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AIR DEFENDER / REFERENCE
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Game reference · v0.8.16.0Check ASSETS for the aircraft and resources available in your current session.
Getting started
Where should I start in Air Defender?Start with the radar picture. Learn what one track is telling you before trying to manage the whole airspace.Where is the manual and the in-game reference?Use the game’s Help/Guide reference for the controls and procedures in your installed version. Use this library for the companion videos and focused answers.How do I create, select or remove a player profile?Your callsign selects your player record. Choose the right profile before starting a session or checking training results.What changes between Easy, Normal and Hard?Compare the help, identification decisions, electronic warfare, fuel and experience rules on Easy, Normal and Hard. Training has its own exceptions.Which session should I start: Combat Ready, Instant Action or training?Use training to learn specific tasks, Combat Ready for a fresh operational session, Instant Action for an escalated starting situation, and Load Game to resume a save.Which in-game training lessons are available, and where do I start?Choose from two Basic Training lessons and four Trade Training lessons. Each lesson card starts an exercise and shows your results.How do I use training objectives and skip dialogue?Keep the current objective visible while learning. You can move or minimise its panel and skip the current dialogue, but neither action completes the task for you.What do my training score, Best and Last results mean?Read the objective outcomes as well as the percentage. Retry restarts the exercise; Continue returns you to its training menu.How do I recover unassigned training records?If the game finds older training records without an identified owner, it asks you to choose. Import only a record you recognise as yours.What do the off-screen threat arrows tell me?The directional markers help you find relevant contacts outside the current view. They are a navigation aid, not the aircraft’s plotted position.How do XP, levels and ranks work in Air Defender?XP means experience points. It belongs to your player profile and helps determine its level and rank. It is separate from the PP, PS and TS scores for the situation you are controlling.What should I check in the HANDOVER BRIEF?A handover brief is a summary to help you take over the session. Air Defender posts it in ASMA when you start or resume ordinary operations. Use it to get your bearings, then check the live radar picture and aircraft tasks.How do I save, leave and continue my game?Save the situation before leaving if you want to carry on later. Returning to the main menu and closing the game use different exit steps.How do I pause or skip the training dialogue?Training captions appear automatically during supported spoken instructions. Pause to take a break, use SKIP DIALOGUE to stop the current dialogue, and use the Objectives panel to check the task you still need to complete.
Reading the scope
What is the difference between a plot and a track?A plot is a detection. A track brings successive detections together so the system can follow movement and display information.Why does a triangle become a circle or semicircle?The origin shape changes when a plot is associated with a track. The established shape also tells you which radar information is contributing.What do the track identity letters mean?The letter is the track’s identity or role in the picture. A means Assumed Friendly.How do I read the numbers next to a track?The trackblock puts useful flight information beside the contact. Open Flight Information when you need the fuller picture.What do the line and the plots behind a track show?The leader shows movement direction. The plots behind it show earlier detected positions.How can I spot a possible enemy missile launch?A new triangle emerging near a hostile aircraft is a cue to investigate a possible launch. A triangle on its own is not proof of a missile.How do I compare a track with its flight information?Find an active flight plan, locate its aircraft and compare the route with current flight information. A plan, performance reference and radar observation answer different questions.How do I read the Aircraft Data tab?Use Aircraft Data to understand the type listed for a contact. Use Flight Info to read the flight you have actually selected.What do aircraft speed, ceiling and range figures mean?An aircraft specification describes a type. It does not tell you exactly what one aircraft is doing, or how much fuel it has left.How do I find and hook an aircraft in TRACK LIST?Search track rows, filter by identity, locate an aircraft and choose the right hook control. The track list and flight-plan list serve different jobs.Why do military aircraft callsigns change in Air Defender?New fighter launches can use another name from their base’s callsign pool. The number after the name distinguishes aircraft; it is not the track serial or the size of the group.How do piston, jet and helicopter engines differ?Understand piston engines, turbojets, turbofans, turboprops and turboshafts when reading an aircraft’s Powerplant entry.
Sensors & EW
Why are some tracks white instead of green?White track information can come from airborne radar through Link-11. Ground-radar tracks normally appear green.Why does a track flash and then disappear?A flashing faded track is drawing your attention to a loss of fresh reports. It can disappear if the system does not receive another update.What is an EW strobe telling me?The line shows the direction towards equipment sending out a signal. It does not tell you how far away that equipment is. This line is called a bearing strobe.What do the different EW diamonds mean?The diamond changes as more receiving stations contribute to the game’s EW picture.What is the difference between Nimrod and AWACS in the game?Nimrod R1 listens for emissions. The E-3D Sentry supplies airborne radar coverage.How does AWACS help when a ground radar goes offline?An airborne radar can provide another view of the airspace. In Air Defender, the E-3D’s radar and Link-11 must be enabled to contribute that picture.How do I select a radar station and its range rings?Use RADARS to choose a station view. Re-selecting changes its range rings; right-clicking its map marker changes a separate three-stage radar state.How do I launch and reposition an E-3D AWACS?Send the E-3D to the area where you need airborne radar. Then check L11, the control that adds its radar information to your display.How do I launch and task the Nimrod R1?Send the Nimrod R1 to the area where you want it to listen for electronic signals. It listens for signals from other equipment; it does not provide the same radar picture as the E-3D.How do I read the Fylingdales Space Console?Find the space console, read its satellite and launch reports, and clear the event log without changing the tracks.How do I recognise radar jamming and keep checking the picture?Read jamming warnings, separate interference from clutter and outages, and compare other sensors in Air Defender.
Troubleshooting
Why is my AWACS not adding tracks?Check the aircraft’s mission, radar and Link-11 separately. An aircraft being available at a base is not the same as it being airborne and reporting.A track has disappeared. What should I check?Check whether the track symbol is missing, only its numbers are hidden, or the view has moved. Then check fresh radar reports and whether the aircraft has landed.My interceptors are following a target. Are they stuck?Following can be part of the assigned task. Check the mission and the last reported stage before deciding that the intercept has stalled.A training objective will not complete. What should I capture?Record the exact lesson and objective, then the action you took. A stuck objective and progress failing to save are different problems.How do I send a useful bug report?Send me the steps that show the problem, the game version and what you expected to happen.My fighter has an ENGAGE task. Why is it not firing?An engagement task does not guarantee an immediate shot. Check the accepted task, the weapons aboard the fighter and what it is doing before giving another order.Why did my performance score go down?A fall in PP can come from a direct penalty or from rising public concern and tension. Read the scoring message and all three meters together before assuming your last mouse click caused it.
Controls
How do I select and hook a track?Selection lets you act on a track. Hooking keeps a contact marked for attention after you select another one.How can I make a busy radar screen easier to read?Use filters and data-display controls to reduce the information you are trying to read at once.How do I zoom, pan and find the controls?Use the mouse wheel to zoom. Pan with W/A/S/D, the arrow keys, or a right/middle-button drag.How do I pause or change the simulation speed?Pause with II or backquote; resume with a speed button or 1, 2 or 3. Check PAUSED and Game Time rather than the real-time session timer.What does the JUDY button do, and when should I use it?JUDY requests the flight’s JUDY communication exchange. It is about the fighter taking control of the intercept using its own radar. It does not choose a new target or order an attack.
Identification
How should I investigate a track before identifying it?Bring the evidence together: flight information, aircraft data, movement and an ATC check. A squawk on its own is not proof of identity.How do I call ATC about a track?Select the track and use the Call ATC action. Read the reply before changing its identity.How do I investigate a suspected spoofer?Look for inconsistencies between the track, its claimed flight details and what other sources can confirm.What does Squawk IDENT do?Understand real-world transponder IDENT, then use the game’s track-focus shortcut and recognise what its four-triangle highlight does—and does not—prove.How do I check a Mode S address against the aircraft register?Use CALL MODESCHECK to look up the Mode S address shown for a track. Compare the returned aircraft details with the other information you have.Why does BAW436 become Speedbird 436 in the ATC reply?Match civilian callsigns, radio names and aircraft registrations in Air Defender, then check the same contact in ASMA and the register.How do I identify several hooked tracks at once?Apply one identity to a checked group, understand the confirmation, and avoid changing contacts you meant to leave alone.
Operations
Is identifying a track the same as authorising an engagement?IDENT normally sends a fighter to investigate. At Critical tension, IDENT against an aircraft already marked Hostile can become ENGAGE, so check the resulting task.When should I think about tankers?Plan fuel before sending an aircraft a long way from somewhere it can land. A tanker can help, but it needs time to take off and reach the aircraft.How do I launch or move a tanker with TRACK and ANCHOR?Use TRACK to choose two points for a tanker’s working route, or ANCHOR to place a preset pattern around one point. Check the aircraft, fuel and new task before relying on it to supply other aircraft.What are Hercules and Chinook supply missions for?Use SUP to send a Hercules or Chinook to collect fuel or weapons and deliver them to another airfield. You choose the cargo source, destination and load.What is the difference between redeploying and supplying a base?Redeployment moves an aircraft to another base. A supply mission carries cargo, such as fuel or weapons, to a destination.How do I query an ATC controller in ASMA?Find the controller’s short call ID, open a line, ask about your track and read the reply. Finish with HANGUP before entering other ordinary commands.Where do I check an aircraft’s current task?ACTIVE OPS is the place to compare active aircraft and their tasks before sending another order.How do I follow sortie communications?Use ACTIVE COMMS for the conversation and ACTIVE OPS for the aircraft’s task. The two views answer different questions.What do PP, PS and TS mean?The three meters describe different aspects of your session. A change in one is not interchangeable with a change in another.How do I scramble QRA to investigate a track?QRA means Quick Reaction Alert. To send fighters to investigate a contact, select it, choose an available base and the number of fighters, then follow their launch.Why will QRA not launch?Check the target, any existing commitment and the aircraft actually available at the chosen base before trying again.How do I give an airborne fighter flight a new target?To change a fighter’s job, open its task menu, choose the new job and then select the contact. Check which other fighters receive the same order.How do I order a fighter flight to shadow a contact?SHADOW assigns the flight to follow the selected contact. It is a different order from investigating or engaging it.How do I place and move a combat air patrol?CAP means Combat Air Patrol: fighters flying in an area, ready to respond. Choose where you want them to patrol and check that they go there.How do BUSTER, CRUISE and ECO affect my fighter flight?Use the fighter speed controls deliberately, then check the flight and its fuel. The command applies beyond the single symbol you clicked.How do I send a fighter flight to a tanker?Choose REFUEL on the fighter that needs more fuel, then select a tanker that is already flying. The fighter must reach the tanker before it can take fuel.How do I refuel an AWACS or Nimrod?Use REFUEL on the AWACS or Nimrod that needs fuel. The game looks for a tanker automatically. Check that the aircraft goes to it and receives fuel.How do I return an aircraft to base?RTB means Return to Base. It tells an aircraft to come back and land. Check that it has landed and is ready again before sending it on another mission.How do I divert an aircraft to another airfield?Use DIVERT to send an aircraft to a different airfield to land. The button appears only for aircraft and situations that support this order.How do I close and reopen civilian airspace?AIRSPACE CONTROL appears when the game’s tension reaches Critical. Closing the airspace changes how civilian flights are handled. Reopening lets traffic resume; it does not instantly send diverted flights back to their old routes.How do I type commands in ASMA?ASMA is the game’s message and command window. Use short, supported commands, then read the reply to find out what happened.How do I read ASMA messages and use ATC identity choices?Match each ASMA report to its aircraft or track. An ATC report can offer identity buttons beside SET; check the information before changing the track’s classification.How do I check aircraft, fuel and weapons in ASMA?Ask ASMA what a base has available before planning a flight or a delivery. These queries show information; they do not launch aircraft or move supplies.What should I do with an emergency aircraft in Air Defender?Find the emergency aircraft, mark its position once, follow the code-specific game guidance and check what the messages actually confirm.Can I give aircraft orders by typing in ASMA?Yes, but the command wording matters. For a first attempt, use the aircraft controls: you can see which aircraft and location you are choosing.How do I find aircraft and use the ASSETS buttons?ASSETS lists aircraft by base. Find the aircraft you need, then follow the linked instructions for its task. Use ACTIVE OPS to follow flights already under way.How do I check a base’s fuel, weapons and aircraft?Check the base’s stored supplies separately from its aircraft. Fuel already aboard one aircraft is not the same as fuel available in the base store.How much cargo can a Hercules or Chinook carry in Air Defender?Use the numbers in Custom payload and Cargo slots before pressing DISPATCH. Both the total slot limit and the separate limit for each cargo type must be met.How do I know whether my supplies have arrived?Follow the flight through loading, travel and unloading. Then check the delivery message and the destination’s stock. DISPATCH accepts the order; it does not deliver the cargo.What happens after a fighter lands, and how do I use it again?Landing brings the fighter home. The game then tries to replace its fuel and weapons from that base. A safe landing does not guarantee that the base can prepare it for another mission.How do I rearm a fighter and replace its missiles?Bring the fighter back to a base with enough missiles and cannon ammunition. The game tries to replace the weapons automatically when it lands; you do not load each missile yourself.What does AIRFRAME U/S mean, and why can’t the aircraft fly?AIRFRAME U/S means the aircraft is unserviceable: it cannot be used while the reported fault or disruption is active. It is different from simply being parked at a base.How do I order a fighter to ENGAGE a target?ENGAGE orders an attack. Choose your fighter first, then the target. An accepted order starts the task; it does not mean a missile has already been fired.What should I do when ASMA says FLASH - WEAPONS HOT?Read which fighter and target the message names. The message authorises weapons against that target and tells you to use ENG tasking if you intend to shoot it down.What do TALLY, JUDY, POSID and MERGED mean?These reports tell you what the fighter has reached or learned during an intercept. They do not all mean the same thing, and none is a substitute for checking the target and the current task.How do I use REJOIN to reunite a fighter with its wingman?REJOIN tries to pair the selected fighter with its previous wingman—the other fighter it was paired with. It uses that remembered partner, not whichever aircraft is closest.Why does an order to one fighter affect the rest of its flight?The game keeps track of fighters launched together. Several controls send an order to that group, even though you select just one aircraft to give it.How do I bring a tanker, AWACS or Nimrod back to base?Use RTB on the aircraft you want to bring home. It leaves its task and flies back to land. Check what support you will lose before recalling it, then follow the aircraft until it is back at a base.How do I use an AWACS, Nimrod or tanker again after landing?Find it at the base where it landed, check that base’s fuel, then give it a new task. Landing and having enough fuel for the next flight are separate checks.What do F and AF mean on a tanker in Air Defender?F is fuel for the tanker’s own flight. AF is fuel it can pass to other aircraft. Read both: a tanker can have fuel to fly home but very little left to give your fighters.How do I show and read the asset summary?Show FEATURE SUMMARY, read FTR, FUEL, AIR and WPN, and check the aircraft and base behind each total.How do I use an airfield’s aircraft controls?Open an airfield, choose a based or active aircraft, finish the map selection and check the result of a launch, supply, transfer or diversion.Why haven’t my QRA fighters taken off yet?Understand the QRA launch estimate, the ACTIVE OPS countdown and how to cancel a launch that is still waiting.How do I send fighters on a training sortie?Use TRG to practise air combat, choose an Air Defence training area and follow the benefits, fuel and return.
Real-world concepts
What is the difference between primary and secondary radar?Primary radar detects reflected energy. Secondary radar receives an automatic coded reply from an aircraft’s transponder.What are Mode 3/A squawk codes?Mode A and military Mode 3 refer to the compatible civil/military ATC identity-code mode, commonly written Mode 3/A.What do squawk 7500, 7600 and 7700 mean?7500 indicates unlawful interference, 7600 radio-communication failure, and 7700 a general emergency.Why can a low aircraft disappear beyond radar coverage?Earth curves away beneath a radar beam. A low aircraft can be below the useful beam even when a higher aircraft farther away is detected.How can weather affect a radar picture?Weather can produce returns, weaken a signal and change how the beam bends. These are different effects.How does air-to-air refuelling work?A tanker passes fuel to another aircraft while both keep flying. Learn the idea, then choose the right REFUEL instructions for your aircraft in Air Defender.How do transport aircraft keep air operations supplied?Flying a mission needs more than an aircraft. People, fuel, spare parts and equipment must reach the places where they are needed. Planning and moving those supplies is called logistics.Why does an aircraft need a ground crew between flights?A fighter is part of a team. Keeping it ready involves the people who maintain and equip it, as well as the people who fly and control it.What is a flight level, and how do I read FL150?Read flight levels in hundreds of feet, understand the shared pressure reference, and distinguish a tanker’s assigned height range from its current height.
Console & settings
How do I show airfields, airways and refuelling areas?Open MAP and switch on the geography you need. Airfields, airways, navigation aids and area boundaries are separate layers; hiding them does not remove aircraft or change their orders.How do I save and return to a session?Create a named save before leaving or trying something you may want to undo. Load that entry later using the same player profile.How do I improve the display without losing useful information?Choose brightness, map-line thickness, resolution and display mode for a readable scope. Change one control at a time and check what the game actually applied.What do the passive EW and clutter settings change?Choose whether the game shows passive EW information and simulated clutter. Change one option at a time, check its result and keep these settings separate from radar power.How do I make radio calls easier to hear?Balance the radio against music and ambience, then check the active communications channel. Muting a sound category does not stop that part of the simulation.How do I change or reset a keyboard shortcut?Change one action at a time and test it outside the settings menu. Check for duplicate bindings yourself.Where are the aircraft task controls?Select one of your supported aircraft and use AC Control. The buttons depend on the aircraft you selected.How do I measure range and bearing on the scope?Measure distance and direction from the pointer to a selected aircraft. Check the white box, then read range before bearing.How do I move, resize and minimise a panel?Use the panel’s title bar and edges to make room for the radar picture. Moving a window does not change the aircraft’s task.Can a tanker itself receive fuel from another tanker?A tanker also needs fuel for its own flight. Use REFUEL to request fuel from another suitable tanker, then check that its fuel increases.How do I find the right messages in ASMA?Filter ASMA by message category, aircraft type or sortie. If a report seems missing, check the active filter before repeating the order.Where can I read intelligence reports?Use ASMA INTEL to find and read intelligence bulletins. Check the full report and the affected contact before acting.Why does a timer keep counting when I pause the game?The session timer and the game clock measure different things. The session timer counts real time since you entered the session. Game Time shows time passing inside the simulation.What do the numbers in the game-status banner mean?The game-status banner summarises your session, scores, display performance and time. It is a quick status strip, not a list of aircraft orders.Which keyboard shortcuts does Air Defender use?Find the default keys, their settings labels and what each action does. Separate editable shortcuts from fixed camera and menu controls.What should I check after loading a saved game?Check the clock, radar picture, aircraft tasks and waiting QRA launches before continuing a saved Air Defender game.Why is my radar quiet? Has the game stopped?Check the game clock, track visibility and session type before treating a quiet radar screen as a fault in Air Defender.What does the end-of-watch summary mean?Read your Air Defender watch results, separate performance from XP, and choose NEW WATCH, MAIN MENU or ENDLESS.