Skyranger

The Skyranger is a troop transporter with Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) capabilities. It is one of your most critical assets, as it the only way to get your soldiers to the scene of any Alien Missions (apart from when aliens attack your base). The Skyranger is also the only way for you to retrieve all the Alien Artefacts needed to research the production of newer types of craft.

General Information

The Skyranger has a top speed of 760 knots and a large fuel capacity, allowing it to reach any point on the globe. It is capable of transporting up to fourteen X-COM soldiers, or a mix of soldiers and Heavy Weapons Platforms.

Each Skyranger has a $500,000 price tag: this is both an order price and a monthly fee, making it expensive to keep several Skyrangers at your base(s). It is usually best not to order a new Skyranger near the end of a month, as you will pay a full months' rent even if it has only been at your base for a day. However, if the aircraft hasn't arrived yet, no rent will be due. Because it takes 72 hours for a Skyranger to be delivered, you can order them up to 71 hours before the end of a given month in order to avoid that month's rent.

Unlike transferring employees, you still pay the rental for Skyrangers that are transferring between bases at the end of the month, although you probably do get to save the wages of any soldiers on board at the time.

Fuel Usage and Refuelling

While airborne, the Skyranger consumes fuel at the rate of 7 units (0.466%) every ten minutes, at top speed. This gives the Skyranger a maximum (radial) range of 13,553 nautical miles, while being airborne for 17h, 50m. Its maximum (distance) range would be 27,106 nautical miles, while being airborne for 35h, 40m (nearly one and half days).

While patrolling in an area, fuel consumption is cut to 3 units every ten minutes, allowing for a maximum stationary patrol time of 83hrs, 20m. This gives it the most fuel capacity of any ship in the game, and as it can stay in the air for a maximum of around 3.5 days the Skyranger remains the best craft for performing sweeps for suspected alien bases throughout the game. Compare to the Avenger, for example, which can remain in the air for a maximum of 5 hours

After a flight, the Skyranger refills its tanks at 3.33% every half hour, on the half hour. (Since you don't see decimals, refuelling follows a pattern of +3%, +3%, +4% fuel.) Thus it can take up to 15 hours (30 half hours) to refuel, if on empty. It will then perform a rearming step, even though it has no weapons. It will drop out of rearming status and be ready to fly when the clock is next straight up on an hour. Thus, rearming will either take a half hour (if fuelling ended at XX:30) or an hour (if fuelling ended at XX:00).

Vital Statistics

Maximum Speed:	760
Acceleration:	2
Fuel Capacity:	1,500
Weapon Pods:	None
Damage Capacity:	150
Cargo Space:	14
Initial/Monthly Fee:	$500,000
HWP Capacity:	3

See Also

• Lightning - New Fighter-Transporter
• Avenger - Ultimate Craft
• Data Canister: Skyranger