Cryrian Defense Forces: Difference between revisions
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The Royal Cryrian Air Force is by far the youngest branch of the CDF. Though the Försvarsmakten operated aircraft as early as 1898 in the form of early balloons, these were grouped under the Army Air Corps and Navy respectively. Aircraft traditionally played a reconnaissance role in the CDF and did not become a significant part of Cryrian military doctrine until the Great War. The first true biplanes did not enter service until the 1910s, and were a collection of imported and ad-hoc aircraft pushed into service. The establishment of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_Thulinverken Ohlson Aeroplanfabrik] in 1914 marked the birth of a domestic aerospace industry that soon expanded into developing and building its own designs in order to meet the demands of the war. By the end of the war, the Army Air Corps operated some 143 aircraft across all types, with another seven reconnaissance balloons in service and a further 26 aircraft in the Navy. The introduction of armaments to AAC airplanes gradually moved the force towards a combat role of its own, and the image of the Air Corps as "Knights of the skies" captured the public imagination and was an important propaganda tool as it stood in contrast with the often far more grim realities of the war on the ground. The growing size and image of the Army Air Corps allowed it to effectively evolve into an independent section under the Ministry of the Army, and it was later declared its own branch in the CDF with equal standing as a part of post-war reorganizations that began in 1917. While both the Army and Navy maintained aircraft of their own to support their direct operations, the newly formed RCRAF was charged with the overall coordination, control, and defense of Cryrian airspace.
Today, the RCRAF
The Air Force also has its own limited ground forces to provide security for airbases, as well as an elite specialist unit - the Flygbasjägarna.
=== Navy ===
The Royal Cryrian Navy represents the oldest standing military force in the Cryrian Isles. Tracing its lineage back to the roving Cryrian fleets of old, the RCRN today serves as the primary naval arm of the CDF. Today it has 41,000 active personnel, making it the smallest CDF branch by personnel count. Despite this, it is also considered to be one of the first lines of defense for the Kingdom, and its prestige and funding reflects this.
Though the Army technically operates the largest number of vessels when considering its many small assault craft, the RCRN contains all of the significant warships belonging to the Kingdom. Most of its strength is centered around its twelve ''Leiden''-class frigates, and it also maintains a notable submarine arm including eleven ''Kraken''-class diesel-electric submarines. Some thirty-four ''Kraskne''-class missile boats and five ''Blödhaj''-class coastal submarines are operated closer to Cryrian shores.
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