Air Vehicles

General Aircraft
Aircraft are your primary tool for scouting and reconnaisance, as well as for providing air support and target spotting for Surface Vehicles.

All aircraft regardless of airframe have a maximum altitude of 2000m above sea level, but will default to flying at 400m unless their waypoints are adjusted.

Deployment and Retreival
All aircraft are stored on the hangar deck of the carrier, and are deployed from the main flight deck, and move between the two via the elevator on the starboard side of the carrier.

Aircraft are moved from their parking spots in the hangar to the center of the deck via the Crane, and the aircraft will then taxi onto the elevator. Fixed wing aircraft will then taxi onto the runway for takeoff, while rotary aircraft will take off directly from the elevator when it reaches the flight deck.

When landing, all aircraft will approach from behind the carrier. Rotary aircraft will attempt to land in the center of the flight deck, while fixed wing aircraft will use the entire runway. They will then taxi to the elevator to return to the hangar.

For ideal launch and retreival conditions, the carrier should be stopped, in calm seas, and facing directly into the wind. A steady flight deck will reduce the chance of aircraft having to abort their landings and go around, and providing a headwind for fixed wing aircraft will improve the efficiency and safety of their takeoffs and landings. Launching or retreiving aircraft in rough seas can be dangerous as fixed wing aircraft risk crashing into waves, and Razorbills can flip over and get stuck very easily.

Only one aircraft can take off or land at a time. Aircraft waiting to take off will remain in their parking spaces in the hangar until their turn to take off. Aircraft waiting to land will wait near the carrier in the holding pattern.

Holding Pattern
MORE INFO NEEDED


 * Displayed on screen on starboard side of bridge
 * Fixed wing aircraft orbit carrier
 * Rotary aircraft queue behind carrier
 * Landing priority given to aircraft with less fuel [CONFIRMATION NEEDED]

Weapons and Utilities
All aircraft are capable of equipping the same weapons and utilities on their hardpoints [CONFIRMATION NEEDED]. Equippable weapons are:



Fixed Wing Aircraft
Keep in mind to try always takeoff almost directly to the wind and also land almost directly facing the wind for giving more lift at T/O and drag at Landing, and don't face the waves direct, if you got a big wave in front the drone can just crush into the wave.

Albatross



 * Price: -
 * Max Speed: MORE INFO NEEDED
 * Fuel Capacity: MORE INFO NEEDED
 * Weight: 20,000 KG
 * Armor: 0

The Albatross is a light recon and fire support aircraft, and one of the two types of drones initally stocked on the carrier. While lightly armored, it seems to have the longest loiter time of all available aircraft, making it a good choice for long distance or extended reconnaisance.

Visually the Albatross is based heavily off the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator UCAV.

Loadout



 * Camera hardpoint: YES
 * RADAR hardpoint: NO
 * Weapon hardpoints: 4
 * Utility Hardpoints: 0

While the Albatross is capable of carrying a full compliment of weapons, it's relatively slow speed, lack of utility slots and weak armor give it poor survivability in areas with active anti-air defenses.

Manta

 * Price: 2500
 * Max Speed: MORE INFO NEEDED
 * Fuel Capacity: MORE INFO NEEDED
 * Weight: 25,000 KG
 * Armor: 4

The Manta is a total upgrade over the Albatross in every way, except for fuel usage [CONFIRMATION NEEDED] and cost. The Manta is faster and more heavily armed and armored than the Albatross, making it the best choice for combat missions, both air-to-air and air-to-ground.

Visually the Manta appears to be roughly based on the Dassault nEUROn experimental UCAV

Loadout



 * Camera hardpoint: YES
 * RADAR hardpoint: YES
 * Weapon hardpoints: 4
 * Utility hardpoints: 2

The Manta is the most heavily armed aircraft available, being the only aircraft capable of carrying a full compliment of weapons while also having utility hardpoints. The Manta is also the only vehicle able to equip the AWACS RADAR, making it invaluable when facing enemy aircraft and naval units.

Razorbill



 * Price: 1500
 * Max Speed: MORE INFO NEEDED
 * Max Range: MORE INFO NEEDED
 * Weight: 15,000 KG
 * Armor: 0

The Razorbill is the starter aircraft, being the only airframe blueprint unlocked by default. It is slow and weakly armed and armored, giving it fairly poor survivabilty, but its ability to hover makes it ideal for setting up synchronized attacks with other units.

The Razorbill's small size and weight cause major difficulty landing when the carrier is moving significantly, resulting in the vehicle flipping and being stuck on the flight deck. AVOID ATTEMPTING TO LAND RAZORBILLS IN ROUGH SEAS, OR WHEN THE CARRIER IS TURNING. If a Razorbill does flip and get stuck on the flight deck it can be unflipped eventually, but this requires cancelling the Razorbill's waypoints and then shaking the carrier as much as possible, using side thrusters and flipping the carrier between forwards and reverse while at full throttle.

While the Razorbill doesn't appear to be based on a real-world aircraft, it does share many simmilarities in appearance to the Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV.

Loadout



 * Camera hardpoint: NO
 * RADAR hardpoint: NO
 * Weapon hardpoints: 2
 * Utility hardpoints: 2

The Razorbill has the smallest weapon loadout of all aircraft, and is the only aircraft incapable of equipping a Gimbal Camera. It is, however, the only aircraft of the default carrier loadout with Utility hardpoints, giving it some protection against IR and AA missiles.

AI controlled Razorbills sometimes have difficulty acquiring targets when at the default flight altitude of 400m. Increasing their altitude to at least 800m will improve the AI's ability to successfully acquire targets.

Petrel

 * Price: 2000
 * Max Speed: MORE INFO NEEDED
 * Fuel Capacity: MORE INFO NEEDED
 * Weight: 20,000 KG
 * Armor: 4

The Petrel is the heavy-lift aircraft, being the only aircraft capable of airlifting Surface Vehicles. It's primary use is transporting other vehicles, but in almost all ways it is an improvement over the Razorbill, so it generally replaces the Razorbill once unlocked.

The Petrel has no real-world counterpart, and appears to be a combination of an MQ-1 Predator and a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey.

Loadout



 * Camera hardpoint: YES
 * RADAR hardpoint: NO
 * Weapon hardpoints: 4
 * Utility hardpoints: 0

The Petrel's armament is identical to that of the Albatross, giving it an immediate ammunition advantage over the Razorbill. Unlike the Razorbill it can also equip a Gimbal Camera, and combining this with its ability to hover makes the Petrel excellent for calling in support fire. The only disadvantage it has over the Razorbill is that it cannot equip Utility items.

Airlifting
The Petrel can airlift Surface Vehicles to rapidly transport them long distances. This cannot be done manually, and must be set up using waypoints. To airlift another vehicle:


 * 1) Draw a Move waypoint for the Petrel, ideally near the target vehicle
 * 2) Drag from the waypoint to the target vehicle, as though you were setting up an attack order from the waypoint

This will create a blue line between the waypoint and the target vehicle with a hook icon over it, showing that an airlift order has been created. Upon reaching the waypoint, the Petrel will fly over to the indicated vehicle and hover at low altitude above it for a few seconds before lifting off with the vehicle.

To drop a carried vehicle, create a waypoint and then check the "Deploy Vehicle" box in the waypoint's properties, identical to telling a surface vehicle to drop off Virus Bots.

Petrels can also carry surface vehicles directly back to the carrier. Simply tell the Petrel to return to the carrier without ordering it to drop the carried vehicle. The carried vehicle will teleport into the vehicle bay when it touches the flight deck. This is the only way to recover surface vehicles that have run out of Fuel.