Notes: The A-1 began life as a late-World War 2 US Navy dive-bomber. It continued service in Korea, and in Vietnam as a "Sandy" (an aircraft used in support of shot-down aircrews and their rescue helicopters). This aircraft was also flown by Vietnam (captured at the end of the Vietnam War), and France. The Skyraider is known for being tough and mechanically reliable, and able to haul a large weapon load. Note on weapon load: 4 hardpoints on each wing are limited-load points. If loaded with more than 250 kg of weapons, the pilot may load only every other of these hardpoints. The aircraft has no ejection seat, though a rocket extraction device is available (bailout attempt one level easier). It is not capable of in-flight refueling.

Twilight 2000 Notes: By the Twilight War, very few of these aircraft were flying, but the few remaining -- perhaps 25 in all -- were recalled late in the war as ground support aircraft and Sandies.

Notes: Most versions of the A-4 have a hump behind the cockpit that houses avionics and ECM gear. Although it is small, it can carry a large weapon load for its size, including nuclear weapons. These aircraft were much used in the Twilight War, particularly in the Middle East and by the US, who recalled them from boneyards to replace aircraft losses and to use as close support aircraft.

The A-4A was the first production model, with a low-thrust engine and two hardpoints. The A-4B is the same aircraft with a slightly higher-powered engine. The A-4Q is a refurbished A-4B sold to the Argentine Navy. The A-4C has the addition of terrain-following radar and an autopilot as well as improvements to avionics. The A-4P is a refurbished A-4C supplied to the Argentine Air Force.

The A-4E introduced two new hardpoints to the wings. The A-4F introduced the avionics hump to the rear of the cockpit, housing ECM and equipment for the guidance of command-guided munitions. An A-4G is an A-4F built for the Australian Navy; it does not have the hump. The A-4K is the same aircraft after some years have gone by; it was refurbished, and then passed on the New Zealanders. The A-4H was built for the Israelis; it replaces the cannons with heavier ones. The A-4M was built for the US Marines and was known as the Skyhawk II; it has a more powerful engine, double the cannon ammunition load, and a laser designator. The A-4N was built for the Israelis; it has 30mm cannons, and more advanced avionics. The A-4Y is an A-4M with a refit to bring it up to the same level as the A-4N.

Notes: This strike aircraft is no longer in active service with the US, but equips the armed forces of Greece, Thailand, and Portugal. Two of its hardpoints can carry drop tanks, and the two fuselage hardpoints may carry only Sidewinder missiles. The Corsair II is capable of in-flight refueling through a nose probe, and the pilot has an ejection seats. Though the Corsair II was not in active service with the US Navy and Air Force at the beginning of the Twilight War, some of them were recalled from the boneyards to replace aircraft losses.

The A-7A was the initial production version for the US Navy. The A-7B had a new, more powerful engine. The A-7C was an interim model for the US Navy and Marines until the A-7E was available; it had the same engine as the A-7B, but uses the radar, bomb system, ECM, and cannon of the A-7E. The A-7D introduced leading edge "dogfight" slats for improved maneuverability at low speeds, used a more powerful engine, and added a capability for in-flight refueling, as well as the laser designator and Vulcan cannon. (This was the production model for the US Air Force). The A-7E was the final model for US forces; it further increased the engine power, added a FLIR, and more powerful ECM. The A-7H is a land-based version of the A-7E for the Hellenic Air Force. The A-7P is a refurbished A-7A with the engine of an A-7B and the radar and bomb system of the A-7E, for the Portuguese Air Force.

The A-7F Corsair Plus is also known as the Strikefighter. The A-7F is an elongated Corsair with a more powerful afterburning engine. This improves speed and lifting capability. The aircraft is a better strike aircraft, and a capable fighter. This aircraft was decided against, with improved air-to-ground capability being given to the F-16 series instead.

The two hardpoints on the sides of the fuselage may only be used for air-to-air missiles or the Sidearm ARM.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The A-7F was produced mainly for the US Air National Guard units in some states, and few of them were built at that (perhaps 150 of them).

Notes: The A-10 is heavily armored and carries a massive amount of ordinance to a long range. It is an ugly aircraft, and was quickly nicknamed the Warthog by its crews, and acquired a great reputation for tank-busting and general ground support during the Persian Gulf War of 1991 and the Twilight War. The A-10 may be refueled in air, and has an ejection seat. The A-10 is flown only by the US and South Korea.

The A-10 N/AW (or A-10B) is a version of the A-10 that addresses the A-10's greatest shortcoming, the lack of night attack capability. The A-10 NAW has night vision and terrain-following radar for treetop navigation.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The A-10 N/AW was very rare in the Twilight War, perhaps 50 being modified from existing A-10 aircraft, and being deployed to the American Southwest.

Notes: This attack aircraft was developed from a trainer, the T-37, in the late 1960s. It is not used by the US, but is used by Chile, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, South Korea, Peru, El Salvador, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam. It may be refueled in air, and has ejection seats.

Notes: This was one of the first gunships, being built in the Vietnam War on the airframe of the C-47 cargo aircraft. The aircraft is modified by having three M-134 Miniguns firing out the port side, two through windows and one through the open cargo door. The aircraft is also equipped with flares equivalent to 105mm howitzer ILLUM rounds, which are dropped out the open cargo door.

Twilight 2000 Notes: By 2000, the Spooky was primarily flown by Third world nations such as those in Southeast Asia who were allied with the US during that war or by Vietnam, who captured many of them. Some of these aircraft have been spotted in use in the United States against New America and Mexican troops, probably taken from boneyards.

Notes: This aircraft is a development of a number of Vietnam-era experiments with arming transport aircraft for ground attack purposes. The AC-130U is a development on the C-130 Hercules airframe, and is heavily armed with weapons on stabilized mounts. All weapons fire from the left side of the aircraft, and weapons are computer-synchronized to fire at the same aiming point, or they may be aimed independently at different targets. The aircraft has no ejection seats, but is capable of in-flight refueling.

Notes: This heavy bomber was originally designed in the mid-1970s to replace the B-52 in the long-range bombing role. Rapidly escalating costs eventually led to its cancellation under the Carter administration, but the program was reinstated under the subsequent Reagan presidency, where more development was done that led to the B-1B variant. Later, the Lancer was modified for use with conventional weapons; previously, the B-1B was capable of delivering only cruise missiles and nuclear-equipped SRAMs. The B-1B has stealth characteristics; it was not designed for stealth deliberately, but is rather a consequence of its design that it presents a radar-cross-section only 1% of the size of the B-52 it was designed to replace. Detection or guidance attempts by radar are one level more difficult than normal. In addition to a large amount of chaff bundles and flares, the B-1B carries 10 chaff rockets; these are fired from the aircraft and spread chaff behind them for a distance of 9 kilometers. They have the equivalent of three ECM devices and two IRCM devices to jam a wide range of transmissions and emissions.

Twilight 2000 Notes: These aircraft excelled at the low-level deep penetration raids for which they were designed, and were responsible for a lot of damage to targets ranging from Europe to the Middle East to Southeast Asia, as well as flying missions over the North American continent. However, the gradual loss of suitable airfields and support facilities, the reduction in available jet fuel, and combat losses meant that its use decreased steadily in the later stages of the Twilight War; though some 40 Lancers survived the Twilight War, it is believed that the last B-1B mission was flown in mid-1999.

Notes: Research on this aircraft began in the late 1970s, but its existence was not confirmed until the late 1990s (except for President’ Carter’s slip of the tongue). They take a different approach to stealth than the F-117A Nighthawk, using a totally smooth and rounded design with almost no protruding surfaces to reflect radar. In addition, the exhaust is routed through cooling channels and thermal bricks to drastically lower the IR signature. This means that whether the enemy is trying to detect the B-2 or trying to guide a weapon to the B-2 by radar, the attempt is four levels more difficult than it would be against a conventional aircraft. If using IR means, the attempts are 3 levels harder than normal. These attempts are two levels easier in any phase that the B-2’s bomb bay doors are open. In addition, the B-2 is liberally equipped with ECM, IRCM, DJM, and AJM features that make the aircraft even more difficult to detect and intercept. The chaff used by the B-2 is similar to that used by the Eurofighter; it actively broadcasts jamming signals, and functions one level better in effectiveness than normal chaff. Unfortunately, due to its design, the B-2 is not an agile aircraft, nor is it a fast aircraft, though it is fuel efficient.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This aircraft’s existence was still only a rumor until just after the start of the Twilight War, when an NBC news camera crew shot some footage at Diego Garcia and caught the first public sight of the strange-looking aircraft, which the President later confirmed was the rumored "Stealth Bomber." These aircraft were used to penetrate heavy defenses all over the globe.

*The B-2 has no tail or vertical stabilizer surfaces. Any tail hits are considered misses.

Notes: Known affectionately to its crews as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow, or Big Ugly Fat *Unprintable*), the B-52’s design goes back to the late 1940s, when plans for a heavy, turboprop-powered intercontinental bomber were drawn up. The engines were quickly replaced with what were then 8 of the most powerful jet engines available, and in the intervening years, the design has been steadily upgraded with a stronger frame and skin, ever-more powerful electronics and bomb-delivery equipment, rebuilds to allow the carriage of heavier and more versatile weapons, and an upgraded rear gun position. Over the years, it was supposed to be replaced by a variety of newer bombers, including the B-58 Hustler, the XB-70 Valkyrie, and the B-1 Lancer, but it has outlasted any aircraft ever built. Perhaps the greatest failing of the B-52 is its large radar-cross section; enemy forces using radar to detect the B-52 get a +4 bonus, while attempting to guide weapons to the B-52 by radar gain a +2 bonus. Another failing of the B-52 is the amount of maintenance required by its eight jet engines. The massive single bomb bay may carry 24.56 tons; however, the B-52H may also use 4 hardpoints on its wings. The two inboard hardpoints under its wings may carry ordinance; the two hardpoints near the ends of its wings may only carry drop tanks, and normally carry very massive fuel tanks designed specifically for the B-52. These fuel hardpoints may carry 2880-liter tanks weighing 2.72 tons full, or 11700-liter tanks weighing 9.07 tons each when full.

Twilight 2000 Notes: By the Twilight War, the only official service variant was the B-52H, with a fully modern electronic warfare suite and modernized attack center able to conduct both low-level penetration missions and high-altitude bombing with anything from conventional iron bombs to air-launched cruise missiles. In the Twilight War, they are perhaps best known for the bombing of the Krefeld Salient, where, despite staggering losses, they were able to break the back of the Russian invasion of Germany; and the carpet bombing of Baghdad and the surrounding area, practically reducing the Iraqi capital to total ruins along with most of the Republican Guard in a single 22-hour campaign of non-stop bombing.

Notes: The EA-6B, though built on the basic Intruder airframe, is basically a totally different aircraft. It was therefore given a new name – the Prowler – instead of being called the Intruder. The most obvious differences to the observer are the four-seat configuration, with seats for three electronic warfare officers in addition to the pilot, and the large canoe-shaped fairing on the vertical stabilizer of the Prowler, carrying sensors and a special radar set. There are numerous other blisters on the aircraft, mainly for antennas and other sensors. The information from these sensors are fed to a central computer, which is then sent to the EW officers, who read them on large multifunction displays and determine the best way to combat the threat. The Prowler is lengthened almost 1.4 meters to accommodate the extra crewmen. Early versions had no offensive capability, but later the ability to fire antiradar missiles was added. The Prowler generally carries as many as five jamming pods; these pods are equipped with generators powered by small propellers that turn in the slipstream when the aircraft is flying.

There were actually several versions of the Prowler over the years. The first versions used J52-P-8A engines, but these engines were quickly replaced with the more powerful J52-P-408 engines starting with the 22^nd Prowler built. Starting with the 29^th Prowler, the aircraft was upgraded to the EXCAP (Expanded Capability) model; this version could jam double the number of radar frequencies (a total of eight complete frequency bands), and the jamming sets were more reliable than the earlier versions. The computer was improved, with more memory and more processing power. A tactical electronic intelligence capability was added with the advent of the TERPES (Tactical Electronic Processing and Evaluation System). The EW suite was also equipped with a digital recording system to allow for post-mission analysis. The jamming system was also equipped with EJCU (Exciter Jammer Control Unit) which gave the jammers an additional five frequencies which they could jam.

The ICAP (Improved Capability) version was introduced in 1976, with the building of the 54^th Prowler; in addition, 21 earlier Prowlers were upgraded to the ICAP configuration. The workload on the three EW officers was more equally divided (before, the two back-seat EW officers had much more work to do than the front-seat EW officer); communications jamming was given to the front-seat EW officer, while the back-seaters worked solely on radar threats. (In practice, the communications jammers were rarely used, and often not even installed, and the front-seat EW officer served primarily as a navigator.) The surveillance receivers were tuned to drastically improve the response time. A new more powerful radar set was installed. New, higher-capacity chaff dispensers were insta