基洛夫飛艇/KIROV AIRSHIP

Designation: Heavy Bomber

Manufacturer: Krasna Aerospace

National Origin: U.S.S.R.

Mass-Produced at: Soviet Airfield

Key Features:

? BOR-57 "Grom" 800 kg. bomb payload

? Self-sealing flame-resistant envelope

? Gastroburner chemical dispenser

? Luxurious lounge and kitchenette

? Intimidating "shark-tooth" paint job

定位：重型轟炸機(jī)

制造商：卡斯納航太

原產(chǎn)國(guó)：蘇維埃社會(huì)主義共和國(guó)聯(lián)盟

生產(chǎn)處：蘇聯(lián)空軍基地

關(guān)鍵特征：

??搭載BOR-57「雷電」式800公斤炸彈

??自封閉式防火蒙皮

??燃料加力燃燒器調(diào)配裝置

??裝修豪華的起居室和小廚房

??令人生畏的「鯊魚(yú)嘴」涂裝

The unprecedented new Kirov Airship symbolizes the Soviet military's sheer size, strength, steadfastness, and, some might say, its propensity for excess. Named for its maiden launch over Kirov oblast, this dirigible is specially-built for war. A rigid, unbreakable frame and heavy-duty envelope make the massive vessel virtually indestructible, and its oversized cargo hold packs thousands of armor-piercing bombs, while an industrial-strength engine block and maneuver props somehow keep the thing aloft. By contrast with some other more-conventional Soviet forces, no expense was spared in either the design or the manufacture of these flying behemoths. Krasna Aerospace introduced the Kirov into the Union's arsenal only two years ago, and already it has changed the way modern air combat is waged, while silencing critics who once accused Krasna's past success with its Twinblade gunship to be a one-time fluke.

這款全新的基洛夫飛艇可謂是史無(wú)前例，它象征著蘇聯(lián)軍隊(duì)的強(qiáng)大實(shí)力和堅(jiān)定不移的精神。有些人則認(rèn)為，它代表了鋪張浪費(fèi)的傾向。這種飛艇專為戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)而生，以其首飛儀式所在的基洛夫州而得名。牢固的框架和沉重的外殼使得這艘飛艇幾乎堅(jiān)不可摧，而它龐大的艙室可以容納下數(shù)千枚高穿透力炸彈，強(qiáng)而有力的發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)和螺旋槳?jiǎng)t保證了它能夠在高空中長(zhǎng)時(shí)間航行。與其他更為傳統(tǒng)的蘇聯(lián)部隊(duì)相比，這些飛行巨獸的設(shè)計(jì)和制造過(guò)程可謂是豪擲千金?？ㄋ辜{航太將基洛夫飛艇交付給蘇軍僅僅過(guò)去兩年，現(xiàn)代空中戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)的形態(tài)就被它完全顛覆了。這也讓那些認(rèn)為卡斯納航太在雙刃直升機(jī)項(xiàng)目上的成功只是運(yùn)氣好而已的批評(píng)者閉上了嘴巴。

Given its pure role as a heavy bomber, the Kirov's only real shortcoming is its inarguable lack of speed--a problem that is partly resolved by the Kirov's posh living quarters and spectacular panoramic viewports, which let their prestigious pilot-bombardiers blissfully pass the time while their aircraft steadily trudge along toward their unfortunate targets. Along the way, Kirovs are able to simply shrug off most anti-aircraft fire, including attacks from enemy fighters. It is true, though, that Kirovs have no means of retaliating against enemy aircraft, so the Union does tend to send escort fighters of her own to watch over each mighty vessel, just in case. Further, Krasna Aerospace has equipped this year's Kirov models with special fuel injectors that provide the airship with a significant burst of speed, though this is used sparingly for safety reasons.

從它的重型轟炸機(jī)定義上說(shuō)，基洛夫真正的唯一缺點(diǎn)就是速度太慢了，這是無(wú)可爭(zhēng)辯的。但基洛夫裝飾華麗的起居室和壯觀的全景視野則緩解了這個(gè)問(wèn)題，這讓他們引以為傲的飛行員和投彈手們能夠在前往倒霉目標(biāo)的路途中愉快地打發(fā)時(shí)間。在航行途中，基洛夫能夠輕松擺脫大多數(shù)防空火力，以及敵方戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)的攔截。雖然基洛夫自己確實(shí)沒(méi)有辦法射擊敵機(jī)，但國(guó)家通常會(huì)派遣護(hù)航戰(zhàn)斗機(jī)看護(hù)著每一艘飛艇，以防萬(wàn)一。此外，卡斯納航太今年還為新服役的基洛夫型號(hào)配備了特殊的加力燃燒器，可以使機(jī)體得到顯著的速度爆發(fā)，盡管出于安全問(wèn)題的原因，這種模式很少使用。

Of course, the greatest safety concern lies with the Kirov's enemies. Even but one such gigantic vessel has within it the capacity to bring ruin to an entire military installation or enemy armor division. As if this weren't enough, recent reports claim that the Soviet Union is now exploring new ways of mass-producing Kirovs in an offshore plant, while fitting them with even more powerful munitions. Such reports may well be false. For example, there is simply no physical way a Kirov could be built from a Soviet war factory, despite insistent speculation that one of these tank plants--so common on the Soviet front--has within it the capacity to launch aircraft.

當(dāng)然，對(duì)于基洛夫的敵人來(lái)說(shuō)，它才是最大的安全問(wèn)題。即使只有一艘這樣巨大的飛艇，它也完全有能力摧毀整個(gè)軍事設(shè)施，或者一整支敵軍裝甲師。這還沒(méi)完，最近有報(bào)道稱，蘇聯(lián)正在研究從海上工廠大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)基洛夫的方案，并且將會(huì)為它配備更強(qiáng)大的武器。但這篇報(bào)道的真實(shí)性令人懷疑，比如說(shuō)，蘇聯(lián)的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)工廠根本沒(méi)有足夠的空間建造基洛夫飛艇，但還是有人懷疑這些在蘇聯(lián)前線很常見(jiàn)的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)工廠有生產(chǎn)飛行器的能力。

Predictably, Kirov Airships are flown only by the most decorated Soviet officers with years of good political standing, who enjoy lavish accommodations and fine dining inside the Kirov's 200-square-meter living quarters. Even so, stories abound about the ruthlessness of Kirov pilot-bombardiers, who--if the psychological profiling is to be believed--are so impatient for combat yet feel so removed from it that they tend to use their bombs with liberal, merciless abandon.

基洛夫飛艇只能由擁有堅(jiān)定政治立場(chǎng)和卓越功勛的蘇聯(lián)資深軍官駕駛，他們可以在基洛夫200平米的生活空間內(nèi)享受奢華的美食和居住體驗(yàn)。然而，關(guān)于基洛夫投彈手嗜血無(wú)情的傳言比比皆是。根據(jù)檔案表明，他們渴望戰(zhàn)斗，并且傾向于毫無(wú)憐憫地隨意轟炸。

Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the Kirov Airship:

戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)偵察已經(jīng)揭示了基洛夫飛艇的以下情報(bào)：

Luxury at a premium -- Kirov Airships are new and in high demand, and therefore in short supply. While increasing numbers of Soviet airbases are being given authority to manufacture these dirigibles locally, this process is time-consuming and expensive.

奢華至上——新型的基洛夫飛艇需求量極為巨大，但生產(chǎn)速度仍然供不應(yīng)求。雖然越來(lái)越多的蘇聯(lián)空軍基地被授予在當(dāng)?shù)亟M裝這些飛艇的權(quán)限，但是整個(gè)過(guò)程耗費(fèi)時(shí)間很長(zhǎng)，造價(jià)也十分昂貴。

Limitless bombs -- In spite of the huge size of the Kirov, it fits only a small number of individuals. Although it could conceivably carry hundreds of passengers, it instead holds thousands of bombs--more than enough for any single battle.

無(wú)限火力——盡管基洛夫的體型十分巨大，但它只搭載了很少的人員。而它本可以容納上百名乘客的龐大空間則被用于搭載數(shù)千枚炸彈——這對(duì)于任何一場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)斗來(lái)說(shuō)都綽綽有余。

Gastroburners -- Kirov pilots have access to a special chemical compound that, when released into the engine block, causes the mighty airship to reach a greater-than-usual top speed. The drawback is that the compound is toxic, and slowly corrodes the Kirov from the inside.

加力燃燒——基洛夫飛行員可以使用一種特殊的化合物，當(dāng)它被釋放到發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)的缸體中時(shí)，能夠讓這艘強(qiáng)大的飛艇達(dá)到比平時(shí)更快的最高速度。但這種化合物是有毒的，會(huì)從內(nèi)部緩慢地腐蝕基洛夫。

Explosive Potential -- While no Kirov has ever been shot down according to official records, physicists theorize that the volatile chemical compound and sheer number of bombs contained within these vessels would likely explode catastrophically in the unlikely event one should ever fall.

爆炸潛力——盡管目前官方還沒(méi)有基洛夫被擊毀的記錄，但物理學(xué)家們認(rèn)為，這些飛艇中容納的揮發(fā)性化合物與數(shù)量眾多的炸彈可能會(huì)在萬(wàn)一墜毀的情況下引發(fā)災(zāi)難性的殉爆。