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Air Crona was an Arcerion-owned passenger and cargo airline established in 1956 and covertly owned and operated by the Office of Public Safety and National Security from 1957-1988. It provided support via covert and clandestine means to operations in South Crona and across Ixnay, including special activities in numerous Cronan nations such as Washakara, Istrenya,and Porlos.
The airline was created shortly after the establishment of the OPSNS, although until the early 1980s no official linkage was proven. It was constructed as a method to insert and extract secret operatives and intelligence teams across Crona for the purposes of assisting the OPSNS conduct missions in support of the Confederate Parliament. It's first major operations were inserting multiple teams of special forces and intelligence agents from the Special Arcer Service Regiment and agents from the OPSNS' Operations Directorate during the 1959 Istrenyan Civil Crisis.
Towards the end of the conflict, Air Crona began to incorporate the use of helicopters and a limited amount of wide-body airliners to help smuggle weapons and aid to the Nationalist rebels fighting against the syndicalist and communist forces in Istrenya. During this time Air Crona had several incidents at small rural airstrips and smaller regional or provincial airports, as with the waning ability of the Nationalist forces to fight Air Crona was also involved with the evacuation of Arcer citizens and other Occidentals from the country.
Operations during Fourth Bush War
Smaller operations and airlifts during the Istrenyan Crisis and the outbreak of the Fourth Bush War in 1964 coincided with a massive increase in the amount of serviced airports, regions, and the overall fleet size of Air Crona. The Fourth Bush War and the sheer scale of combat along the Operation Teflon, Kiln, and Terrace areas meant that Air Crona had to move more teams from the Operations Directorate as well as the Arcerion Commando Regiment and Special Arcerion Service Regiment. Small teams inserted via light prop aircraft trained anti-communist forces in Kelekona, Telokona, and TItechaxha at the opening phases of the war, and also provided light strike and airlift capabilities clandestinely.
From 1966-1973 Air Crona would provide the primary means of infiltration and exfiltration for Arcer and some other Occidental personnel, and gave them a logistical supply line and also would deliver air drops of aid to anti-communist forces behind the lines of communist forces embattled in the Operational areas. Air Crona also would airlift volunteers to fight, as well as help shuttle refugees out. A limited photo reconnaissance mission set was undertaken between 1970-1975, where the Arcer Army would recieve mission information on the movements of the Free Telokonese People's Movement (FTPM), Telokonan Worker's Army for a Free Crona (TWAFC), Kelekonan Militia for Free Indigenous People (KMFIP), Free Indigenous Army (FIA), Movement for a Liberated Aboriginal People (MLAP), and the Riverland Tribe Worker's Party (RTWP). These intelligence photographs and visual reports by bushplane pilots recruited by Air Crona helped direct Arcer Command and Arcer Special Forces teams to the ratlines used by the rebels and insurgents and directly contributed to their interdiction.
Due to the complete breakdown of diplomatic negotiations between Arcerion, Washakara, Titechaxha, Telokona, and Kelekona, there was no formal Arcer airline or transportation. Diplomats and politicians had no means to move cross-border throughout Southern Crona. This included special negotiators for the peace talks towards the end of the Fourth Bush War, and Arcer politicians who could not formally be seen travelling to countries in a state of conflict against the Arcer government.
A twin prop cargo air freighter belonging to Air Crona at a rural airstrip in Kelekona, 1971 during the Fourth Bush War.
Post-War Period and Modern Era
After the conclusion of the Fourth Bush War, Air Crona struggled to maintain its relevancy as its profile and operations during the Fourth Bush War had given rise to a number of news articles and formal requests for information to the Arcer government. Struggling to now covertly and discreetly insert Arcer operatives, discussions began in the early 1980s to dissolve the airline. At OPSNS headquarters, it was determined that advancements in jet engine technology and the considerable rise in the commercial airline and civil air freight industry meant that the relevance of a private airline dedicated to supporting the Office was no longer necessary.
By 1986, the fleet was portioned off and sold, with the final flight taking place in 1988 to Washkara, a passenger airline service that after its conclusion, resulted in the aircraft being sold to the Washakaran government. The numerous bush plane pilots and other aircrew that worked for Air Crona either retired, found other civil employment, or were recruited secretly by the OPSNS for future missions and operations to staff the growing Operations Directorate which was taking part in the Occidental Cold War, conducting missions on behalf of the Levantia and Odoneru Treaty Association as a partner of Burgundie and Urcea in Crona.
Fleet
Over the course of operations that spanned more than three decades, Air Crona operated a wide variety of aircraft ranging from helicopters, to light prop aircraft for bush flying, and heavy civilian freighters and airliners. The Air Crona fleet specialized in Short-takeoff and Landing (STOL) capabilities due to the rural and remote nature of many airstrips. The lighter prop aircraft also assisted with Radio Rebroadcast, Command and Control, and Photo Reconnaissance during the Fourth Bush War.
Fixed Wing
Rotor Wing
Accidents and Incidents
On April 5, 1956 a civilian airline transport suffered engine failure near Easthampton and was forced to make an emergency landing.
On May 1, 1959 near the Istrenyan-Porlosi Border a light prop aircraft of Air Crona was struck by communist anti-aircraft fire while inserting a team of OPSNS operatives at a rural airstrip and was forced to land, with several aircrew and passengers wounded.
On September 4, 1959 a light utility helicopter was shot down over the Istrenyan town of Yuvol, while evacuating Arcer refugees from the Arcer Consulate, with both aircrew and all four passengers killed in the crash.
A light strike prop aircraft of Air Crona conducts a white phosphorous rocket strike on a Telokonan Worker's Army for a Free Crona (TWAFC) position in 1969 as part of support to patrolling operations by the Norham Light Infantry.On December 31st, 1960 a transport aircraft suffered a landing gear failure in Porlos and crashed, killing both the pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer.
On August 18, 1961 an Arcer Special Forces team was attempting to conduct a covert static-line parachute jump from a plane, but it was struck by communist ground fire in Istrenya, the plane was forced to ditch in the Warrington Strait, and sunk with no loss of life.
On November 12, 1966 a a light prop aircraft assisting with the locating of a Free Telokonese People's Movement (FTPM) team that was trying to escape from the Innis River Basin. During the mission, it suffered a mechanical malfunction and was forced to land in a farmer's field, damaging the engine and the aircraft was written off.
On October 14, 1967 a light prop aircraft was shot down over Kelekona while conducting a photo reconnaissance mission, with both crew being killed.
On October 17, 1967 a cargo air freight plane carrying ammunition was struck in the engine while attempting to provide aerial resupply to members of the OPSNS Operations Directorate near Titechaxha. All three aircrew and two OPSNS passengers were killed in the subsequent forced landing and crash.
In the winter of 1968 a civilian airliner suffered engine failure shortly after takeoff in Xisheng, Norther Crona and was forced to turn back and land, with no injuries or fatalities.
On June 1, 1969 a utility helicopter was shot down by small arms fire while attempting to insert a team of OPSNS operatives in Telekona, with all aircrew and passengers being killed. The wreckage was not located until 2002.
On February 15, 1973 a light helicopter providing aerial resupply to members of 7 Rifle Brigade conducting long-range patrols was struck by a shoulder-fired surface to air missile (MANPADS) and destroyed with both crew being killed.
On March 5, 1973 a large double-prop airliner encountered hydraulic issues during a resupply mission to an Operations Directorate rural airstrip in Malentina, wherein it was forced to make a water landing and the aircraft was written off, the crew recused by the Royal Arcerion Naval Service.
On July 7, 1973 a helicopter was struck by small arms fire and after successive hydraulic and mechanical issues crashed in Northwestern Arcerion, killing both aircrew.
On September 12, 1974 a transport aircraft crashed on landing at a rural airstrip in Titechaxha during a routine OPSNS resupply mission. The aircraft was on a flight from Presdale to the Operation Teflon area.
In the summer of 1975 an unknown aircraft belonging to Air Crona suffered a simultaneous engine failure and crashed in Kelekona, killing three aircrew and seven unnamed passengers, who were assumed to be members of the OPSNS.
