Aerospace and Interstellar Institute

Aerospace and Interstellar Institute
AII Insignia Patch
AII Insignia Patch
Academy Information
Location Dover,
Midway
Founding Year Succession War era
Course Information


The Aerospace and Interstellar Institute (AII) is a major aerospace military academy located in the Draconis Combine. Based on the planet Midway, AII turns out aerospace personnel, including DropShip and JumpShip crew members, for the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery. The school's colors are orange, black and red, and cadets are allowed to wear the insignia patch on their flight suits but not dress uniforms.[1][2][3]

Enrollment into AII requires the usual proctor recommendations, although the academy also accepts a limited number of independent petitions. Depending on the course curriculum, training programs at AII can last anywhere from six months to two years. All students receive the same basic training program, including small arms and first aid skills, before advancing on to advanced individual training with additional courses and electives from which to choose.[2][3] Competition is intense at AII, especially among JumpShip and DropShip cadets: being largely noncombatants, JumpShips only need replacement crew when someone retires or dies, and while DropShips tend to go down with all hands, new ones are built at a relatively slow pace.[1] Because of this, nearly all AII students receive training as aerospace fighter pilots, with approximately one hundred and forty graduating each year.[2][3]

Working together with the Draconis Combine Admiralty, AII helped create a new training program for WarShip crews in 3056. While the DCA is slowly building up its WarShip fleet, AII is turning out more trained personnel than there are WarShips to be crewed. However, a number of these graduates go on to universities for additional training as line officers to captain future WarShips and other large vessels.[2][3]

As a standing force, AII maintains two regiments of aerospace fighters and several DropShips for training purposes.[3]

(AII) put its WarShip training program on indefinite hold by order of the Admiralty after the Jihad, while increasing the numbers of slots available for JumpShip and DropShip cadets.[4]

A new officer school was opened on Dover under strict secrecy, allegedly staffed with several surviving officers from Operation SCOUR to instruct veteran crews on the subtleties of fleet combat.[4]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 138
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Handbook: House Kurita, p. 146
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Field Manual: Draconis Combine, pp. 24–25
  4. 4.0 4.1 Field Report: DCMS, p. 5: "Academies and Command Centers"

Bibliography[edit]