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For a similar defense in the Builder Base, see Firecrackers.
For the Clan Capital counterpart, see Air Defense/Clan Capital.
Air Defense14

"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."


Air Defense1
Level 1
Air Defense2
Level 2
Air Defense3
Level 3
Air Defense4
Level 4
Air Defense5
Level 5
Air Defense6
Level 6
Air Defense7
Level 7
Air Defense8
Level 8
Air Defense9
Level 9
Air Defense10
Level 10
Air Defense11
Level 11
Air Defense12
Level 12
Air Defense13
Level 13
Air Defense14
Level 14

Summary

  • The Air Defense is a powerful turret, unlocked at Town Hall level 4, that exclusively targets aerial foes with very high DPS, good reach and decent hitpoints.
  • 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 potentially distracting them from attacking a more valuable target (e.g. the Town Hall).

Strategies

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 for Town Hall 7 and above is to position them in a wide triangle (or diamond, once the fourth Air Defense is available at Town Hall 9).
  • Lava Hounds target this building first, so make sure you defend it well with other defenses which target air troops. Single-target Inferno Towers are most effective if you have them. If not, other point defenses such as Archer Towers and Hidden Teslas or 2 Seeking Air Mines are strongly recommended.
  • The Air Defense is a popular first-target for armies sporting ground troops, as they are one of only 2 defensive structures that cannot target them (the other being the Air Sweeper, which will lose its synergy with the Air Defense in this case). Make sure they are defended well, and they will help to keep the skies clear from rampaging Air Troops. Air Defenses are there for when Archer Towers just won't cut it or are distracted by ground units such as Giants, Golems, and Heroes.
  • If possible, keep your Air Defenses behind your first lines of defense (e.g. Cannons and Archer Towers), preferably with Walls 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 a Healer can be safely deployed.
  • A good strategy placement for this defense is by placing it near a Wizard Tower (which would be near a Mortar and a storage, for maximum protection).
    • However, if your base gets commonly attacked by Lava-Loon (Lava Hounds + Balloons), consider separating the Wizard Tower such that the Wizard Tower's range does not cover the Air Defense. This will allow the Wizard Tower to attack the Balloons while the Air Defense is attacking the Lava Hounds or the Balloons next to the Wizard Tower, once destroyed.
  • Spread out your Air Defenses, or else they could all be destroyed with Lightning Spells or a Zap-quake chain.

Offensive Strategy

  • The Air Defense is a natural target to attack first, as clearing them helps pave the way for an air assault. Healers are very vulnerable to the Air Defense, destroying this defense with Giants before deploying them is recommended. They are easily destroyed by any ground-based troop, as they do not attack ground troops.
  • You can use Lightning Spells to take down the Air Defenses, although it might take multiple of them to deploy on higher levels.
  • It is advisable to keep Balloons away from Air Defenses, as they are capable of destroying most Balloons in one or two hits from a great distance.
  • As Lava Hounds target Air Defenses, they should be sent in first before other air-based troops are deployed. The Lava Hound's high hitpoints allows it to serve as a useful tank and can also trigger any Air Bombs or Seeking Air Mines that have been placed near any Air Defenses. This allows for an effective Lava-Loon attack.
  • Although Air Defenses are quite effective against Dragons, it is possible to keep an Air Defense occupied with one or two Dragons for a fleet of Balloons to quickly destroy a majority of the ground defenses. Since Balloons have a target priority of defenses, send them close enough to the Air Defenses to increase the odds of the Air Defense being easily destroyed.
  • An Archer Queen backed by Healers is capable of attacking an Air Defense while keeping the Healers out of range. This allows the Air Defense to be taken out without any significant threat to your Healers.
    • However, Air Defenses at an angle may cause the Healers to turn to the side and get attacked, so be wary of that.
  • A great way to overwhelm the Air Defense is using a large group of Minions since Minions are fast, and the Air Defense can only take out one at a time. Beware of nearby AOE defenses and traps, though.

Upgrade Differences

  • Air Defenses undergo significant visual changes at all levels.
    • When initially constructed, the Air Defense consists of a single wooden launch tube with a single red-and-black rocket, secured by ropes in the center of a wooden frame. The frame is composed of two triangular structures at either side, linked at the front and back of the building to form a rectangular base, all held together with rope. The launch tube is banded with metal. The defense fires one rocket at a time, emitting a puff of smoke from the launch tube with each shot. The rockets explode in a purple blast, briefly leaving an orange fiery haze and spraying a burst of yellow sparks.
    • At level 2, a second launch tube with a rocket is added, with more wood space below. The defense now fires clusters of two rockets tied together with rope, but one explosion occurs with each hit.
    • At level 3, a third launch tube with a rocket inside is added again. The defense now fires clusters of three rockets tied together with rope, and three explosions occur with each hit.
    • At level 4, the three wooden launch tubes are replaced by one larger tube, and a fourth rocket is added. The base now consists of sturdier wooden beams reinforced by metal, and the launch tube is secured to it with a solid metal bolt, presumably one on each side. The rockets change to red and yellow paint, and the defense now fires clusters of two rockets again. However, four explosions occur with each hit.
    • At level 5, another launch tube is added with 3 rockets in one and 2 in the other. The bolts securing the launch tubes to the base turn golden. These launch tubes seem to be smaller than the level 4 one. The defense fires clusters of three rockets, and six explosions occur with each hit.
    • At level 6, another launch tube is added, but there are now 2 rockets in each one. The metal reinforcements at the feet of the base turn golden colored and the bolts are now spiked. The defense fires clusters of four rockets, and six explosions occur with each hit.
    • At level 7, the three launch tubes are replaced with a single large wooden barrel with four large rockets in it. The rockets retain the same body coloring, but the heads become black with a yellow band. The metal bands on the tube become darker and studded with golden rivets. The wooden beams previously forming the base are replaced by black metal, and the base becomes wider. The bolts become larger and flat. The golden feet of the base are made larger, and each becomes secured by a large, dark gray bolt in the center. The defense fires clusters of three rockets, and six explosions occur with each hit. The projectiles are much smaller than the rockets shown loaded in the launch tube, and the heads of these rockets are missing the yellow stripe.
    • At level 8, the Air Defense's launch barrel becomes wider and receives a coat of red paint. The bolts attaching the barrel to the base become dark metal and are reinforced with golden plating on each side of the barrel. The rockets retain the same head coloring, but their bodies are painted in a yellow and black checkerboard pattern, similar to that seen on the V-2 Rocket. The defense fires clusters of three small rockets with the correct coloring, and six explosions occur with each hit.
    • At level 9, the bolts on the feet of the base change to golden spikes. Along with the bolts securing the barrel, the metal beams composing the sides of the base become white, and the beams at the front and presumably the back become red. The rivets on the launch barrel are hidden by golden bands. The yellow bands on the rocket heads become much wider and the rockets themselves become a bit thicker. Despite the appearance of the rockets in the barrel, the defense now fires clusters of three rockets with yellow, dark red, and black stripes on the head and body.
    • At level 10, the launch tube is now dark blue with dark gray bands around it. The reinforced joints go from gold to steel gray, the spikes are removed and the bolts and side beams become dark gray; the front and back beams are now replaced by dark gray electric coils with bronze parts on either end. The rockets still use the same color scheme as before, but they are now yellow with a pattern of three black bands replacing the checkerboard. The projectiles are the same.
    • At level 11, the coils are replaced by purple beams. The bolts on the feet change into dark teal spikes, and the bolts on the sides are covered by dark teal wedges. Each foot has a golden reinforcing band on the top. The beams and feet take on a subtle indigo hue. The launch barrel becomes wider and turns a vivid teal, while the bands around it turn dark teal. The rockets gain more black bands. At the top of each support, a flat icy blue pad is added. The projectiles are the same.
    • At level 12, the purple beams change into thick black supporting beams with grey bands to either side. The spike on the corners disappear, replaced by yet more black reinforcement. The wood of the launch barrel changes into an emerald green color, and the top metal band gains a thin gold trim on top. The supports go from isosceles triangles to semicircular arches. Two small, lighter-green squares jut out of the launch barrel, connecting to the supports on either side. The top joints of the Air Defense's supports are decorated with two golden stripes appearing like mirrored '7's. The rockets once again gain even more stripes. The projectiles are the same.
    • At level 13, the thick black supporting beams change into deeply grooved gray metal bars. The black beams composing the base take on a subtle violet hue, and the feet take on a vivid indigo color. The golden plates on the sides of the Air Defense change and become wider and flatter, sporting an iron grey plate with a golden triangle on top to match the town hall 15 theme. The wood of the barrel becomes purple, and the bands are now thick and golden. Finally, the rockets become bigger, become a richer golden yellow, and gain more black stripes, in addition to each rocket now sporting a red tip. The projectiles are the same. The rockets in the barrel finally have a similar color scheme to the projectiles, but the patterns are significantly different.

Statistics

Town Hall Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Number Available 0 0 0 1 1 2 3 3
Town Hall Level 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Number Available 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Size Size
3x3
Level
Level
Damage per Second
Damage
Damage per Attack
Damage
Hitpoints
Hitpoints
Cost
Gold
Build Time
Time
Experience Gained
Experience
Town Hall Level Required
Town Hall
1 80 80 800 22,000 3h 103 4
2 110 110 850 90,000 8h 169 4
3 140 140 900 270,000 12h 207 5
4 160 160 950 500,000 18h 254 6
5 190 190 1,000 800,000 1d 293 7
6 230 230 1,050 1,000,000 1d 12h 360 8
7 280 280 1,100 1,750,000 2d 415 9
8 320 320 1,210 2,300,000 2d 12h 464 10
9 360 360 1,300 3,400,000 3d 509 11
10 400 400 1,400 5,800,000 8d 18h 869 12
11 440 440 1,500 8,400,000 9d 881 13
12 500 500 1,650 11,900,000 12d 1,018 14
13 540 540 1,750 19,500,000 13d 12h 1,080 15
14 600 600 1,850 20,500,000 15d 1,138 16
Range Attack Speed Damage Type Unit Type Targeted
10 1s Single Target Air

Icon Descriptions

Icon InfoTapping this icon displays information about the Air Defense, such as Level, Damage Per Second, Hitpoints, Range, Damage Type and Targets.
Icon UpgradeTapping this icon begins upgrading the Air Defense to the next level, if you have enough resources and a free Builder (or B.O.B). When the Air Defense is at maximum level, this icon is not shown.
Icon HoBTapping this icon instantly upgrades the Air Defense to the next level, at the cost of one Hammer of Building if you have one. When the Air Defense is at maximum level, or if the Town Hall requirements for the next level are not met, this icon is not shown.
Icon FinishNowTapping this icon, which is displayed only while an upgrade is in progress, instantly finishes that upgrade at the cost of the displayed number of Gems.
Icon FinishNowBoBTapping this icon, which is displayed only while an upgrade is in progress, instantly finishes that upgrade at the cost of one Book of Building. This icon is only shown if you have at least one Book of Building.
Icon FinishNowBoETapping this icon, which is displayed only while an upgrade is in progress, instantly finishes that upgrade at the cost of one Book of Everything. This icon is only shown if you have at least one Book of Everything but do not have a Book of Building.
Icon BuilderPotionTapping this icon, which is displayed only while an upgrade is in progress, boosts all your Builders for 1 hour by a factor of ten, at the cost of one Builder Potion. This icon is only shown if you have at least one Builder Potion.
Icon CancelTapping this icon, which is displayed only while an upgrade is in progress, cancels the current upgrade and refunds half of the upgrade cost.

History

Patch Description
August 2, 2012 Introduction of the Air Defense with 6 levels and two of them to unlock.
September 19, 2012 Retextured the rockets from the Air Defense at all levels. Prior to this update, the rockets at all levels were red and blue.
Air Defense1 pre March-21-2016Air Defense2 pre March-21-2016Air Defense3 pre March-21-2016Air Defense4 pre March-21-2016Air Defense5 pre March-21-2016Air Defense6 pre March-21-2016
February 5, 2013 Added the level 7 Air Defense.
Air Defense7 pre March-21-2016
April 19, 2013 Added the third Air Defense available at Town Hall level 8.
May 23, 2013
  • Added the level 8 Air Defense.
    Air Defense8 pre March-21-2016
  • Reduced the upgrade cost of level 7 Air Defense from 6,480,000 to 4,320,000.
December 11, 2014
  • Increased Air Defense's hitpoints at level 4-8.
    • Level 4 increased from 940 to 950.
    • Level 5 increased from 990 to 1,000.
    • Level 6 increased from 1,040 to 1,050.
    • Level 7 increased from 1,100 to 1,110.
    • Level 8 increased from 1,160 to 1,170.
  • Decreased level 2 Air Defense's hitpoints from 860 to 850.
April 30, 2015 Allowed its range to be visible even when under construction.
January 26, 2016 Moved the 2nd Air Defense to Town Hall level 6 and moved the 3rd Air Defense to Town Hall level 7.
March 21, 2016 Retextured the level 1-8 Air Defense.
Air Defense1Air Defense2Air Defense3Air Defense4 pre March-24-2016Air Defense5 pre March-24-2016Air Defense6 pre March-24-2016Air Defense7 pre March-24-2016Air Defense8
March 24, 2016 Retextured the level 4-7 Air Defense again because players criticized the new textures, stating that they look too similar to levels 1-3.
Air Defense4Air Defense5Air Defense6Air Defense7
October 12, 2016.
  • The level 9 Air Defense was added to the game files but not immediately made available.
  • Air Defenses undergoing upgrades now realistically have their warheads removed.
March 8, 2017
  • Added the level 9 Air Defense.
    Air Defense9
  • Reduced upgrade times of level 4-8 Air Defense.
    • Level 4 reduced from 5d to 4d. Time
    • Level 5 reduced from 6d to 5d. Time
    • Level 6 reduced from 8d to 6d. Time
    • Level 7 reduced from 10d to 8d. Time
    • Level 8 reduced from 12d to 10d. Time
  • Reduced upgrade costs of level 4-8 Air Defense.
    • Level 4 reduced from 540,000 to 500,000. Gold
    • Level 5 reduced from 1,080,000 to 1,000,000. Gold
    • Level 6 reduced from 2,160,000 to 2,000,000. Gold
    • Level 7 reduced from 4,320,000 to 4,000,000. Gold
    • Level 8 reduced from 7,560,000 to 6,300,000. Gold
June 11, 2018 Added the level 10 Air Defense.
Air Defense10
June 26, 2018
  • Reduced upgrade times of level 1-9 Air Defense.
    • Level 1 reduced from 5h to 3h.
    • Level 2 reduced from 1d to 12h.
    • Level 3 reduced from 3d to 2d.
    • Level 4 reduced from 4d to 2d 12h.
    • Level 5 reduced from 5d to 3d.
    • Level 6 reduced from 6d to 4d.
    • Level 7 reduced from 8d to 5d.
    • Level 8 reduced from 10d to 6d.
    • Level 9 reduced from 12d to 10d.
October 23, 2018 Adjusted hitpoints for levels 7-10 Air Defense, reducing them at level 7 but increasing them at the other levels.
  • Reduced Air Defense's hitpoints at level 7 from 1,110 to 1,100. Hitpoints
  • Increased Air Defense's hitpoints at level 8-10.
    • Level 8 increased from 1,170 to 1,200. Hitpoints
    • Level 9 increased from 1,230 to 1,300. Hitpoints
    • Level 10 increased from 1,290 to 1,400. Hitpoints
April 2, 2019
  • Reduced upgrade times of level 3-7 Air Defense.
    • Level 3 reduced from 2d to 16h. Time
    • Level 4 reduced from 2d 12h to 1d. Time
    • Level 5 reduced from 3d to 1d 12h. Time
    • Level 6 reduced from 4d to 2d. Time
    • Level 7 reduced from 5d to 3d. Time
  • Reduced upgrade costs of level 7-10 Air Defense.
    • Level 7 reduced from 4,000,000 to 3,000,000. Gold
    • Level 8 reduced from 6,300,000 to 4,500,000. Gold
    • Level 9 reduced from 8,800,000 to 7,500,000. Gold
    • Level 10 reduced from 10,080,000 to 10,000,000. Gold
December 9, 2019 Added the level 11 Air Defense.
Air Defense11
October 12 2020 Increased hitpoints of level 8 Air Defense from 1,200 to 1,210. Hitpoints
January 20 2021 Fixed level 11 Air Defense hit effect.
April 12, 2021
  • Reduced upgrade times of level 8-9 Air Defense.
    • Level 8 reduced from 6d to 5d. Time
    • Level 9 reduced from 10d to 9d. Time
  • Reduced upgrade costs of level 1-9 Air Defense (except for level 2-5).
    • Level 1 reduced from 22,500 to 22,000. Gold
    • Level 6 reduced from 2,000,000 to 1,500,000. Gold
    • Level 7 reduced from 3,000,000 to 2,000,000. Gold
    • Level 8 reduced from 4,500,000 to 4,000,000. Gold
    • Level 9 reduced from 7,500,000 to 7,000,000. Gold
  • Fixed a bug where Lava Hounds and Ice Hounds forget about targeting Air Defenses if all the remaining Air Defenses are invisible when they're targeting.
May 1, 2021 The level 12 Air Defense appears in the official Jungle Warden trailer for the May 2021 season, added as an easter egg by Supercell.
June 15, 2021 Added the level 12 Air Defense.
Air Defense12
December 9, 2021 Reduced upgrade costs at levels 6-11.
May 1, 2022 Increased hitpoints of Level 12 Air Defense from 1,600 to 1,650. Hitpoints
September 13, 2022 Increased damage per second of Level 12 Air Defense from 480 to 500.
October 10, 2022 Added the level 13 Air Defense.
Air Defense13

Gallery

Trivia

  • The rockets in the launcher look like fireworks. When they explode, you can see a small show of lights if you zoom in close enough.
    • This might explain why the Lava Hound prioritizes it, seeing as it prefers to chase fireworks, which is just the type of ammunition used by this building.
  • Although the rockets explode, they don't inflict splash damage.
  • The visual representation of rockets in the Air Defense's launchers doesn't represent the amount of ammunition the Air Defense contains. Like most defenses it has infinite ammunition and will keep firing at enemies if there's one in sight.
  • The Party Wizard Party Time video contradicts the current design of an Air Defense, where it featured an old design of the level 6 Air Defense.
  • Although the rockets were retextured after the September 19, 2012 update, the defenses category still depicted an Air Defense with red and blue rockets until the May 24, 2016 update.
  • In most English-speaking countries other than the United States, the Air Defense is called the "Air Defence", which in turn stems from British dialect.
    • In Chinese, it's known as "防空火箭", or "Anti-Air Rockets", referring to its specialization and ammunition.
  • The number of rockets in level 1-6 Air Defenses corresponds to its level.

Comparisons

  • The Air Defense, Walls, Cannon, Archer Tower, Mortar, and Wizard Tower are the oldest defenses in the game.
  • The Air Defense is the first building to be redesigned since the September 19, 2012 update.
  • The Air Defense is one of the 2 defensive buildings in the Home Village (the other being the Air Sweeper) which targets only air troops and the only one of them that damages them.
Home Village Buildings
Defensive Buildings CannonArcher TowerMortarAir DefenseWizard TowerAir SweeperHidden TeslaBomb TowerX-BowInferno TowerEagle ArtilleryScattershotBuilder's HutSpell TowerMonolithRicochet CannonMulti-Archer TowerGiga TeslaGiga Inferno (TH13TH14TH15TH16) • Wall
Traps: BombSpring TrapAir BombGiant BombSeeking Air MineSkeleton TrapTornado Trap
Resource Buildings Town Hall (Magic Items) • Gold MineElixir CollectorDark Elixir DrillGold StorageElixir StorageDark Elixir StorageClan Castle (Treasury)
Army Buildings Army CampBarracksDark BarracksLaboratorySpell FactoryDark Spell FactoryBlacksmithWorkshopBarbarian King AltarArcher Queen AltarGrand Warden AltarRoyal Champion AltarPet House
Other Buildings BoatAirshipForgeDecorationsObstaclesLoot CartStrongman's CaravanSuper SaunaBuilder's HutB.O.B's Hut
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