Hangar (EU2012)

The Hangar with three Interceptors armed with Plasma Cannons, one Firestorm armed with a Fusion Lance, and the Skyranger.

Crafts

Interceptor Raven - the initial interceptor aircraft designed to shoot down alien UFO craft once spotted. The game starts with two of these aircraft. Procurement Cost: §40 Maintenance Cost per Month: §20 Firestorm An upgraded interceptor Variable Procurement Cost: §200, 20x Elerium, 40 Alloys (Halved if have NA bonus) Fixed Procurement Cost: 1 UFO Power Source, 2x UFO Flight Computer, 20 Engineers Maintenance per Month: §10

Transport Skyranger - a transport aircraft to insert your soldiers into the tactical, turn-based portion of the game. You start the game with a single Skyranger and you may not build anymore. Procurement Cost: NA Maintenance Cost per Month: §20

Weapon Systems

Avalanche Missiles

This air to air weapon has unprecedented precision. All interceptors start equipped with these missiles.

Phoenix Cannon

The Phoenix Cannon has very limited range but is capable of dealing out massive burst damage to any alien craft. Available to Engineer by completing "Experimental Warfare" research.

Laser Cannon

The super cooled laser cannons have high armor penetration but interceptors must be within short range to use them putting them at high risk. Available to Engineer by completing "Beam Weapons," then "Heavy Lasers" research.

Plasma Cannon

Plasma Cannons are the most effective solution to removing UFO threats from the sky. It has long range, decent fire rate, and high armor penetration. Available to Engineer by recovering intact Light Plasma Rifles, completing their research, and followed by "Plasma Cannon" research.

EMP Cannon

The EMP cannon is a perfect weapon for retrieving the maximum amount of supplies from downed Alien craft. Short range, but powerful enough that you won't mind. When using this weapon on ships, expect to encounter all its crew since the ship is mostly intact. Available to Engineer by completing the "New Fighter Craft" research tree, then the EMP Cannon research itself.

Fusion Lance

The Fusion Lance is the most powerful weapon that can be equipped on the Firestorm, and only the Firestorm. This weapon is capable of dealing out massive damage from a long range. While its fire rate is slow, each hit blasts through armor easily. Available to research after downing a Battleship and recovering it's Fusion Cores (note that their construction material cost doesn't include a Core: you can build as many you want as long as you have the Elerium, alloys and money. The cores are only necessary for the construction of it's sister project, the Blaster Launcher).

Defense Matrix

One time use when interceptors are in combat with UFOs. Boosts the evasion capabilities of the interceptor allowing your ships to predict enemy firing patterns. In practice, using this will cause the next two attacks against the Interception craft to miss, making it great for closing with a short range weapon. Available to Engineer after Floater Autopsy.

UFO Tracking

One time use when interceptors are in combat with UFOs. Provides a temporary boost to interceptor's speed when pursuing UFOs. This raises your engagement time with any UFO encountered granting you a higher probability of taking down the large UFOs. In practice, this stops the countdown timer for five seconds, giving you a bit more time to shoot down the UFO. Also reduces approach time for close-range weapons (Phoenix, Laser, EMP). Available to Engineer after Cyberdisc Autopsy.

Uplink Targeting

One time use when interceptors are in combat with UFOs. Once this module is activated, XCOM interceptors will gain a boost to its accuracy. In practice, this means the next two shots fired by the interception craft will hit. Available to Engineering after Sectoid Autopsy.

Interceptor Upgrades

Item	Hit Chance	Range	Fire Rate	Damage	Armor Pen.	Credits	Alien Alloys	Elerium	Extra Costs	Min. Engineer
Avalanche Missiles	70%	Long	Slow	Low	Low	0	0	0	None	0
Phoenix Cannon	95%	Short	Rapid	Low	Low	35	0	0	None	5
Laser Cannon	85%	Short	Rapid	Low	Medium	40	25	0	None	10
Plasma Cannon	85%	Long	Medium	Medium	High	135	25	25	None	20
EMP Cannon	100%	Short	Medium	High	High	150	25	15	None	30
Fusion Lance	90%	Long	Slow	High	High	100	20	15	None	30
Defense Matrix						50			3 Floater Corpses	5
UFO Tracking						20			2 Cyberdisc Wrecks	10
Uplink Targeting						10			3 Sectoid Corpses	5

Interception Tactics

Time...

Note that it take 3 days to transfer either Interceptor, or to buy a Raven, 14 (or 7 days with Rapid Construction, a late-game Foundry Project) to build a Firestorm, 24 hours to change either kind of Interceptor's weapons, and dismissing an Interceptor immediatley returns it's weapon to your inventory. A detected UFO (landed or in-flight) will remain on the map for about 6 hours before leaving, often spawning a Battleship that is scanning to destroy your hard-earned satellite, if it is not subsequently intercepted itself (if a satellite is destroyed, that country immediately goes into full Panic, and the whole continent's panic levels also rise). You can idle on the Mission Control screen at the speed of about 1 minute a second, if it comes down to the wire. Beyond the Battleship Summon, letting a UFO go only affects the monthly score (which itself does not affect gameplay), and gets you nagged at by Central, and possibly the Spokesman during the Monthly Report.

...& Money

For cost's sake: only bother putting an Interceptor on a continent with a satellite on it, as otherwise it will not be called to action, as you will not be able to detect any UFOs at all over it. North America's Cover Bonus (3 satellites needed, or setting your home base there) is Air and Space: "All aircraft and aircraft weapons cost 50% less to purchase, build and maintain." Lastly, when constructing Firestorms, initial cost is reduced by the number of Engineers, and if you have Workshop base facilities placed next to each other, you get refunds of money, alloys, and Elerium when a Firestorm is completed.

Practice

You begin all games with two Ravens at your home base equipped with Avalanche Missiles, and for the first and second month, this will be all you need, even on Impossible Difficulty: Scouts and Large Scouts will fall easily enough to one basic Raven. If the first satellite you put up (besides the one already up as your Home Base satellite) is on another continent, consider moving the second Raven to that continent's hangar the same day, so both will be ready on the same time (and do so about 4-5 days before the end of the month: if a country is covered before the end of the month, Abductions will no longer occur on it, making you potentially 'waste' the -3 Panic that placing a satellite gives).

However, when Abductor ships begin to appear...

Keeping pace with Interceptor-related research is ideal, so that even if you don't have the resulting items on hand, that with enough time between a savestate and the appearance of a larger UFO, you can buy and install a stronger weapon, and/or at least buy another Raven for that continent. If you have 2 or more Interceptors on one continent, then like earlier games, you can send them both after a single UFO-- just not at the same time: the Interceptor you send out before the next has to either return to base, or be destroyed, before sending the next one. Besides a missed UFO summoning a battleship, it is a rare -- but not unheard of -- occurrence that two UFOs will appear over a continent within a few days of one another, and repair times are much kinder than in the 1994 game: though if you can afford it, two interceptors a continent is still good for peace of mind and for just-in-case.

Worst case (but still winnable) scenario is having to wait 5 hours for weapon installations to be completed (ie: Phoenix Cannons on two Ravens), sending the first Interceptor to the larger UFO (Abductor) and letting it attack until it is destroyed, then sending the second right after it, which may or may not reach the UFO, depending on the completely random path the UFO takes (even if savescumming right before, a UFO doesn't take the same path (though it will always be over the same country: probably pre-chosen at the start of each month, or some weeks ahead of time), and a reload may place it on a reachable flight path for both of your craft).

Naturally, researching for a Firestorm is a priority (in any order, both "Alien Navigation Computer" and the "UFO Power Source", then "New Fighter Craft"), and you should hoard recovered NavComps (though you may want to use two of them early on for a Satellite Nexus) and Power Sources away from Grey Market or Council sales until you have at least 1 Firestorm for each continent. You need 2 navcomps and 1 power source per Firestorm, and are more likely to have a surplus of the computers, so you may risk selling them, especially if you reach, say, a 10 comp 5 power source quota (or however many left to put a Firestorm on each continent). Note that Firestorms will always be built on your Home Base, so plus the Interceptor you should always have there, that mean you can only build 3 at a time (or, spend up to two weeks without an interceptor over your base. Obviously, a bad idea), and that it is also another 3 days to transfer, and one more day to give it the latest weapon. The best way to get Firestorms out to each continent without gimping yourself at home is usually to first get Plasma Cannons. Then, put two Ravens at your home base with Plasma Cannons and order two Firestorms. These two Plasma Cannon equipped Interceptors should be enough to bring down anything that comes your way while you wait for the Firestorms. Equip your first two Firestorms with whatever weapon suits your fancy (Plasma Cannons, EMP Cannons or Fusion Lances). Once they're ready, move the two Interceptors elsewhere, along with one of your new Firestorms, leaving your other one at home. Build three more Firestorms. Equip them and send them out. Provided you have enough materials, this can get you one Firestorm on each Continent with whatever weapon you so desire in 33 days:

• Day 1: First two Firestorms are ordered.
• Day 14: First two Firestorms are completed and equipping begins.
• Day 15: First two Firestorms are equipped. Hanger is cleared, next three Firestorms enter production.
• Day 18: Firestorm shipped off from home continent arrives, 2 continents covered.
• Day 29: Second batch of Firestorms are built, begin equipping.
• Day 30: Second batch of Firestorms are equipped and sent out.
• Day 33: Second Batch of Firestorms arrive at destinations, all 5 continents are covered.

Your weapons for Interceptors have to be researched and, as mentioned, it is good to at least research them in advance, so that you can buy them from engineering (while it's a 24 hour installation, their construction is immediate) as needed (though, of course, if you can afford it, you should equip all craft with the latest available weapons ASAP). As stated, Avalanche Missiles are sufficient for Scouts and Large Scouts. The Phoenix Cannon is also good, though your interceptors may get battered closing the distance required. Once in range, the firing rate and accuracy tends to outweigh the risks of approaching. The Phoenix Cannon will generally add some peace of mind if you find yourself really stretched thin on Interceptors in the early parts of the game. If you manage to capture and interrogate a Muton during their first appearance (usually in the 3rd month), they give a research credit to Plasma Weapons, starting with the Light Plasma Rifle, then to the long-distance, medium-rate, high-damage Plasma Cannon, often 'sequence breaking' over the short-range Laser Cannon, especially if you find yourself wanting for Plasma Weapons for most of your troops rather than Heavy Lasers for only the Heavy class. The Plasma Cannon itself is a highly effective weapon that will quickly become your go-to weapon for your interceptors and you wouldn't be harming yourself if you equipped every plane you had (Firestorm or Raven) with Plasma Cannons and called it a day. By about this time, you may be completing the research for the Firestorm, which leads to the ability to research the EMP Cannon, a must-have for recovering max amounts of alloys, computers, and Power Sources-- though at the cost of leaving more aliens alive (note that, unlike earlier XCOM games, there is never any DOA/Instant Win occasions of a UFO Crash having no survivors, or exploding outright). Lastly, the Fusion Lance, used by alien Battleships, found only after destroying a Battleship (or with the Slingshot DLC) and usable only by the Firestorm, is for making sure the UFOs die and stay dead. Not even a Battleship will be able to withstand a Fusion Lance.

Modules are of moderate use, but can be helpful for your early-game dogfights. Their construction requires the corpses of Sectoids and Floaters (for Targeting and Defense, respectively), both of which tend to dissapear late-game, and Cyberdisk wreckage (Tracking) (which, in Impossible mode, seem to be fully replaced by Sectopods as soon as the aliens begin to field them).

• The Targeting module is of somewhat unpredictable use, as it guarantees the next two shots, which may or may not have hit anyways, possibly 'wasting' it. The Avalanche Missiles are the most innacurate weapons by a large margin; while they would benefit from this module, you should be phasing the Missiles out at the earliest oppertunity anyways. The higher accuracy of all other weapons negates this module's effectiveness.
• The Defense module guarantees that the UFO's next two shots miss: more useful in that it's more likely that you are to be hit than you are to miss, the ideal time to use this is when the next shot the aliens take is likely to destroy your Interceptor, particularly for a Battleship's slow Fusion Lance shots.
• The Tracking module extends the time your Interceptor is allowed to actually fire on a UFO before being forced to return to base. It also shortens the approach time for your short-range weapons, so you can get firing sooner and (idealy) take less damage meantime. Not too useful if you keep up with research, and get Firestorms ASAP: only the Overseer UFO and Battleships have a chance of outrunning/timing out a Firestorm.

Speaking of which: the Overseer UFO, like the Alien Base Assault, is a one time storyline mission, and you can (somewhat) dictate when it will appear (a few hours to a few weeks after completion of the Hyperwave Uplink base facility). It is recommended to take it down with a Firestorm equipped with Plasma Cannons or better, as the UFO has both a small and a double-Plasma Cannon, and fires both of them with impunity. It does carry a large supply of Elerium, stored in a unique 4-part set of "Double Generators" (not a research project, so don't worry), so you may want to use EMP Cannons.

The first UFO contact is always a Small Scout, and in the next month of April, you will begin to encounter Large Scouts, both of which should be easy prey for your starting 2 Ravens, even with the basic missiles (unless you're having a really unlucky day). Abductors will be the first UFOs you may have trouble with, starting in May. Supply Barges tend to appear in June, and have a significant firepower increase over the smaller UFOs. Battleships are also on equal footing with a Firestorm equipped with Plasma, EMP, or Fusion weapons, but fortunately, don't appear randomly until very late game (more often in August than July), and a speed-run (or lucky) game may not see them at all: otherwise, you can allow a UFO to escape if you feel confident about attempting to take one down, for the sake of completion and resources and experience, as it attempts to destroy your satellite network (incidentally, UFO's that are an active risk for attacking your satellite will be noted by Central to be having "a strange signal, like it's searching for something", and will be on the map with a scanning highlight (concentric rings)).

Perfect

The ideal endgame Interceptor situation is two Firestorms on each continent (or three if you want to feel redundant): one with a Fusion Lance, the other with either another Lance, or EMP cannons if you wish to farm UFOs (ie: more aliens to kill to level the Psi soldiers you've been buying with the money made on Grey Market sales from Computers, Sources, Elerium, and Alloys) (and the third with Plasma Cannons, because why not? Not like you can sell, say, those Phoenix Cannons you no longer need). With the strategy of sending the first Firestorm to soften the target (and abort before it gets destroyed), then sending the second to finish it off, even Battleship interceptions can become routine, without the use of modules, negating the need for the now-rare Floater and Sectoid corpses (additionally, on Impossible Difficulty, Cyberdisks also become rare in late-game months). Additionally, having 1 or 2 (depending on how many Firestorms you have) regular Interceptors with Plasma Cannons can add a safety net to your coverage. These can deal with smaller threats without risking your heavier hitters giving you some peace of mind for when XCOM decides to be XCOM and immediately throw a Battleship at you after you splashed a Small Scout.

As a final note, NEVER EVER hesitate to abort an interception, especially if you have more planes waiting in the wings, your interceptor is equipped with something stronger than Avalanche Missiles or your interceptor is a Firestorm. As long as the UFO dies, you won't have a problem with the Council or Central, even if it takes all 4 interceptors, and only if you have extraordinarily bad luck will you get a second UFO over the same continent before any of your interceptors are back on their feet.

Damage Table

Matchups proven winnable without the use of modules:

Difficulty	Easy	Normal	Classic	Impossible
Scout	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles
Large Scout	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles (misses and timeout may make it x2)
Abductor	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles	1xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles (Phoenix Cannon recommended)	2xRaven w/Phoenix Cannon or 3xRaven w/Avalanche Missiles	1xRaven w/Laser or 2xRaven w/Phoenix Cannon
Supply Barge	1xRaven w/Phoenix Cannon	2xRaven w/Phoenix Cannon (x1 possible)	1xRaven w/Laser Cannon	2xRaven w/Laser Cannon
Battleship	1xRaven w/Plasma Cannon	2xRaven w/Plasma Cannon (x1 possible)	1xFirestorm w/Laser Cannon	1xFirestorm w/Plasma or EMP Cannon

Notes

• Unlike the original, Avalanche Missiles are now available in infinite quantity and are equipped for free on all incoming craft.
• The Fusion Lance can only be equipped on a Firestorm.
• Boost, Uplink, and Dodge modules can only be used once (each) per Interception. (As cool as it would be, you can't use your Sectoid, Floater, and Cyberdisc corpse stores to sink a Battleship using an Interceptor with Avalanche missiles.)