AM Air Superiority Fighter?

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

It's been a while since I've hung out here in the barracks ... I miss my fellow Guardsmen, I've just been caught-up with my BA project, trying to prepare 2800 points worth of marines in time for a "narrative event" in November.

 

However, I got some new intel on the event ... it's not super competitive, but you play the game to win. The new intel makes me think flyers are going to feature a lot more heavily than they have in other events with the same group. They are using Death From the Skies (much to my chagrin as it completely neuters by token AA via Storm Raven that my BA bring) and there is a special award for the Ace with most kills over the event. Given such emphasis on flyers, I am guessing that people will bring more than usual. I know at least one Ork player on the email list said he's bringing a bunch of Orky flyers.

 

I'm already committed on the BA so I'm just going to have to grit my teeth and hope that having zero air defence I can just focus on killing the ground stuff.

 

ALL THAT SAID ... I am already planning for next year's event, and the Emperor's Own Valkan Rifles will make a return to the tabletop for that purpose.

 

So I am thinking of perhaps bringing a flyer of my own when I do, to try evening the odds a little. Are there ANY aircraft that can be useful for strafing runs (if there are no enemy flyers) as well as dogfighting/anti-air? I don't own the newfangled Death From the Skies book so I'm wondering. For the purposes of this event, the organizers say that DKoK can take ANY Astra Militarum air unit, although in their army list they get the Thunderbolt, Avenger, and Lightning.

 

The Avenger looks kind of like a STUKA so would be cool with my Death Korps models, but I suspect it (like the Stuka) does not have skyfire anymore.

 

From the description the Lightning appears to be the dedicated air superiority fighter, but can the Thunderbolt act as a dual role craft?

 

On the other hand, for the price of one of those fighters I can have two Hydras :/

[duz_]

If they're using the supplement you can take air wing detachments

 

Fighter / interceptors are really the only viable option for AA and ground attack

They're the only ones that retain sky fire and only receive -1 to ground targets

Attack craft (ala vendetta ) fire full BS at ground but snap fire at others. Although taken in the detachment flyers that can hover and transport troops are obsec.

 

If your primary purpose is AA the new SM Interceptor would be your best bet run as their own flyer wing / detachment

[Formerly Wu]

You will probably find this helpful.

 

In short: the Avenger is most probably what you're looking for, as it has the new Strike Fighter role. Strike Fighters function very similarly to pre-DftS flyers- they can choose to Skyfire or not, do not suffer BS penalties, and cannot Break Turn. They count as Fighters for other purposes.
 

The Thunderbolt and Lightning are multi-role depending on the ordnance you select, and can be either Fighters or Strike Fighters. The Lightning can alternately be outfit as an Interceptor, which gives it obscene advantages in air-to-air combat but locks it in Skyfire mode.

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

Thanks, Wu, this is exactly the information I was looking for. Very helpful.

 

Looks like the Avenger is the ticket as I'd rather not drop a Leman Russ worth of points on something that will be 100% useless against armies with no flyers at all. Plus as noted the Avenger look-wise is the most fitting for my DKoK troops.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I went with the thunderbolt, as I have dedicated ground attack in the form of Vultures. The beauty of the Thunderbolt and the lightning is their ability to swap roles, though this is only in list building.

 

True, they are both costly, Even more so when you add ordnance (in my case I'll probably never load them with anything but the Skystrike or Hellfury missiles, If I take missiles at all).

 

Between the thunderbolt and the lightning I feel that the thunderbolt was most useful, as it can repair itself, and it is better armed and armored. The Avenger is a good solid choice, however, it's lacking in the stats needed to be a good air to air combatant. It's design influences (the Stuka and the A-10 Thunderbolt II) do not reflect in it's stats. Ideally the Avenger should be slow, but very agile, making it hard to hit. Alas, that's not the case so...

 

As long as you stick to a Fighter of some kind you should be fine. Though I will say that the Thunderbolt or the lightning would be your better choices for multirole.

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

I suppose a Thunderbolt with a yellow nose would fit well with my army of feldgrau-painted DKoK. Man it is expensive though -- even without weapon upgrades it costs the same as a storm raven.

[shandwen]

Or you could just forget bothering with skyfire and bring a maurader destroyer. With all the guns it has you will still manage hits against enemy flyers, but you will also be able to tank everything.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Actually, with the new release from FW, the Marauder is an Air Leviathan. Which is to say it counts as a bomber, but it has some other nifty rules. Defensive fire being one of them. Which means that it can fire any str 7 or less weapons defensively, as skyfire weapons. So the tailguns and dorsal turret can be used defensively (if I were playing it).

 

So you don't need to choose, you could just take a marauder. However you suffer the downsides of it being a bomber and it being a sitting duck.

 

As far as i can tell, DftS is still a 2 dimensional game, and has no verticality to it.

[Nicodemus Doloroso]

 

So you don't need to choose, you could just take a marauder. However you suffer the downsides of it being a bomber and it being a sitting duck.

 

I don't have the appropriate FW book to have the rules for the Marauder, but just looking at that model I don't even want to know how many points it costs! I don't think I want to invest that much in air defence.

 

I think I'll be good having a couple Hydras, an Aegis Defence Line with quad gun, and an Avenger. Failing all that, there's always the Forlorn Hope rule ...

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

The marauder is a bit points intensive. I still say the thunderbolt is the best route to go, since it has everything the lightning does (armored cockpit, chaff launchers) to keep it flying, but also has the simulacra repair which lets it shrug off damage.

 

I also went with the thunderbolt since, I'm really a huge fan of the DKoK lists, and that's their most durable air support.

[Formerly Wu]

(in my case I'll probably never load them with anything but the Skystrike or Hellfury missiles, If I take missiles at all).

Fun fact about the DFTS update: it lists Hellstrike missiles as Heavy, not Ordnance. Doesn't quite push them into the "take" category, but at least makes them viable choices.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

I'd be more inclined to take the fighter naked, with the strike fighter role, so I could have old school flyer shenanigans. Besides, with 2 twin linked autocannons, and a twin linked lascannon, it's not like it's hurting for firepower that you absolutely need to take missiles.

 

I've also been looking at it to pull Solar Auxilia duty.