12/19/2012: The ace aerial ran tonight and i really enjoy what i experienced and saw in the squad. We had constant air flow over the waypoints, cover each other in the air as we could, and great calling out what was around the area. Only problem i saw was we did have aloooot of AA problems. Im Sure we will figure a way out to get support. All in all it was a great squad and run of a sub-div!
We can't get into the mentality of the other divisions sorting it out. We need to work as a unified team or we're not as effective. If we're having a hard time dealing with AA in a region we need to coordinate strafing runs and armor/infantry to clean them out. Zepher Libs can do a good job clearing AA but only if we already have Air Superiority otherwise I think Scyths with Photon Pods may be a better alternative for dropping AA maxes and Skyguards. With enough of us running Air to Ground we can keep them hunting for targets while being constantly abused and then overrun by Armor or Infantry.
While I'm a bit loath to say too much here, the answer is yes and no. Some fixtures are better dealt with by armour, some are better dealt with by infantry, some are best dealt with by air. An entrenched position with multiple AA MAXes we can engage, yes. A bunch of ESF going after said position? Not that great of an idea, we'll lose a number of aircraft doing it, and potentially inflict less damage than we'd like. Skyguards are a different kettle of fish and I would say that yes, we can engage those with a reasonably high success rate. Go for it. Turrets, less so, though two scythes can bring one down within seconds. The main problem AA would be MAXes, multiple AA turrets, and multiple skyguards (Though less of an issue) So it's a question of what needs to be done to kill each unit, the situation and how many are involved in AA defense. We can't afford to ALL go A2G, after all. We can easily clear the skies for our liberators and to give our other divisions breathing room.
There`s nothing a proud mobile infantry armed with C4 and rockets can`t achieve, give us the call ! (Well, having some tin can pee-shooters with us might help, but don`t tell them I said that. ) Were cheap, were determined, and expendable. Just feed us cookies once in a while. o7 (Sorry for disturbing this ACE debate... well actually no. COOPERATION MAN, telling ya !)
Adding to this, it is my personal opinion that Scythes should always be A2A-equipped unless called upon for a different role. Liberators are the best A2G platform available. Armed with a Zeph, they make quick work of AA MAX suits and tanks alike, coupled with the much higher HP compared to a Scythe. The Dalton is incredibly useful, although now (not in beta) the Zeph is a bit better in all areas and about equal when it comes to tanks. When dealing with 4 or more AA MAX suits in a given area, maybe even adding AA turrets, the best way to deal with that is to confuse them with a target rich environment. Send multiple Scythes and multiple Lib bombers and flood the area with targets for them. They won't know who to shoot at. I was witness to this just recently, we had a tower with fully manned AA turrets and a Sundy that dropped at least 6 AA MAX suits nearby. We flooded in about 4 Scythes to deal with enemy ESF's and I'm guessing there were at least 3 Libs maybe more. I know I personally wiped the floor with most if not all of those MAX suits via Selentic's trusty Zephyr that came from the Sundy, as well as their engineers and medics, while only taking around 10% damage the whole time. Selentic is a fanfuckingtastic pilot, btw. What he lacks by not having a mic in TS he makes up in pure skill and huge balls.
Heavy armor loves to take care of MAX suits who just are looking up ^+1, agree, yes, well said, /research