LMCA

The Large Multi-Purpose Combat Airship or more commonly abbreviated as LMCA is a large airship, capable of many mission roles. It is the replacement airship to the older MDA.

Background
The old MDA was very bulky and dangerous. At first, this problem was not taken into account. However, after a MDA was hit by lightning, a new airship design had to be thought of. The USA first pitched in the idea for the design, claiming that "the bigger the better." The original designation was the MDA-MK2 or the Multi-Purpose Ditto Airship Mark 2. After planning progressed through mid-2008, the design was re-named the LMCA, or Large Multi-Purpose Combat Airship. The name was changed due to the fact that Ditto, the driving force of the MDA, was no longer used.

The construction of the first LMCA began around August 2009. TEWT, the massive weapons manufacturer, helped to fund its creation. The maiden flight of the LMCA was on November 17, 2009. It was a test to see if the large airship was able to be piloted safely. By mid-2010, flight testing finished and the first LMCA was delivered to the USA Air-Force. The air-force liked the airship and recommended to other customers. This raised the amounts of orders for the LMCA from none to 12. TEWT began to mass produce the airship and sell it to buyers, such as the Ternville Air-Force and Culldrome Isles Air-Force.

As of August 2012, 15 LMCAs have been produced, with 10 more on order.

Design
The gondola has two floors. At the front of the gondola, on the upper floor, is the cockpit. It has the same cockpit layout as the MDA, with a raised platform for the captain and pilot to sit on. Behind that are the crew quarters. A crew of up to 50 is able to be housed in the quarters, which consists of a sleeping area, two toilet complexes and a small galley. Behind the crew quarters, are the kitchens, which is essentially a larger galley capable of catering for the whole crew. The food is delivered to the crew quarters to be eaten. Behind the galley is the maintenance room. This is where access to the generator, engines, the fuel tanks and the bottom floor.

The bottom floor runs along the full length of the gondola. At the back, directly under the maintenance room, is the storage hall. Here, fuel, water, food and other things are stored. In front, is the armory, where weapons are stored. Again, in front of that, is the hold. The hold is where large, over-sized cargo is stored. This includes Pie Tanks, big crates and even airplane parts. This capability has rendered the LMCA a useful workhorse. At the front of the hold is a deployable ramp, which is locked in-flight. When landed, the ramp can open up letting vehicles inside drive in or out and cargo to be easily loaded or unloaded.

The airship is run by 6 diesel engines, as opposed to the MDA's 6 Ditto combustion engines. The balloon, containing helium for lift, was enlarged, allowing for a larger gondola and more payload.

Trivia

 * The LMCA is more advanced than the MDA, making it more expensive.
 * Due to its cargo capability, the LMCA has been compared to the Snowing 747-LCF.