Feldhammer AG

Feldhammer AG is a major aerospace engineering company of Silbertal and a subsidiary of the Krawno Defense Development (KVE) conglomerate. It is widely regarded as the historical foundation of the country’s aviation industry, comparable in institutional role to early twentieth-century aircraft manufacturers such as Messerschmitt or Focke-Wulf in IRL Germany. Rather than focusing on public visibility or record-setting performance, Feldhammer developed a reputation for structural engineering, airframe integrity, and long-term operational reliability.

The company was founded in the early postwar industrial expansion period by Wilhelm Feldhammer, an engineer whose professional network intersected closely with the logistics and infrastructure circles in which Konrad Adler later built his career. Although neither figure held political office at the time, both shared a systems-oriented approach to industrial organization. Their early acquaintance, formed through industrial coordination and transport planning, shaped a long-standing mutual understanding regarding the importance of production discipline, maintainability, and resilience under stress.

By the mid-1960s, Feldhammer had become deeply embedded in the national aviation sector of the Agrarian-Industrial Republic of Kravno. While other firms pursued complete aircraft programs or experimental designs, Feldhammer functioned as the structural backbone of the industry, supplying airframe sections, defining manufacturing standards, and training engineers who later populated much of the wider aerospace sector. As a result, most combat and support aircraft fielded by Kravno prior to the Second Continental War incorporated Feldhammer-designed structural elements, even when the company itself was not publicly credited.

The Second Continental War (1968–1972) proved decisive for Feldhammer’s institutional identity. Aircraft losses increasingly stemmed from fatigue failures, rushed repairs, and incompatible subsystems rather than enemy action alone. Feldhammer engineers were frequently tasked with post-incident analysis, identifying systemic design and production flaws that could not be resolved under wartime conditions. These experiences reinforced the company’s skepticism toward short-term performance optimization at the expense of structural coherence and logistical sustainability.

Following the Treaty of Aufyir in 1973, Feldhammer, like much of the Kravno defense industry, was prohibited from further military aircraft production. Unlike many firms that dissolved or reoriented toward unrelated civilian markets, Feldhammer remained intact as an engineering organization. During the period later known as the “Inventory Generation,” the company focused on structural audits, fatigue analysis, and lifecycle assessment of grounded airframes. This phase contributed to the accumulation of extensive institutional knowledge concerning failure modes, degradation behavior, and the long-term consequences of design compromises.

During the systemic collapse of October 1977, Feldhammer engineers participated in emergency stabilization efforts alongside Adler’s improvised Civil Response Headquarters. Their contribution was not limited to aviation expertise but extended to infrastructure analysis and failure containment, applying aerospace systems logic to civil networks. This episode reaffirmed Feldhammer’s relevance to the emerging technocratic order.

With the formation of Silbertal in 1980 and the consolidation of the defense-industrial base under KVE, Feldhammer was formally designated as the principal airframe authority and systems integrator for combat aviation programs. Rather than serving as a mass manufacturer, the company assumed responsibility for structural doctrine, integration discipline, and long-term maintainability across aviation platforms. Its appointment as the prime contractor for PROJEKT ADLER reflected this role, emphasizing endurance, scalability, and controlled modernization over experimental innovation.

Within Silbertal’s defense doctrine, Feldhammer is understood not as a producer of symbolic prestige platforms, but as an institutional guarantor of aviation reliability. The company’s designs prioritize survivability, repairability, and systemic stability, aligning closely with the state’s broader emphasis on functional resilience and technological sovereignty.

Wilhelm Feldhammer

Wilhelm Feldhammer (born 12 April 1934) was a Silbertal aerospace engineer and industrial organizer, best known as the founder of Feldhammer AG and as a formative figure in the development of the country’s aviation industry.

Early life and education

Wilhelm Feldhammer was born on 12 April 1934 in a rural settlement in the interior of Kravno. He was the son of Johann Feldhammer, a local craftsman, and Elise Feldhammer (née Bauer). His early years were spent in a predominantly agricultural environment, where access to formal industry was limited. From an early age, Feldhammer demonstrated a strong interest in mechanical devices, tools, and basic machinery, often assisting with repairs and improvisations common in rural life.

In the early 1950s, Feldhammer left his home region to pursue technical education in a regional industrial center. He initially studied mechanical engineering before specializing in aeronautical structures. During his academic training, he developed a particular focus on structural load paths, material fatigue, and failure behavior-fields that received comparatively little attention at the time compared to propulsion and aerodynamics.

Career

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Feldhammer entered the national aviation sector through subcontracting and supply coordination roles. During this period, he became professionally acquainted with Konrad Adler, then working in transport logistics and infrastructure planning. Their interaction was limited but based on a shared analytical approach to large technical systems and production reliability.

Feldhammer founded Feldhammer AG as an engineering-oriented aerospace firm focused on airframe structures, manufacturing standards, and workforce training rather than complete aircraft programs. By the mid-1960s, the company had become a key contributor to the aviation sector of the Agrarian-Industrial Republic of Kravno, with Feldhammer-designed structural elements and trained engineers present across most national aircraft projects.

The Second Continental War (1968–1972) had a lasting impact on Feldhammer’s professional outlook. His involvement in post-incident technical reviews reinforced a critical view of fragmented supply chains and short-term, performance-driven design decisions. After the Treaty of Aufyir (1973), Feldhammer maintained his organization through a shift toward structural auditing and lifecycle analysis during the period later known as the “Inventory Generation.”

Following the systemic collapse of 1977 and the formation of Silbertal in 1980, Feldhammer’s engineering philosophy was formally incorporated into the state’s defense-industrial framework through the integration of Feldhammer AG into Krawno Defense Development (KVE). Although Feldhammer himself did not hold political office, his emphasis on structural resilience, maintainability, and production discipline became a defining influence on Silbertal’s aviation doctrine.