There is often some controversy regarding the value of Fast Moving Flyers in Dropzone Commander, especially at 1500pts. I thought I would weigh in on the issue with my own experiences over the last year of playing a lot of DzC.
Fast Moving Flyers for those that do not know what they do in Dropzone Commander, come on the board from any direction. You pick a straight line, and then zoom onto the board at tremendous speeds, avoiding any reaction fire if possible, and try and take out your target. The fast moving flyer then flies off the board edge, and can attempt to come in next round. Of course some of these are better than others, and the point costs vary as well.
Interceptors. When fast moving flyer is called in, its possible for an opponent to try and call in an interceptor. If this succeeds, the interceptor then picks a spot on the path of the fast moving flyer that it is intercepting, and tries to blow it up before it reaches its target. Of course entire dogfights with Jetfighters can take place, as interceptors can intercept interceptors and reaction fire from the ground has the opportunity to take them as well. Fast Moving Aircraft, really become a side game in itself that can with a tactful commander, really change the course of the game.
Why do people say they are not worth their points at 1500pts?
Well for one, I tend to not always have fast moving aircraft in my games. The reason is because you can feel like you are so tight on points that it is hard to justify the cost of putting one in your list. AA guns are often very much used, and these can spell a complete disaster for your fast movers.
So what people do most of the time, is simply make sure they have adequate AA fire in their lists. Usually this just means an additional squad of Rapiers, Reapers, Phobos, or Kukri's. I do this a lot, and so does most everyone else.
So what is the value of a fast moving flyer then?
Lets put it this way. There is no other unit in the game that can stop at the last moment an objective from getting off the board when its in your opponents backfield. Fast movers can take these daring runs, where other units just cant either get line of sight from a smart opponent, or the range is just too great. Fast movers really do have the mobility to try and reach places on the tabletop that are otherwise not accessible.
The other thing that is often forgotten, is that fast movers can take out dropships with impunity, often at will, especially ones that push past their AA protection. Whether its taking out Shaltari Gates, or light Dropships these guys can do this quite well, as they only take one hit to be destroyed.
Another thing that people sometimes forget, is that reserves come into the game round 1 on a 6+. This gives you a chance to get a fast mover onto the board fast, to strike dropships early before they get a chance to really do much, or deploy their AA. Even an early round 2 deployment (reserves are a 4+ on round 2), can sometimes stop the forward momentum of a force before it gets a chance to get into a spot you can't remove them from.
So what is the most powerful fast moving aircraft in the game? Here is my own ranking in order from best to worst.
Its quite obvious..... the Athena Air Superiority Fighter at 135pts is the strongest. Its expensive for its points, but wow, is it devastating. It comes with a good line of weapons, from a stealth cruise missile, to rail repeaters, this fighter can do it all. It even comes with 2 damage points.
Next in line, of course is the Shaltari Warspear Heavy Fighter at 108pts. It also fills a bomber/fighter type role on the field, as it can fire its gauss cannon E10 or its AA weapons, twin Ion Cannons. While it has only one damage point, it does come with a passive 5+ Shaltari shielding you should expect.
Of course the versatile UCM aircraft are next. They have two in fact, the Seraphim Strike Fighter at 112pts, which is a great bomber with several different options that can be used depending upon your target type (great for taking out buildings). The UCM also come with the Archangel Inteceptor for 67pts, which is one of my favorite models in the game. This is one of my favorite fast movers in the game. While not so good at buildings, its strong in taking on other fast moving flyers and removing dropships.
Last but least, the controversial Corsair at 68pts. Its biggest drawback is that it hits on a 4+ with a single shot. What a shot it is though, as it is extremely overpowered for a AA gun at energy 11. A pair of them work fairly well as bombers since their shots are Demolisher 2, and as interceptors they do OK, but the Accuracy of 4+ can hurt them. Many Scourge players have a lot of disdain for these and do not use them, but when used as I have mentioned above, as I have played a lot of games with them, I find they are useful and can pose quite the threat for the opponent.