What exactly do AA guns do?

[John 'Cheek Spreader' HellDiver]

I have searched around for this and have not come accross a clear answer. Watching Youtube videos also does not provide me with one, so here I go.

What does building an AA gun in a provenice do? Does it only help defend that one spot of land if it gets bombed? Or will it shoot at any enemy plane that travels over the airspace?

If I were to build a line of AA guns would they hurt bombers flying over my land going to a place further in?

[Walta Gaming]

I think they hit bombers in the spot. They are easy to get with the bombers though so I would think that fighters are a better defence. When I am bombing the AA does almost no damage so I don't think they are worth getting.

[Murgen]

They only defend one spot of land, so except for some very specific circumstances they're useless.

[Jiub]

Not much, the most they do is wreck the enemy bomber wings organization but even then you need alot of AA guns in that province.

Like Sandvich has said, if you can, use interceptors.

[Lud]

usually i only use them on islands or heavy industry provinces when my air forces are busy fighting away and cant defend against sneak bombers. If you have low manpower and want to push up theories without losing the few manpower you have, you can spam AA for artillery theory

[Minion of Speed]

In theory, putting them in provinces adjacent to important provinces that would get bombed would weaken the bombers before they get to their target. Then have fighters protecting the important provinces. In theory, that should work. In practice, no idea. More fighters probably.

[John 'Cheek Spreader' HellDiver]

Thank you for the responses. I got some AA guns as cover for my big industry areas and have 5 Intercepter groups of 5 wings each cover Germany. I think I will be fine. I finally figured out how to make them intercept enemy fighters. Britan has no bombers anymore. =D

[=CAW=aldarions-lament]

If i understand correctly 1 aa gun = 1 anti air attack moddified by aa efficency against any air unit bombing that province. But that was how it worked in vanilla game

[LSD]

I remember asking this same question forever ago.
Like people said, they only defend the hex they're in. Planes flying over them aren't affected (which kinda makes sense, since planes fly miles in the sky before they reach their target).

They aren't especially useful though. Without tech (especially air to air missiles), they won't do much. Their main use is in diverting the AI: they' prioritise areas with the least AA defence for bombing. That way you can put all but one of your industry hexes on 10 air defence, and put a bunch of planes on intercept over that one hex.

Last thing: they seem way more effective at defending troops from planes than defending industry from strat bombings.

[John 'Cheek Spreader' HellDiver]

I built up AA in my heavy industry areas and have like 6 squadrons of 4-5 planes set to defend my land. It works pretty well.