The Mithambian Aeroservices Branch
The Mithambian Aeroservices Branch (MASB) is the branch of the The Mithambian Armed Forces that specifically deals with all military aerial equipment, and is the lead force that defends the Kingdom of Mithambe's airspace from threats external and internal.
In the modern day, the MASB maintains the sovereignty of the skies above and around the Kingdom of Mithambe, and also maintain the aerial shipping corridors that connect Mithambe and the Louthian Continent with Eastern Fencover and the Allelands. The MASB is also the primary combatants against the ever-present threat of the Serax, projecting force out into the Vinesian Ocean and hitting the Serax in their spawning zones.
MASB Control Zones
To properly divide its assets in the best defense of the dominion, the Kingdom of Mithambe is divided by MASB Strategic Command into four respective control zones, and one active combat zone:
| Zone | Name | Area of Jurisdiction | Battlegroup Assignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Manhesto Control Zone (ManCZ) | Manhesto Control Zone comprises the area throughout Manhesto county, including the Capital Exclusion Zone. Area control command is located in Clifract. | Battlegroup Gersix |
| #2 | Witnes Control Zone (WCZ) | The Witnes Control Zone comprises the area of Witnes County. It also includes Souton Bay, and the entirety of Uxdrid Bay. Area control command is located in Facury. | Battlegroup Valia |
| #3 | Suden Control Zone (SCZ) | The Suden Control Zone comprises the area of Suden Territory, including Halter Bay and the Normintonese Lighthouse. Area control command is located in Flokneth. | Battlegroup Krisel |
| #4 | Matesland Control Zone (MatCZ) | The Matesland Control Zone comprises the area of Matesland Region, including the Louthian North passage. Area control command is located in Uxrigbury. | Battlegroup Vesea |
| #5 | East Ocean Combat Zone (EOCZ) | The East Ocean Combat Zone is the territorial waters beyond the 5 kilometer shore distance along the entire eastern coastline of the Kingdom of Mithambe. This zone is considered an active combat zone due to the presence of hostile Seraxi constructs in the Vinesian Ocean, compounded with the presence of aerial pirates that operate over the Ocean. | Battlegroup Altis |
Structure
Command
MSAB officers and enlisted personnel promoted to MAF Command will maintain their colors, but adopt the rankings of the command position they are assuming. MAF command ranks outweigh all MSAB ranks.
Officers
| Paygrade Code | AO0 |
AO1 |
AO2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank Insignia |
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|
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| Rank Title | (Aviator) Officer Prospect |
(Aviator) Second Lieutenant |
(Aviator) Lieutenant |
| Paygrade Code | AO3 |
AO4 |
AO5 |
AO5M |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank Insignia |
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|
|
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| Rank Title | (Aviator) Second Commander |
(Aviator) Commander |
(Aviator) Captain |
(Aviator) Master |
Enlisted
| Paygrade Code | AE0 |
AE1 |
AE2 |
AE3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank Insignia |
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|
|
| Rank Title | Recruit Aviator |
Aviator |
Leading Aviator |
First Aviator |
| Paygrade Code | AE4 |
AE5 |
AE6 |
AE7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank Insignia |
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|
|
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| Rank Title | Aviator Sergeant |
Aviator Warrant Officer |
Aviator Master Warrant Officer |
Aviator First Warrant Officer |
Culture
The MASB relies on its advances in ethereal and mundane technology to multiply its effectiveness, constantly retrofitting its older assets with state-of-the-art equipment to keep them viable with modern-day deployments and strategic posturing.
Due to its reduced size, the MASB is loathe to commit its largest assets to engagements unless the predictions for victory without collateral are assured. Even in the field of deployment, MASB capital assets are always screened by lighter vessels, which are easier to replace (though their crew and complement is not, which troubles MASB strategists to no end).
History
The MASB's humble origins would start throughout the later conflicts of the Louthian War, in which volunteers with captured Louthian Imperial Army aerial assets would take to the skies and perform scouting missions, or harass supply columns. Some of these pilots would soon be christened Ernest's Eagles, and they were a source of morale among the soldiers fighting alongside the Louthian Free Territories against the Louthian Empire.
At the close of the Louthian War and the beginning of the Kingdom of Mithambe, Ernest's Eagles would remain a small group, even as the territory negotiations began for what would establish the borders of the dominion. They would formally begin to structure themselves as the Aeroservices Division in 1724, before being appointed by the Royal Court as the Aeroservices Branch in 1734.
The MASB's assets were halved throughout the course of the The Mithambian Civil War (1804-1807), with entire vessels committing to the side of the Church, or remaining loyal and heeding all commands of the Royal Court. Hundreds of vessels were destroyed in conflicts that dominated the sky, and nearly three-quarters of all capital aerofortress vessels were destroyed - outright obliterated by enemy fire, or sabotaged from the inside by turncoats and spies. By the conclusion of the Mithambian Civil War, nearly 80% of the MASB's personnel were rendered ineffectual - killed in action, executed by Church militants or King Rupert's Talons, permanently disabled, deserted, or otherwise disappeared without a trace.
In 1808, the Mithambian Aeroservices Branch was amalgamated with the remaining loyalist Knight orders, and the Mithambian Admiralty, to form the Mithambian Armed Forces. Aside from stronger integrations with the other branches and a unified upper command structure, the structure of the MASB changed little.
In 1809, the remaining assets of the MASB were re-organized into four battlegroups, with each battlegroup responsible for various territories within the domain of the kingdom. The fifth battlegroup, Altis, would not be established until 1850.
In 1812, the MSAB secured a long-term contract with Joust Shipyards to replenish its aerial assets. The MSAB also established long-term contracts with Croxwen Corporation for cutting edge ethereal and technological armaments and systems for its new and aging fleets.
In 1853, a fire in port gutted and destroyed the Maher-class battleship MRAS Ariel Diligent, which was drydocked in Manhesto Port for routine maintenance. Six enlisted personnel and one officer perished in the inferno, while 53 other personnel (25 enlisted, 7 officers, 31 civilian contractors) were treated for injuries ranging from minor to debilitating. An investigation was immediately commissioned by the MAF and by the Royal Court (as King Marcus and King-Emeritus Charles were scheduled for a command change ceremony aboard the Diligent that week). Five enlisted personnel would eventually be found guilty of treason, and executed by hanging.
In 1886, the Marb-class battleship MRAS Justine Clarity was lost during a combat rescue mission in etherspace, while other elements of Battlegroup Altis, including the MRAS Sophia Justice and the MRAS Endless Rainbow, suffered significant damage and personnel losses.
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