Is it hard to code so that AI's look for nearby tankers and get AAR on their own?

[seojoonho001]

What the title says. In many campaigns I have seen many AI aircrafts going out BARCAPs with no wingtanks, fight with enemy aircraft, run out of gas and then eject/crash. Same thing with other missions especially those that are long range (i.e. deep strike). So wouldn’t it be nice if AIs can find tankers on their own and AAR on their own? This could save so many ‘falcon’ lives.

Separately, wouldn’t it be nice if some AI backup comes to help you after you hit Q-3 multiple times?

Perhaps I am expecting too much, but I do believe in our devs so I think it’s worth asking

[Dee-Jay]

https://www.benchmarksims.org/forum/entry.php?214-Fuel-management

[Frederf]

It’s probably worse overall to make AI more footloose to deviate from their flight plan. Instead of a way to “deal with a bad plan” it would be better to simply improve the planning for AI, more likely to bring fuel tanks, auto-scheduled AAR on ingress, and better decisions when to disengage. For complex mission planning unplanned AAR is a big monkey wrench. If AI are low on fuel during normal patrol then it could be bad they leave at exactly the wrong time because they felt they needed AAR. Escort disappears at the wrong time of unfortunate gap in DCA happens.

“I need help” for AWACS does work I think but it requires a donor flight which is not common auto-ATO’d.

[Migbuster]

I need help does work but only if there is a flight near that be vectored in the few times I have ever used it.

Adjusting the PAKs to stop most deep strikes is something that can be done to stop them taking on the entire enemy airforce on the way back.

Other than that I manually add tanks to flights where I can.

[Dee-Jay]

Not all mission types can be “diverted” by the “Need Help” call.