Designed by the GoodDay-Zeppelin Corporation, the Caelus class-Command Cruiser is the most recent addition to the Equestrian Royal Air Force, and stands as the shining example of the nation’s changing attitudes towards national defence.

After repeated attacks conducted against the nation of Equestria, and her close ally, the Crystal Empire, it was becoming readily apparent that the Royal Military was proving inadequate, and in serious need of renovation, the Royal Air Force in particular after the attack on the nation’s capital of Canterlot by the forces of the Storm King. In response, the need for a defensive fleet of modern aerial warships had quickly come under high demand.

After a competition between several major Airship designers, the company that was selected to design and construct the new vessel fell to the GoodDay-Zeppelin Corporation. While their primary focus since their formation has almost always been towards freight transportation and tourism, their success with the Aeolus class-Police Blimps used by Equestrian Law Enforcement had made the choice obvious.

The overall role of the Caelus Class is to serve as the nation’s primary line of defence against any enemy that dare attempt an aerial assault, while also serving multiple other roles, including scouting, fire support, and troop transportation.

Initially the ship was designed in the classic ‘underhung boat’ configuration that is currently ubiquitous in the world of aviation; this however proved to conflict with the growing need for the crew to have fast and easy access to the ships weaponry, which was to be accessible only from inside the lifting hull. Eventually the solution was met with an internal tri-keel configuration, where a single walkway was placed on the ship’s dorsal side, and two to the ship’s port and starboard, while the gondola was altered from a hung design to being attached directly to the lifting hull.

Thanks to decreasing tensions and a growing alliance, Dragon Lord Ember had given permission for the mining of heat crystals, a material rare in Equestria, but numerous in the Dragon Lands. As their name suggests, heat crystals emit heat constantly, outputting an immense amount of power and readily used for an innumerable number of purposes. In the Caelus Class specifically, the constant heat these crystals give off makes for an ample source of energy, giving the ship a near indefinite lifespan.

Propulsion is generated by four 1500 horsepower Rolling Racer electric engines, configured with coaxial rotor propellers, sporting three blades each, allowing the ship to accelerate to a maximum speed of 83 knots. Each engine is situated in its own small gondola, a significant departure from the more common use of dual flippers embedded into the main hull. These engines can also be quickly put into reverse, allowing the ship to perform sudden brakes, as well as increase manoeuvrability.

At a length of 265 meters, the Caelus class currently ranks as the largest warship currently flying, with only the Free Hippogriff Navy’s Dirigibles serving as the competition, and whose size is only surpassed by both commercial and seagoing vessels. The hull itself is supported by an internal rigid frame, housing 16 lifting cells, each filled with cloud that has been both filtered, and after being pumped into the cell, superheated by the ship's own crystals for a significant increase in lift. This high temperature can be altered, eliminating the need to carry ballast or vent lifting gas during ascent or descent. In addition, the bow of the ship sports two large canards that are shaped as aerofoils, giving the ship a further increase in lift when traveling at speed.

Overall control of the ship is obtained through the use of three distinct bridges, spread out in two separate control cars. The first bridge sits at the very front of the main gondola, and is the centre for navigation, weapon systems and engineering. The second bridge sits on a deck beneath the first, with windows that give it a 360 degree field of vision, its primary purpose being to observe and coordinate the launching and recovery of the ship’s numerous Pegasi and Thestrals, by giving them a constant source for them to each communicate with. Finally the ship possesses a third auxiliary bridge, situated in the ship’s ventral tail fin. Its role is to be used whenever any equipment aboard the main bridge becomes severely damaged, with the auxiliary bridge capable of piloting the ship to safety should the main bridge be fully compromised

For protection, the ship makes use of a large, all-encompassing shield that is provided by a magic channelling horn antenna situated at the very front of the ship, and is powered directly from the on-board crystals. The shield itself is theoretically strong enough to hold out against dragon fire, yet tests have shown it to be incredibly draining on the ships systems, with some even failing in early test runs. Thanks to reverse engineering the armour found on the donated flagship of Tempest Shadow, the Caelus class now has the benefit of possessing a magic-dispersion armoured hide. Due to the internal configuration however, the thickness had to be significantly reduced.

In terms of weaponry, the Caelus class carries an impressive variety, primarily making use of enchanted shells and warheads. These enchantments can be altered depending on mission and circumstance, ranging from a harmless freeze, to full use of kinetic energy. The gun shells specifically require a significant amount of unicorn magic to be charged while on board, and such an act is both time consuming and draining on the crew while the ship is underway, and is most often attempted while the ship is docked, when more unicorns are available to speed up the process. At the smallest, the ship carries 8 whistleshooter 14-type Point Defence cannons, each manned by a single gunner, and fire at a rate of 220 rounds per minute against a variety of targets ranging from flight-capable soldiers, to incoming torpedoes. The ships primary weapons would be her four dual turrets, sporting 200 millimetre horn cannons designed primarily for ship-to-ship combat, as well as artillery in support of ground forces, with tests showing them capable of uprooting 25 feet of soil. The turrets themselves are arranged neatly across the hull, with two situated in front of the main gondola in a super firing arrangement, with the third turret positioned behind the gondola, and the fourth positioned forward on the ships dorsal side. For the longest of ranges, the ship includes six torpedo tubes, with four positioned forward and two aft, with the ship capable of carrying up to 36 Arrowhead-type aerial torpedoes overall, and capable of traveling as far as 1500 kilometres.

When facing the highest possible threats, the ship is able to convert its shield antennae into a makeshift cannon, with an output that is estimated to level entire mountain sides in a single shot. Use of this weapon is incredibly risky though, as it requires all power on board the ship to operate, as well as several minutes to charge, leaving the ship extremely vulnerable when without escort. There is also the fear that even when a shot is successfully fired, the massive drain on the ships power could prevent many systems from turning back on again.

When it comes to more specialist missions, the ship carries up to six squadrons of flight-capable soldiers, 4 of these being the common Pegasi for their great speed and agility, but also 2 of Thestrals, for their manoeuvrability, and superb stealth. These soldiers are most often sent on scouting missions, communicating to the mothership the location and composition of the enemy, but can also be sent out as interceptors of enemy flight-capables, and also sent down as support for ground forces.

Overall, the Caelus class since its commission has been a great source of pride for Equestria’s Royal Air Force and overall military, gaining admiration from each of her allies, and stands to show that Equestria’s hardened stance in pacifism is to never be mistaken for blind arrogance and complacency.

(Any feedback below is welcome)

6769180
Dude, that's pretty sweet man. Isn't 3 bridges a little overkill though?

6769369
Was inspired by both the two bridges of the Akron class, and the island used for air traffic control on the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers

And a sketch of how i'd imagine the ship to look in life