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Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Follow the flight all the way home
- Use RTB to send the fighter home, or DIVERT to choose another suitable airfield. An aircraft heading towards a base has not landed yet.
- Follow the flight in ACTIVE OPS and read its ASMA messages. QRA RTB COMPLETE reports a completed return; REDEPLOY COMPLETE reports a completed move to another base.
- Open ASSETS or click the destination airfield on the map. Check the aircraft at the base where it actually landed, especially after a diversion.
- Check that base’s fuel and weapons. Use FUEL AT and WEAPONS AT if you need the text report.
- Choose the next task using the launch guide or the patrol guide. Read the response and confirm the new task in ACTIVE OPS. If it is refused, use the reason in the message to choose the next action below.
What the game does on landing
| Stage | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Fuel | If the fighter needs fuel, the game attempts to take a fuel allowance from the arrival base and fill the aircraft. A shortage can leave it parked with less than full fuel. |
| Weapons | The game attempts to replace used missiles and cannon ammunition. Both required amounts must be available. Read the rearming example. |
| Back at base | The fighter becomes stationed at that airfield and its flying track is removed. This change is not a promise that refuelling and rearming both succeeded. |
| Next task | The game checks the fuel and any weapons required for that launch. An aircraft already refuelled does not need the same fuel allowance charged again just to start its next task. |
Do I press REFUEL while it is parked?
The REFUEL command arranges fuel from a tanker in the air. The fighter’s ground servicing is automatic. If the base has run short, use SUP to send supplies, confirm the delivery has finished, then give the parked fighter its next task.
Read a blocked-launch message
| Message or symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| QRA LAUNCH BLOCKED / QRA ground servicing incomplete | Read the rest of the message. Check the named base and whether the shortage is fuel or weapons. One member’s shortage can keep the selected group on the ground. |
| CAP FAILED | Check whether the reason is too few aircraft or a servicing shortage. A patrol needs the required aircraft as well as supplies. |
| AIRFRAME U/S | U/S means unserviceable: the aircraft cannot be used while the announced fault or disruption is active. It does not mean the aircraft has been permanently lost. Follow the fault guide; extra fuel alone does not remove that restriction. |
| Flight landed but I cannot find it | Check the actual landing base, including any diversion, and the ASMA completion message. Then use the wider availability checks. |
Why do the fuel figures not match the amount burned?
In v0.8.16.0, fighter ground refuelling uses a set allowance for the aircraft type. For example, the Tornado F3 allowance is 5 tonnes. This five-tonne allowance is the game’s supply charge, not the F3’s tank capacity or the exact amount of fuel used on that flight.
Keep the three questions separate
Has the fighter landed? Does the base have supplies? Has the next task been accepted? Check each in turn. In real flying, the work between flights involves ground crews and aircraft preparation; the game simplifies that work rather than asking you to perform maintenance.
Support aircraft have different fuel checks
This guide covers fighters. For AWACS, Nimrod and tankers, follow the support-aircraft fuel and relaunch checks.