Notes: The A-1 began life as a late-World War 2 US Navy dive-bomber. It continued service in Korea, and in Vietnam as a "Sandy" (an aircraft used in support of shot-down aircrews and their rescue helicopters). By the Twilight War, very few of these aircraft were flying, but the few remaining -- perhaps 25 in all -- were recalled late in the war as ground support aircraft and Sandies. This aircraft was also flown by Vietnam (captured at the end of the Vietnam War), and France. The Skyraider is known for being tough and mechanically reliable, and able to haul a large weapon load. Note on weapon load: 4 hardpoints on each wing are limited-load points. If loaded with more than 250 kg of weapons, the pilot may load only every other of these hardpoints. The aircraft has no ejection seat, though a rocket extraction device is available (bailout attempt one level easier). It is not capable of in-flight refueling.

Notes: Most versions of the A-4 have a hump behind the cockpit that houses avionics and ECM gear. Although it is small, it can carry a large weapon load for its size, including nuclear weapons. These aircraft were much used in the Twilight War, particularly in the Middle East and by the US, who recalled them from boneyards to replace aircraft losses and to use as close support aircraft.

The A-4A was the first production model, with a low-thrust engine and two hardpoints. The A-4B is the same aircraft with a slightly higher-powered engine. The A-4Q is a refurbished A-4B sold to the Argentine Navy. The A-4C has the addition of terrain-following radar and an autopilot as well as improvements to avionics. The A-4P is a refurbished A-4C supplied to the Argentine Air Force.

The A-4E introduced two new hardpoints to the wings. The A-4F introduced the avionics hump to the rear of the cockpit, housing ECM and equipment for the guidance of command-guided munitions. An A-4G is an A-4F built for the Australian Navy; it does not have the hump. The A-4K is the same aircraft after some years have gone by; it was refurbished, and then passed on the New Zealanders. The A-4H was built for the Israelis; it replaces the cannons with heavier ones. The A-4M was built for the US Marines and was known as the Skyhawk II; it has a more powerful engine, double the cannon ammunition load, and a laser designator. The A-4N was built for the Israelis; it has 30mm cannons, and more advanced avionics. The A-4Y is an A-4M with a refit to bring it up to the same level as the A-4N.

Notes: This is an older US Navy attack aircraft, partially replaced in US Navy service by the F/A-18. The Intruder can be refueled in flight and can carry drop tanks. Earlier versions of this aircraft were workhorses in Vietnam and the Gulf War, and many returned to duty to replace aircraft losses in the Twilight War. A tanker version, the KA-6D, remains in service, and carries 9500 liters of fuel in 5 drop tanks for buddy refueling of carrier aircraft.

The A-6A is the basic aircraft; it to include a digital integrated attack suite (the DIANE system). The A-6B is generally similar, but has an updated radar warning receiver and is able to use antiradiation missiles. The A-6C is also similar to the A-6B, but carries a FLIR and low-light TV system under the nose. The A-6E has a comprehensive avionics and ECM suite. The A-6E/TRAM has the TRAM system; this includes a steerable ball turret under the nose housing the FLIR, LLTV, and a laser designator. This aircraft is one of the few in the inventory able to deliver Tomahawk cruise missiles, or anything else in the US Naval inventory.

The A-6F Intruder II aircraft was at first not going to be produced, but with the Twilight War emergency, it was produced in limited quantities (per haps 50, plus about 25 conversions from A-6E aircraft) during 1998-99. The A-6F includes better avionics, smokeless engines, higher load-carrying capability, and a new bomb delivery system with better accuracy. In addition, the A-6F adds air-to-air capability.

Notes: This strike aircraft is no longer in active service with the US, but equips the armed forces of Greece, Thailand, and Portugal. Two of its hardpoints can carry drop tanks, and the two fuselage hardpoints may carry only Sidewinder missiles. The Corsair II is capable of in-flight refueling through a nose probe, and the pilot has an ejection seats. Though the Corsair II was not in active service with the US Navy and Air Force at the beginning of the Twilight War, some of them were recalled from the boneyards to replace aircraft losses.

The A-7A was the initial production version for the US Navy. The A-7B had a new, more powerful engine. The A-7C was an interim model for the US Navy and Marines until the A-7E was available; it had the same engine as the A-7B, but uses the radar, bomb system, ECM, and cannon of the A-7E. The A-7D introduced leading edge "dogfight" slats for improved maneuverability at low speeds, used a more powerful engine, and added a capability for in-flight refueling, as well as the laser designator and Vulcan cannon. (This was the production model for the US Air Force). The A-7E was the final model for US forces; it further increased the engine power, added a FLIR, and more powerful ECM. The A-7H is a land-based version of the A-7E for the Hellenic Air Force. The A-7P is a refurbished A-7A with the engine of an A-7B and the radar and bomb system of the A-7E, for the Portuguese Air Force.

The A-7F Corsair Plus is also known as the Strikefighter. The A-7F is an elongated Corsair with a more powerful afterburning engine. This improves speed and lifting capability. The aircraft is a better strike aircraft, and a capable fighter. This aircraft was produced mainly for the US Air National Guard units in some states, and few of them were built at that (perhaps 150 of them).

The two hardpoints on the sides of the fuselage may only be used for air-to-air missiles or the Sidearm ARM.

Notes: The A-10 is heavily armored and carries a massive amount of ordinance to a long range. It is an ugly aircraft, and was quickly nicknamed the Warthog by its crews, and acquired a great reputation for tank-busting and general ground support during the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and the Twilight War. The A-10 may be refueled in air, and has an ejection seat. The A-10 is flown only by the US and South Korea.

The A-10 N/AW (or A-10B) is a version of the A-10 that addresses the A-10's greatest shortcoming, the lack of night attack capability. The A-10 NAW has night vision and terrain-following radar for treetop navigation. This aircraft was very rare in the Twilight War, perhaps 50 being modified from existing A-10 aircraft, and being deployed to the American Southwest.

Notes: This attack aircraft was developed from a trainer, the T-37, in the late 1960s. It is not used by the US, but is used by Chile, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, South Korea, Peru, El Salvador, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam. It may be refueled in air, and has ejection seats.

Notes: This was one of the first gunships, being built in the Vietnam War on the airframe of the C-47 cargo aircraft. By 2000, the Spooky was primarily flown by Third world nations such as those in Southeast Asia who were allied with the US during that war or by Vietnam, who captured many of them. The aircraft is modified by having three M-134 Miniguns firing out the port side, two through windows and one through the open cargo door. The aircraft is also equipped with flares equivalent to 105mm howitzer ILLUM rounds, which are dropped out the open cargo door. Some of these aircraft have been spotted in use in the United States against New America and Mexican troops, probably taken from boneyards.

Notes: This aircraft is a development of a number of Vietnam-era experiments with arming transport aircraft for ground attack purposes. The AC-130U is a development on the C-130 Hercules airframe, and is heavily armed with weapons on stabilized mounts. All weapons fire from the left side of the aircraft, and weapons are computer-synchronized to fire at the same aiming point, or they may be aimed independently at different targets. The aircraft has no ejection seats, but is capable of in-flight refueling.

Notes: This heavy bomber was originally designed in the mid-1970s to replace the B-52 in the long-range bombing role. Rapidly escalating costs eventually led to its cancellation under the Carter administration, but the program was reinstated under the subsequent Reagan presidency, where more development was done that led to the B-1B variant. Later, the Lancer was modified for use with conventional weapons; previously, the B-1B was capable of delivering only cruise missiles and nuclear-equipped SRAMs. These aircraft excelled at the low-level deep penetration raids for which they were designed, and were responsible for a lot of damage to targets ranging from Europe to the Middle East to Southeast Asia, as well as flying missions over the North American continent. However, the gradual loss of suitable airfields and support facilities, the reduction in available jet fuel, and combat losses meant that its use decreased steadily in the later stages of the Twilight War; though some 40 Lancers survived the Twilight War, it is believed that the last B-1B mission was flown in mid-1999. The B-1B has stealth characteristics; it was not designed for stealth deliberately, but is rather a consequence of its design that it presents a radar-cross-section only 1% of the size of the B-52 it was designed to replace. Detection or guidance attempts by radar are one level more difficult than normal. In addition to a large amount of chaff bundles and flares, the B-1B carries 10 chaff rockets; these are fired from the aircraft and spread chaff behind them for a distance of 9 kilometers. They have the equivalent of three ECM devices and two IRCM devices to jam a wide range of transmissions and emissions.

Notes: Research on this aircraft began in the late 1970s, but its existence was still only a rumor until just after the start of the Twilight War, when an NBC news camera crew shot some footage at Diego Garcia and caught the first public sight of the strange-looking aircraft, which the President later confirmed was the rumored "Stealth Bomber." These aircraft were used to penetrate heavy defenses all over the globe. They take a different approach to stealth than the F-117A Nighthawk, using a totally smooth and rounded design with almost no protruding surfaces to reflect radar. In addition, the exhaust is routed through cooling channels and thermal bricks to drastically lower the IR signature. This means that whether the enemy is trying to detect the B-2 or trying to guide a weapon to the B-2 by radar, the attempt is four levels more difficult than it would be against a conventional aircraft. If using IR means, the attempts are 3 levels harder than normal. These attempts are two levels easier in any phase that the B-2’s bomb bay doors are open. In addition, the B-2 is liberally equipped with ECM, IRCM, DJM, and AJM features that make the aircraft even more difficult to detect and intercept. The chaff used by the B-2 is similar to that used by the Eurofighter; it actively broadcasts jamming signals, and functions one level better in effectiveness than normal chaff. Unfortunately, due to its design, the B-2 is not an agile aircraft, nor is it a fast aircraft, though it is fuel efficient.

*The B-2 has no tail or vertical stabilizer surfaces. Any tail hits are considered misses.

Notes: Known affectionately to its crews as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow, or Big Ugly Fat *Unprintable*), the B-52’s design goes back to the late 1940s, when plans for a heavy, turboprop-powered intercontinental bomber were drawn up. The engines were quickly replaced with what were then 8 of the most powerful jet engines available, and in the intervening years, the design has been steadily upgraded with a stronger frame and skin, ever-more powerful electronics and bomb-delivery equipment, rebuilds to allow the carriage of heavier and more versatile weapons, and an upgraded rear gun position. Over the years, it was supposed to be replaced by a variety of newer bombers, including the B-58 Hustler, the XB-70 Valkyrie, and the B-1 Lancer, but it has outlasted any aircraft ever built. (Before the Twilight War, it was expected to soldier on until at least 2040!) By the Twilight War, the only official service variant was the B-52H, with a fully modern electronic warfare suite and modernized attack center able to conduct both low-level penetration missions and high-altitude bombing with anything from conventional iron bombs to air-launched cruise missiles. In the Twilight War, they are perhaps best known for the bombing of the Krefeld Salient, where, despite staggering losses, they were able to break the back of the Russian invasion of Germany; and the carpet bombing of Baghdad and the surrounding area, practically reducing the Iraqi capital to total ruins along with most of the Republican Guard in a single 22-hour campaign of non-stop bombing. Perhaps the greatest failing of the B-52 is its large radar-cross section; enemy forces using radar to detect the B-52 get a +4 bonus, while attempting to guide weapons to the B-52 by radar gain a +2 bonus. Another failing of the B-52 is the amount of maintenance required by its eight jet engines. The massive single bomb bay may carry 24.56 tons; however, the B-52H may also use 4 hardpoints on its wings. The two inboard hardpoints under its wings may carry ordinance; the two hardpoints near the ends of its wings may only carry drop tanks, and normally carry very massive fuel tanks designed specifically for the B-52. These fuel hardpoints may carry 2880-liter tanks weighing 2.72 tons full, or 11700-liter tanks weighing 9.07 tons each when full.

Notes: This version of the F-15 air superiority fighter was adopted by the USAF in 1984, and gave a stellar performance in the 1991 Gulf War and in the Twilight War. The Strike Eagle features new engines, navigation/attack pods under the intakes, and new skin for less radar observability. The Strike Eagle also has standard fit conformal FAST (Fuel and Sensor Tactical) pods fitted beside each intake that can carry up to 1000 kg of fuel and/or sensors, designators, or ECM/IRCM devices. The crewmembers have ejection seats, and the aircraft is capable of in-flight refueling. In addition to the US Air Force, the Strike Eagle is used by Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Strike Eagle retains its air-to-air capability, and is capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Notes: This stealth aircraft, rumored but rarely seen, is a second-generation stealth aircraft used by the US for reconnaissance and attack of highly defended targets. It was rarely flown from base to base for security reasons, but was often delivered to bases inside a C-5 Galaxy cargo aircraft. The aircraft has flat bottom, blended wings, advanced ECM, and construction of radar-absorbent materials. Weapons are carried in internal bays and do not contribute to drag. The aircraft's stealth features mean that attempts to guide radar missiles, as well as attempts to detect it with radar, are four levels more difficult. (If a weapon bay is open, attempts are two levels more difficult.) Attempts to detect it with IR, and guide IR missiles to it, are three levels more difficult. Unlike the F-117A, the F-19A has an air-to-air capability.