Marquette YV-1 Stalwart

YV-1 Stalwart
Manufacturer	Marquette Airworks
Class	Heavy Fighter
Weight	8,000 lbs
Maximum Speed	250 M.P.H.
Engine	Vikon VK102B (739 horsepower)
Weapons	1 x Carver .70-caliber cannon 2 x Czech .50-caliber machine guns 2 x Czech .30-caliber machine guns
Role	Strike
Year Introduced	1937
Used By	People's Collective

The Marquette YV-1 Stalwart is a departure from Marquette's previous role as a light-fighter manufacturer. It is intended to be able to serve in the ground-attack or anti-airship role, and it is based upon the Russian Yakovlev 4. A dual-hull design, while many questioned Marquette due to problems endemic in the early-model Defender, as the upgraded late-model Defender showed, the company doesn't need to be taught the same lesson twice. By counter-rotating the props, Marquette was able to offset the above-average torque produced by its imported Vikon VK102B engines. Unfortunately, the full potential of a twin-engine aircraft was not realized in the original Yakovlev design or Marquette's successor. The two 739-horsepower engines give it reasonable acceleration and a respectable top speed of nearly 250 mph, but the engines' high fuel consumption severely limits the plane's operational range. Internal fuel gives it maximum range of 450 miles, or 210 miles with minimal time over target. It benefits from the redundancy of its twin-engine design and has heavy armor. It has a forward Carver .70-caliber cannon and dual forward .50-caliber machine guns. The Stalwart has an unusual display of innovation in having a remote-operated rear turret with dual .30-caliber machine guns between its twin rudders, a feature not found on the original Yakovlev. In an attempt to keep costs low, Marquette used the same Czech-manufactured .30-caliber and .50-caliber machine guns found in the Defender, though these are prone to spent-cartridge stovepipes and misfeeds.

Appearances

• Crimson Skies