The EDF operates a variety of aircraft, most of them not able to be controlled by the player.
EDF 2017[]
EF24 Bazelart[]
Main article: EF24 Bazelart
This attack helicopter is pre-spawned in some missions and can be controlled by Storm 1.
EJ24 Fighter[]
An EDF fighter jet mentioned in mission 5: Search, and apparently no match for a Ravager Gunship.
EDF 2025 / 4.1[]
EF24 Bazelart[]
Main article: EF24 Bazelart
The "fighter" of helicopters, the Bazelart is a fast single-seat aircraft usually armed with powerful guided missiles and a pair of synchronised machine guns or laser cannons mounted on the tips of its stub wings. While all helicopters in 2025 and 4.1 are a little unwieldy, the Bazelart is the most agile and responsive, and takes the least time to get off the ground.
EF31 Nereid[]
Main article: EF31 Nereid
The Nereid is a specialised single-seat ground-attack helicopter armed with an auto-targeting machine gun and generally packs of unguided rockets. It is slower and more unwieldy than the Bazelart, though has roughly the same level of armor.
When controlling the Nereid, the camera is tilted down at an angle rather than pointed forward, the vehicle being quite literally focused on ground attack.
HU04 Brute[]
Main article: HU04 Brute
The Brute is the largest of the EDF's armed helicopters, a heavily-armored, sluggish giant armed with two heavy wing-mounted repeating cannons for laying fire on ground targets. Unlike the other EDF helicopters it has a crew of three, with the pilot only controlling the vehicle itself and two extra crew needed to operate the weapons.
Heavy Transport Hydra[]
Hydra is an unarmed transport helicopter used by the logistical unit Porters to deliver vehicles to the Air Raider in the field. They are extremely heavy-lift aircraft with four able to carry even a Walking Fortress Balam, and the EDF operates a huge number of them.
Fighter Alpha[]
Briefly mentioned in Ill Omen, this appears to be the EDF's standard air superiority fighter.
Attack Aircraft Artemis[]
Artemis is some type of fighter-bomber mentioned in Brute Force, where a squadron of them succeed in penetrating Ravager air cover to allow a resumption of airstrikes against a massive force of Hectors.
Charon Tactical Bomber[]
A Fencer looks on as a Charon bomber commences a pointless airstrike on a Shield Bearer.
Main article: Charon Tactical Bomber
Charon is the EDF's workhorse strike aircraft, a sleek flying wing armed with a heavy payload of bombs and a cannon for strafing runs. Most of the Air Raider's airstrike support calls are delivered by one or more Charon bombers by requesting one of a series of pre-set bombing or strafing plans, marking the target area with a smoke grenade.
Bomber Midnight[]
This strategic bomber is the larger sibling of the Charon Tactical Bomber, able to carry massive loads of cluster bombs and a special "Grind Buster" bomb that can cripple even a Quadruped Fortress.
Whale[]
Main Article: Whale
Whale is a heavy gunship aircraft armed with rockets, machine guns and tank-grade cannons. It can also fire a Tempest Ballistic Missile, for some reason.
EDF 5[]
Transport Aircraft Noble[]
This massive jet-lift aircraft replaces the Hydra helicopter as the means for Air Raiders and Rangers to request vehicle drops in EDF 5. It is a fairly typical sci-fi design based on the V-22 Osprey but with jet engines instead of propellers, with an extra pair of tilting jet engines to the rear and what appears to be the cockpit and nose of a British Avro Vulcan bomber. They still do not care about storyline events.
DE 202[]
Main article: DE 202
This unseen aircraft (or airship, the game is in two minds in this regard) serves as the game's replacement for Whale, and supplies numerous gunfire and rocket strikes.
Combat Bomber KM6[]
KM6 is a dart-shaped fighter-bomber with a powerful cannon for strafing runs in support of ground troops.
High-Speed Bomber KM6 F[]
The KM6 F is a variant of the KM6 with enhanced engines, allowing it to arrive on station more quickly and make follow-up runs more swiftly.
Combat Bomber Kamuy[]
Kamuy is a fast, medium-sized flying wing bomber which can be called in for tactical strikes by EDF forces. Though it is no match for a dedicated strategic bomber's payload, its fast response times mean it is very good at offering close air support to besieged EDF forces.
Heavy Bomber Vesta[]
A special flying-wing strategic bomber built to carry a payload of napalm bombs for saturation or area-denial attacks.
Heavy Bomber Phobos[]
An extremely flexible strategic bomber, somewhat slower than Kamuy but with unparalleled firepower. Squadrons of Phobos bombers can attack in unison, and the aircraft is capable of deploying powerful cluster bombs as well as conventional ones.
Trivia[]
- "Bazelart" is a brand of ping-pong bat made by an American company called Butterfly.
- The Bazelart is based on the Longbow version of the AH-64 Apache, with a high tailboom and extended rear landing gear more like the cancelled AH-56 "Cheyenne" hybrid helicopter.
- "Nereids" were mythical sea nymphs who accompanied Poseidon in Ancient Greek myth and carried his trident.
- The Nereid is a fictional design, somewhat influenced by the Russian Mi-28 Havoc.
- Artemis was the Ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo.
- The Lerneaen Hydra was a fearsome multi-headed snake beast in Greek myth, slain by Hercules.
- Hydra appears to be loosely based on the Mil Mi-12, the largest helicopter ever built, with the same configuration of two fixed rotors on wings, each powered by two turbines. Oddly it also has a tail rotor, even though this would have no function for such a helicopter.
- Charon was the ferryman of the dead in Greek myth who carried the newly deceased across the underworld's great rivers, Styx and Acheron, into the realm of Hades.
- Charon and Midnight (and thus Kamuy, Vesta and Phobos) appear to be based on the Wingthrop SB-10/10 Starwing Heavy Bomber from the Macross universe.
- "Kamuy," usually rendered in English as "Kamui," is a term from the Japanese Ainu culture, referring to spiritual or divine beings. It is somewhat similar in meaning to the Japanese Kami.
- Vesta was a Roman hearth goddess, typically represented with a sacred flame.
- Phobos was the personification of fear in Greek myth, often specifically the fear of war, and sometimes depicted as a companion of the war-god Ares.