UNSC Airpad

A UNSC airpad.

The UNSC airpad is a UNSC building in Halo Wars. As its name suggests, it is designed to construct aircraft, such as the Hornet, Hawk, Vulture and EV-44 Nightingale.^[1]

Function

Air superiority can be of vital importance, for example not only for intelligence gathering but also for tactical strikes at your enemy’s weak points. A UNSC Airpad is a surprisingly sophisticated structure that not only houses the maintenance crews required to refit, repair, and rearm Hornets and other UNSC aircraft, it also houses banks of simulation pods to train pilots in everything from the basics to advanced tactical maneuvers.^[1] Airpads also support the force commander with sensor feeds and intelligence uplinks which allow for proper battlespace deconfliction, kill chain assignment, and other aerospace management tasks.^[2]

Gameplay

Halo Wars

AV-14 Hornet: Mainline UNSC air unit. A versatile single-seat, fast aircraft armed with a gatling gun and rockets.
- Hornet Upgrades
  - Wingmen: Adds Marines riding shotgun with rocket launchers to boost damage.
  - Chaff pod: Passive ability; better avoidance of missile fire.

AV-22 Sparrowhawk: Upgrade Hornet to Hawk super unit equipped with laser beams. (Available only if Professor Anders is the leader)

AC-220 Vulture: UNSC super unit. Advanced air-weapons platform that can unleash devastating damage on all targets
- Vulture Upgrades
  - Mega barrage: Doubles the number of missile salvos in a barrage attack.

Render of the Air Pad in Halo Wars 2.

Halo Wars 2

AV-14 Hornet
- Info: Core Air, Fast moving, Medium range
- Base Level: 3
- Cost: Population 4, Supplies 375, Energy 0

EV-44 Nightingale (Campaign)
- Info: Support Unit, Repairs and heals, Non-combative, Detects cloaked units.
- Base Level: 2
- Cost: Population 5, Supplies 400, Energy 0

EV-44 Nightingale (Skirmish)
- Info: Support Unit, Repairs and heals, Non-combative, Detects cloaked units.
- Base Level: 2
- Cost: Population 4, Supplies 350, Energy 50

AC-220 Vulture
- Info: Heavy Air, Can lauch devastating PHOENIX missile
- Base Level: 3
- Cost: Population 9, Supplies 750, Energy 75

Upgrades

Air Level One
- Info: Increase all Air Units Health and Damage Boost by 15%
- Requirements: Combat Station
- Cost: Supplies 0, Energy 600

Air level Two
- Info: Increase all Air Units Health and Damage Boost by 30%
- Requirements: Command Center
- Cost: Supplies 0, Energy 800

Air level Three
- Info: Increase all Air Units Health and Damage Boost by 45%
- Requirements: Headquarters
- Cost: Supplies 0, Energy 1200

Gallery

An airpad from different angles.
Concept art of the UNSC Airpad.
An early concept art image of the UNSC airpad. Note the Falcons on the runway and one in the hangar, and a B-65 Shortsword docked with its wings retracted.
High-poly render of the UNSC Airpad.
Low-poly render of the UNSC Airpad.
Concept art for the Air Pad in Halo Wars 2.
Render in Halo Wars 2.
An alternate view.
A work-in-progress render of the Halo Wars 2 Air Pad.
Another work-in-progress render.