AMOEBA

The Alma Mater Of Every Bomber Airship, referred to as the AMOEBA, was the second largest lighter-than-air vessel ever constructed (the largest is Skydale, approximately three times the size of the AMOEBA).

The AMOEBA was laden with weaponry. From its nonet of giant turbofan engines to its intense heat ray and millions of stored explosives, this zeppelin was a monstrous fighting machine. To relay this message to the enemy, Mayor McFlapp personally painted a mural of an amoeba swallowing a smaller single-celled protozoan on both sides of the blimp. However, its myth of "invincibility" took a major blow when it was destroyed in Arda on a Silver Platter and was under repairs until November 2010, and a few months later it was scrapped due to its enormous cost of keeping it running and constant repairs.

Background
The idea of a bomber blimp was conceived in 2007, when Explorer was tossing around new ideas for weaponry and fighting vehicles. Mayor McFlapp especially liked the idea of a zeppelin or blimp being used as a bomber in warfare, and authorized the construction of a fleet of large zeppelins that had special compartments for holding explosives. The members of this fleet later became known as MEAPs.

In late 2008, as the production of MEAPs was being finalized and the airships were being transported to hangars across Antarctica, Rory and Gary proposed that an even larger airship be built to not only store MEAPs, but to gain control of the sky with powerful long-range weapons that could inflict severe damage on multiple enemy units simultaneously. (T.L.;D.R.: A zeppelin/blimp that can store MEAPs and also have powerful weapons that can take down lots of troops all at the same time.)

The idea was passed. Mayor McFlapp, as usual, was tasked to oversee the construction of the ship. It took one-and-a-half years to build the AMOEBA, primarily because the ship was so big. By spring 2010, the result was a behemoth about 4,000 feet (approx. 1,000 m) long, and 1,000 (approx. 300 m) feet wide and high. The ship took up a volume of over 16.5 billion cubic feet. The AMOEBA was completed.

The AMOEBA's first use was in the Great Fanon War, triggered by Swiss Ninja's actions against West Pengolia. It, along with its fleet of MEAPs, was deployed in the middle of the war, right after the Jsudsu Email Affair that brought the USA into the fight. The AMOEBA's presence was a key factor in turning the tide of the battle against Snowzerland, as it unleashed total oblivion upon Swiss's army and resources. After the war, minor repairs and adjustments were made to the AMOEBA in Ternville. It was used again in the Great Fanon War III. It was also used in Arda on a Silver Platter, where it was almost totally destroyed and was under repairs until November 2010. After that due to some faulty repairs and design defects it came down again, and due to enormous costs of repairing it it was scrapped and converted into more MEAPS.

Description & Structure
The AMOEBA was a colossal rigid airship stored away inside one of Ternville's clouds. It was filled to the brim with tons and tons of Super Helium (Helium-3) to make it rise. The tanks containing the Super Helium were constantly being refreshed via pipes that are passed through portals. Small ballast tanks containing water were located in the underbelly of the ship. These kept the AMOEBA on the ground or inside its hangar, when not in flight. The tanks were emptied via pipe.

The AMOEBA's livery consisted of an outer layer that was colored a shade of light green. A picture of an amoeba swallowing a smaller protist was painted on both sides of the zeppelin. The AMOEBA's skin was tough and strong, being able to withstand fire or blows of air for long periods of time. It also scattered radar and was airtight to keep the pressure inside stabilized. However, if rammed it exploded violently.

The AMOEBA had a set of four large fins, all colored a darker shade of green. Each fin had a built-in flap that was used to help steer the AMOEBA. These flaps could be used to make the ship pitch, yaw, and roll. The AMOEBA was powered by a set of nine turbofan engines all designed by Gary and built by Rory and his crew. The turbofans were larger than conventional turboprop engines, having a diameter of 300 feet and a length of 500 feet. They ran on a mixture of two parts kerosene, one part nitromethane, and one part Ditto A. The mixture was stored in a compartment in the stern and was constantly replenished through portals. Four of the turbofans were located on the side of each fin (Engines 4, 5, 6, and 7), three were positioned in a triangle array located at the center of the fins (Engines 1, 2, and 3), and the remaining two were located on either side of the AMOEBA (Engines 8 and 9). These two turbofans were connected to axles that allowed them to rotate around, letting the AMOEBA go backwards, straight up, straight down, or spin around. This aided in navigation.

The AMOEBA had several built-in projectile launchers. Eight giant retractable deletion cannons were located along the sides of the AMOEBA -- four on the port side and four on the starboard side. In addition, arrays of missile launchers were located along the top of the ship. Also stored on the top of the ship was a large cannon, which could fire all sorts of projectiles, from pies to burning fireballs. Several bomb bays were located near the bottom of the ship, storing different kinds of explosives, as well as the MEAPs. Two triplets of jumbo KEI Cannons, mounted on a revolving column, were also positioned on the underbelly, one near the AMOEBA's bow and one near the rear. Energy for the KEI cannons was provided by the Governance through portals. Ammunition was also delivered through portals, ensuring that the AMOEBA has a constant supply of weaponry during a battle.

The aircraft had 6 main exit doors, with two at the front of the fuselage, two at the rear of the fuselage, and one sliding door on each side of the ship. There were also airstairs that retracted from the doors when opened. Five emergency exits, all located at the sides of the AMOEBA, could be activated in an emergency. The exits were also equipped with evacuation slides that can could into life rafts. The exits couldn't open during flight, as a mechanism called a Cooper vane usually stopped the doors from opening.

The aircraft had 25 main cabins. There was a large flight deck located at the front of the aircraft, which had fly-by-wire systems on board, and was one of the most advanced cockpits in the continent. The flight deck had 6 flight crew members -- the captain, assisted by the first officer, maneuvers the airship. There was also one flight engineer, who controlled all engine, fuel and power systems aboard the aircraft. Finally, there was a navigator, who handled radio and navigational systems, and two flight specialists, who maintained the aircraft's systems and help the pilots, flight engineer, and the navigator. The AMOEBA had six levels, Level Two being the largest

MEAPS were stored in three seperate hangars, Hangars A,B and C, whose entrances were on Level Two. There were about 26-27 MEAPs per hangar, and provide maintenance for the airships. At the back of the Hangar was a large retractable door, used to deploy MEAPs in-flight.

Trivia
thumb|75px|right| The AMOEBA's theme music.


 * The AMOEBA was often mistakenly called a blimp. This is technically incorrect -- a blimp is a non-rigid airship, while the AMOEBA is a rigid airship (it contains a metal framework within), commonly called a zeppelin.
 * The AMOEBA was capable of storing about 70-80 MEAPs.
 * The AMOEBA had one flaw -- it's rather slow. While it is capable of achieving a speed as fast as 250 miles per hour, however, flying the aircraft at speeds over 180 mph was considered dangerous, as the aircraft may become overstressed from the speed. The recommended cruising speed was only 120 miles per hour.
 * This slow speed resulted in low maneuverability, which could be exploited to destroy the AMOEBA. A bomber must sneak up behind the AMOEBA, avoid attack, and drop a bomb straight into an inactive engine. The bomb should explode and start a chain reaction, destroying the entire stern and causing the ship to crash. At that point, reinforcements can close in and finish off the zeppelin.
 * AMOEBA is technically a parody of a MOAB from Bloons Tower Defense 4.
 * This was used to destroy the AMOEBA in Arda on a Silver Platter, where a gigantic robotic cloud, after taking out 5 of its engines, rammed it with immense speed and turned the AMOEBA into a burning coffin within seconds.
 * The cost of the damage was approximately 1,982,083 coins,