Aircraft
AIRCRAFT occupy a narrow, specialised role on the battlefield: they scream across the table constantly rather than holding ground, and a distinct set of rules governs how they deploy, move, shoot and fight. This guide covers each of those exceptions.
Deployment
AIRCRAFT never begin the game on the table. In the Declare Battle Formations step, every AIRCRAFT unit in your army must be placed in Strategic Reserves. They therefore enter play later via an ingress move, like any other reserves unit.
Movement
The way AIRCRAFT move reflects their constant forward motion:
- An AIRCRAFT unit's only eligible move is ever an ingress move. It is barred from a normal move, an Advance, a Fall Back, or a move of any other kind.
- Once your opponent's turn finishes, each of your AIRCRAFT units still on the battlefield has to return to Strategic Reserves. They never linger over the table between turns.
- When any unit makes a move of any kind, its models are allowed to move through AIRCRAFT models, so a grounded formation is never blocked by a flyer overhead.
- Whenever a unit performs a pile-in, consolidation or surge move, AIRCRAFT units are disregarded for the purposes of picking enemy units and working out the closest enemy unit. A moving unit that can FLY considers AIRCRAFT normally.
- Being engaged solely with AIRCRAFT units never prevents a unit from staying eligible for a normal move or an Advance.
Shooting
The Plunging Fire rule has no bearing on AIRCRAFT. It never improves attacks made by AIRCRAFT units, and it never improves attacks made against them, regardless of height or the TOWERING keyword.
Charging and Fighting
Melee against and by AIRCRAFT is tightly restricted, keeping them a predominantly aerial threat:
- An AIRCRAFT unit is not eligible to declare a charge, and any melee attacks it does make can only target FLYING units.
- On the other side, an AIRCRAFT unit can be picked as a charge target only by a FLYING unit, and melee attacks against an AIRCRAFT unit can be made only by FLYING models.
AIRCRAFT and ground units therefore largely cannot tie one another up in combat. Earthbound infantry can neither charge a flyer nor be pinned by one, and the AIRCRAFT returns to reserves at the end of each enemy turn to sweep back in later.
Frequently asked questions
How do AIRCRAFT deploy in Warhammer 40,000 11th edition?
They are held off the table from the start, and their first appearance follows the reserves timing, so a flyer cannot arrive in the first battle round. Plan its first strafing run for your second turn at the earliest.
How do AIRCRAFT move in 40k?
A flyer only ever has one move available: the ingress move that brings it on. It goes back into reserves as soon as the enemy turn ends and arrives fresh next time, so every turn on the table is effectively its first.
Can you charge an AIRCRAFT in Warhammer 40,000?
Only with something that FLIES, and the same gate applies to the flyer's own charges and to who may swing at it. A jump-pack squad can charge a bomber; a tank or a foot squad cannot.
Does Plunging Fire affect AIRCRAFT in 40k?
No. A flyer is always above everything, so the height bonus for shooting down from a tall position would otherwise apply to every shot it makes or receives. The rule switches Plunging Fire off in both directions for AIRCRAFT, TOWERING included.
Can ground units get stuck fighting AIRCRAFT in 11th edition?
No. A flyer that lands its base next to your squad does not stop the squad taking its normal move or Advance, so there is no need to Fall Back. Your models may walk straight through the flyer's hull, and when they pile in or consolidate they treat it as if it were not there.