Aircrafts

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How it Works: Aircraft Carriers

Aircrafts in World of Warships: Legends come in several variants: some launched from aircraft carriers, some launched from catapults aboard traditional surface combatants. Planes launched from carriers are always under the control of the player; those launched via catapult and carrier-based fighters are more automated and a player cannot issue specific commands to them once launched. Each type of plane has a unique role in the overall scope of aerial combat as it plays out in battle.

Types of Aircrafts

There are four types of aircraft that can become involved in battles in World of Warships: Legends:

• Torpedo bombers carry air-dropped torpedoes that can cause hull damage and floods, and are best delivered against slower, less maneuverable targets.
• Bombers carry either high explosive, effective against all targets, or armor-piercing bombs, effective against heavy targets.
• Fighters are air-to-air specialists that can be used against enemy aircraft, or for spotting.
• Spotter Plane, launched from a ship's catapult, can be used to increase the ship's shell grouping by 10%.

Icons

Aircraft Type	Ship UI Icon
Torpedo Bombers
High Explosive Dive Bombers
Armor-Piercing Dive Bombers
High Explosive Skip Bombers
Fighters
Spotter Plane

Player-Controlled Aircrafts

Aircraft carrier players have access to three of the aircraft types noted above with which they can attack enemy surface ships: dive bombers, torpedo bombers, and skip bombers (while some fighters are also launched from a carrier, they are not player-controlled).

Each of these aircraft types can attack surface ships only and their payload is single-use, meaning that once their bombs or torpedoes are expended, they must return to their carrier in order to re-arm and launch again. Bombers are almost universally slower than fighters while carrying their ordnance to a target.

If an aircraft carrier is destroyed, its player will still retain control of the current aircraft squadron until all payloads are dropped or until 2 minutes expire.

When a player controls aircrafts, the carrier cannot be moved manually without making the planes return to the ship. However, an autopilot exists and works by selecting a square on the map to make the ship move automatically to it. It will be counteracted when the ship receives any player input or by selecting the same square.

Torpedo Bombers

Torpedo bombers are the preferred strike weapons of aircraft carriers, as they provide consistent damage against almost any enemy ship in a given match. Aerial torpedoes have universally lower damage and flood chance when compared to their ship-launched counterparts, but otherwise behave similarly.

When performing an attack run with torpedo bombers, captains will notice a yellow area in the attack cone; this is the distance in which the torpedoes must travel before they arm. If a torpedo strikes before arming, it will not do damage. The torpedo attack cone also closes quite slowly, so captains should take the time to plan out their attack runs before beginning them.

Bombers

Dive Bombers

A dive bomber approaches at high altitude, then dives toward the target — using the aircraft itself to aim — before releasing its bomb at low level and pulling out and away.

Traditional dive bombers, found on most carriers, are probably the most difficult weapon type to use, as their aiming reticle is fairly hard to understand, and properly "leading" a target before entering the attack run takes some practice to get right. The payoff for HE bombs is a high fire chance and good damage. The armor-piercing versions can be devastating.

Carpet Bombers

Like strategic land bombers, level bombers fly high and level and use a bomb sight to aim. This type of bombers is found exclusively on Royal Navy aircraft carriers.

Skip Bombers

Skip bombers approach their target low, almost at water level like torpedo bombers, attempting to bounce their HE bombs off the water's surface. This type of bombers is found exclusively on Russian aircraft carriers.

——  Aircrafts' HE Bomb Penetration Values  ——  

Nation	Tier	Ship	HE Bomb Penetration
	III	Langley	42 mm
	III	Hōshō	42 mm
	III	Hermes	27 mm
	III	Komsomolets	53 mm
	V	Ranger	53 mm
	V	Independence	53 mm
	V	Ryūjō	53 mm
	V	Zuihō	53 mm
	V	Furious	32 mm
	V	Ark Royal	19 mm
	V	Serov	25 mm
	VII	Lexington	53 mm
	VII	Saipan	67 mm
	VII	Shōkaku	53 mm
	VII	Kaga	55 mm
	VII	Implacable	32 mm
	VII	Pobeda	33 mm
	★	Midway	67 mm
	★	Hakuryū	60 mm

Automated Aircraft

The following aircraft types in World of Warships: Legends are not flown by the player.

Fighters

Fighter squadrons can be deployed in three different ways. Once deployed, all three act much the same — patrolling until they are able to attack enemy aircraft, or expire. A ship consumable launches a single fighter from the ship's catapult (Catapult Fighter); an aircraft squadron consumable summons fighters from the home carrier (Patrol Fighters), or a carrier may launch its own ship-based fighters to defend itself.

If enemy aircraft appear within the patrolled area, the fighters will attack them. Fighters can destroy as many enemy aircraft as their number patrolling the area. Afterwards, the consumable effect expires, even if they have shot down fewer planes than the number of fighters in the flight. The fighters disappear and the cooldown time begins.

Spotter Plane

Similar to the Catapult Fighter, the Spotter Plane consumable launches a plane from the ship's catapult. However, instead of attacking enemy aircraft, the unarmed Spotter Plane increases the ship's main battery shell grouping by 10% when activated. Ships with access to catapult-launched aircraft usually must choose between equipping either a Catapult Fighter or a Spotter Plane.