Fighter Loadouts
Fighter presets determine whether you can dominate Incursion air phases or feed enemy interceptors free kills. ULA pilots fly the Rapier interceptor, Sword multi-role fighter, Katana strike craft, and Scimitar bomber; AIA fields the Iret, Firefly, Salamander, and Rakshasa in parallel roles. Each airframe has hardpoints for weapons, engines, countermeasures, and structural modules. Light interceptors favor agility; bombers trade maneuverability for payload against capitals. This page recommends starter and advanced loadouts, explains countermeasure budgeting, and ties builds to Incursion objectives rather than empty sky duels. Revisit presets after each balance patch — 1.0 launch week adjusted missile counts and countermeasure charges more than hull speed.
Interceptor (Rapier / Iret)
Minimize weight — best engines, light weapons, full countermeasures. Role: hunt bombers and protect Dragoon dropships during boarding approaches.
Avoid ground attack unless finishing wounded vehicles. Your job is air superiority, not farming infantry.
Multi-role (Sword / Firefly)
Balanced starter airframe. Moderate missiles, decent guns, standard countermeasures. Learn energy management here before specializing.
Flexible for Incursion phases that mix air superiority with light ground strikes on marked clusters.
Strike (Katana / Salamander)
Heavier ordnance against vehicles and gunships. Less turn rate than interceptors — enter at speed and exit after one pass.
Coordinate with Command marks on Sturm and Locust gunships or Partisan pushes.
Bomber (Scimitar / Rakshasa)
Maximum payload for capital systems and phased structures. Armor modules help survive point defense. Always request Rapier or Iret escort.
Approach from unexpected vectors using station geometry on Eye of God and Ixion. Dump ordnance on marked reactor segments, then exfil.
Universal air tips
Budget countermeasures before cosmetic slots. Missile locks kill greedy bomber builds without flares. Re-arm when phases allow multiple sorties.
If human air count is zero, consider spawning infantry anti-air instead — bots fly but rarely escort well.
Sortie planning
Before takeoff, note friendly capital health and enemy interceptor count on the scoreboard. If outnumbered two-to-one in air, fly defensive CAP over your Dragoon instead of chasing kills across the map.
Bomber pilots should plan ingress and egress routes using station geometry — Eye of God pylons block locks briefly; use them, do not sit in open space reloading.
After a successful strike, land and re-arm if timers allow a second run. Many Incursion phases end because bombers yolo one pass without checking remaining ordnance and countermeasure charges.
Hardpoint philosophy
Interceptors: minimum weight, maximum countermeasures — every kilogram costs turn rate against Rakshasa bombers.
Multi-role: one air-to-air and one light ground pod maximum until you know the phase list — hybrid builds tempt you to be mediocre at both.
Bombers: ordnance first, armor second, engines third — dead bombers deal zero damage; slow living bombers still win phases.
Always leave budget for two countermeasure charges minimum; one lock without flares ends your sortie on Eye of God in seconds.
Training sorties
Empty low-pop servers: practice landing without hull damage ten times before competitive Incursion — hangar repairs cost phase time.
Dogfight bots to learn lead — AI turns predictably but still teach closure speed and burst discipline for human duels later.
Bomber practice: fly Sword first to learn capital approach vectors without full Scimitar payload cost on failed runs.
Record your sorties if possible — watching why a lock killed you beats blaming netcode when countermeasures were empty.
Escort loadout minimums
Rapier/Iret: two countermeasure charges, light missiles, no ground pods — you are not a bomber.
Scimitar/Rakshasa: max ordnance on capital markers only; strip cosmetic hardpoints first if over budget.
Sword/Firefly trainers: one air-to-air and one ground pod max until you win three dogfights without crashing.
Pair fighter presets with How to Fly Fighters video tutorial — visual approach lines matter more than stat sheet differences at 1.0.
When over budget on bombers, drop cosmetic hardpoints before countermeasures — living with fewer rockets beats dying with full ordnance and no flares.