Air tower

Air Tower
Structure
Affiliation	Nod Marked of Kane
Role	Build and repair aircraft
Protection	Heavy plating
Tier	2
Properties
Hit points	3000
Armour type	Light (75% Cannon, 50% Rocket, 100% Grenade, 25% Gun, 1% Sniper)
Production
Cost	$1000
Build time	0:10
Produced by	Nod Construction Yard
Requires	Operations Center
Hotkey	F6
Function
Research	Signature generator Disruption pods
Abilities	Mine drop (Nod) Magnetic mine drop (MoK)
Power	-5

An Air Tower is a Brotherhood of Nod structure designed to maintain, construct and command an air armada in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath. A single Air Tower can support up to four Vertigo Bombers.

Background

The tower is a high building roughly in the shape of a square. The interior of the tower houses the automated manufacturing units that rapidly assemble Venom patrol craft and Vertigo stealth bombers, while the smaller tower that overlooks the construction pit acts as an air control tower for the aircraft assigned to the tower. Each tower has four retractable landing pads, which can rearm and refuel one Vertigo each.

Game building

If the Air Tower is destroyed while the Vertigos are still landed and rearming, all the planes will be lost. However, if you capture the Air Tower with the Vertigos rearming, they will also be captured. Construction of the Air Tower also gives access to the Call for Transport ability using Carryalls, allowing Nod forces to be ferried quickly around the battlefield by air. Additionally, the air tower has a complement of 3 repair drones to patch up nearby damaged aircraft.

Venoms can be built in limitless numbers from a single air tower, as they don't need to return to the Air Tower to reload. However, to construct more than 4 Vertigo bombers, a Commander must either order the construction of another air tower, or the Air support tower, which is cheaper but only has rearming and refueling stations, and cannot build more aircraft.

All Nod factions of the Third Tiberium War build these structures except the Black Hand which prefers to engage its enemies on land. Black Hand does not field aircrafts, therefore they have no need for an Air Tower to be constructed in the battlefield.

Produced aircraft

Icon	Unit	Requirements	Ability
	Venom	none	Detects stealth Signature Generators
	Vertigo	Tech Lab	Disruption pods Return to base cloaked

Upgrades provided

Icon	Upgrade	Description
	Signature generator	When equipped with Signature Generators, Venoms appear to be a large force on the opponent's radar. This upgrade costs $100 and takes 0:10 seconds to research (Ctrl+S).
	Disruption pods	This upgrade allows Vertigos to drop small stealth pods that emit a cloaking field. Anything in the pod's radius is cloaked for the pod's duration. This upgrade costs $500 and takes 0:15 to complete (Ctrl+D).

Support powers provided

Icon	Support power	Description
	Mine drop	An Armageddon Bomber flies in to drop a large number of mines on the selected area, for a total of 21 mines. This power costs $1500 and takes 3:00 to recharge. Each mine does 800 damage. Nod only.
	Magnetic mine drop	An Armageddon Bomber flies in to drop a large number of mines on the selected area, for a total of 21 mines. This power costs $1500 and takes 3:00 to recharge. Each mine does 16 damage per second to any vehicle it latches on to as well as slowing its movement speed. Marked of Kane only

Gallery

Air Tower with no active pads

Air Tower two active pads

Disruption Pods upgrade pod

Signature Generator upgrade pod (Kane's Wrath only)