                               Command : RECON

NAME
   recon - Use planes to take a look around

Level: Expert

SYNTAX
   [##:##] Command : recon <SPYPLANES> <ESCORTS> <SECT> route|destination

The  "recon" command is used to gather intelligence about sectors that the spy
mission overflies.  The planes take off from their respective airports, assem-
ble, and then fly the mission and land in the destination sector.

<SPYPLANES>  represents a list of planes which are to perform the intelligence
gathering operation.  Only planes with sufficient mobility, based in a  sector
stocked with petrol, will be successfully selected for the mission.

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

<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  the  information  you
have (from your bmap) concerning the current area, to help plot your course.

Information given by recon is not totally accurate.

Recon  missions can be intercepted just like any other mission.  See info "In-
tercept".

If the destination sector is not an airport, then all planes  in  the  mission
must have V/STOL capability.

Planes with the ASW ability will perform a sonar search on each sector as they
fly through it.  Each sub contact will be reported only once, giving the  sec-
tor  and  number  of  the  sub,  from the sector in which it is first detected
(which may not be the sector the sub is in, as plane sonar has a range  depen-
dent  on  acc,  and  a  chance  of  finding  a  sub  of ((100-acc)-(4-sub vis-
ib)*10))+((100-effic)/5) percent.  The sub being sonared may detect the  sonar
ping.

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

SEE ALSO
   Plane-types, bomb, fly, paradrop, drop, sweep, Mobility, Planes, Detection

