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The A-143 Buzzard is a multi-role light attack jet used exclusively by the AAF in ArmA 3.

Overview[]

  • Roles:
    • Combat air patrol
    • Close air support
« The A-143 Buzzard is a single seat light multi-purpose combat aircraft able to carry a wide range of equipment and weaponry. A-143 Buzzard has seven weapon hardpoints, three under each wing and one under the fuselage. Close air support armament consists of 20 mm twin cannon, two Skalpel air-to-ground missiles, two laser guided GBU-12 bombs and two short range air-to-air missiles. Anti-air variant of Buzzard is fitted with 20 mm twin cannon, two short range air-to-air missiles and four long range air-to-air Zephyr missiles.
Field Manual
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Design[]

The Buzzard is a low-set, straight wing jet-powered aircraft with a double-taper planform. It is designed to be a low-cost aircraft capable of performing both ground attack and air interdiction missions.

Arma3-Buzzard-Loadout

A-143 pylon configuration

Armament
By default, the Buzzard is armed with a twin-barrelled 20 mm cannon that is loaded with 300 rounds of high-explosive (HE) shells.

The Buzzard has seven pylons (three on each wing and one under the fuselage) that support dynamic loadouts.

  • The two inner pylons (1-2) support:
    • Falchion-22 (1×)
    • ASRAAM (1×)
    • Zephyr (1×)
    • Macer (1×)
    • Scalpel (1×)
    • Scalpel (3×)
    • Shrieker HE (7×)
    • Shrieker AP (7×)
    • DAGR (12×)
    • DAR (12×)
    • GBU-12 (1×)
    • Mk-82 (1×)
    • CBU-85 (1×)
    • BL778 (1×)
  • The two middle pylons on each wing (3-4) are unable to carry any guided bombs or heavy air-to-ground missiles, but can still support the following munitions:
    • Falchion-22 (1×)
    • ASRAAM (1×)
    • Zephyr (1×)
    • Scalpel (1×)
    • Scalpel (3×)
    • Shrieker HE (7×)
    • Shrieker AP (7×)
    • DAGR (12×)
    • DAR (12×)
  • The two outer pylons (5-6) have even less options to choose from, but still retain the ability to carry most types of missiles and rockets:
    • Falchion-22 (1×)
    • ASRAAM (1×)
    • Zephyr (1×)
    • Scalpel (1×)
    • Shrieker HE (7×)
    • Shrieker AP (7×)
    • DAGR (12×)
    • DAR (12×)
  • The pylon that runs underneath the centreline of the fuselage (7) can only be changed to mount a single weapon:
    • Twin Cannon 20 mm
Arma3-buzzard-01

Depending on its loadout, the Buzzard can be easily turned into either a strike aircraft or light interceptor.

Features
Semi-stealthed by virtue of its design, the Buzzard is a flexible light plane which can fulfil either air-to-ground or air-to-air roles thanks in part to its comprehensive loadout options. It is also slingloadable by heavy-lift helicopters, allowing stranded or disabled Buzzards to be airlifted for repairs.

Drawbacks
The Buzzard has fairly average performance in all aspects. Though it handles better than the Wipeout, it isn't a true CAS jet even with its ground attack loadouts. It also lacks a passive anti-radiation radar like both its NATO and CSAT counterparts, greatly limiting its long-range strike capability.

Furthermore, the Buzzard's sensor suite can be described as mediocre at best. Its active radar pales in comparison to the Gryphon maximum range-wise, and it also cannot be armed with AMRAAM C missiles. Its sole "long-range" A2A missile for instance, Zephyrs, are largely hampered by their pitiful sensor ranges and extremely tight lock-on cones. Needless to say, the Buzzard is unable to perform the role of an air superiority fighter.

Lastly, because the Buzzard lacks a laser designator of its own, it is not able to self-designate targets for its own GBU-12 bombs. This forces the pilot to rely on spotters on the ground or other FAC assets to mark targets for them.

Crew Capacity
The Buzzard has a maximum crew capacity of just one. It cannot transport any passengers or crewmen.

Camouflage[]

  • Digital: Digitised three-tone green/olive semi-fractal camouflage pattern.
  • Brown Hex: Light/dark tan and mud brown cell pattern camouflage.
  • Grey Hex: Light/dark grey cell pattern camouflage.

Protection[]

The Buzzard has a base armour value of 55.

Hull[]

The jet's hull can withstand 220 points of damage. Will result in a total loss if the hull's "health" is depleted.

Engine[]

The Buzzard's engine can resist 165 points of damage before failing. It takes 400% increased damage from high-explosive (HE) type munitions.

If damaged: Decreases thrust output and can prevent the Buzzard from attaining its top speed.
If destroyed: Instantly blows up the Buzzard if the plane's integrity is at critical.

Instruments[]

The Buzzard's flight instruments and Multi-Functional Displays (MFD) can take up to 165 points of damage before failure. All instruments take 350% increased damage from HE-type munitions, and at least 50% of damage is also shared with the Buzzard's main "health" pool.

If damaged: Causes periodic flickering of MFD screens. Instruments remain fully functional.
If destroyed: The MFDs will be disabled. Instruments will malfunction and do not provide proper readings.

Fuel supply[]

The Buzzard has a total of three fuel tanks and two separate fuel lines running along the wings.

The primary fuel tank can survive 247.5 points of damage before rupturing (with a 400% damage penalty from HE-type munitions). The secondary tanks can only resist 137.5 points (they each have a 500% penalty), while the remaining two fuel lines can incur even less damage; immediately failing upon taking 99 points of damage (they suffer from only 300% increased damage to HE-type munitions).

Only damage against the primary (80%) and secondary fuel tanks (20%) can cause damage to the Buzzard's main "health" pool; the fuel lines do not transfer any damage even if they are destroyed.

If damaged: Gradual fuel leaking; will lose up to a maximum of 50% of the remaining fuel supply.
If destroyed: Rapidly lose entire fuel supply over the course of several seconds.

Control surfaces[]

The Buzzard's control surfaces consist of seven components:

  • Ailerons (left/right)
  • Elevators (left/right)
  • Rudder (centre)

Both the ailerons and elevators can survive 82.5 points of damage before failure. For the rudders, they can withstand 110 points of damage. All control surfaces take 300% increased damage from HE-type munitions. At least 30% of incoming damage inflicted upon any of the components is also shared with the Buzzard's main "health" pool.

Depending on the control surface's integrity, the jet's handling and agility will be degraded progressively. If multiple parts become disabled simultaneously, the Buzzard's stability will take a severe penalty and become nearly impossible to control at low airspeeds.

Stealth[]

Like the Gryphon, the Buzzard is not intended to serve as a stealth fighter. Its small size, however, allows it to remain hidden (to a limited degree) as a semi-stealth jet against all types of electronic sensors:

RCS[]

The Buzzard has a radar cross-section rating of 0.8, which lowers the maximum detection range of active radars by 20%.

IR[]

The Buzzard has reduced visibility on the infrared spectrum and can only be detected at 80% of an infrared-based sensor's maximum range (factor of 0.8; reduction of 20%).

Visual[]

The Buzzard is slightly more difficult to spot visually and will reduce the maximum range of any visual-based sensors to only 80% (factor of 0.8; reduction of 20%).

Sensors[]

The Buzzard has an array of sensors for both air-to-air and ground attack missions, though it is primarily optimised for close air support:

Sensor type Max range (Air/Ground) Min range (Air/Ground) Affected by environment? Target max speed (km/h) Azimuth coverage (°) Elevation coverage (°) Friendly identification range (m)
Active A: 8,000 m
G: 4,000 m
A: 8,000 m
G: 4,000 m
Terrain clutter (200 m) 1e+10 km/h 90° 90° 3,000 m
Infrared A: 4,000 m
G: 3,000 m
A: 500 m
G: 500 m
Fog (0.005%) 360 km/h 26° 20° 2,000 m
Laser A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
Nothing 1e+10 km/h 180° 180° 0 m
NV A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
A: 6,000 m
G: 6,000 m
Nothing 1e+10 km/h 180° 180° 0 m
Passive A: 16,000 m
G: 16,000 m
A: 16,000 m
G: 16,000 m
Nothing 1e+10 km/h 360° 360° 12,000 m
Visual A: 3,000 m
G: 2,000 m
A: 500 m
G: 500 m
Fog/Light (6%) 360 km/h 26° 20° 2,000 m

Active Radar[]

The Buzzard's Active Radar is forward-facing only. Targets will only become lockable once they get within the bounds of the sensor cone (represented by the teal cone on the SENSORS panel).

Note that although ground targets at distances below 200 metres remain "invisible" to the radar due to terrain clutter, any targets that are moving at speeds of ~ 100 km/h or greater will immediately become visible on the Buzzard's radar.

Infrared Sensor[]

The Buzzard's IR Sensor is located in the camera pod below the cockpit (represented by the red cone on the SENSORS panel). Although it is technically affected by heavy fog, the range reduction effect is so miniscule (-0.2 metre reduction) that it will be barely noticeable.

Laser Sensor[]

The Buzzard's Laser Sensor is forward-facing only. Any designated targets will become visible on the Buzzard's SENSORS panel only when the jet is (mostly) facing in the direction of the laser spot.

NV Sensor[]

The Buzzard's NV Sensor is forward-facing only. Any IR grenades on the ground will only become visible on the SENSORS panel when the Buzzard is (mostly) facing in the direction of the grenade.

Passive Radar[]

The Buzzard's Passive Radar can detect Active Radar threats in any direction (regardless of the jet's facing direction).

Visual Sensor[]

The Buzzard's Visual Sensor is located in the camera pod below the cockpit (represented by the yellow cone on the SENSORS panel). The Visual Sensor can be affected by heavy fog and can lose up to 6% of its range depending on its thickness. The Visual Sensor becomes completely blind at nighttime and very low-light conditions.

It should be noted that the Visual Sensor has an elevation offset of 1 degree.

Armament[]

NOTE: Only the weapons used for the default loadout are listed here. For full details on ordnance that can be mounted on the Buzzard, refer to the dynamic loadouts article.

Twin Cannon 20 mm[]

Arma3-vehicleweapons-a143buzzard-twincannon20mm
Main article: Dynamic loadouts#Twin Cannon 20 mm

Twin-barrelled 20 mm gun pod. Fires HE-based ammunition useful for Within Visual Range (WVR) dogfights, as well as for infantry and unarmoured/lightly armoured ground vehicles.

ASRAAM[]

Arma3-vehicleweapons-a143buzzard-asraam
Main article: Dynamic loadouts#ASRAAM

Short range infrared-guided air-to-air missile.

Relies on the Buzzard's IR Sensor to function.

Skalpel[]

Arma3-vehicleweapons-a143buzzard-skalpel
Main article: Dynamic loadouts#Skalpel

Infrared-guided anti-tank missile. Relies on the Buzzard's IR Sensor to function, though it can also be manually controlled via MCLOS through the pilot camera (a laser spot is not required for guidance).

GBU-12[]

Arma3-vehicleweapons-a143buzzard-gbu12
Main article: Dynamic loadouts#GBU-12

Laser-guided bomb. Relies on the Buzzard's Laser Sensor to function.

Predicted Impact Point assistance is provided for "aiming" with the GBU-12s if no external source of laser guidance is available.

Trivia[]

  • The Buzzard is a slightly modified version of the real-world Czech-made "L-159 Alca" jet trainer/light attack jet manufactured by Aero Vodochody.
  • The Buzzard was not originally featured as an asset in the Alpha and Beta. It would only be included as a usable plane after the game's full release (as part of Game Update 1.00).[1]
  • It is one of the few fixed-wing aircraft that are actually light (and compact) enough to be slingloadable by heavy transport helicopters like the Mi-290.
  • Before the release of the Jets DLC and the introduction of the dynamic loadouts system, the Buzzard was split into two sub-variants with unique armament: CAS (Classname: I_Plane_Fighter_03_CAS_F[2]) and AA (Classname: I_Plane_Fighter_03_AA_F[3]).
    • The CAS variant retained all of the current armament but also had a laser designator of its own. The AA variant on the other hand, was outfitted with four Zephyr missiles and two ASRAAMs but was not given a laser designator.
    • Both of these deprecated variants are still usable but simply remain hidden in the editor and the Curator module.[4] Through the use of scripting commands or a custom addon, it is possible to spawn them into the game and make use of their original loadouts without any issues.
  • Game Update 1.72 increased the engine's power output and also made it a bit more stable to fly.[5]
The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
  • Screenshots released during the pre-Alpha phase of ArmA 3's development indicated that the Buzzard was originally meant to be used by CSAT as well, similar to how the Strider used to be a NATO vehicle.[6][7]
    • By the time of the Alpha's release however, the Buzzard was changed to be used exclusively by the AAF. CSAT on the other hand, would not be getting their fixed-wing aircraft (in the form of the To-199 Neophron) until the release of the Win episode.[8]
    • The unused CSAT textures would not become available for use until the release of the Laws of War DLC, whereupon they were bundled in Game Update 1.76 as part of the (free) platform update.[9]

Gallery[]

Video[]

References[]

  1. van 't Land, J.J. 2013, SPOTREP #00010, Arma 3, viewed 25 August 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00010>.
  2. ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \a3\air_f_gamma\plane_fighter_03\config.bin, CfgVehicles >> I_Plane_Fighter_03_CAS_F
  3. ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \a3\air_f_gamma\plane_fighter_03\config.bin, CfgVehicles >> I_Plane_Fighter_03_AA_F
  4. Mořický, K et al. 2013, Arma 3: CfgVehicles GUER, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 24 August 2023, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3:_CfgVehicles_GUER>.
  5. Kovařič, V 2017, SPOTREP #00069, Arma 3, viewed 4 October 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00069>.
  6. East, O 2012, Bohemia Interactive Release New Screenshots Of ARMA III, JustPushStart, viewed 25 March 2023, <https://www.justpushstart.com/2012/02/bohemia-interactive-release-new-screenshots-of-arma-iii/>.
  7. Papadopoulos, J 2012, ArmA 3 – Community Alpha coming after E3, mod support confirmed, backward compatible with ArmA 2, DSOGaming.com, viewed 25 March 2023, <https://www.dsogaming.com/news/arma-3-community-alpha-coming-after-e3-mod-support-confirmed-backward-compatible-with-arma-2/>.
  8. van 't Land, J.J. 2014, SPOTREP #00021, Arma 3, viewed 25 March 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00021>.
  9. van 't Land, J.J. 2017, SPOTREP #00073, Arma 3, viewed 14 September 2017, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00073>.

External links[]

See also[]

Vehicles of comparable role and configuration[]

Vehicles of ArmA 3
Wheeled AFV-4 GorgonAMV-7 MarshallHatchbackHEMTTHunterIfritKartMB 4WDMSE-3 MaridOffroadProwlerQilinRhino MGS (UP) • StriderSUVTempestTractorTruckQuadbikeUGV StomperVanZamak (MRL)
Tracked 2S9 SochorAWC NyxBTR-K KamyshCRV-6e BobcatED-1D Mini UGV (ED-1E) • IFV-6a CheetahIFV-6c PantherFV-720 MoraM2A1 Slammer (A4 UP) • M4 ScorcherM5 SandstormMBT-52 KumaT-100 Varsuk (X Futura) • T-140 Angara (T-140K) • ZSU-39 Tigris
Rotor-wing AH-9 PawneeAH-99 BlackfootAR-2 DarterCH-49 MohawkCH-67 HuronDemining DroneMH-9 Hummingbird (M900) • Mi-48 KajmanMi-290 TaruMQ-12 FalconPO-30 OrcaUH-80 Ghost HawkUtility DroneWY-55 Hellcat
Fixed-wing A-143 BuzzardA-149 GryphonA-164 WipeoutCaesar BTTF/A-181 Black Wasp IIKH-3A FenghuangMQ-4A GreyhawkTo-199 NeophronTo-201 ShikraUCAV SentinelV-44X BlackfishY-32 Xi'an
Aquatic Assault BoatMotorboatRHIBSpeedboatSDVWater Scooter
(Parenthesis) denote variants.
Karts DLC | Helicopters DLC | Apex DLC | Jets DLC | Laws of War DLC | Tanks DLC | Contact DLC
Arma3-factionicon-aaf AAF - Vehicles (ArmA 3)
Wheeled AFV-4 GorgonQuadbikeStriderUGV StomperZamak (MRL)
Tracked AWC NyxED-1D Pelter (ED-1E Roller) • FV-720 MoraMBT-52 Kuma
Rotor-wing AR-2 DarterAL-6 PelicanCH-49 MohawkWY-55 Hellcat
Fixed-wing A-143 BuzzardA-149 GryphonK40 Abalil-3
Aquatic Assault Boat (Rescue) • Speedboat MinigunSDV
Parenthesis denote variants.
Jets DLC | Laws of War DLC | Tanks DLC | Contact DLC
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