Anti-Aircraft Artillery Fire Rules

Anti-Aircraft Artillery Fire

            All anti-aircraft guns have a 360-degree arc of fire and may fire at any aircraft within 1250 meters horizontal ground distance.  Each anti-aircraft gun has a maximum altitude range at which it may engage targets.  A director connects each gun in an anti-aircraft battery.  Searchlights hit the target once per turn, and then illuminate it for the rest of the turn, up to 3 phases.  Radar fire control adds additional percentage chances to hit.  Anti-Aircraft Artillery will fire during all three phases of the aircraft movement.  Anti-aircraft guns may each fire at up to one aircraft per phase.  Aircraft that fly through an anti-aircraft gun arc and end the phase outside the arc are fired on as in Challenge Fire.  Aircraft in battery fire one “to hit” number together, and use the number of aircraft damage dice, as there are guns in the battery.

            Anti-aircraft missile firing procedures are similar to anti-aircraft artillery.  Missiles have a base "to hit" percentage modified by homing type.  Missile systems may launch one ready to fire missile, per phase.  However, there is a reloading delay depending on the missile type.  Players may not reload and fire in the same phase. There is a plus 10% for infrared homing.  Missile radars provide the same bonus as gun radars.

            Different missile systems include the Shoulder fired Stinger, Mobile Chaparral system, Medium Hawk system, and Heavy Nike-Atlas system.  All missile systems must be stationary to fire.  Add 10% to the chance to hit a stationary aircraft.

            Anti-aircraft missile defense consists of two methods, Passive and Active.  Passive defense is built into the design of the aircraft.  These aircraft are noted on the aircraft card as having passive defense.  Missiles fired at aircraft equipped with passive defense don’t get the radar to hit bonus.

            Any aircraft may use active defense.  To use active defense, players must indicate which aircraft are using active defense measures at the beginning of the movement phase.  Deduct 10% from the chance to hit with a missile fired at an aircraft using active defense.

            Aircraft using “active defense” fire at ground targets at 10% lower than normal when using direct fire weapons.  There is no penalty to aircraft equipped with passive defense.  When firing using the artillery chart they will have five inches added to the deviation distance of the impact point of the ordnance.  "On target" results are unaffected.  There are several types of active defense.  The effectiveness of homing devices is cut by flares, chaff and jamming.

            Missile launchers fire one missile per phase up to the maximum number of missiles per launcher.  A shoulder fired Redeye could fire once per phase, if reloads are available.  A mobile Chaparral could fire one missile per phase for all three phases in one turn.  Missile launchers take one phase to reload, if reloads are present on a supply vehicle or emplacement.