: With the evolution of war, air forces were seen to be the greatest advantage to counter insurgencies. If there was an insurgency against Kurema, KIAF would lead or support strikes against insurgents.

History
The KIAF was originally formed as the Kureman 1st Army, later to be more adequately named as the Imperial Guard, responsible for providing security against airborne wyverns that pose a threat to the safety of Kureman society. Kuremans captured, tamed and bred wild wyverns for the purpose of security, despite the controversy surrounding the original plan. The wyvern-mounted sentinels gradually evolved into a military unit, involved in campaigns, both internal and external, throughout Kurema's history.

The Industrial Revolution saw the modernization of the Imperial Guard and prompted its renaming to the Kureman Imperial Air Force. The wyvern cavalries that Kurema became famous (or infamous) for were phased out due to the overall advantages presented in using aircraft over aerial cavalry.

Personnel
The chain of command of the Kureman Imperial Air Force is typical of most air forces, having set the standard as the first air force in the world.

Commissioned officers

 * Marshal of the Air Force (OF-10)
 * Chief Air Marshal (OF-9)
 * Air Marshal (OF-8)
 * Air Vice-Marshal (OF-7)
 * Air Commodore (OF-6)
 * Group Captain (OF-5)
 * Wing Commander (OF-4)
 * Squadron Leader (OF-3)
 * Flight Lieutenant (OF-2)
 * Flight Officer (OF-1)

Other ranks

 * Senior Warrant Officer (OR-9)
 * Warrant Officer (OR-8)
 * Flight Sergeant (OR-7)
 * Sergeant (OR-6)
 * No equivalent rank (OR-5)
 * Corporal (OR-4)
 * Senior Airman (OR-3)
 * No equivalent rank (OR-2)
 * Airman (OR-1)

Structure
The organization of the KIAF units are as follows:


 * Airman (single pilot)
 * Section (two or more airmen)
 * Flight (two or more sections, four or more airmen)
 * Squadron (two or more flights, four or more sections)
 * Group (two or more squadrons, four or more flights)
 * Wing (two or more groups, four or more squadrons)
 * Tactical Air Force (two or more wings, four or more groups)
 * Mission Command (two or more air forces, four or more wings)

In particular, the squadrons of Kurema have their own unique call sign, inadvertently creating nicknames for each squadron. These call signs were typically used during peacetime, when counter intelligence is not a priority. The squadrons are typically organized by groups in official documents in accordance to their official functions. Due to the heavy specializations of each squadron, the squadron's members are typically split among air force bases around Kurema.

Flight Combat Group

 * 1st Fighter Interceptor Squadron (Volk)
 * 3rd Interdiction Squadron (Pauk)
 * 4th Special Operations and Tactics Squadron (Drakon, Black Maws)
 * 5th Assault Squadron (Pantera)
 * 11th Aggressor Squadron (Zmyeya)

Ground Support Group

 * 2nd Helicopter Squadron (Tigr)
 * 6th Electronic Warfare and Combat Squadron (Yastreb)
 * 7th Bomber Squadron (Medved)
 * 8th Air Logistics Squadron (Orel)
 * 10th Air Support Squadron (Akula)

Intelligence Group

 * 12th Air Command and Communications Squadron (Lisitsa)
 * 14th Aerial Intelligence and Reconnaissance Squadron (Bogomol)
 * 16th Weather Reconnaissance and Analysis Squadron (Yaguar)
 * 18th Tactical Air Defense Squadron (Shakal)

Aircraft inventory

 * Note: The inventory of the KIAF is incomplete.

Airborne command and control aircraft
The E-5 Sentinel serves as the aerial command and control aircraft of the Kureman Imperial Air Force, capable of receiving, organizing and transmitting orders to units within a large radius around it. It requires a flight crew of four, as well as thirteen to nineteen mission crew to operate the equipment installed on-board the aircraft. Since it is unarmed and not designed for complex evasive maneuvers, the E-5 Sentinel often requires an escort when entering a potentially hostile airspace.

It is distinguished by the large ovular external disc used to increase the range of radar equipment as well as filter out static radio frequencies.

Air superiority fighter
The H-11 Lightning Wyvern serves as the primary fighter-of-choice for Kurema's air superiority fighters. It boasts fourth-generation stealth technology as a fifth-generation fighter jet. It has an estimated Mach 1.85 top speed, without entering supercruise mode, using two afterburners at sea level. Although it has been designed as an air superiority fighter, the H-11 is capable of handling ground assault, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence.

It has three internal weapons bays, capable of holding eight ranged missiles; six compressed medium range missiles in the central main bay and two short range missiles in the side bays. Although the weapons armament is smaller than typical aircraft, the H-11's design allows it to be virtually undetectable by modern radar and sensors. To compensate for the smaller armament, external hardpoints allow the H-11 to harness extra weaponry at the cost of stealth and maneuverability.

Because of its high performance specifications, Kurema placed a ban on its export outside of the country.

Gunship
The HA-130 Templar is the fixed-wing gunship of choice of the KIAF, developed from the framework of the C-20 Aerocarrier. Designed as a heavy air-to-ground assault craft, the Templar is equipped with two 20mm vulcan cannons, a 40mm auto-cannon, and a 102mm howitzer. The gunship requires a crew of twelve to operate. Due to its size and armament, the Templar is a rather slow craft, though its firepower ensures heavy destruction on ground targets that are not prepared for its onslaught. Alongside these weapons, the Templar also is equipped with infrared, radar, navigation, and fire control systems, allowing gunners to electronically identify targets and provide precision firepower.

Multirole combat aircraft
The J-7 Wyvern was the fourth-generation all-purpose fighter-of-choice for Kureman operations before the deployment of the H-11. It was capable of achieving Mach 1.4 at sea level. However, the J-7 Wyvern has been in Kureman service for almost forty years, thus has limited weaponry in comparison to the H-11. It was outfitted with a 20mm gatling gun, two external hard points on the wing tips, six under the wings and three under-fuselage pylons, for a total of eleven hard points. Only one pilot is needed to operate a J-7. The J-7 Wyverns are in the process of being converted to be able to operate more like a bomber, as the J-7B Wyverns.

Gb-17 Falcon was the successor to the J-7 Wyvern in multirole operations. Despite not excelling in any level of performance, the craft also did not suffer from poor specifications, making it the fighter of choice of the infamous Black Maw Squadron. They were armed with a 30mm gas-operated cannon and equipped with twelve hardpoints, capable of handling up to 14,300lb (6,500kg) of munitions. The Gb-17s were typically equipped with four joint strike missiles and four long-range radar-homing missiles, though they were also capable of utilizing different load-outs that include bombs and rockets.

The VT Vitra was an aircraft that used vector thrusting technology to enable vertical/short takeoff and landing. Alongside eliminating the need for runways, the vector thrust technology allowed it to perform a plethora of new aviation maneuvers that were later adopted by newer aircraft. Despite these traits, the Vitra is in the process of being replaced due to CATOBAR technology.

Surveillance aircraft
The U-2 is a high-altitude, all-weather surveillance aircraft used primarily to reconnoiter regions where UAVs cannot safely survey. Though unarmed, the U-2 has advanced sensors to detect hostile weapons systems that have launched missiles at it. This is due to the limited maneuverability of the U-2, requiring advanced notice to be able to execute emergency actions and evade enemy weapons.

It has been in service for fifty years.

Transport aircraft
The C-20 Aerocarrier is a cargo plane designed to transport large and heavy cargo. The cargo hold is large and durable enough to carry a main battle tank, though capable of carry a large load of smaller goods. The maximum body capacity for soldiers is 102-134 men, depending on the kind of seats utilized, or 36 litter and 54 ambulatory medical patients. The minimal crew consists of two pilots and a load master. The Aerocarrier is often used for humanitarian purposes.

The T-16 Skycrane was a twin-engine heavy-lift transport helicopter designed to carry a payload of 20,000lb (9,000kg) and a maximum takeoff weight of 47,000lb (21,000kg). It utilized a winch that allowed it to carry its cargo up against it skeletal structure to reduce the pendulum effect and raise and lower heavy vehicles while hovering. The Skycrane could be equipped with an advanced pod that allowed it to carry personnel as well as heavy cargo or with a pod that provided some protection for personnel on-board the helicopter at the cost of being unable to carry an external sling-load.

The FR-10 Extender is an air-to-air tanker aircraft used to provide aerial refueling to KIAF aircraft. The crew of an FR-10 Extender includes a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, and boom operator: a total of four people. It is capable of refueling two squadrons of fighters before running low on fuel designated for refueling purposes. However, it lacks maneuverability or defense systems to protect itself.

UAV
The HR-2 Pelican is an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of being armed with missiles. It has seven hard points, and can be equipped with up to fourteen Hellfire air-to-ground missiles. However, the primary purpose of the HR-2 Pelican is unmanned aerial reconnaissance. It is equipped with sensors and a targeting system to operate in both roles.

The HR-2 Pelican was quick to be recognized for its lethality in comparison to its lack of crew, and was seen as a threat equal to, if not greater than, a conventional combat aircraft.

Behind the scenes
The call signs of the various modern squadrons originate from Russian words for various natural predators, inspired by the debut trailer for Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. Even numbered squadrons were designated support roles, for both combat and non-combative activities, while odd numbered squadrons were given assault roles.