                                Command : BOMB

NAME
   bomb - Dispose of inconvenient enemy assets with air power.

Level: Basic

SYNTAX
   [##:##] Command : bomb <BOMBERS> <ESCORTS> mission-type <SECT> route|desti-
nation

The "bomb" command is used to rain  destruction  upon  helpless  enemy  ships,
planes,  land units, and sectors.  It represents a complete mission for one or
more bombers and escorts taking off from one place and returning  to  base  at
the end of the mission.

<BOMBERS>  represents  a  list  of  planes to carry out the bombing run.  Only
planes with a bomb bay and sufficient mobility, based in a sector stocked with
petrol and shells, will be successfully selected for the mission.

<ESCORTS>  represent  a  list of fighter planes which are capable of escorting
the bombers all the way to the target.  To be selected, escorts must have fuel
and mobility.

Mission-type  must be one of "pinpoint" or "strategic".  Each mission has dif-
ferent objectives for the  planes  performing  it.   Pinpoint  missions  allow
bombers  to  attack  ships,  sector  efficiency,  commodities in sectors, land
units, and planes on the ground in the target sector.  Strategic missions dam-
age  all commodities in the entire target sector, while not damaging any ships
resident (similar to the "fire" command).

Nuclear bombs can only be used for strategic bombing.  They damage  everything
in  the sector; planes, ships, and commodities.  Only missiles in hardened si-
los can avoid damage from a nuclear attack.

<SECT> represents an assembly point, where all of the planes  in  the  mission
meet  before  proceeding  on to the target sector.  The assembly point must be
owned by you or an ally, or you or an ally must have a ship  there.   It  must
not  be  more  than  four sectors away from any of the planes selected for the
mission.

Route is a normal empire path specification. You may also give  a  destination
sector  on the command line, or at any time while giving the route, and empire
will use the best path from the current sector to the desired destination sec-
tor.

When getting a path interactively, empire will show you a small map (from your
bmap) concerning the current area, to help you plot your course.

Light bombers (with the tactical capability) are used primarily  for  pinpoint
bombing.   They  perform  as well as fighters do for strategic bombing.  Heavy
bombers (with the bomber capability), while they can perform pinpoint bombing,
are  notoriously inaccurate and in general miss what they are aiming at.  They
are used mainly for strategic bombing.

Bombing missions can be intercepted just like any  other  mission.   See  info
"Intercept".

When bombing ships/planes/units, entering a '~' character will cause a partic-
ular plane not to bomb. Other planes on the mission will still  be  asked  for
their targets.

If your plane has anti-submarine (ASW) capabilities, you will be told when you
arrive in a sector whether it has submarines in it. If you then choose to pin-
bomb  ships,  each plane in turn will attempt to find submarines (this ability
varies with the plane's accuracy rating).  Each plane can only bomb  the  subs
it can find. (It is assumed that planes on anti-sub missions split up to cover
the area)

Planes have differing air-to-air combat abilities, differing ranges, and load-
carrying  capacities.   Some airplanes don't need runways, but can operate out
of any sector which has fuel in it.

When you pin-bomb a land unit, it will fire flak at the plane bombing it,  un-
less it has an AA fire rating of 0.

In  the  case of pinpoint bombing, see "info Hitchance" for the formula deter-
mining whether a plane hits its target.

Note that a plane must be at least 40%  efficient  before  it  can  leave  the
ground.

SEE ALSO
   Plane-types,  build, fly, paradrop, drop, recon, relations, Combat, Mobili-
ty, Damage, Planes

