TE Forgotten Thunderbird image - Tiberium Essence mod for C&C3: Tiberium Wars

It seems they require airfield to reload. Since they are AA only, they should have one more ability/weapon, like some AA jammers (or EMP)warheads. After all, the left side is free for attachments.

Indeed. Why it does not have dual AA wolwerine-like miniguns on both of its sides?
If it flies in circles like Firehawk,Banshee,Stormrider and has to Return to Base to reload, then its practically too much similiar to TFM Sidewinder.
Even more if the miniguns would be put onto wings of Thunderbird.
Maybe it should be able to shoot infinitely in rapid fire 5 shots bursts,
like razorback, but with longer pre-attack cooldowns.
And if otherwise, can it have alternate EMP Grounpounder Ammunition load-out?
Or inbetween of stormrider and orca bomber smart bombs/free-fall carpet bombs/vertigo napalm bomb.
Orca-like anti-ground rockets would be interfering with Hind.
Maybe TFM harvester-like and Storm column anti-missile laser jammer.

The rapid fire is indeed required, after all it doesn't fire missiles.

Hind is supposed to be AT unit, but offcourse, a different AT weaponry could add some variety.

I guess the carpet bombing is left to the Forgotten Tier 3 bomber unit.

"Acid shells" sound silly for an aircraft, since it fires bullets, maybe a Gauss cannon as upgrade could be nicer.

If this unit is AA only, then stealth detection and a second ability is required, for example an AOE warhead that reduces enemy AA firepower or accuracy...

I am for Afterburners.
Detection is obvious, but it already has two upgrades full and its a lowest tier air unit.
Special warhead with special kind of effect tho... IDK.
I wanted anti-vehicle hallucination bomb load-out for Vertigo.
But yeah, who knows what Thunderbird could use or if it even has some need for.
Stealth, EMP.
It could maybe have blue tib. warhead AA cannons instead.
(like Kodiak which could use the AA railgun cannons very much)
We want mutants to have Flak AA defense cannon anyway.
I wonder if these in upper left corner structures are dual-barreled both ground and AA mutant T3 defenses:
Moddb.com

Yes, this is the reason I would like to have stealth detection as passive ability instead of an upgrade.

At least the cannon should do extra damage to light air units (jetpacks, stormriders, etc.), to "clean the sky against flies".

Afterbuner ok, but it should be slightly different from the Banshee, for example something useful against runaways enemy, something that "chases the target", for some seconds.

Do you want a battery of AA railguns? Aren't them similar to MammothII AA railgun? Or C&C4; Kodiak with AT railguns? Missiles may follow the enemies, they are fine for me.

AA flak cannon, no problem for me.

I'm not sure, the picture isn't too clear...

I forgot it, but detection could prove to be weird when trying to..just fly over ground stealth units,structures without ground attack, able to detect and see, but not to aquisition the ground target.

Thought exactly of that.
Just like starcraft 2 units(and vindicator)dealing bonus damage to..hmm, massive armored air and epic units as PAC,Devastator,Ravager,Kodiak,Leviathan,Banshee,Vertigo with Orcas and Firehawks and Hind with Floater.
And light/medium air scouts as jetpacks,stormriders,harpies and enemy thunderbirds having leeway.
Kodiak meant to be air support brought to deal with
enemy Kodiak,Banshees,and Leviathan in the first place.
GDI already has uberhueg amount of rockets, but no real deal as railguns on their air units.
Maybe both Thunderbird and Kodiak could rather use the better backlash AA rockets of Firehawk.

Afterburners or anything are probably redundant anyway. I guess Thunderbird will prove to be super fast chaser like Stormrider/Banshee as well.

That thing is definitely shooting tib. shards(Acid shells) againts those orcas.
Its probably just RA-like redone twin-barreled turret from this image
(lower-right corner): Moddb.com
But it has AA, thats what gets my attention.
Picture and instructions unclear.. xD
Maybe its just a garrisonable structure with mutant Flak troopers inside.
It also looks like that flying floater bunker on ground, remade into T3 defense :D

Sorry for my late. Don't worry, it is not strange since you got sensors and fly above an area, spy planes and spy drones work alike to detect enemy ground and air units, so giving the stealth detection is not a problem (same for a ground unit able to detect stealth air units).

If you want to balance TE airforce you should categorize air units into light and heavy. Some AA is more effective against light (jetpacks, Orca, Stormrider, etc.), some AA is more effective agianst heavy (capital ships, etc.), AA turrets should do extra damage against both classes. This can add more strategy and balance against spam of certain

My original idea of the Kodiak was a mobile heli/aircraft carrier, but since is not possible, instead of the missile salvos, it can spawn a group supersonic fighters. In this way can acquire more range against enemy air units and use the ion cannon to blast ground targets.

I guess it can be more original and fun.

Firehawk is supposed to be great against heavy air units, the rattlesnake missiles are excellent. Maybe decrease the ROF a bit, so can fire all the missiles against more targets (in some times, it fire missiles against already destroyed enemies).

If the afterburners are redundant, then think about something else to improve its AA capabilities.

In that picture I see only the AP/AT turrets... if you mean this picture, I can see an AA turret. Media.moddb.com

About T3 defense I've thought about a howitzer with AOE warheads that slow down enemy targets.

Maybe it will not mind,but this is not supreme commander.
Thunderbird is not a weaponless spy plane, its a dedicated AA air superiority fighter.
Stealth detector flying in circles is weird.
On the other hand, flying stealthed shadow squad has stealth detection too, though I would always prefer something as protoss probe instead.

Nope, all types of damage(gun,cannon,rocket,grenade and sniper) deals 100% to air units and forcefield shields.
All AA are rocket or gun and GDI AA defense changes from gun to cannon+mammoth walker upgrade being the only ones having (railgun) cannon type of AA.
Orca fighter/Firehawk is more like medium unit, Orca bomber is weirdly enough a light unit.
Jetpack trooper is an infantry, so it took only 75% of damage from rockets/missiles, it were reduced to 50%(probably),in TE 1.6
Thats why I want unique mutant AA flak cannon defense dealing grenade(blast radius) damage.
Rockets deal small area of effect damage too.
The Vindicator and all that bonus damage here or there, applying on this or that, may cause more troubles than it solves, after all.

Tried Kodiak.
In the end, the missile salvos proved good enough.

Firehawk absolutely sucks vs Banshee.
Single Banshee does not even need to use all its charges, so single Banshee can pwn 2 Firehawks like nothing.
Stormrider got its blast airburst plasma missile.
And this is where Thunderbird comes in.

TFM T3 defense is Mortar Tower dealing aoe and EMP.
So..oops.

It's not necessary to fly in circle, it could drop sensors...

"Nope, all types of damage(gun,cannon,rocket,grenade and sniper) deals 100% to air units and forcefield shields."

That's a pity, this means the AA weapons cannot be selective...

Orca bomber should be considered heavy that's weird. :S

Flying infantry should be more sensitive to AA bullets/particle beams/razorback ammunitions...

A blast radius for Forgotten AA turret is nice indeed.

"Firehawk absolutely sucks vs Banshee.
Single Banshee does not even need to use all its charges, so single Banshee can pwn 2 Firehawks like nothing."

Banshee needs some adjustments, first of all, it souldn't be more effective than a Vertigo against structures, each unit must respect its role, then the rate of fire should be decreased as well. It can destroy everything too quickly.

"TFM T3 defense is Mortar Tower dealing aoe and EMP."

No, I didn't mentioned EMP, I mentioned a downgrade in terms of performances, for example the speed and the firepower are temporary reduced, this doesn't mean the enemy cannot move, plus also infantry is affected. It's about an inverse voice of Kane.

Dropping sensors like old Orca, Falcon, active ability for detection, bleeh. Nope.

Technically, it, almost everything in statistics, as well as just a one unit effectiveness vs just one another unit can be altered. Or even use the bonus damage.

Flying infantry is infantry and Gun type of damage deals 100% of its damage to them. Jetpacks and flying Shadows falls down as flies. But inexplicably, GDI AA defense, even after railgun cannon upgrade sucks vs them. Weird.
Oh, I am sorry, I meant the vice versa, Jetpacks armor were reduced vs missiles in 1.6, old Jumpjet troopers were OP, back in 1.4.

Yes, Banshee anti-structure damage should be nerfed by atleast 25% and its anti-infantry effectiveness, aoe, accuracy and damage nerfed too. Maybe even its anti-vehicle and anti-air damage as well. XD Poor, poor GDI.
Hence the Kodiak came to be and buff to Firehawks must come just as certainly as winter. Banshee rate of fire is dakka dakka quite enough as well. Damn frikkin' flying plasma blaster wolwerine..

I know what you meant, something as KW Tiberium trooper slowing vehicles down probably, right? Its just that EMP does that too, though in absolute manners :D
EMP capabilites for mutants and scrin is what I am inherently interested about.
Bombard and Devourer proper buff is what I have on my mind.
Dont underestimate Defender flak cannon weaponry and mutant Flak troopers.
They are and will be awesome.
Moreover if Defender would be and is the only best candidate for mutant APC.
Together with obvious stealth detection by default.

Indeed, it should either have 2 Gatling guns (one on each wing) or a single Gatling gun in the middle, similar to the A-10. It should also be able to effectively strafe enemy infantry.