Vindicator

The Vindicator was an Allied ground attack aircraft first seen during World War III.

The Vindicator was designed with the sole purpose of supporting ground forces by obliterating their opposition. The vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) system allows them to deploy at forward air bases close to the front lines. Its BD8 "Bandarilla" laser-guided bombs, when guided by the multi-spectrum laser painter on the underside of the aircraft, are deadly accurate. Resistant to nearly all known countermeasures, the BD8 can make short work of all but the most heavily armored vehicles.

The advanced laser targeting system guarantees a hit even if the Vindicator breaks away immediately after releasing its bombs. This, coupled with relatively heavy armor, gives the Vindicator an extremely high survivability. However, when the situation gets too hot, the Vindicator is equipped with an auto pilot mechanism that will return the plane to base immediately using an emergency afterburner.

Vindicator crews spend the vast majority of their time forward deployed, and the tempo of the ground war dictates that crews fly missions almost non-stop, pausing only when days of continuous operations finally force the crews to take a brief rest lest they collapse from sheer exhaustion. Because of this, Vindicator pilots are highly respected by ground troops.