IRON NEST How to Use Scout Plane

Use reconnaissance to reduce uncertainty before committing ammunition or exposing the turret.

Quick answer: how to use the scout plane

Use the scout plane when you need battlefield information that the turret and current spotters cannot confirm. Request the reconnaissance asset, choose a starting map sector, set a cardinal bearing through the uncertain area, wait for the returned photographs or intelligence, and plot confirmed information before calculating a shot.

Release-version IRON NEST planning interface showing reconnaissance discussion and bearing-distance notes — **Reconnaissance belongs before the final firing solution**
1The clipboard preserves incoming spotter bearings and distances.
2Reconnaissance is requested when existing observations do not safely settle the target.
3Returned intelligence must still be transferred to the tactical map before firing.
This release-version counter-battery sequence shows the planning state in which reconnaissance can reduce uncertainty. The image is evidence of the workflow, not a fixed mission solution. v1.0 counter-battery footage

Operating prerequisites

The current mission or mode must make the reconnaissance asset available.
You need enough requisition resources to place the request without starving ammunition or powder purchases.
You need a defined area of uncertainty. A plane order without a useful start sector and direction wastes the pass.
You still need the tactical map and ballistic calculator afterward; reconnaissance does not aim the guns automatically.

Scout plane bearing reference

The plane bearing is the direction of the photo run, measured clockwise from north:

Bearing	Flight direction on the map	Good starting edge
0°	North / up	South side of the area
90°	East / right	West side of the area
180°	South / down	North side of the area
270°	West / left	East side of the area

Choose the starting sector near the edge opposite the flight direction so the pass crosses as much of the uncertain strip as possible. The start sector marks where useful coverage begins; it is not the plane’s distant approach point.

Step-by-step workflow

Read the order and mark the uncertain target area.
Open the Requisition Console and select the reconnaissance or scout-plane asset available in that mission.
Enter a starting grid beside the area, not in the middle of a route that immediately leaves the map.
Select a bearing that carries the aircraft across the likely target area.
Confirm the request and wait for the photographs or intelligence response.
Plot only information that the returned evidence supports.
Measure the confirmed target from the current IRON NEST position, then calculate range, firing bearing and elevation normally.

When the scout plane is worth using

Reconnaissance is most valuable when two spotter lines do not meet cleanly, a hostile battery must be confirmed before a counter-battery shot, or a blind ranging shot would expose the turret. It is usually unnecessary when reliable coordinates and two consistent bearings already establish the target.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Check
No scout-plane option appears	The mission may not have unlocked or enabled that asset
The pass misses the suspected target	Recheck the starting edge and the 0/90/180/270 direction
Photos arrive but no firing solution appears	You must still plot and measure the returned evidence
The request cannot be confirmed	Check requisition resources and required fields
The result is stale after moving	Update the IRON NEST token and rebuild the measurement

Exact cost, card wording, photo count and coverage width are version- or mission-sensitive. Read the live requisition card before confirming instead of relying on an old fixed number.