AI Airborne Assaults

AI Airborne Assaults

The AI can finally launch airborne assaults.

In vanilla Hearts of Iron IV, the AI does not properly use paratroopers. At most, it may occasionally deploy paratrooper divisions as regular infantry — but it does not conduct actual airborne operations.

AI Airborne Assaults changes that.

The mod introduces a custom system that allows AI-controlled countries to launch simulated airborne assaults against enemy territory.

Your frontline is no longer the only place you need to defend.

Features

• AI-controlled countries can launch airborne assaults

• Air assaults require a sufficient number of fighter aircraft

• The strength of the enemy air force is taken into account before an operation can be launched

• Enemy airborne assaults can strike territory behind your frontline

• The number and division templates of deployed paratroopers depend on the industrial strength of the attacking country.

• A sufficient number of anti-air buildings in a state can prevent airborne assaults.

• Players are informed when an enemy airborne assault takes place

• A built-in cooldown prevents spam, allowing each enemy country to launch an airborne assault only once every few months.

• Designed to integrate naturally into normal HOI4 gameplay

How does it work?

Instead of relying on the vanilla paradrop mechanic, the mod uses its own system to represent AI airborne operations.

This is intentionally an abstraction.

The AI does not execute normal player-style paradrop orders. Instead, the mod simulates an airborne assault when the necessary conditions are met.

The goal is not to replace or rework the vanilla paradrop system, but to give the AI a believable way to conduct airborne operations despite its limitations with the existing mechanic.

Air Superiority Matters

The AI cannot simply launch airborne assaults whenever it wants.

Its available fighter aircraft and the size of the enemy air force are taken into account. A country must therefore possess sufficient air power before an airborne operation becomes possible.

A weak air force means no airborne assault.

Compatibility

Important: This mod is now compatible with most mods.

AI Airborne Assaults adjusts the AI research weighting for:

• Paratrooper technologies

• Transport plane technologies

These changes are necessary to encourage AI-controlled countries to research the technologies required for airborne operations in the first place.

Mods that modify the technology tree may overwrite or conflict with these changes.

Why this mod?

Paratroopers are one of the most interesting mechanics in Hearts of Iron IV, but when fighting the AI, you normally never have to worry about enemy airborne operations.

This mod changes that.

Guard important territory behind your lines.

Protect your airspace.

And don't assume that being behind the frontline means being safe.

Expect enemy paratroopers where you previously never had to worry about them.