Airbases

Airbases are the main implement for housing and deploying aircraft when needed. They consist of a long runway, a command area with an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, and multiple tents and hangar bays for storing incoming aircraft. Fighters can take off from airbases as well as land there to rearm and refuel.

Airbases are added into maps as static objects in the Map Editor and their default names can be configured by changing the object's name. Placing an airbase down will automatically flatten the terrain underneath it to give it flat ground to work with. When a map is loaded into the Mission Editor, its airbases can be configured through the Bases tab. This allows two main properties to be adjusted: the airbase's displayed name and its allegiance. By default, an airbase will have the name denoted in the Map Editor and its allegiance will be allied. The allegiance of an airbase determines who gets to use it for rearming and refueling. AI units will never land at an airbase whose allegiance aligns with an enemy faction. The allegiance property can be changed mid-game via Event Actions, allowing scenarios of airbases being taken over to be created.

Airbases have fully-functional ATC towers which can be communicated with to request takeoff and landing clearance. Although this is not an enforced requirement for taking off or landing, it can help players avoid traffic conflicts, such as other aircraft on the runway or disrupting an AI aircraft's taxi path, by placing them within a queue to allow them to maneuver in a controlled, non-disruptive fashion. This can be facilitated through the COMMS MFCD page or with the voice command system.

There is only one uniquely designed airbase in the game, that being the airbase at Akutan. The map was custom-modeled (having been created well before the Map Editor existed), so the airbase there has two runways and a somewhat unorganized layout of tents and helipads. ATC functionality is unchanged aside from the possibility of being assigned the left or right runway for takeoffs and landings.

Comparison

The Small Airbase.

The Medium Airbase.

The Large Airbase.

Airbases	Runways	Tents	Helipads	Hangars
Small	1	8	8	3
Medium	1	15	4	6
Large	2	16	6	3