On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Keep enough fuel to get back and land
An aircraft needs fuel for its job and the journey back to a suitable airfield. Bringing it back to land is called recovery. This may mean returning to its home base or using another suitable airfield. Do not plan only as far as the aircraft you want it to meet.
Check both aircraft
- Press G to open ACTIVE OPS. Find the aircraft by its callsign and read its fuel and current task, then find it on the radar scope. F60% means about 60% of that aircraft’s own fuel remains; it does not mean 60 minutes of flying. For a tanker, also read AF, the separate fuel it can give to other aircraft. Use the two fuel-display examples if these figures are unfamiliar.
- Check the tanker too. F shows fuel for the tanker’s own flight. AF shows fuel it can pass to other aircraft, called offload fuel.
- Open MAP → AREAS → AARA AREAS to show the areas marked for refuelling in flight. Follow the tanker positioning steps to set its route.
- Watch the tanker reach the place where you need it. An aircraft on the other side of the map cannot supply fuel straight away.
- Use REFUEL on a fighter or REFUEL on an AWACS or Nimrod as appropriate. Watch the fuel value increase to confirm that fuel is being received.
What do JOKER and BINGO mean?
| Warning | What it means in Air Defender | What to check |
|---|---|---|
An early warning triggered at a preset fuel level. It does not calculate the fuel needed for every possible route home. | Plan refuelling or a return to land now; do not wait until its fuel is nearly gone. | |
A more urgent warning at a lower preset fuel level. The warning does not guarantee any particular amount of fuel remains or that the aircraft can reach a base. | Check the aircraft’s fuel and current task in ACTIVE OPS, then find it on the radar scope. Follow the refuelling steps or the return-to-base steps as appropriate, and watch its progress. Do not start another task on the assumption that this fuel is spare. |
Read HELP → Codewords and the current scenario’s instructions. The labels above describe the game; they are not a fuel-planning rule for a real flight.
Why has my fighter changed course without another order?
In Air Defender, low fuel can change a fighter’s task automatically. At JOKER, it may head for a tanker; it may keep following its target if the intercept needs to continue. At BINGO, the response can be refuelling or a return to base.
Read the QRA JOKER or QRA BINGO report in ASMA and check each fighter’s F and current task in ACTIVE OPS before giving another order. If it is heading for fuel, use the fuel-transfer checks to confirm what it actually receives. The warning alone does not mean its fuel problem has been solved.
A simple example
Your fighter is following a contact farther away from its base. Before letting it continue, check its fuel and the journey back. If you want it to take fuel in the air, check where the tanker is and how much it can supply. A refuelling order is only a request; the aircraft still need to meet.
Bring the aircraft home when it needs to land
Use RTB — Return to Base to bring it back. If a different landing airfield is needed and the control is available, use DIVERT. After landing, check that it is ready again before sending it on another mission.
Should I launch support aircraft immediately?
Decide what you need the aircraft to do. A tanker provides fuel; an AWACS provides another radar picture. One does not replace the other. For a long fighter task, check the fuel needed to reach the contact and get back to land, then where a tanker could meet the fighters. For a radar gap, use the AWACS coverage checks. Allow time for the support aircraft to get into position; issuing its task does not put it there instantly. There is no single launch order for every session.
How long can an aircraft stay on task with 80% fuel?
80% fuel is not a fixed number of minutes. How long an aircraft can stay in the area depends on its type and fuel use; a fighter’s speed also matters. Allow fuel for the flight home, or arrange refuelling while there is still time.
Check the live flight
- Open ACTIVE OPS with G. Find the aircraft by callsign and read its type, F fuel value and current task. Follow its position on the scope.
- Recheck the fuel while it is working. For a fighter, compare its speed and speed setting; after a retask, check fuel again. A fast-forward setting uses fuel faster per minute at your desk.
- Before continuing the task, check where the aircraft can land and where a tanker could meet it. Use REFUEL for a fighter or REFUEL for AWACS or Nimrod, or RTB to return. Confirm the changed task and, when refuelling, watch F increase.
PAN PAN PAN: check the return-fuel margin
PAN PAN PAN is a fuel-urgency report. It can warn of a low margin for the journey home before the aircraft has actually run out of the fuel needed to return. Check the named fighter’s fuel, current task and route to a suitable landing base immediately. Follow the refuelling steps if a suitable tanker can help. The warning is not repeated continuously, so silence does not mean the problem has been solved. Keep checking the aircraft until it has actually taken fuel or landed.
FUEL DIVERT: an automatic change of landing base
FUEL DIVERT means the fighter has been redirected to another military airfield because its original base is beyond its calculated reach even with full tanks. Read the destination in the report, then check each affected fighter’s fuel, task and progress in ACTIVE OPS. A diversion report confirms a changed destination, not a completed landing. Repeatedly ordering another top-up will not make an out-of-range home base reachable. An alternative airfield is not always available; keep monitoring the aircraft. This automatic action is separate from choosing DIVERT yourself.