Helipad (Tiberian Dawn)

The Helipad is a support structure designed to build, refuel and rearm small aircraft such as s or s. Without it, the aircraft would be left without ammunition to perform any offensive role.

Background
The Brotherhood of Nod as well as the GDI used them as staging areas for their air forces during both the First and Second Tiberium Wars. While originally designed to support only rotary wing aircraft, these pads were adapted by GDI to support the new ORCA Assault Craft. The design little changed since the Second World War, as it has proven itself to be effective and allowed for quick rearming and refueling of the aircraft.

Game building
The cost of construction also includes the VTOL aircraft assigned to it. The aircraft is unique for each faction. If a faction can capture the other faction's helipad, chances are they can gain access to the aircraft unique only to that faction.

The facility is only to supply the aircraft. To repair an aircraft, the commander must put the aircraft to the repair pad for repairing and maintenance. Engineer and supply command provision enable captured VTOL aircraft originally available only to other faction to be reloaded, refuelled and replenished accordingly.

Interestingly due to a bug unique to Tiberian Dawn it actually builds at a rate as if it only has a cost of $300. This is due to game not considering the cost of the aircraft when determining the helipad's build rate. Since helipads only requires a barracks and has a fast build rate they can, funds permitting, be used to rush the enemies base early on, though this could of course be stopped by scouting and preparing a defence with rocket soldiers.

In Nod campaign and expansion missions, commanders cannot build helipads unless they capture a GDI construction yard. A bug means that helipads are still available to build without the captured GDI construction yard because Nod can freely build them in multiplayer.