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VL-DS Oceanus . The Oceanus, an anti-submarine amphibian flying boat . VL-DS Oceanus
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The VL-DS “Oceanus” (one of the Greek mythology Titans, the personification of world ocean) is a long-range amphibian flying boat, capable of anti-submarine, oceanic patrol, search and rescue and aerial refuelling missions. The aircraft carries homing torpedoes, depth charges and anti-ship missiles as offensive armament and a large number of defensive weapons.
The “Oceanus” has two internal bomb bays capable of carrying eight heavy weight torpedoes, four nuclear depth charges or other conventional armament. There is also sixteen underwing hard points for rocket pods, conventional depth charges, additional torpedoes or long-range anti-ship missiles. Maximum bomb-load: 30 000kg.
The defensive armament consists of five remote-controlled retractable gun turrets, with two waist gun positions and one rear position. Each dorsal turret is fitted with two 37 mm ENA-75 auto-cannons, the wing turrets and waist guns with one 37mm gun each, the ventral turret with three guns and the rear position, with 4 guns. In the front, 4 fixed forward firing 37mm ENA-75 are used against cargo-ships or submarines, for a total of 19 cannons.
Recently, all the defensive guns were removed.
The plane has six turboprop engines, each developing 7000kW (8691shp) with a maximum speed of 720km/h.
It’s equipped with long-range anti-ship radar and dipping sonar, which has a limited use, since it requires the aircraft to land on water to deploy. It can also carry and launch up to 200 sonobuoys. The plane also carries a rear mounted retractable Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD), which retracts when not in use.
It has a crew of twelve: pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, navigator, medic and seven sensor/weapons operators.
The Oceanus can also be refuelled or act as an aerial refuelling aircraft. Some planes are also used as cargo planes, to deliver equipment in difficult access islands, which lack aircraft runways.
Civilian aircrafts are mainly used as transports or against forest fires.
The Imperial Lego Air Force only uses the Oceanus as a transport, search and rescue and aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Imperial Naval Aviation uses the Oceanus as an anti-submarine, anti-ship, aerial refuelling, transport, search and rescue and oceanic patrol aircraft.
Although most “Oceanus” aircrafts have more than 30 years of service now (the first prototype flew 54 years ago), a new modernization is currently being made on all aircraft to provide at least 30 years more of good, if not exceptional service.
The Oceanus is based on the Blohm & Voss BV 250. The BV-250, as a landplane version of the BV 238, replaced the former’s underwater hull with a retractable twelve-wheel undercarriage.
Since January of this year (2012), I have started to modernized and enlarge the Imperial Lego Air Force, however, some aircrafts that I need are simply just too large to be built in minifig scale, like the Mil Mi-12 Homer or the Oceanus. Therefore, some of them will be built in micro-minifig scale. Still, they are as fun to build as the large ones.
More info and images here, please click!
General characteristics
Crew: Fifteen (with accommodations for a second relief crew)
Capacity: 325 troops, or 123 litter patients and 35 attendants
Payload: 65,000 kg of cargo;
Length: 39.54 m
Wingspan: 72.54 m
Height: 13.23 m
Wing area: 412.4 m²
Empty weight: 35,578 kg
Loaded weight: 89,820 kg
Max. takeoff weight: 134,800 kg
Powerplant: six V-768 turboprop engines, each developing 6000kW (7450shp);
Performance
Maximum speed: 720 km/h
Cruise speed: 405 km/h
Range: 18,000 km
Service ceiling: 9,450 m
Armament: 19 37mm ENA-75 guns;
Maximum bomb-load: 30 000kg.
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More info and images here, please click!
Eínon
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