[UT/Mass Combat] Actual usefulness of Jetpacks / Jump-packs / Powered Gliders / etc.

[giant.robot]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

I wonder why tech like that didn't make helicopters and aircraft obsolete if it's so awesome.

That being said, I'm currently playing Global Agenda, and even limited-flight jetpacks (10-30 seconds, depending on throttling and enhancements) seem to be a big deal. Big enough that getting +30% and then another +40% endurance between recharges seem like good options in many tactical situations (not so much in defensive ones, of course).

Except for heavily armed gunships, helicopters stay way behind the front lines when fighting mechanized forces. Helicopters like jet pack wearing infantry are easy targets for relatively cheap anti-aircraft weaponry. There's lots of tactics and flight patterns helicopter crews need to employ in an effort to avoid small arms fire and SAMs. Even Apache crews get nervous about such threats. A human in soft armor would be a lot worse off than a helicopter from a fragmentation blast. Helicopters and fixed wing aircraft are just as vulnerable as a person with a jet pack in a close assault role.