Air Express fighters and troop-carriers found the Air Raiders' base in northern Nebraska and attacked with speed, trying to recover the ton of bullion before the Raiders moved it away from the base.
The battle can use any large map grid or not bother to have a map at all. The only features of the battlefield are the Air Raiders' runway (four standard straight road sections laid out end-to-end) and their makeshift hangars (three 6" by 6" buildings spaced next to the runway. The hangars are DP 2(10)). The battlefield is an austere airfield consisting of three hangars next to an unused section of highway.
The Air Raiders have $150,000 to construct their microplanes and/or helicopters. They must build at least one tilt-rotor microplane capable of carrying 5 spaces and 2,000 lbs. of cargo with a Cargo Door in the roof (no top turrets) and one tilt-rotor or helicopter capable of carrying 6 passengers (these functions may be incorporated into the same tilt-rotor microplane). They may use the aircraft remaining from the end of The Great Airship Robbery if the players have played that scenario first. No damage has been repaired. The Air Raiders also have $100,000 to construct mobile AA carriers - all AA guns must be mobile, as this is not a permanent base. Finally, the Air Raiders have $20,000 to arm the crews of the aircraft and the ground techs - 15 men in all.
The Air Express force has $150,000 to construct a force of microplanes and/or helicopters to attack the base. Tiltrotor planes or helicopters must be constructed to haul the 1~man assault team (who get an extra $30,000 for equipment only) and 2,000 lbs. of cargo for the gold. One aircraft may satisfy both requirements if it can.
The Air Express forces enter from any direction at any speed and altitude, although they may not be above 900 feet (60"). All Air Raiders aircraft are in the hangars, turned off. Air Raiders vehicles may be anywhere within 20" of the hangars, which are built anywhere within 10" of the airstrip. Air Raiders pedestrians must be inside the hangars - the Air Raiders player secretly notes which pedestrians are in each hangar. In addition one hangar must be secretly designated as holding the gold.
Pedestrians have 20 skill points for ground skills and an additional 40 points for aircraft skills. The Air Express assault team members are all Handgunner-2, Running-i. Air Raider vehicle crews and Air Express aircraft crews have 40 skill points (no more than 30 in any one skill).
The Air Express forces must land their assault team, locate the gold and defeat or drive off all Air Raiders present to win. The Air Raiders win by avoiding these conditions.
AA Mounts - Although any vehicle with a universal turret can be considered an anti-aircraft vehicle, true AA mounts are not turrets but open multi-gun universal mounts allowing large weapons to be installed in open cargo areas (like flatbeds, pickup beds and open-topped cargo vehicles). They are large and slow but can have the weaponry to destroy microplanes in a single salvo. Each mount holds a gunner, like a cupola - the gunner's space is already figured into the mount's spaces, although the gunner's 1 50 lbs. of weight are not. The gunner does not receive the + 1 to hit that cupola gunners do.
The mounts come in four sizes:
Gun Rancher - Pickup, x-hvy. chassis, super power plant, OR suspension, 6 OR solid tires, driver, VMG front, four-space AA mount with 2 linked VMGs and gunner, SWC for AA mount and front VMG. Cargo capacity: 120 lbs., 1 space. Sloped Armor: F30, L30, R30, B30, T30, U20. 10 points of armor on the AA mount. Acceleration 5, HG 2 (3 off-road); 7,800 lbs., $28,464.
Gun Truck - Cabover truck with 1 5' flatbed, std. chassis, small oversized power plant, 6 solid truck tires, driver, universal-turreted RR with magazine, twelve-space AA mount with 4 linked ACNs and gunner, fire ext., SWHRC for RR and AA mount. Cab Armor: F40, L25, R25, B20, T40, U20. Flatbed Armor: U20. Six 10-point wheelguards, 10 points of armor on the AA mount. Cargo capacity: 55 lbs., 2 spaces. 15,000 lbs., $78,200.