Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Dive Bombing

Dive Bombing is one of the Minutemen's support powers.

Overview
"YEEEEEHAW."

-The first, and final, warning anti-air weapons crew hears before the Wild Weasels comes.

The Minutemen Air Force is not made for a straight fight. Even the vaunted Hawker must use its fiber optic camouflage to make hit-and-run attacks before disappearing again into the ground. So how do the Minutemen support their own ground assaults? They use a design made for reliability. They use the Stuka.

Of course, the Aquilans/Voshkod would have no trouble taking down a Stuka using their oh-so-pretty SAM/Flak defenses, but SAM/Flak technology can't go everywhere, especially when an Aquilans/Voshkod column is on the move. So the Stukas have found a new use for their cannons and bombs; the growing concept of Close Air Support.

First, Minutemen spotters contact the nearest Minutemen air base with the coordinates of an enemy position, often an armored column or large patrol. The coordinates are relayed to the Stuka squadron, and depending on the gravity of the situation, anywhere from a single Stuka to an entire squadron will close in on and bombard the enemy positions with concentrated bombs and autocannon fire. This can either serve as the lead-up to an ambush or the final mopping up of enemy forces.

Though tough, Minutemen commanders have learned the hard way that the Stuka are still vulnerable to being shot down en route to their objective.