). So this is my suggestion, sure it may piss off some plane pilots but I don't think pilotable planes have a place in this game. Maps are way too small for realistical implementation of airplanes and you can't even fly above 500m of altitude.
So for the suggestion I was thinking you could remove pilotable airplanes and replace them with callable airstrikes (like artillery) but with some variations.
1- To call an air strike you would need to have a valid target and a squad would have to request it and the commander aprove it. Commanders wouldn't be able to call in an airstrike wiithout a request from the squads.
2- Upon asking for an airstrike you should be able to choose from 2 kinds, precision strike (a maverick missile for example, to kill an enemy vehicle or maybe a squad in the top of a roof), and carpet bombing, or at least an attack that does a lot of damage to an area.
3- After asking for the airstrike, you would have to wait maybe 30 seconds (lets presume we already have F15s and b2s in the air awaiting orders) for the actual airstrike to ocur, and after it's done you would have to wait around 4 or 5 minutes to get more airplanes in the air or to get the current ones refilled on ammo.
4- The airstrike airplanes would be targetable by AAs so you can defend your self from them.
5- To call for the airstrike you would need to use a laser designator (for static targets, for the area bombings) and just to give out your coordinates and target the enemy vehicle for the airplane team to fly in that general area, find the vehicle using the onboard camera and shoot it down).
6- Also airplanes would be somewhat intelligent, if you asked for an area bombing but all of a sudden the enemies moved out, you could "tell" the pilot that the target is on the move and they would make the needed course changes.
7- Airplane kills will not count to anyone's score (maybe commander's), reducing enemy's tickets and saving your squad is good enough).
I think this would lead to a much more realistic approach to aircrafts in the game, and their functionality would still be there. (Let's face it, in real life airplanes don't go on frenetic "dumb bomb" drops while there are so many friendlies in the area).
What do you guys think of the suggestion? And please, keep the flaming out.
Edit: Oh and P.S.: Not every map would have airstrikes available.
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. For the high-altitude bombing runs, make the AA vehicles/placements actually KILL the planes/choppers so they don't think about killing them, more about flying away before they are turned into pretty looking dust and also add in some laser designation or let the commander make a bombing way point so you can use the GPS targeting ... theres a lot of options. The "somewhat realistic" logistics is also a fairly easy fix, let the planes only rearm in a NEWLY modelled hangar, one with a WALL at the back (oh my!) that way jets can't just fly through the hangar to get rearmed, while you're at it make the rearm take longer. The re-fueling just plain isn't necessary, on average how long does a plane even stay ALIVE in PRMM? 5-10 minutes, maybe 20 minutes if you're good? I think the plane has enough fuel for that, even if they are doing some fuel-wasting manuevers.