This is a small, Cliffhanger-style zeppelin designed to transport up to 40 airborne troops up to 450 miles. It is based on the small cargo zeppelin. It uses much larger engines, but has seating for 40 airborne troops. It also has external cradles for carrying a pair of light gliders. Like the other airship, it uses helium for lift.
The troops, similar to a Fallschirmjager platoon but with a 10-man HQ squad (including a 2-man AT-rifle team and 4-man 5cm mortar team) and three 10-man rifle squads, may be deployed in one of three ways. The preferred method, if conditions allow, is to descend to 75-100’ and let the men rappel down ropes hung out of the bottom. Troops may also parachute from the zeppelin; given it’s very slow speed (possibly even hovering) the dispersal of the troops would be much less than if they jumped from an airplane. Finally, up to 20 troops can be deployed via gliders (with 2 men in each squad trained as pilot and co pilot), with the remaining troops rappelling or parachuting. This last method is only used in special situations.
The zeppelin is moderately well-armed against fighter plane attacks, with single 20mm autocannons at each end of the body and two light MGs are on each side of the body.
The zeppelin uses 196 gallons of diesel fuel per hour at routine usage. Range is 450 miles at 42 mph.
Subassemblies: Small Zeppelin chassis +11, three Small TD
engine
pods +3, Medium AFV observation gondola +2.
Powertrain: 3¥1,450-kW aerial HP diesel engine w/1,450-kW
prop and 2,100-gallon light fuel tank [Body], 3¥2,000-kWs batteries
[Pods], 16,000-kWs battery [Body].
Occupancy: 10 CS, 40 PS [Body], 3 CS [Gondola] Cargo:
10.
| Armor | F | RL | B | T | U |
| Body | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 2/2 |
| Gondola/Pods | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 |
| Gondola crew | 0/+20 | 0/+20 | 0/+20 | 0/0 | 0/+20 |
| Bow gunner | 0/+40 | 0/+10 | 0/0 | 0/+10 | 0/0 |
| Stern gunner | 0/0 | 0/+10 | 0/+40 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Side gunner | 0/0 | 0/+40* | 0/0 | 0/+10 | 0/+10 |
Weaponry
75mm Short Tank Gun [Body:F] (32)
20mm Long Aircraft AC [Body:B] (900)
2¥Aircraft LMG [Body:R] (1,000 each)*
2¥Aircraft LMG [Body:L] (1,000 each)*
* Link fires as pair
Equipment
Body: 87 gallon ballast tanks (2 days), 10 hammocks, bunk, large
radio receiver and transmitter, medium radio receiver and transmitter,
precision navigation instruments, autopilot, 2 searchlights,
environmental
controls, 4 external crades (in 2.5 ton capacity pairs). Gondola:
Medium radio receiver and transmitter, searchlight, navigation
instruments.
Statistics
| Size: 270'x30'x30' | Payload: 13.55 tons | Lwt: 54.24 tons |
| Volume: N/A | Maint.: 8 hours | Price: $591,000 |
HT: 12.
HPs: 15,000 Body, 285 each Engine Pod, 200 Gondola.
| aSpeed: 70 | aAccel: 2 | aDecel: 0.5 | aMR: 0.125 | aSR: 4 | Stall: 0 |
Design Notes
Five armored crewstations were bought for the gondola crew and split
for three positions.
The two carried gliders use the stats of the DFS-230 on p.W:HS26. The only difference is that they have a top hatch to allow entry from the zeppelin while in flight.