Air Defense



"This anti-air tower is deadly against flying enemies, but can't target foes on the ground. Place it wisely to cover as much airspace as possible."


 * Summary
 * The Air Defense is a powerful Defensive Building with a very high damage-per-second ratio, capable of defending against air-based units.
 * Air Defenses can only target and shoot one air troop at a time.
 * It cannot harm ground based units, or interfere with them in any way other than possibly becoming a nuisance by blocking a certain building behind of it (i.e. the Town Hall).


 * Defensive Strategy
 * The Air Defense has an excellent range and a very high damage per shot. As the in-game description states, it's best to position them so that they cover as much area as possible. One common strategy is to position them in a wide triangle (or diamond) around the Town Hall. However, three Air Defenses are not available until the Town Hall is at level 8, so other strategies are required to best use Air Defense units beforehand.
 * The Air Defense is a popular first target for attackers via ground troops as they are the only defensive structure that cannot target them. Make sure they are defended well, and they will help to keep the skies clear from rampaging Balloons, Dragons and Healers. Air Defenses are there for when Archer Tower and Wizard Towers just won't cut it (and they usually don't, for air units at least).
 * If possible, keep your Air Defenses behind your first lines of defense (i.e. behind Cannons and Archer Towers), preferably with a Wall in between. This will prevent a large Giant or Golem assault from quickly destroying the Air Defense and allowing a Healer to be deployed early in the battle. The longer it takes the Giants to destroy the Air Defense, the more time your turrets will have to thin out their ranks before the Healer is deployed.
 * Offensive Strategy
 * The Air Defense is a natural target to attack first. Clearing them helps pave the way for an air assault. Healers are very vulnerable to the Air Defense so it is a good strategic move to destroy this building with giants before deploying her. They are easily destroyed by any ground based troop type.
 * It is advisable to keep Balloons away from an Air Defense, as they are capable of destroying Balloons in one or two hits from a great distance.
 * Although Air Defenses are quite effective against Dragons, it is possible to keep an Air Defense occupied with a Dragon or two long enough for a fleet of Balloons to quickly destroy a majority of the ground defenses.


 * Upgrade Differences
 * Air Defenses undergo significant visual changes at levels 4, 7 and 8.
 * When initially constructed the Air Defense consists of a single wooden launch tube with a single red-and-black rocket. The launch tube is banded with metal.
 * At levels 2 and 3, an additional red-and-black rocket is added to the launcher.
 * At level 4, a second wooden launch tube is added, with two black-tipped rockets in each tube.
 * The level 5 Air Defense adds a fifth black-tipped rocket to one of the launchers.
 * The level 6 Air Defense adds a third wooden launch tube with 2 black-tipped rockets in each tube.
 * At level 7, the three launch tubes are replaced with a single large wooden launcher with five black-tipped rockets in it.
 * At level 8, the Air Defense's launcher receives a coat of red paint, along with dark metal bands and golden rivets. It is filled with four larger black-tipped rockets that are painted in a yellow-and-black chessboard pattern, similar to that seen on the V-2 Rocket.


 * Trivia
 * The Air Defense is one of two Defensive Buildings that is made of wood at the max level, the other being the Hidden Tesla.
 * The rockets in the launcher have the visuals of fireworks. When they explode, you can see a small show of lights if you look hard enough.
 * The Air Defense's level corresponds with the number of rockets it contains in its launchers (except level 7 and 8, which only have 5 and 4, respectively).
 * The Air Defenses' rockets do not represent the ammunition the Air Defense contains. The number of rockets capable of being fired is unlimited, as long as the enemy has any surviving Air Troops.

