XB-0 Hresvelgr

The XB-0 Hresvelgr is a Belkan-built prototype heavy command cruiser built in Project Pendragon and stolen by AWWNB.

History
The Hresvelgr was one of the main products of Project Pendragon, the arms development program undertaken by Belka in 1985. Construction of the aircraft was carried out at the Belkan Air Force airfield in Mount Schirm, where it was housed in a giant domed hangar. When the economic crisis engulfed Belka at the end of the decade, development was halted, while Excalibur's continued without problems.

The cruiser laid unused for several years, and did not see combat action in the Belkan War, unlike Excalibur. In June of 1995, prior to the Lumen peace treaty, troops from A World With No Boundaries located the XB-0 and stole it from the Schirm base with the aid of Belkan Army rebels who refused to accept the Allied Forces' disarmament order.

In December 25, the organization used the Hresvelgr to attack Lumen and reveal themselves to the world at large. After the raid, the ship travelled to eastern Ustio and carried out a bombing raid on Valais Air Force Base before escaping back to Belka. Although the base suffered considerable damage, the Galm Team took off and pursued it into the Waldreich Mountains.

Galm stripped the Hresvelgr of its on-board weapons and defeated its escorts, including the Espada Squadron. After suffering heavy damage, Cipher attacked the cockpit, causing it to lose control and plunge into the earth, where it vanished in a giant explosion. Cipher's former wingman, Larry Foulke, flew in to defend the cruiser, but arrived shortly after its destruction.

Design
One of the products of Project Pendragon, the XB-0 Hresvelgr is a "heavy command cruiser", a large airship designed to act simultaneously as an aircraft carrier as well as a mobile base. The airframe has a total width of 503m, however its length remains unknown. The XB-0 is capable of carrying up to 50 fighter aircraft in an internal hangar bay.

The XB-0 is propelled by six high output engines, which allow the cruiser to achieve maximum speeds of 1350.2 kN, or 1553 miles per hour. Three of these engines are placed in each wing, arranged in a horizontal position.

The Hresvelgr is armed with a large number of anti-aircraft missile (AAM) mounts and AA guns located throughout its upper, frontal and inferior sections. The aircraft is also known as being capable of emitting electronic countermeasures (ECM).

Trivia

 * The XB-0 takes its name from Hræsvelgr (lit. "Corpse Swallower"), a giant from Norse mythology. The naming of the XB-0 is fitting, as Hræsvelgr takes the form of a gigantic eagle.