Firehawk (Tiberium Wars)

"Firehawk, docked and ready!"

- Firehawk

The Firehawkis a GDI fighter-bomber in Tiberium Wars and Kane's Wrath.

Background
The Firehawk fast attack jet is a dynamically unstable airframe that requires computer control to stay in flight – but the resulting air combat performance is unparalleled. The onboard AI also helps pilots with targeting, threat assessment and tracking, weapon control, and navigation. Connected through a neural link, the AI and the pilot work together seamlessly, combining the best of computer and human being.

The Firehawk can carry either air-to-ground or air-to-air load-out, which can be switched at an airfield. They can also be equipped with optional rocket boosters that allow the aircraft to punch into the stratosphere and go near-orbital in order to hop over enemy air defences. However, they are vulnerable to AA fire in the actual target zone during the re-entry after the boost phase.

Legacy
After the Third Tiberium War, the Firehawk underwent several changes and is still used by the time of Ascension Conflict. A redesigned version was frequently seen.

Game unit
"We're heating up!"

- An Unfortunate Firehawk

While Nod's Vertigo Bombers take advantage of stealth to strike targets, GDI's Firehawks use extreme speed to reach targets quickly, fire their payload, then move back to base. Firehawks have the distinction of being one of the best air-to-air units in the game, since they can often destroy or damage enemy aircraft without giving them a chance to do much damage, if any, in return. In addition, the Stratofighter Boosters upgrade allows them to move anywhere on the field unharmed when activated, allowing them to either bypass enemy defenses and bomb the inside of a base, or to escape pursuing air units and appearing back at base.

ZOCOM has access to the Ceramic Armor upgrade, which improves the health of firehawks. The standard GDI faction instead has addition to the Hardpoints upgrade, allowing Firehawks to carry 50% more ammunition.

When landed, Firehawks can be configured to either carry bombs or missiles, but not both. In this way, they can serve as agile strike bombers or as interceptor craft, depending on the current needs of their commander.

While Firehawks may initially seem totally superior to Orcas, they aren't always. Orcas are cheaper, are available earlier and are more suited to taking on vehicles. Orcas can also carry several rockets which they fire at a manageable rate, making them better suited to engaging multiple targets at a time, while the Firehawk usually drops all of its bombs on one target. Orcas are also generally more effective at dealing with heavily armored vehicles like tanks, which is something that Firehawk bombs aren't nearly as good at. Firehawks are still generally superior at surviving attacks against anti-air units and are more efficient at levelling buildings and wiping out infantry clumps due to their very high speed and grenade-type damage, respectively.

A pair of Firehawks can destroy an anti-air turret in a single bombing run, and can expect to survive if they don't take damage from anything along the way. They are good at harassment and wearing down opponents' bases that have a deficiency in anti-air, due to their good survivability. Firehawks do Splash damage with both its missiles and bombs.

Changelog

 * Tiberium Wars patch 1.05:
 * now fires its missile loadout in volleys, improving the Firehawk's ability to quickly damage groups of enemy aircraft.
 * Firehawks equipped with Stratofighter boosters will no longer fly in stacked on top of each other when groups of Firehawks are ordered to use the ability at the same time
 * added ammunition counters to the portrait
 * added ambient reload sound effects
 * Kane's Wrath patch 1.01:
 * fixed a desync that occurs when engaging Firehawks with Seekers
 * Firehawks no longer force-fire at the ground when loaded with anti-air missiles and group-selected with ground units
 * Hardpoints upgrade no longer decreases Firehawk anti-air missile speed

When created

 * Firehawk, docked and ready!

When selected

 * Firehawk, standing by.
 * Firehawk here!
 * We're clear!
 * Looking good.
 * Ready for coordinates!
 * Bomber standing by!
 * All set!

When moving

 * Firehawk on its way!
 * New course received!
 * Roger that, command!
 * Acknowledged!
 * We'll take that area!
 * Copy that.

When using stratofighter boosters

 * Going up!
 * Let's take her up!
 * Up and over!

When attacking with missiles

 * Target confirmed!
 * This one's mine!
 * I'll take this!
 * Approaching target!
 * No problem!
 * We're going in!
 * I see 'em!
 * It's a go!
 * We have a lock!

When attacking with bombs

 * Ready to fire bomb!
 * Target for fire bomb!
 * This should clear it out!
 * Bombing sequence confirmed!

When returning to base

 * Got it, returning to base!
 * That's an RTB!
 * Prepare to land!

When retreating

 * Abort mission!
 * We've been hit, return to base!

When crashing

 * Hold on!
 * Mayday!
 * We're heating up!

Trivia

 * The Firehawk uses an M-shaped wing with canards (forward stabilisers). While the particular wing shaped was never put to pracical use, the simpler forward-swept wing was used on Grumman X-29 and Sukhoi S-37 prototypes.