Unit Analysis: Flying Infantry

Capturing Objectives is the key to victory in Armoured Clash.  And there can be few better candidates for this glorious task than the daring flying infantry with their jet packs, light weapons and outrageous bravado.  Their speed and flexibility of movement allows them to SOAR over the battlefield, moving at incredible speeds.  This, combined with their strength at attacking other light targets, makes them a solid option for inclusion in any force.

But this agility and strong offensive punch come at a price; airborne infantry are both costly and fragile.  Like all basic infantry they have a Defence of 2 and Damage Limit 1, meaning that one stand is removed for every two points of damage, and by jumping forward into the teeth of the enemy airborne infantry are likely to be a magnet for your opponent’s anti-light units.  Flying infantry is purchased at the size of 4/8/12 (for basic/reinforced/full).

This fragility makes the activation sequence critical to the survival of these troops – if they jump too soon, before nearby enemy units have activated, they may suffer heavy losses before the turn ends and be annihilated or forced from their Objective.  There are other dangers that must be navigated as well.  When flying infantry SOAR, they temporarily become Aerial units and so may trigger anti-Aerial fire from enemy units that are ‘On Lookout’ scanning the skies for approaching aircraft.

But those Generals who are willing to embrace these risks gain an extremely versatile tool.  Flying infantry are IRREGULAR, which gives them some additional flexibility through Open formation and allowing them to target units outside the normal line of sight for ranged attacks (but if doing this they count only half the models to in the unit to determine the dice pool). At the time of writing flying infantry are only available to 4 factions (the Crown, Empire, Enlightened and Impreium) and in each case, you can choose to take them in significant numbers, as a Mainstay option for one of the Battle Groups in each ORBAT.

Spitfire Rocketeers (Crown)

With flight caps, goggles and twin pistols, the Spitfires really bring a Rocketeer look to the otherwise very Victorian Crown forces.  Spitfires have a basic move of 4” but if they take to the skies this can be increased to 10” using the SOAR special rule which temporarily makes them an Aerial unit.  Spitfire pistols have a very short 3”/6” range against only Light targets which deals 4(6)/8(12)/10(15) with the POINT BLANK rule allowing you to use the parenthesis values inside the short (3”) range, turning an otherwise average attack into something excellent, if you dare to get that close to your target.

In Melee Spitfires attack with 4(8)/6(12)/8(16) with the SHOCK special rule allowing you to use the parenthesis value against Light units.  This Melee attack is likely to be necessary if you need to force the enemy from an Objective (through a close combat victory), but this opens the Spitfires up to a counterattack and so is inadvisable against some types of enemies who can dish out large amounts of damage to infantry in return (for example, automata and many Cavalry who also have SHOCK attacks).

Like all flying infantry, Spitfires have HIT AND RUN, allowing them to move away once they've completed their attack, but the Spitfires have the lowest speed (3") of any flying infantry for this attack.  This means that Spitfires are intended to attack light targets, then jump away but still stay inside their POINT BLANK range, to keep their bonuses for their next activation.  But their fragility means this must be carefully managed because if their target has a supporting unit, or they remain visible to the units Officer after the extra move, they might swiftly get into trouble.

At Discipline 8, Break Limit 1, Spitfires are motivated soldiers who are likely to hold their ground despite suffering losses, making them good objective holders for as long as they last. Spitfires are priced at 45/75/115 putting them on-par with the Crown anti-heavy infantry option, Engineer Sappers, but cheaper than the Sharpe Rifles. They give up 2/3/4 Victory Points if annihilated.

Bulnabang Winged Infantry (Empire)

The Thai Bulnabang bring a unique design aesthetic to the Empire, blending mobility and toxicity like some kind of exotic moth.  Like the Spitfires, they can boost their 4” Speed with a combination of SOAR (8”) and HIT AND RUN (6”) making them fast, with the ability to reposition favourably after an attack.  They also have VANGUARD (8”) which allows them an initial move before the game begins to get the jump on the enemy.

In any turn where they are only moving, the STALKER rule allows the Bulnabang to go ‘On Lookout’ at the end of their activation, which makes them an ideal choice to jump forward, seize an unoccupied Objective, and then blast anyone who shows up later in the turn to contest it.  As the Bulnabang are packing an Aerial attack in addition to their Light attack, this is likely to be an especially effective against other airborne Infantry who SOAR in to attack them.

In terms of offensive output, the Bulnabang have a very short 3”/6” range for both attacks.  Against Light targets they can attack 3/5/7 which is SUPRESSIVE, giving a -1 penalty to enemy Suppression tests caused by this weapon.  Against Aerial units their attack is 4(6)/6(8)/8(10) with POINT BLANK.  In Melee they strike with 4/8/12 which is again SUPRRESSIVE.  The unit also has CORROSIVE FUMES which means that any (non-automata) enemy within 2" at the end of the Bulnabang movement become Disordered, giving them -1 Discipline and preventing them from being issued orders.

This combination of rules, reflecting their myriad of poison gas attacks, means that the Bulnabang require some careful planning to use well.  But if you maximize the impact of their CORROSIVE FUMES and use HIT AND RUN to evade return attacks, they can sew chaos amongst enemy formations while keeping out of danger.  Because two failed SUPRESSION tests force an enemy to fall back, the Bulnabang have the potential to be extremely effective at forcing Light enemy units from Objectives; it’s hard to be brave when you're choking on poison gas!

Finally, the Bulnabang are SHROUDED by their toxic fumes, giving any ranged attack a negative modifier to hit them - making them the best protected of any airborne infantry.  This also enables the Bulnabang to boost their Defence to 3 if they also ‘Take Cover’ as a special action when they activate – and they will then automatically go ‘On Lookout’ at the end of their activation, thanks to the STALKER special rule and so remain able to fire (with a weakened attack) at approaching threats.

With Discipline 7, Break Limit 1, the Bulnabang are one of the most motivated units in the Empire, reflecting their elite status. But this status also applies to their Points Cost, which at 45/75/115 makes them the most expensive non-automata infantry in the list.  They give out 2/3/4 Victory Points when Annihilated.

Hellion Cohort (Enlightened)

With their dual rotors and hand-blades, the Hellion exemplify the Enlightened playstyle of closing with the enemy just as quickly as possible to unleash a powerful attack.  Like the Bulnabang, the Hellion trade raw speed for a grab-bag of movement special rules including SOAR (8”), HIT AND RUN (5”) and VANGUARD (7”).  The also have HOVER which allows them to move with their regular 4” movement across obstacles, like difficult terrain and water without penalty.

But they have less margin for error than the other airborne infantry featured so far because the entirety of their attack is Melee, requiring them to reach base-to-base contact with enemies.  Once they get into Melee, they inflict 3(6)/7(12)/12(18) which has both the SHOCK and SUPRESSIVE special rules.  This makes for a potent attack, which is good for clearing objectives of Light targets, but not having the option of a ranged attack, necessitates close combat where the Hellion are likely to suffer casualties in return whenever they engage with the enemy.

This makes winning in Melee especially important for the Hellion as they are also CONSTRUCT troops, that have been scientifically ‘optimised’ for their role, at the expense of being able to cope with unexpected setbacks.  This means that if the unit becomes Suppressed (for example, by failing a Discipline test for losing more models than their enemy in a Melee) then it also becomes Disordered, and stays that way until it gets within 6" of an Enlightened Commander for new instructions.  Considering the Hellion’s relatively low Discipline of 6, this may mean that they become less effective if they are operating on their own and encounter serious resistance (for example, flanking behind enemy lines).

Lacking a ranged weapon, the Hellion are less effective than Crown and Empire airborne infantry when it comes to holding Objectives. Against Light targets, as they have no option to go ‘On Lookout” to fire at enemies seeking to dislodge them, but their SHOCK attack does mean they will put up a reasonable fight and they are also a good choice for the COUNTERCHARGE Boon.  This is perhaps reflected by the fact that the Hellion are very affordable costing the lowest points cost of any airborne infantry at 35/55/85 and give away the equal least Victory Points at just 2/3/4.

Luftlancer Air Jaegers (Imperium)

The Luftlancers are truly the best-of-the-best and they look the part with intimidating full-face helmets and long electric lances.  As with the Enlightened, the Imperium prize the doctrine of mobility in warfare, and the highly capable Luftlancers can serve as the vanguard of your armies assault, or be tasked to perform other assignments on the battlefield as required.  The Luftlancers can boost their basic 4” Speed to SOAR (10”) and also jump to safety following an attack with HIT AND RUN (5”).

Like the Hellion they shun ranged attacks, preferring to impale enemies with their electric lances, which deal 6/10/14 in Melee with the ARC special ability, meaning for each Heroic Strike, you roll an additional two dice rather than just one.  If luck is with them, this means the Luftlancers can hit extremely hard, and unlike other airborne infantry, this attack is equally effective against Light and Heavy opponents making them extremely versatile. Luftlancer attacks are also made with PRECISION, meaning you can choose to kill the enemy Officer if you destroy at least one enemy model (assuming the Luftlancers are in contact with the officer), which will leave the surviving unit DISORDERED as they hurriedly organize a field promotion for a replacement.

But the enemy pain doesn’t stop there, the Luftlancers also have ONSLAUGHT giving a bonus to their Melee roll and HUNTER which means that your side scores +1 Victory Point every time they win a Melee - encouraging them hunt down weaker prey as often as possible.  All of this offensive punch means that, if they reach their target in one piece, the Luftlancers are very likely to prevail, including wrecking havoc on armoured vehicles which have no Melee option to fight back with.  Getting to their target without sustaining losses is, therefore, critical and this task is made more challenging if the bulk of the other Imperium forces are travelling in armoured transports, leaving your opponent with few other targets for their anti-Light weaponry in the early turns of the game.

At Discipline 8 the Luftlancers are highly motivated to hold their ground in the face of losses, but with a Break Limit of 2, (higher than all the other airborne infantry) they won't necessarily fight until the bitter end and will pack up their toys early, if they do fail a Discipline test.  The Luftlancers cost a reasonable 40/70/100 and give up 2/3/4 Victory Points.  They are truly the apex predator of airborne infantry.

In the final analysis… flying infantry offer the factions that can take them an extremely flexible unit, well suited for both seizing objectives and attacking Light targets.  Therefore, the question is not really whether they are good (they are!) But rather whether there other, better suited, units in the list who can perform this role for the points.  The answer depends. in part, on what other units you plan on taking, what faction your opponent will field, the tabletop terrain and what Clash scenario you are playing.

Making a choice about risk versus return is particularly important for flying infantry as, with a small unit size,  they’re vulnerable to early Annihilation.  This is especially true if they are fielded at Basic size, or if used aggressively to seize central objectives under enemy fire during the early turns of the game.  Looking across the current range, the Bulnabang look best suited for Objective capture, while the Spitfires are best for harassing enemy Light units and the Luftlancers can wreak havoc on any target, including Heavy vehicles, if you don’t mind their high points cost.  But the reciprocal nature of Melee combat means that both Luftlancers and Hellion are also likely to suffer heavy losses as they go about their work, making it very likely that they will need some good strategy (and good luck) to earn more Victory Points than they yield.

This post reflects the view and opinions of the author – your experiences may vary.  It was written based on the state of the game at the time of the Armoured Clash Global Update in May 2026 (Rules v1.04).  All game rules, descriptions and pictures created by Warcradle, remain their Intellectual Property.