CD Aircraft Rules
V0.5 – 22/11/12
2.3.6 ATGM, ASM & Guided Bombs
3.... Both Helicopters and Airplanes
Helicopters are treated as a special type of vehicle. The rules below override those in the CDTOB rule book. However if no rule below applies the standard rule is in place
The MV-22 Osprey is treated as a helicopter
Helicopters can be ordered to arrive on table at any time, assuming they are not reloading (see 5.3.1 Re-arming)
Attack and observation helicopters are considered self ordering. They are considered single stand companies for morale purposes
Transport helicopters are organised in flights[1]. Any helicopter in the flight may issue an order to the others but only one helicopter in the flight may issue a order in any one turn. A flight is considered a company for morale purposes
Helicopters do NOT count as air strikes for morale purposes (airplanes do)
Choppers are affected by proximity like all other stands
Unless out of LOS of all enemy stands choppers never get the cover bonus
Armed choppers are treated as if an AFV for the purposes of the enemy’s morale checks
These rules assume only tactical movement over the battlefield.
Choppers over the battlefield are either at Low (above the terrain) or Nap of the Earth - NOE (between the terrain).
Altitude is declared at the start of a chopper’s move and may be changed once during the move at any point. The owning player must clearly stare where the transition takes place. In addition choppers at NOE may pop-up at the end of the move
NOE choppers are considered to be two levels above the terrain they are flying over. This means that NOE choppers can see and be seen over hedges, rises and walls, but not over woods and BUA’s
Choppers over terrain can be seen from all sides of the feature, and touching features (e.g. a town adjacent to a wood) but beyond that LOS does not improve
Low choppers and pop-ups can be considered to be at level 10. In most games players can assume this means that they are in LOS from any point on the table but with a 3” dead zone behind all terrain that breaks LOS
This is considered an altitude change
A helicopter that has suffered any hitting penalty -2 or greater (e.g. a suppressed chopper) this turn may not land if it is still within LOS of the system that inflicted the penalty
Pop ups start and finish at NOE
Pop ups only take place at the end of the movement phase and must be declared by the owning player. They are not movement and don’t require an order chit, but may be combined with a move.
The pop down is considered to be part of the move after
firing (see 3.6 Move after Firing)
The main effect of a pop up is to allow choppers at NOE to
fire over intervening terrain (i.e. temporarily reach low altitude). However it
does render them vulnerable to counter fire from AA systems, even those that
can’t fire at NOE choppers, though with a penalty Choppers remain over the board for a maximum of 2 turns. At
the end of the second turn the helicopter is removed from play. Demoralised and shaken helicopters are also removed from
play immediately A helicopter that left the table in good morale can return
after 4 whole turns have been spent off table. Add one turn if the helicopter
left shaken, add two turns if it left demoralised Chopper at low alt have infinite movement. When entering the
table the order chit is placed at the entry point and the helicopter follows
the arrow from the entry point Choppers at NOE have a BMA of 30”. Movement at low in a turn
does not reduce the NOE movement Helicopters may pivot at the start and end of their moves.
Also before general fire Immediately after the phase in which a helicopter has fired
it may be moved in any direction 24” This may include an altitude change at the
start or the end. Helicopters landed at the end of this move may unload all
personnel stands. This move is not subject to opportunity fire Helicopters at NOE spot as vehicles. Those at low spot as
infantry For the most part helicopters are restricted to firing in
the normal phases with the following exceptions: Helicopters may not fire in the prep fire phase Air to Air Missiles may fire in the opportunity fire even if
the carrying chopper is moving Fixed and turret guns (but not door guns) may fire in the
opportunity fire even if the carrying chopper is moving verses airborne targets
only Rockets and Guns may be fired together at the same target Missiles may not be fired with any other type of missile or
other weapons except door guns Door guns may be fired in combination with any other weapons
and may be targeted independently These hit normal ground to ground to ground fire. Door guns
hit as VMG Gun ROF is indicated on the weapon stats. Gatling and rotary
cannon ROF is based on the real world ROF. Door guns are treated as Vehicle MG’s.
Door miniguns are treated as VMGs with a ROF of 3 Turreted and fixed guns are not subject for the firing
penalty for making a hasty advance. Pivot guns (e.g. door guns) still get the
penalty for a hasty advance These are fired in the same was as ground missiles most have
ROF of 1. Fire and forget missiles (IIR or AR (MMW)) have 2 ROF. They may be fired on the move. Most helicopters have stabilised sights so are not subject
to the -2 penalty for hasty advance All rockets have a 24” range Rocket pods have an area of effect. All stands touching the
area will be subjected to one or more hitting rolls depending on the cumulative
ROF of the pods All rocket attacks cover a 2x2 area ROF for rockets is quoted per helicopter ie we assume all
rockets carried are fired in one volley. If the ROF is high enough rockets may
split their fire per the standard rules. Rockets do NOT get +1 ROF in opportunity fire Rockets are never subject to the penalty for making as hasty
advance HE factors are
equivalent to a gun of the same calibre firing IDF. HEAT rockets
are +3 vs. armour and -1 vs. personnel Flechette rockets
are +2 vs. personnel NOT in a BUA or bunker. They are treated as small arms vs.
weak AFVs and have no effect on other AFV’s All rocket fire is H class and suppresses Artillery has no effect on helicopters This section doesn’t apply to helicopters Air attacks arrive after the MOVEMENT phase before the
opportunity fire phase Air attacks are completed in the following order: 1)
Dice for aircraft arrival 2)
Place ground attack planes 3)
AA vs. planes 4)
Conduct ground attack Ground
attack planes are removed from the table at the end of the morale phase. No
plane is allowed over the table for more than a turn with the exception of
spotters Arrival of airplanes over the tabletop will be governed by
the scenario. It’s suggested some sort of random roster is used as it was rare
that any ground commander at the command level simulated in CDTOB had control
of what assets were allocated to him and their exact arrival time The aircraft stats show typical loads. Those loads are
mutually exclusive. A plane may have bombs, rockets, ASM, ARM or GB. The exception are AAM’s some
planes may carry them in addition to their other loads, this is noted on the
aircraft stats. In game terms a plane may have bombs or rockets (players
choice) by default. Cluster bombs and guide weapons are only available if the
scenario allows it Planes can only attack targets in the open. If there is a
FAC or ALO who has spotted a target on the edge of cover that is also eligible
for attack. Without an ALO/FAC planes may attack targets in cover (BUA or
woods) but the effects of the attack are limited to suppression and morale. Troops in fortifications (bunkers, trenches etc) are valid
targets for all attacks as long as the fortifications are in the open. Unless an ALO/FAC has spotted them then man-portable SAM
stands can not be targeted CDTOB spotting rules are not used The player making the attack must select a target point for
the aircraft, marking it on the table with a counter. His opponent can then
select and alternative point within 24”, also marking it with a counter. The
owning player then rolls a d10, 1-8 his chosen point is attacked, 9-10 the
alternative point is attacked. Note that this means attacks on friendly forces
are possible if the first point is close to the front line. If there is a friendly FAC/ALO within LOS of the primary
selected target point, or the primary point is marked with coloured smoke, then
the primary point will be attacked on a 1-9 and the alternate only on a 10 Targets can be marked with coloured smoke by artillery only
if the scenario allows it. One divisional level or higher battery must be
designated as the marking battery. To mark the target make a successful IDF
request, per the usually artillery rules. You may not use H&I fire to mark
targets. There is no HE or suppression effect on a marked target. Once the target is selected place the model plane at that
point If there is an enemy AA system that can see an airborne
target it must engage at least one of the available targets for each ROF This basically means that
planes attacking alternative points will be engaged by the enemy’s AA, even
though it may not be in their best interests to do so All planes have a ROF. This is the number of stands that can
be attacked within 6” of the target counter[3].
There is no ROF reduction for attacking multiple targets. Multiple ROF can be
expended against a single target. The max number of targets that can be engaged
is 4 Aircraft guns all have a hit number of 5 and for the most
part count as small arms. Unless otherwise stated guns have a ROF of 2 Only a few specialist planes carry AP ammo for their guns
and are tasked with tank hunting: A-10 and Su-25 being the most obvious
examples. Such attacks take place at close range for the purposes of
penetration and always attack the flank armour Fighters make gun attacks if they are standard fighters,
they are gun armed and there are no enemy choppers or airplanes on the board Strafing fighters are vulnerable to onboard AA Missiles are fired at 80” range or the table edge whichever
is closer. For missiles with a range shorter than 100” they are launched at 75%
of their max range. The stats give the hit chance and the HE effect or
penetration All planes have a ROF of 1 if the missiles are CLOS, SACLOS
or SAL, others have a 2 ROF All missiles with HE effect suppress GPS guided weapons like JDAM can never be fired at a target
that moved The launching plane is placed 24” from the centre of the
targeting point All rocket attacks cover a 2x2 area HE factors are
equivalent to a gun of the same calibre firing IDF. HEAT rockets
are +3 vs. armour and -1 vs. personnel Flechette
rockets are +2 vs. personnel NOT in a BUA or bunker. They are treated as small
arms vs. weak AFVs and have no effect on other AFV’s All rocket fire is H class and suppresses All air strikes trigger a -2 morale penalty on all morale
(both sides) within 12”. The morale radius is measured from the impact point
not the launch point Fighters never modify morale checks except if they strafe
ground targets To be written Planes dropping bombs are placed over the target counter.
Helicopters are placed over the target stand. Helicopters may only drop bombs
at low alt, not NOE For the most part each plane gets 1 ROF for each 2000kg of
bomb load[4],
or part thereof. Planes with a 1000kg or less load are classed as light attack.
Light attack get 1 ROF but have other penalties. All helicopters dropping bombs
count as light attack For most aircraft each ROF gives a 2”x2” area. If multiple
ROF is used against the same target than the areas may be superimposed to allow
multiple rolls per target or they may be placed anywhere within 6” of the
target counter. The centre of the bombing area must be within 6” of the target
counter Light attack planes have a 1”x1” area Light Attack planes attack all stands touching the area of
effect with an HE factor of 6. Other aircraft use an HE factor of 7. Bomb
attacks suppress Vehicles and towed guns are attacked with an HE factor of 8.
Personnel (except gun crews) are unaffected. Stands in woods are not affected
by AT Cluster Bombs. Cluster bomb attacks suppress. Cluster bombs ignore cover
modifiers for dug-in guns and vehicles Airplanes are always auto spotted Helicopters are auto spotted unless hovering in which case
they usually count as vehicle in open. Helicopters with roof sights hovering just behind and above
a terrain feature are visually spotted as vehicles in cover as long as the
spotter’s LOS passes over the terrain feature being used for concealment. Radar
that is part of a gun or missile system that can engage NOE choppers autospots
such targets. Helicopters with mast sights hovering just behind and above
a terrain feature are visually and radar spotted as infantry in cover as long
as the spotters LOS passes over the terrain feature being used for concealment. In effect all radars have infinite spotting range for game
purposes. Radar LOS is not effected by weather or darkness SAMs & AA guns can not fire from inside BUA’s and woods
with one exception. HIW SAMs (ie shoulder launched) can fire from any BUA which
is represented by a model of a building with a flat roof.[5] Helicopters that move their BMA or less (ie less than 30”), excluding
the move after firing, can be engaged as if they are a ground target. They may
also be engaged as if an air target. Use the best factors but if using ground
fire factors a “no effect” on the effect table means a -3 to hit penalty for
the targeted chopper this turn (i.e. a “near miss” causes the chopper to dodge
and spoil its own aim) Helicopters moving faster can only be engaged by AA weapons
and some helicopter weapons The following helicopter weapons can be fired at other fast
moving helicopters: AAM’s, turret guns and fixed guns Some SAMs & AAM’s are ineffectual against NOE choppers,
each missile has a Y, ½, or N rating in the NOE column. ½ indicates the max
range is halved at NOE targets. Some SAMs & AAM’s are ineffectual against all choppers,
each missile has a Y, ½, or N rating in the “chop” column So IR SAMs are limited in the arcs in which they can fire at
planes (but not choppers). TCIR can only fire at the rear 90 ° arc of a target. IAIR can not fire
in the front 90 °
of the target Roll 1d10 a roll of 1-3 is a negative penalty on the hit
chance of the attacking aircraft. A roll of 9 or 10 aborts the plane, with most
systems. A roll of 4 is a re-roll AA guns with fire control. Note that 1-3 results have no effect on an artillery spotter Basic SAMs only abort the target on 10 rather than a 9 or 10 A “abort” on a helicopter has a 50% chance of removing the
chopper from the game and a 50% chance of forcing it back Each AA gun can engage a
single target within range. There are no range brackets Calibre Manual Fire Control MG & HMG 10 20 20-29mm 15 30 30-39mm 20 40 40+mm 30 60 These halve the range of IR missiles These rules only deals with point defence counter measures Countermeasures are only rolled for when an abort result is
scored. If successful it converts into a -2 penalty The plane makes a saving throw based on how vulnerable the
missile or gun is to countermeasures (d10). On the SAM or gun stats a blank
indicates the system is invulnerable to the countermeasures system P: 1-2, V: 1-5, VV 1-8 Guns a long as they have LOS and are within manual range are
immune to countermeasures In order to expedite play for games where there are small
numbers of AA systems and aircraft referees may want to construct a missiles matrix.
This gives the ranges and jamming saves vs. all available air targets. An
example: MiG-23BN MiG-21bis Tornado Alpha Jet System Min Rng ROF Quality Note Rng save rang save rng save rng save SA-9 20 1 10 not front 90° 180 1-8 180 - SA-14 12 1 10 not front 90° 120 1-2 120 - ZSU-23-4 0 1 9-10 15 30 - 1-2 30 - Gepard 0 1 9-10 20 40 - 1-2 40 - Systems such as the 2S6 with a mix of guns and missiles may
fire their SAM’s first. If the SAM fails to shoot down the target the system
can fire its guns at the same target. This represents all the assorted infantry weapons and pivot
MGs that might be fired at a plane. All aircraft are subject to a single collective ground fire
roll except planes delivering ASM, ARM & GB, had choppers firing missiles
over 20cm from any enemy In most circumstances a 1 on a d10 produces a -1 hitting
penalty for the aircraft. However where armies have a preponderance of 12.7mm
or larger MGs on their vehicles then this changes to a 1 or 2. A roll of 1
giving a -1 to hit, a roll of 2 a -2 to hit. Armies with a preponderance of MGs care any Warpac of Soviet
supplies after the mid 70’s and US or US supplied at any time. The Israelis.1.4.3
Endurance
1.4.3.1
Re-arming
1.4.4
Speed
1.4.5
Facing
1.4.6
Move after Firing
1.5
Air to Surface
1.5.1
Spotting
1.5.2
Phases
1.5.3
Weapon Combinations
1.5.4
Guns
1.5.5
ATGM & ASM
1.5.6
Rockets
1.5.6.1
Range
1.5.6.2
Area of effect
1.5.6.3
ROF[2]
1.5.6.4
HE Factor and Warhead Modifiers
1.6
Artillery
2.1
Plane Turn Sequence
2.2
Airplane Arrival
2.3 Air
to Surface
2.3.1
Weapons Combinations
2.3.2
Spotting
2.3.3 Target
Selection
2.3.3.1
Attacks on Alternative Points
2.3.4
Number of Attacks - ROF
2.3.5
Guns
2.3.5.1
Fighters Strafing
2.3.6
ATGM, ASM & Guided Bombs
2.3.6.1
GPS Guided Weapons
2.3.7
Rockets
2.3.7.1
Range
2.3.7.2
Area of effect
2.3.7.3
HE Factor and Warhead Modifiers
2.3.8
Morale Effects
2.4
Spotters & UAV’s
3.1
Air to Surface
3.1.1
Bombs
3.1.1.1
Release point
3.1.1.2
Factors & ROF
3.1.1.3
Area
3.1.1.4
Effect – HE Bombs
3.1.1.5
Effect – AT Cluster Bombs
3.2
Surface to Air
3.2.1
Spotting
3.2.2
Radar
3.2.3
What can fire?
3.2.4
Hitting
3.2.5
Gun Range
3.2.6
Countermeasures
3.2.6.1
Infrared Suppressors (IRS)
3.2.6.2
Other Countermeasures
3.2.6.3
“Missile Matrix”
3.2.7
Gun Missile Combos
3.2.8
Collective Ground Fire
[1] This is a game term for a group of helicopters operating together. The official TO&E term may be different, for example squadron
[2] ROF per pod uses the following formula: = Rkts ^ (1/2.8198) - 0.4. To get the ROF for the chopper add the rockets of all the RP’s together and then round down.
[3] This represents the individual (real world) planes that make up a stand splitting up an hitting different targets
[4] This is based on useable bomb load which is assessed as HALF the maximum bomb load.
[5] If the SAM stand will fit on the roof of the model building with none of the stand overlapping the roof it can fire out of that BUA.