Jettison (Mechanic)
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Jettison, also referred to as jettisoning is a mechanic available to every playable aircraft in VTOL VR.
It allows the discarding of weapon pylons as well as any external fuel tanks the aircraft might be carrying. The item is usually jettisoned by operating the designated jettison panel or a knob, as seen in the F-45A and EF-24G.
Usage
Jettison panels, while present in all aircraft, differ a lot from one and another in both appearance and the amount of available functions.
Aircraft such as the AV-42C, F/A-26B and T-55 utilize a panel with large red buttons that can select between ALL, EMPTY, TANKS or NONE. After selection, an indicator light will pop up and the main jettison button can then be pushed to release the selected weapons. Note that the AV-42C lacks the TANKS option on its panel.
More modern aircraft such as the F-45A or EF-24G utilize a knob that can quickly select a specific option, and then jettison it by pressing the weapon release button while the knob is held.
The AH-94 and EF-24G both feature a dedicated panel for selecting specific hardpoints for jettison. The AH-94 operates said jettison via a button on the panel, while the EF-24G utilizes the aforementioned knob.
All aircraft are capable of selecting specific pylons to be jettisoned within the EQUIP or SMS menus within the MFD.
Effects
The jettisoning of equipment hardpoints reduces the overall weight and aerodynamic drag of an aircraft, which can allow it to fly faster and maneuver significantly easier. This can be beneficial in missile evasion as well as air-to-air combat, which may require the aircraft to not carry excess weight.
A reduction in weight can also be helpful for VTOL-capable aircraft such as the AV-42C, F-45A and AH-94, which can have trouble in vertical flight when too heavy.
Jettisoning external hardpoints also decreases the radar cross-section of an aircraft. This can be fairly significant for stealth aircraft such as the F-45A, which benefit significantly from a reduced radar cross-section, but also regular aircraft, which can be made slightly harder to detect with the absence of any hardpoints.
