Dominating the air is vital to winning the war on land in Hearts of Iron IV. Air superiority and close air support provide numerous direct benefits to troops on the ground, while strategic bombers can cripple enemy industry. By Blood Alone drastically reshaped the old air meta with the addition of the plane designer, introducing more complexity than ever to air combat.
Should you produce 1936 Airframes?
Although it might sound strange, there’s a real case for skipping producing 1936 planes and instead rushing 1940 technology. The 1940 improved airframe possesses stats that are substantially better while only being slightly more expensive to produce. With the help of focus tree bonuses, you should be able to reach 1940 air technology and start production well before 1940, giving you a major advantage once you start going to war.
Compared to a basic airframe, improved airframes benefit from two additional module slots, as well as 30 percent better agility, 38 percent more range, and 22 percent more air defense. All of this comes at a whopping one extra production cost.
The only scenarios where it makes sense to produce basic airframes from 1936 are if you are planning to go to war early and often. Otherwise, stay patient and wait for improved airframes.
Best Fighter Design
If you just need planes to improve your air superiority in a region, you’ll want to use normal planes. While heavy fighters have a higher multiplier for air superiority of 1.25, normal fighters are substantially cheaper while having a multiplier of 1. This means you get substantially more air superiority per production cost by using small fighters.
Additionally, they are superior at air to air combat compared to heavy fighters. Depending on your range needs, feel free to remove the extra range modules to add armor plates instead.
Note – The self-sealing fuel tanks on these designs are entirely optional and can be removed/replaced depending on your preferences.
Best 1936 Fighter Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Basic Small Airframe
Weapons
2 4x Heavy Machine Gun
Engine
1x Engine II
Special Features
Armor Plates, Self Sealing Fuel Tanks
Best 1940 Fighter Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Improved Small Airframe
Weapons
3 4x Heavy Machine Gun
Engine
1x Engine III
Special Features
Armor Plates, Drop Tanks, Self Sealing Fuel Tank
Best Advanced Air Superiority Plane Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Advanced Small Airframe
Weapons
3 4x Heavy Machine Gun
Engine
1x Engine IV
Special Features
Drop Tank, Armor Plates, Self Sealing Fuel Tank
Best CAS Plane Design
Close Air Support is vital to ensure your invasion plans on the ground proceed as planned. CAS planes are vulnerable to interception by fighters, so be sure to defend them when they are deployed on missions. That said, each of the designs below have defensive turrets to increase their effectiveness, but if you are adequately protecting them these can be removed.
Best Basic Close Air Support Plane Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Basic Small Airframe
Weapons
2 Small Bomb Bay
Engine
1x Engine II
Special Features
Light MG Defense Turret 2x
Best Improved Close Air Support Plane Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Improved Small Airframe
Weapons
2 Small Bomb Bay, Anti-Tank Cannon I
Engine
1x Engine III
Special Features
Heavy MG Defense Turret 2x
Best Advanced Close Air Support Plane Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Advanced Small Airframe
Weapons
2 Small Bomb Bay, 2 Anti-Tank Cannon I
Engine
1x Engine IV
Special Features
Heavy MG Defense Turret 2x
Heavy Fighter Designs
Heavy fighters excel at travelling long distances and defeating enemy bombers. They are expensive and not very agile, so they aren’t a great choice for air superiority missions. A niche use for these is to protect far-away strategic bombers or paratroopers whenever your normal fighters don’t have enough range.
Best Basic Heavy Fighter
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Basic Medium Airframe
Weapons
2 2x Cannon I, 2 4x Heavy Machine Gun
Engine
4x Engine II
Special Features
Armor Plates, Self Sealing Fuel Tanks
Best Improved Heavy Fighter
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Improved Medium Airframe
Weapons
4 2x Cannon I
Engine
4x Engine III
Special Features
Self Sealing Fuel Tanks, 4x Armor Plates
Best Advanced Heavy Fighter
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Advanced Medium Airframe
Weapons
5 2x Cannon II
Engine
4x Engine IV
Special Features
Self Sealing Fuel Tanks, 4x Armor Plates
Best Strategic Bomber Plane Design
Strategic bombers are designed to devastate your opponents infrastructure, but they require protection from fighters to succeed.
Best Basic Strategic Bomber Plane Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Basic Large Airframe
Weapons
Large Bomb Bay
Engine
4x Engine II
Special Features
Self Sealing Fuel Tanks, Radio Navigation I, Bomb Sights I
Best Improved Strategic Bomber Plane Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Improved Large Airframe
Weapons
2 Large Bomb Bay
Engine
4x Engine III
Special Features
Self Sealing Fuel Tanks, Radio Navigation I, Bomb Sights I, Armor Plates
Best Advanced Strategic Bomber Plane Design
Part Type
Part
Airframe
Advanced Large Airframe
Weapons
2 Large Bomb Bay
Engine
4x Engine IV
Special Features
Self Sealing Fuel Tanks, Radio Navigation II, Air-Ground Radar II, Bomb Sights I, 2 Armor Plates
Keep in mind that these designs can still be modified to suit your individual needs, like adding more range or reducing fuel costs. These plane designs should help you control the skies from the beginning of your campaign to the end.
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Lucky Boop
Strategy game enthusiast, especially Paradox titles and the Civilization series. Whenever he's not writing he spends his time watching sports, enjoying coffee, or studying history.
My thoughts / Amateur opinion:
For my light fighters, I tend to want more range rather than armor – especially when you’re operating in bigger regions like the Pacific. (>Jap main) Though if you’re only looking to operate in small regions, then armor will work better for you as range beyond 100% mission efficiency does nothing.
For CAS the ‘best’ model depends largely on the situation. In an early-game war with China as Japan, your best CAS plane is an IW plane using non-strategic materials, a drop tank and two small bomb bays.
Those same planes are garbage when they have to face off against an enemy that brings fighters or AA to bear against you however.
If I face a more advanced opponent I’ll go with Improved airframes with drop tanks, self-sealing fuel tanks and dive wings to keep them alive against AA while relying on fighter escorts to take out interceptors.
For CAS, I rarely use the Anti-Tank cannon 1 because it’s heavy and doesn’t allow naval or port strikes. I tend to prefer bomb bays/ locks, though for a land-based country they’re probably more attractive.
Anti-Tank cannon II is clearly superior where it comes to Close Air Support; though it still doesn’t allow for naval or port strikes so I rarely put in the effort to research them.
I happily make Heavy Fighters at half that price using mostly HMGs rather than cannons, mostly because increasing the number of engines is Expensive and rarely worth it – If you can fit a cannon or two without adding an extra engine then sure, go for it.
Tactical bombers are .. not quite as good at strategic bombing as large airframes and not quite as good at CAS as small planes. I rarely use them, though their range can make them the better choice when attacking large regions.
Naval bombers with torpedoes are what I typically use medium airframes for, nothing special to their design though – if you’ve got 2 torpedoes you’re good, I mostly just focus on either range or air defense beyond that – just check what range you need to cover the areas where you intend to use them, get that range and focus on air defense from there. Adding some guns can help against carriers or if they have air support in the region.
Large airframes.. Against the AI they’re about as pointless as anti-tank weaponry unless you like to play very defensively. Against a tough opponent in MP however they can do a TON of damage to their economy/supply infrastructure in a war of attrition and bleed them dry slowly. Be warned that MP matches may ban them as some people really can’t stand getting bombed from afar :p.
Using large airframes as anti-navy planes is.. questionable. Only really worth it if your medium airframes lack the range to cover where you need them and that is pretty niche – especially since navy bombers are best at taking out subs and those are generally raiding supply lines which your medium airframes should be able to cover.
how old are these designs or are they still meta
You didn’t include Naval Bombers at all.
Naval bombers are just the best engine and a torpedo and armour
No armour needed lol just more range
My thoughts / Amateur opinion:
For my light fighters, I tend to want more range rather than armor – especially when you’re operating in bigger regions like the Pacific. (>Jap main) Though if you’re only looking to operate in small regions, then armor will work better for you as range beyond 100% mission efficiency does nothing.
For CAS the ‘best’ model depends largely on the situation. In an early-game war with China as Japan, your best CAS plane is an IW plane using non-strategic materials, a drop tank and two small bomb bays.
Those same planes are garbage when they have to face off against an enemy that brings fighters or AA to bear against you however.
If I face a more advanced opponent I’ll go with Improved airframes with drop tanks, self-sealing fuel tanks and dive wings to keep them alive against AA while relying on fighter escorts to take out interceptors.
For CAS, I rarely use the Anti-Tank cannon 1 because it’s heavy and doesn’t allow naval or port strikes. I tend to prefer bomb bays/ locks, though for a land-based country they’re probably more attractive.
Anti-Tank cannon II is clearly superior where it comes to Close Air Support; though it still doesn’t allow for naval or port strikes so I rarely put in the effort to research them.
I happily make Heavy Fighters at half that price using mostly HMGs rather than cannons, mostly because increasing the number of engines is Expensive and rarely worth it – If you can fit a cannon or two without adding an extra engine then sure, go for it.
Tactical bombers are .. not quite as good at strategic bombing as large airframes and not quite as good at CAS as small planes. I rarely use them, though their range can make them the better choice when attacking large regions.
Naval bombers with torpedoes are what I typically use medium airframes for, nothing special to their design though – if you’ve got 2 torpedoes you’re good, I mostly just focus on either range or air defense beyond that – just check what range you need to cover the areas where you intend to use them, get that range and focus on air defense from there. Adding some guns can help against carriers or if they have air support in the region.
Large airframes.. Against the AI they’re about as pointless as anti-tank weaponry unless you like to play very defensively. Against a tough opponent in MP however they can do a TON of damage to their economy/supply infrastructure in a war of attrition and bleed them dry slowly. Be warned that MP matches may ban them as some people really can’t stand getting bombed from afar :p.
Using large airframes as anti-navy planes is.. questionable. Only really worth it if your medium airframes lack the range to cover where you need them and that is pretty niche – especially since navy bombers are best at taking out subs and those are generally raiding supply lines which your medium airframes should be able to cover.