Full notes
Full Air Defender update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
What changed
- Gameplay
- UI and audio
- Performance
- Balance
- Fixes
- Maps
Hi guys!
Some pretty significant updates and fixes applied. Hopefully these will make your experience much better.
There's still plenty to do and I'll keep you updated with the latest fixes and new features.
Cheers!
Allan.
Update - 6th December 2025 - Build 0.3.4
New Features
Tanker Fuel Management: Tankers now track their own flight fuel (F%) separately from offload fuel (AF%). UI shows both values so you know when tankers need to RTB vs when they're empty for receivers.
- Codewords ReferenceAdded "Codewords" tab to Help menu with NATO/RAF brevity codes (BANDIT, BOGEY, FOX ONE/TWO/THREE, JUDY, TALLY, SPLASH, PAN PAN, MAYDAY, and more).
- Jump To CameraNew ">" button in Active Operations quickly centers the camera on any aircraft.
Aircraft Fuel Display: Fuel percentages now show for all active aircraft (interceptors, tankers, AWACS) in the Assets panel.
Performance Improvements
Major FPS improvement during Critical Raid scenarios
Significant FPS boost when Combat Air Patrol (CAP) missions are active
Improved FPS when AWACS L11 radar is active
Training missions no longer spawn excessive civilian traffic during time acceleration
Balance Changes
Increased Tanker Capacity: VC10 tankers carry 45 tonnes (was 20), Tristar tankers carry 70 tonnes (was 25). Tankers can now refuel 7-12 interceptors instead of just 2.
More Interception Time: Enemy aircraft now spawn at least [redacted] from the nearest radar, giving you more time to scramble and intercept.
Raid Spacing: Raid waves are spaced further apart to prevent overwhelming the player.
Bug Fixes
Interceptors & QRA
Interceptor pairs now stay together when retasked via right-click menu (IDENT, ENGAGE, ESCORT, CAP, RTB, Refuel)
CAP pairs RTB together when one is ordered to return
QRA pairs RTB together during intercept missions
Fixed duplicate RTB voice announcements for QRA pairs
Fixed takeoff timing issues with time acceleration
Tornado F3 now correctly carries 180 cannon rounds (historically accurate 27mm IWKA-Mauser)
AWACS & L11
Friendly aircraft (interceptors, tankers, AWACS) no longer turn white when L11 is active
AWACS flies smooth racetrack patterns instead of darting/snapping
AWACS smoothly joins racetrack on arrival instead of teleporting
AWACS radar contacts appear immediately when clicking an AWACS with L11 enabled
Fixed AWACS showing wrong speeds (~420 knots now correct instead of 600+)
L11 no longer creates tracks for parked aircraft at airfields
Fixed L11 visuals following wrong aircraft when switching AWACS selection
Tankers
Tankers properly descend when redeploying to new airfields
Fixed tankers disappearing instead of flying back to base on RTB
Tanker type (VC-10 K3, Tristar K1) now persists correctly after save/load
No more RTB voice announcement when redeploying tankers (ferry flights are silent)
Radio & Audio
Radio channels no longer auto-switch when new missions start
Fixed duplicate radio channels appearing on CAP retask
Removed unnatural 2-second gap in MC track-of-interest radio call
Fixed voice sequences continuing after ordering RTB
Fixed jamming audio persisting when retrying Bear Hunt
Training Missions
Needle in a Haystack mission now properly shows results when complete
Bear Hunt mission now properly ends when all objectives complete
Smarties mission retry now properly resets radar and asset states
Fixed subtitles continuing when game is paused
Map & UI
Danger Areas map overlay now works correctly
Fixed Church Fenton airfield code (now correct EGXG)
EW diamonds (red markers) properly clear between game sessions
CAP anchor markers properly removed when interceptors are retasked
Fixed aircraft duplicating in Active Operations list
General
Emergency scenarios (squawk 7500/7600/7700) now spawn correctly once per 6 hours instead of multiple times
CAP aircraft only auto-engage enemies in Critical Tension State, not during transit
Fixed civilian aircraft flying faster than their real-world maximum speed
Source
Changelog.gg summarizes and formats this update. How we read updates.
