Carrier Command 2/Weapons

The vehicles of Carrier Command 2 can equip a variety of weapons and equipment to change how they fight. Most vehicles have two types of slots: usually one primary slot for the unit's main weapon and a few secondary slots for equipment like missile decoys.

Islands build the guns themselves (turrets) as well as their ammunition, which is separated into Small Munitions and Large Munitions. Small Munitions generally consists of bullets and artillery rounds, while Large Munitions usually includes missiles, bombs, and other explosives.

An unlisted weapon type is the 15mm Cannon, used only by AI Seals on low level islands. A vastly inferior item to anything fielded by the player, the 15mm cannon functions identically to the other cannons, but deals less damage. The only way to operate this cannon yourself is to capture an island with a turret equipped with the 15mm cannon.

Aircraft Chaingun
The principal aircraft weapon, the aircraft chaingun is usable by all aircraft. It is a no-frills, rapid fire weapon mostly used against ground targets in gun runs, or against slow-flying aircraft like Razorbills and Petrels. It is highly ineffective against ships and bears.

Turning WW2-style dogfights are very uncommon and most dogfights are settled with long range AA missiles.

Even if you don't use the aircraft chaingun on your units, it is advised to keep a healthy stock of 20mm ammunition on your carrier to keep its CIWS working.

Official Description: Aircraft-mounted chaingun.

Ammo Description: Chain gun ammunition.

30mm Cannon
The standard weapon used by seals and walruses to attack both air and ground targets. It is an autocannon. unlocked by default on all games. The 30mm has notable damage falloff - it can scratch albatrosses at higher altitude, but at lower altitudes it can destroy the albatross very easily.

Autocannons, when used by the AI, have a significant accuracy reduction when engaging aerial units. If you're in an aircraft, keep your distance from them.

Official Description: Ground vehicle cannon.

Ammo Description: Gun ammunition.

40mm Cannon
The 40mm autocannon is a straight upgrade to the 30mm, dealing more damage by having a higher rate of fire. It is otherwise nearly identical in performance to the 30mm - even the icon is similar, though it is also thicker and blockier. Unlike the 30mm, the 40mm must be unlocked by capturing a Turret island, and then a Small Munitions island to get its ammunition.

Like with the 30mm, it suffers from a significant accuracy reduction when controlled by the AI and engaging aerial units.

Official Description: Ground vehicle cannon.

Ammo Description: Gun ammunition.

IR Missile & Missile Array
IR Missiles are surface-targeted missiles. When launched, they will simply track the nearest enemy and drop on the target from high altitude.

IR missiles can be built normally and loaded onto aircraft for long range ground attack purposes, or loaded into a Missile Array - known as Turret (IR Missile) in the production menu. The Missile Array loads up to four IR missiles in it, turning your Seal or Walrus into a long range surface to surface missile battery. IR missiles have an extraordinary range, and can be safely fired from your carrier to the island's interior. As with all missiles, IR missiles can be intercepted by anti-aircraft armament on carriers or vehicles. They can also be decoyed by missile decoys, or destroyed outright by the sonic pulse generator.

The IR missile has a similar in-game model to the TV guided missile.

Official Description: Holds up to 4 missiles.

Ammo Description: IR tracking missile.

AA Missile
The anti-aircraft version of the IR missile, the AA missile locks onto the nearest enemy aircraft and destroys it. AA missiles are not loaded onto missile arrays like IR missiles. The only users of AA missiles aside from aircraft are carriers.

Like with IR missiles, AA missiles can be decoyed by missile decoys, intercepted by AA guns, or destroyed before they reach the target with the sonic pulse generator.

Your AA missiles on the carrier are held in two missile launchers each holding four missiles.

Though it is impossible to know for sure, it is believed that Needlefish and Swordfish use this type of missile against aircraft.

Official Description: Anti-air tracking missile.

Laser Missile
Laser-guided missiles - or simply laser missiles - function identically to cruise missiles, except they are launched from vehicles. Laser missiles cannot be launched manually by the aircraft that carries them. To use them, an aircraft with the gimbal camera (or a ground vehicle with the observation camera) must switch their weapon ( or Z with the camera selected) to GUIDED MSL. Firing missiles now will consume the laser-guided missiles from aircraft instead of cruise missiles from the carrier.

While not as strong as cruise missiles, laser missiles can be used to launch from odd angles to dodge anti-missile defences.

Official Description: Laser-guided missile.

TV-Guided Missile
TV-guided missiles, when launched, will switch the player's viewpoint to the missile, allowing them to steer the missile into a target of their choice. As with other missiles, it can be intercepted by anti-missile defences, making it less practical than other missile types. Its free-flying nature, however, makes it easier to bank shots around obstacles - or to ensure you hit a bear instead of a seal or walrus.

Official Description: Camera controlled missile.

Bomb (L/M/H)
These unguided iron bombs come in light, medium, and heavy flavours - each doing more damage than the last. The light bomb is dark green with a yellow band around it; the medium bomb is solid grey; and the heavy bomb is dark green with a white stripe around it.

Bombs are not often seen as they are fairly difficult to use. Long range IR missiles are more commonly used to eliminate targets from a safe distance with minimal chance of crashing your plane.

Official Description: Bomb.

Rocket Pod
Rocket pods are an explosive air to surface weapon effective against all ground targets. While fairly effective on mantas and albatrosses, they are most effective on razorbills and petrels, as they can hover and strike a target repeatedly with multiple rockets.

Rocket pods are the preferred counter to bears, though they can be difficult to aim from a fast moving platform.

Contrary to the official description, rocket pods have a capacity of 19 and not a dozen.

Official Description: Holds up to 12[sic] missiles.

Ammo Description: Forward firing rocket.

Anti Air Cannon
The Anti Air Cannon, known as Turret (CIWS) in the production menu, protects your vehicles from aerial threats. It is essentially an aircraft chaingun, but mounted to a Walrus or Seal. The Anti Air Cannon automatically engages enemy aircraft and missiles, destroying both in a heartbeat.

The anti-missile defence in particular is useful when contending with three or four shield islands, which are often protected by IR missile launchers that will otherwise eliminate your bears. Remember though that these AI-operated vehicles cannot run out of ammunition, so move quickly.

Although they will not do so automatically, the Anti Air Cannon is also highly adept at destroying enemy Seals and Walruses. It has sufficient gun depression to attack surface targets and will shred them far faster than the 30mm and 40mm autocannons. It remains ineffective against bears.

Official Description: Targets missiles and air vehicles.

Ammo Description: Chain gun ammunition.

Battle Cannon
The Battle Cannon is one of two tank guns that can be equipped on the bear, the other being the Heavy Cannon. The Battle Cannon is a tank gun with a long cooldown that can nonetheless annihilate Seals and Walruses with minimal hassle.

Compared to the Heavy Cannon, the Battle Cannon has significant drop, necessitating more careful aim with it and making it less effective at longer ranges. It also makes it harder to use against low-flying air units.

Official Description: Long range 100mm cannon.

Ammo Description: Cannon ammunition.

Heavy Cannon
The Heavy Cannon is the premiere anti-surface weapon that can destroy nearly all enemies. Seals and Walruses will fall in either one or two shots, and only other Bears can withstand the fury of this gun. With its gun arc flattened, the heavy cannon can even be used against helicopters.

Its biggest weakness is its extremely low amount of ammunition, necessitating careful shot placement.

Official Description: Long range 100mm cannon.

Ammo Description: Cannon ammunition.

Artillery Cannon
A weaker version of the carrier deck gun, the artillery cannon turns the bear from a direct fire tank to an indirect fire artillery piece. Like with laser guided missiles, artillery cannons work best with the gimbal or observation camera. An aircraft with the gimbal camera (or a ground vehicle with the observation camera) must switch their weapon ( or Z with the camera selected) to GND ART.

Artillery cannons are notably inaccurate, and several shells will be required to actually hit the target.

Official Description: Long range 120mm artillery.

Ammo Description: Artillery ammunition.

Actuated Camera
The actuated camera, as of yet, provides no benefit to players. It cannot call in artillery strikes like the observation camera, and it takes the same slot as the weapon.

Has a maximum zoom of 32x.

Official Description: Rotatable camera.

Gimbal Camera, Observation Camera
The Gimbal Camera and the Observation Camera are identical cameras for air and ground vehicles respectively. The gimbal camera fits onto a dedicated camera slot that can mount only the gimbal camera, while the observation camera is slotted on a secondary slot.

Both camera types can call in support from the carrier's offensive weapons as well as the flare gun.

Press T or to change the camera's stabilization settings. "Stabilized" will have the camera compensate vertically for movement. "Tracking" will attempt to keep the camera centered at a single point of terrain.

Both cameras have a maximum zoom of 32x.

Radar (AWACS), Radar
Radar comes in two forms - the Radar (AWACS) on Mantas, and the normal Radar for ground vehicles. Both simply detect enemies within 10 km of the aircraft. However, it does not let you identify units within that range - the gimbal camera or observation camera must still be used to identify units and what weapon they carry.

Official Description: Detects air and sea vehicles within 10km.

Fuel Tank (Aircraft)
Used to extend the range of aircraft, fuel tanks carry an additional 250 litres of fuel for the aircraft. Fuel tanks can also be used as improvised bombs against enemies, and can be dropped by firing them.

Official Description:  

Sonic Pulse Generator
The sonic pulse generator is an anti-missile defence system that must be triggered manually - it cannot activate automatically. When triggered, the sonic pulse creates an expanding bubble of sound that detonates all explosives in the blast. This makes it uniquely effective against unguided munitions such as rockets, and against semi-active weapons like cruise missiles and laser guided missiles. However, the pulse does not last long (about 2 seconds), is fairly short ranged (approximately 200 metres), and requires near-perfect timing to be effective.

Detonated explosives can still deal damage to surrounding units.

Sonic pulses can affect torpedoes as they travel close to the unit - however, its short range and the inability to spot torpedoes visually requires too much effort for too little gain. Countermeasures and noisemakers are preferred.

Official Description: Sonic pulse generator.

Ammo Description: Ammo (Sonic Pulse).

Smoke Launcher (Explosive, Stream)
Smoke is mostly a weapon used for PVP purposes. Both smoke launchers, when deployed, create clouds of obscuring smoke that can block player vision. However, multiple smoke clouds must be present to prevent your targeting container from appearing on the enemy's screen. Smoke is generally best to obscure the vision of high-damage targets like Bears, or to cover weaker units like Seals and Virus bots should they come under fire.

Smoke is highly affected by wind, and in highly windy situations smoke becomes very difficult, if not impossible to use. It also only obscures vision through it - standing inside a smoke cloud does not affect the enemy's vision.

Smoke launchers come in two flavours: stream and explosive. The explosive launcher deploys four smoke grenades in a cross-shape pattern around the vehicle. In the case of air units, the smoke does not start until these grenades hit the ground. The stream launcher, by contrast, creates a stream of smoke behind you vehicle, making it more effective when equipped on aircraft.

Explosive Description: Smoke Launcher (Explosive)

Stream Description: Smoke Launcher (Stream)

Ammo Description: Ammo (Smoke)

Virus Module
Islands can only be captured by use of a Virus Module. The Virus Module can only be mounted on surface chassis, in the primary weapon slot with only the Seal and Walrus being able to carry it. The Virus Module Carrier can't mount any offensive armament and is a sitting duck in combat. Clear the way before the Virus Module Carrier arrives, or send some escorts along with it. The Virus Module can be manually deployed by the player via vehicle control, or automatically by use of waypoint. To do this, set a waypoint near the island base and assign it the Deploy Vehicle order. Only one virus module is required to capture an island.

The Virus Module contains two small Virus Bots. The Virus Bots are entirely automated island hacking robots. The Bots can't be controlled by the player, via manual control or by use of waypoints. When deployed, the Bots will march to the Island base. Once they are in range, the capture process will begin. The Virus Bots have a very limited range in which they are able to move, so it is advised to deploy them as close as possible to the island base.

The Virus Bots can be easily destroyed by both friendly fire and enemy fire, due to the small HP. It is advised to clear the surroundings of enemies before starting to capture the island.

Official Description: Deploy island hacking bots.

Flare Launcher
Anti-missile flares can be mounted on any chassis (both surface and air) in the secondary weapon slot. Anti-missile flares are used to throw of any IR or AA missiles fired at your unit, by decoying the enemy missile away from the unit towards the flare. The unit will automatically dispense a set of flares when a missile is getting near, or alternatively, a player can manually dispense flares via manual override.

Anti-missile flares consume the Flare ammo.

Official Description: Anti-missile flares

Ammo Description: IR countermeasure flare