At the same time, on the eastern shore of Balkhash Lake, deep in the Atla Desert, an Air Force base.
Though called an Air Force base, all the aircraft lined up alongside the runway were ship-borne aircraft from the Navy Air Force, with the most eye-catching being the "War-9B" heavy shipborne fighter, nicknamed "Giant Panda."
Strictly speaking, the "War-9" was the pioneering third-generation fighter.
While the Empire's Air Force was worried about engines for the "War-11," the Empire's Navy went ahead and procured and equipped themselves with the "War-9A," which had mature engines.
It's not that the Empire's Navy didn't care about engine quality, but they were driven by circumstances.
