On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Read the response first
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| QRA ALREADY PENDING | Check ACTIVE OPS and recent ASMA messages for the flight already committed to that contact. A second press does not create a second independent scramble. |
| QRA LAUNCH FAILED: target cannot be located | Find the current contact again. It may have left the area; a stale selection is not a valid live target. |
| No aircraft currently available at the selected base | Choose another available base or wait for aircraft to return, land and become available. Compare the actual AVAILABLE column. |
| Availability changed | Review the newly displayed number of aircraft and press LAUNCH QRA again only if that revised order is what you want. |
| NO QRA AVAILABLE or a ground-service warning | Read the complete message. Check the selected base, aircraft readiness and resources in ASSETS; do not infer that every aircraft listed at a base is ready to depart. |
Pending is different from airborne
An accepted request, a waiting launch and fighters in the air are different stages. Open ACTIVE OPS and read the QRA Pending row and the latest ASMA response. The launch timing and cancellation guide explains T-, Rolling and what to do if no countdown appears yet.
Work through these checks
- Re-select the intended contact and note its serial.
- Check ACTIVE OPS for an existing task against it.
- Open ASSETS and check the candidate airfield and aircraft availability.
- If no existing commitment explains the problem, reopen QRA LAUNCH OPTIONS and compare the available choices.
- If the result still contradicts the displayed availability, capture the popup and the full ASMA response for a bug report.
Keep the evidence together
Include the game version, base, requested number of aircraft, target serial, whether aircraft were already committed, and the final message. “Space did nothing” leaves out the conditions needed to diagnose it.
Check landing, supplies or a fault
A returned fighter may still need fuel or weapons. Follow the landing and reuse checks. For AIRFRAME U/S, read the temporary-fault guide. These are different causes with different next steps.
Why AVAILABLE can change before takeoff
A fighter can be listed at a base but already set aside for a waiting QRA order. That reduces the number available for another order even while the aircraft is still on the ground. An aircraft fault can also reduce availability; see AIRFRAME U/S. U/S means temporarily unusable. A destroyed airfield cannot supply a launch. The AVAILABLE number is not a separate guarantee that the selected group has enough fuel to depart.
Review a changed force before confirming
- In QRA LAUNCH OPTIONS, compare the selected base’s AVAILABLE number with your chosen force: Singleton (1), 1 Pair (2) or 2 Pairs (4).
- If Availability changed appears, read the revised number. The game can reduce your selected force. For example, a four-aircraft choice is no longer possible when only two are available.
- Decide whether the smaller force is suitable. Choose another listed base or CANCEL if it is not. If no aircraft remain, do not keep pressing LAUNCH QRA for that base.
- If you accept the revised base and force, press LAUNCH QRA again as the notice requests. Then read the ASMA response and check ACTIVE OPS. Reconfirming is a deliberate new decision, not a reason to double-click every launch.
Example: four fighters are available, then another waiting order reserves two. With no other change, two remain for the next order. Cancelling that waiting order releases its reservation; it does not return aircraft that are already flying. Use the correct pending-launch CANCEL.
Read a partial or unarmed launch warning
| ASMA message | What it means and what to check |
|---|---|
| QRA PARTIAL LAUNCH | Fewer fighters are launching than you requested. Read the actual number and base in the message, then find that flight in ACTIVE OPS. When you explicitly selected a base, this launch does not automatically borrow fighters from another base to make up the missing number. |
| QRA UNARMED LAUNCH | Fighters are launching without weapons to IDENT: investigate the contact. This is not confirmation that they can attack it. Check the flight’s actual weapons in its trackblock and read IDENT versus ENGAGE before changing the task. |
| QRA LAUNCH BLOCKED · ground servicing incomplete | The selected group is being kept on the ground. Read the stated reason and named base. Use the servicing checks and base fuel and weapons reports; a fuel shortage needs the right delivery, not more clicks on LAUNCH QRA. |
A normal quick launch starts on IDENT and can permit an unarmed aircraft. Starting CAP or ENGAGE from the ground has different weapons requirements. Do not treat “no weapons” as a universal explanation for every refused QRA order, or a positive AVAILABLE count as proof of full combat readiness.
Check the current launch controls
Use the selected-contact QRA launch steps: select the live contact, finish text entry, then press the default Space to review QRA LAUNCH OPTIONS. Check ACTIVE OPS for an existing flight before confirming another order. The base, number of aircraft and resulting ASMA response determine what happens; opening a window alone does not launch fighters.
Training and Hawk tasking in v0.8.16.0
Use TRG to send an eligible fighter pair on an air combat training exercise. Before its map point is chosen, Escape or CANCEL TASK cancels only that TRG placement. Below Critical tension, the Hawk T1A accepts training and redeployment, while combat tasking such as ID, ENG and CAP is refused. Check the tension level and the refusal message before repeating an order.