Will the AI drop their aux fuel tanks if they engage with a human?

[BlitzPig_EL]

Title says it all.

 

I'm working on a mission and want to put extra fuel on some AI.

[Jade_Monkey]

Haven't tried it, but didn't "force complete" make them drop all bombs in GB?

Is it a friendly or enemy?

[Jaegermeister]

21 hours ago, BlitzPig_EL said:

Title says it all.

I'm working on a mission and want to put extra fuel on some AI.

 

Without being commanded to do so, No.

 

20 hours ago, Jade_Monkey said:

Haven't tried it, but didn't "force complete" make them drop all bombs in GB?

Is it a friendly or enemy?

 

Yes it did, and you would think that would make them drop tanks too but that is not always the case. I was curious myself so I ran a few tests. I placed a proximity trigger linked to a pair of Mig15s and F-80s to trigger Force Complete with "Emergency Ordnance Drop" checked within 4000 meters of EAC. When they merged, the MiGs dropped their tanks, but the F-80s did not. I am inferring from this that planes with integral fuel tanks will not drop their tanks with Force Complete commands triggered, and aircraft carrying axillary fuel tanks on bomb stations will. I have not tested other planes yet, but I will get to it eventually I guess.

I will be adding this to my missions attached to MiG-15s, so they drop tanks at the merge if they have them. You would also not think MiG 15s over the Yalu would even have drop tanks, but apparently they did.

 

Edited July 5 by Jaegermeister

[AndreiTomescu]

According  to the korean defector's book, the Mig-15 had sometimes drop tanks, but they were ordered NOT to drop them, never if just empty, and to even avoid dropping them even if engaged in combat, since the drop tanks were very, very scarce. 

[Jaegermeister]

According to US fighter pilots flying F-80s in 1950, when they first encountered MiGs near Sinuiju, they tried to chase them and if one failed to drop his tanks and got in a turning fight it was possible to catch up to them before they ran back across the river. I am pretty sure the first F-80 vs MiG15 kill was due to this exact reason. In test I have run, the MiG15 is a fairly even match for the F-80 without tanks at low level in a turning fight, so this makes sense. The MiGs learned quickly that if they stayed high and fast, they were in complete control of when to pick a fight.

 

Edited Monday at 04:10 PM by Jaegermeister

[AndreiTomescu]

7 hours ago, Jaegermeister said:

MiG15 is a fairly even match for the F-80 without tanks at low level in a turning fight,

right. In my test, the F-80 on AI level = veteran, did an incredible good job in terms of combat maneuvers. I will try in the future on ACE level., but after i'm more performant myself. Au contraire, the F-84 AI on veteran level was really worse. The MIG-15's AI on veteran was stellar in all encounters, but on average was really poor: they kept crushing into the hills while recovering from vertical dive. All AI planes are God-like in terms of pulling Gs.

[Jaegermeister]

8 hours ago, AndreiTomescu said:

The MIG-15's AI on veteran was stellar in all encounters, but on average was really poor: they kept crushing into the hills while recovering from vertical dive. 

I have seen the same thing happening with "High" AI level. I assume that is what you are referring to when you say "veteran". AI levels are now None, Low, Normal, High, Ace and Player.

 

Edited Monday at 04:20 PM by Jaegermeister

[AndreiTomescu]

[Viking1]

On 7/6/2026 at 12:26 AM, AndreiTomescu said:

 All AI planes are God-like in terms of pulling Gs.

Yup. We can hope this will be addressed...