Gleipnir

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Gleipnir
Manufacturer	Leasath
Creation	Early 21st century
Operators	Leasath

The Gleipnir (グレイプニル) was a giant combat aircraft created by the Democratic Republic of Leasath.

History

Creation

The Gleipnir was developed in the aftermath of the Leasath Civil War, under Diego Gaspar Navarro's direction. It was developed jointly with the Fenrir, being designed with the ability of obtaining battle data to refine the fighter. The Gleipnir was the second giant aircraft created by Leasath, followed by the Gandr, its own prototype. A week prior to the invasion of Aurelia, Navarro personally designated Captain Frank Burlington as the commander of the ship.

Leasath-Aurelia War

Leasath deployed the Gleipnir in Aurelia shortly after the destruction of Gandr, acting as the lynchpin of Navarro's invasion, who used its firepower to conquer most of the country within ten days. The city of Santa Elva, on account of the Lenal River running through it, became the base of operations of the fortress after its capture. On the eleventh day of the invasion, Diego ordered the deployment of the Gleipnir to decimate the Gryphus Squadron during a bombing attack on Aubrey Air Force Base, killing most of the unit's members with a Shock Wave Ballistic Missile strike; the event was witnessed by civilian crowds in nearby Cape Aubrey.

Ever since the Aubrey attack, the Gleipnir sporadically battled Aurelian forces during their counterattack against Leasath, being involved in the sinking of a navy fleet near Terminus Island and a failed mission against the trapped Davis Unit at the Stand Canyon.

Destruction

The Gleipnir over Santa Elva.

As the Aurelian counterstrike continued, it was eventually determined that the conditions were optimal for a direct attack on the Gleipnir itself. The ship, which retained fully functional stealth and SWBM launching ability, was attacked by Gryphus One in Santa Elva as it attacked ground troops at the Stand Canyon.

Gryphus evaded the fortress's attacks and disabled its stealth and missile systems. In desperation, Burlington ordered the ship's crew to fire the Shock Cannon at Santa Elva. However, the Aurelian pilot disabled the weapon with a missile strike, causing its inner systems to collapse, leading the Gleipnir into plunging into the Lenal River, miraculously avoiding serious damage to the city. Some of its crew survived the crash, and were taken prisoner by Aurelian troops.

Design

Like other giant aircraft from the Strangereal world, the Gleipnir is intended to overwhelm enemy targets through heavy firepower. Because of its gargantuan size, it cannot use runways to take off, thus necessitating its development as a flying boat. The ship is armed with Shock Wave Ballistic Missile launchers, a Shock Cannon in the ventral area and an optical camouflage system. Despite its imposing size and role, the Gleipnir is considered an "airborne fortress" instead of a heavy command cruiser.

Trivia

• The Gleipnir is named after a magical bind from Norse mythology, which restrained the legendary wolf Fenrir. The name matches the aircraft's link with the Fenrir.