GUER Air Defense Loop

GUER Air-Defense Loop (standalone Ka-137 / Mi-24 town defenders)

Source-verified 2026-06-27 against master bef714aa5. Paths relative to Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus/ unless noted. Arma 2 OA 1.64.

GUER ("Insurgents", resistance) has no AI commander — so it has no wildcard deck and no Commander-driven air. The GUER Air-Defense Loop (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf, B61, Ray 2026-06-21) is therefore GUER's only AI air: a single server-only maintain loop that keeps one airframe orbiting over each active, GUER-held town, defaulting to a Ka-137 light defender, with a chance of an EASA AT-missile variant and (on large contested towns) a Mi-24_P gunship. The loop self-cleans on a global alive cap, a per-defender lifetime recycle, and a quiet-despawn when no enemies are near.

The header is explicit about provenance (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:3-6): the loop's shape/guards are modelled on Server/Server_GuerStipend.sqf, and its self-clean (crew + hull + group teardown) is modelled on the W13 GUNSHIP STRIKE block in Server/Functions/AI_Commander_Wildcard.sqf. Nothing the loop spawns is tagged wfbe_persistent, so it can never accumulate across the registry rebuild.

Why it exists outside the playable-side gate

The loop keys entirely off town ownership (sideID == WFBE_C_GUER_ID, i.e. 2, Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:32), not off whether GUER is a playable side. A B62 fix (2026-06-21) moved its execVM out of the old WFBE_C_GUER_PLAYERSIDE > 0 block — previously the loop was dead in production because the playable-side param is 0 (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:37-39, Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:795-801). GUER is always the AI town-defender, so the air-def must run regardless.

Launch wiring (Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf)

Element	Detail	Source
AIPatrol compile	AIPatrol = Compile preprocessFile "Server\AI\Orders\AI_Patrol.sqf" (the patrol order the loop calls)	Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:20
Launch gate	if (isServer && {(missionNamespace getVariable ["WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_ENABLE", 1]) > 0})	Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:809
Launch	[] execVM "Server\Server_GuerAirDef.sqf"	Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:810
Placement	gated after the GUER-OFF player-slot cleanup block, independent of WFBE_C_GUER_PLAYERSIDE	Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:776,794-801

The script re-checks isServer and WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_ENABLE internally (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:36,40), so it is double-guarded.

Boot sequence (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf)

Stage	Behavior	Source
Server gate	if !(isServer) exitWith {}	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:36
Enable gate	if ((missionNamespace getVariable ["WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_ENABLE", 1]) < 1) exitWith {}	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:40
Read tunables	all WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_* via 2-arg getVariable with inline fallbacks	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:44-53
Boot wait	waitUntil for towns populated and WFBE_L_GUE side-logic non-null, then sleep 45 to let town ownership settle	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:56-60
Crew classes	_pilotClass = WFBE_GUERRESPILOT (default "GUE_Soldier_Pilot"), _crewClass = WFBE_GUERRESCREW (default "GUE_Soldier_Crew")	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:62-63
Registry	_defenders = [] — script-local, not wfbe_persistent; each entry is [town, vehicle, group, spawnTime, lastEnemyTime]	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:65-67
Marker feed init	WFBE_ACTIVE_GUER_AIR = []; publicVariable "WFBE_ACTIVE_GUER_AIR" so a JIP client never reads nil	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:75-76

The main loop then runs while {!WFBE_GameOver} do { sleep _interval; ... } (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:78-79) — the cadence sleep is at the top, so the first maintain pass happens one full interval after boot.

Maintain cadence — three passes per interval

Every WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_INTERVAL (default 120 s) the loop runs prune → self-clean → maintain, then rebuilds the marker feed.

(1) Prune + (2) self-clean (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:84-139)

The registry is rebuilt into _kept; any entry that should die is torn down and dropped, freeing a slot in the global cap.

Drop reason	Condition	Source
destroyed	isNull _eVeh || !(alive _eVeh)	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:101
town_lost	town sideID != WFBE_C_GUER_ID	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:105,107
town_inactive	town wfbe_active is false	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:106,108
quiet	(_now - _eLastEnemy) > _quiet — no enemies near the town for WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_QUIET_DESPAWN s	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:118
lifetime	(_now - _eSpawn) > _lifetime — forced recycle (anti-accumulation)	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:121

Enemy presence is recomputed each pass: west/east units alive within (town range, min 600 m) of the town (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:112-114). A surviving entry with enemies present has its lastEnemyTime stamped to _now, which is what holds off the quiet despawn.

Teardown is player-safe (B66, Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:123-132): the hull + its crew are deleted only if no crew member is a player ({isPlayer _x} count (crew _eVeh)) == 0); group teardown deletes only non-player units (if (!(isPlayer _x)) then {deleteVehicle _x}). GUER is playable now, so a player who boarded a defender is never deleted — the registry entry is dropped either way, so the maintain sweep simply stops tracking that hull. This is the W13 crew+hull+group self-clean pattern (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:129-131).

(3) Maintain — one defender per active GUER town (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:141-241)

Iterating forEach towns, the loop spawns a fresh defender for a town only when all of these hold (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:146-150):

Gate	Condition	Source
Under cap	_aliveCount < _maxAir (WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_MAX)	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:146
Town valid	!(isNull _town)	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:147
GUER-held	(_town getVariable ["sideID", -1]) == WFBE_C_GUER_ID	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:148
Active	_town getVariable ["wfbe_active", false]	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:149
No live air already	!(_town in _townsWithAir)	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:150

Airframe selection — Ka-137 default, AT variant, Mi-24 on large contested towns

Decision	Rule	Source
Enemies near town	west/east alive within (town range, min 600 m)	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:155
LARGE-town test	maxSupplyValue >= WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_LARGE_SV OR wfbe_town_type ∈ {LargeTown1,LargeTown2,HugeTown1,HugeTown2}	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:157-161
Mi-24 roll	_useMi24 = true only if LARGE AND enemies > 0 AND random 1 < WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_MI24_CHANCE	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:163-165
Class chosen	_class = if (_useMi24) then {_classMi24} else {_classKa}	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:167
AT roll	_useAT = true if not Mi-24 and random 1 < WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_AT_CHANCE (Ka-137 only — the Mi-24 is already an AT gunship by config)	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:169-171

So the precedence is: a large town under attack first rolls for the Mi-24; only if that does not win does the Ka-137 path roll for the AT loadout. A quiet town, or a small town, can never field a Mi-24 — it always gets a Ka-137 (recon MG or AT-5).

Spawn, crew, and orders

Step	Detail	Source
Spawn point	airborne 900 m off the town at a random bearing, height _flyHeight + 60	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:174-175
Create vehicle	[_class, _spawnPos, resistance, _ang, false, true, true, "FLY"] Call WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateVehicle	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:176
Create group	[resistance, "guer-airdef"] Call WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateGroup	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:179
Pilot	WFBE_CO_FNC_CreateUnit → moveInDriver	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:186-188
Gunner	also a gunner for both airframes (B62: the Ka-137 MainTurret is gunner-fired, so a pilot-only Ka-137 flies but never engages) → moveInGunner	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:189-190
Tags	_veh setVariable ["wfbe_guer_airdef", true, true] and ["wfbe_guer_airdef_town", _town]	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:205-206
Orders (never idle)	flyInHeight _flyHeight → AIPatrol over town → setBehaviour "COMBAT", setCombatMode "RED", setSpeedMode "NORMAL"	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:213-217
Register	append [_town, _veh, _grp, time, time]; _aliveCount = _aliveCount + 1	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:219-221

The order sequence is load-bearing (B66, Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:208-212): AIPatrol internally re-sets behaviour to AWARE/YELLOW, so it must run before the engage posture, otherwise it clobbers COMBAT/RED and the air just orbits passively. Patrol first, then stamp COMBAT/RED last so the defender actually presses attacks. Failed spawns (null vehicle, null group, or no pilot) tear down the freshly-created empty hull player-safely and log GUERAIRDEF|SPAWNFAIL (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:224-239).

EASA AT loadout (server-side turret swap)

EASA_Init.sqf runs client-only, so WFBE_EASA_Loadouts / the client EASA_Equip path are not present in the server's missionNamespace (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:25-31). The AT variant is therefore applied directly on the server using the exact classnames from the Ka-137 EASA AT entry, on the MainTurret path [-1] (the same path EASA_RemoveLoadout.sqf uses for Ka137_MG_PMC):

Step	Commands	Source
Strip recon MG	removeMagazineTurret ["100Rnd_762x54_PKT", [-1]], removeWeaponTurret ["PKT", [-1]]	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:197-198
Add AT-5 set	addMagazineTurret ["5Rnd_AT5_BRDM2", "64Rnd_57mm"], addWeaponTurret ["AT5Launcher", "57mmLauncher"]	Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:199-200

This is a true swap (PKT removed first), and the load tag becomes "AT5" in the GUERAIRDEF|SPAWN diag line (Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:201,223).

Map-marker feed (GUER players only)

After both passes, the loop rebuilds WFBE_ACTIVE_GUER_AIR = [[vehicle, sideID], ...] from the live registry (alive hulls only) and publicVariables it every interval (B67, Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf:243-252). updatepatrolmarkers.sqf reads this array; the sideID is always the GUER id, and the client side-gates on WFBE_Client_SideID, so only GUER players see these air arrows. The re-broadcast each interval doubles as the JIP catch-up safety net (publicVariable is not JIP-replayed in A2-OA).

Tunable set (Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf)

All values are isNil-guarded defaults — override any of them before mission init to retune without touching the loop.

Constant	Default	Meaning	Source
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_ENABLE	1	master switch (set 0 to disable the loop entirely)	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:86
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_INTERVAL	120	seconds between maintain sweeps	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:87
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_MAX	4	global alive cap on GUER air defenders (hard FPS bound)	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:88
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_AT_CHANCE	0.20	chance a spawned Ka-137 carries the EASA AT (Konkurs/AT-5) loadout	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:89
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_MI24_CHANCE	0.25	chance a LARGE GUER town under attack fields a Mi-24 gunship instead	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:90
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_CLASS_KA	"Ka137_MG_PMC"	default light air defender (recon/strike)	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:91
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_CLASS_MI24	"Mi24_P"	heavy gunship for large contested towns	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:92
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_LIFETIME	900	max seconds a defender lives before forced recycle (anti-accumulation)	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:93
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_QUIET_DESPAWN	300	despawn after this many seconds with no enemies near the town	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:94
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_LARGE_SV	2500	maxSupplyValue at/above which a town counts as LARGE (Mi-24 eligible); town_type Large/Huge also qualifies	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:95
WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_HEIGHT	120	flyInHeight for spawned GUER air	Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:96

Map / port notes

The source tree carries the mission under Missions/, Missions_Vanilla/, and Modded_Missions/. The loop is map-agnostic — it keys off the runtime towns array and town sideID/maxSupplyValue/wfbe_town_type, not off map geometry — so it ports as a straight copy. A byte-identical Takistan port already ships in master as of f8a76de3 at Missions_Vanilla/[61-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.takistan/Server/Server_GuerAirDef.sqf (253 lines, diff against the Chernarus copy = identical), wired into that mission's Server/Init/Init_Server.sqf:793-794 with the same isServer && WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_ENABLE gate.

Continue Reading

• GUER Insurgents Faction Overview — the whole faction (slots, gate, economy, win condition) this loop's air belongs to
• GUER Insurgents Branch Audit — the wider GUER partition: the Ka-137 in the player depot pool, the GUER economy/stipend, and why GUER runs without an AI commander
• Naval HVT Objectives Atlas — the GUER-owned offshore LHD HVTs and their proximity-gated CAP, the air mechanic this town-defender loop complements
• Town AI Group Composition Catalog — the ground garrisons of GUER-held towns that the air defenders orbit and protect
• Towns, Camps, and Capture Atlas — town sideID, wfbe_active, wfbe_town_type and range/maxSupplyValue, the town fields this loop reads each pass
• Mission Tunable Constants Catalog — the full WFBE_C_* constant index this WFBE_C_GUER_AIRDEF_* set belongs to