Here are the basics of using aerospace units in MegaMek, mostly for ground combat operations.  Everything else you must find in the Total Warfare book and its companion books.


-Your fighter must have velocity points to move.  If it doesn't have any starting velocity, you must accelerate first on
the map.  Each thrust point you have gives you 16 hexes.

-When you click on a hex, you will see several different numbers.  The number in the very upper right corner of the hex
is your turn number.  When the turn indicator turns yellow, you can turn one hexside, but it will cost you thrust points.
When it turns green you can turn for free.  The big number in the center of the hex that looks like "(#//#)" tells you
how many hexes you have traveled out of how many hexes you must move.  The number below that one indicates the altitude
level you are flying at.

-If you have no velocity, you will stall out.  You need to spend thrust points to gain velocity.  If your aircraft has zero velocity and is an aerospace fighter, a spheroid craft, or is a conventional
fighter with V/STOL equipment, click on the "Hover" button.

-There are buttons for you to click to adjust which altitude you want your aerospace units to fly at.  Your aerospace units can also perform maneuvers.

-To attack targets, you must fly over them during the movement phase.  All units which are under the flight path are
 valid targets for air-to-ground attacks.

-Strike attacks are straight forward.  Just fly over an enemy unit.  In the attack phase, click on that unit to attack.

-Dive bombing is the same way.  Fly over a hex, then right click on that hex in the attack phase, and dive bomb it (you must be equipped with bombs, which can be done in the lobby by double-clicking on the unit and going to the equipment tab).  You cannot bomb and strike in the same turn.

-Level (or altitude) bombing is also possible.  Just fly over a row of hexes and drop a max of 2 bombs per hex.  The
hexes must be consecutive.

-When you're ready to fly off the map and make a go-around for another strike, simply fly the aircraft to the border hex
and click on "Fly off" (you will find it when you click "More" a couple times).  If you fly off the same turn you fly
onto the map, you will not be able to attack.  To be able to fly off the map, the "(Unofficial) Allow return flyovers" in the Advanced Aerospace Rules tab in the game options must be selected.

-Aerospace units can take off and land.  To use grounded aerospace units on a map, set their starting altitude to zero in the MegaMek lobby.

-'Mechs can be hot-dropped from dropships on the ground map, or they, as well as other ground units, can be unloaded after the dropship has landed.

*NOTE:  The bot can use aerospace fighters on the ground map, but cannot use them on the space map yet.

-Speaking of space maps, to enable space battles, go to the "Select Map" tab in the lobby, and towards the bottom of the lobby window is a checkbox that says "Use Space Map".


Written by BATTLEMASTER IIC


Created 1:03 AM 8/22/2009
Revised 6:54 PM 3/1/2011
Revised Again 4:09 PM 10/22/2013