How do aircraft carriers, air raids and nuke bombers work?

Conqora FAQ · updated 2026-10-16

Aircraft carriers are Conqora's answer to the question every naval player asks: "how do I hit what's inland?"

Building a carrier

• Built at a Port, key V.
• Cost: 1.5M, rising with each carrier up to 4M.
• Limit: one carrier per three port levels (a level-3 port allows one by itself).
• Sails like a warship: click it, then click the sea to move it.
• Warships treat enemy carriers as priority targets, the same as warships, and both show health bars.

Air Raid (R) — 150K

A bomber flies from the nearest ready carrier to the target and destroys one building near where you aimed, within 110 tiles of the carrier. With fog of war you can only raid buildings you can see. The preview shows exactly which building will be hit and warns you of SAMs on the way.

Use it to:

• Destroy a SAM before your real nuke.
• Kill a rival's port that feeds their economy.
• Take out a missile silo before it launches.

Nuke Bomber (N) — 750K

A bomber that drops an atom bomb close to the target, no silo needed. If you aim at or near an enemy warship or aircraft carrier, the bomber locks on and follows the ship until it releases, so fleets can't just sail out of the blast. The ship's owner gets a warning when the plane takes off.

Counters

• SAM Launchers hit bombers 85% of the time.
• Warships shoot at planes passing over them.
• Keep your own carriers apart: one nuke can sink a whole carrier group.

Cooldown

A carrier's planes need a long time to re-arm (about three silo cooldowns), so a carrier is a precision tool, not a nuke factory. Its strength is reach: nuclear and precision strikes from anywhere on the ocean.

More: navy guide.

Is a carrier worth it? A worked example

A carrier costs 1.5M for the first one. Add the port levels it needs (one carrier per three port levels) and you are looking at a serious investment. Here's what it pays back:

• One air raid (150K) that destroys an enemy missile silo removes a 1M building for 15% of its price.
• One air raid on a SAM removes a launcher worth 1.5M to 3M, opening the target for your silo.
• One nuke bomber (750K) aimed at an enemy carrier group can sink several ships worth millions, because the bomber locks on and follows the ship it was aimed at.

The catch is the cooldown: roughly three silo cooldowns between strikes. A carrier is not a weapon you use every minute. It's the weapon you use at the right minute.

How to use an aircraft carrier, step by step

1. Build a port up to level 3 (middle click upgrades it), or own several ports adding up to three levels.
2. Select the port and build the carrier with V.
3. Move it into position: click the carrier, then click the sea. Park it within 110 tiles of the coast you want to hit, but not inside an enemy fleet.
4. Escort it. A warship (250K) next to the carrier sinks boats and fights enemy warships that come for it.
5. Strike: press R for an air raid or N for a nuke bomber and aim. The preview shows the exact building an air raid will destroy and warns you about SAMs on the way.
6. Wait for re-arm and use the time to reposition.

The nearest ready carrier is the one that launches, so if you own two, keep them in different seas for twice the reach.

Scenario: the island player

You spawned on Britannia or in Oceania, and your rival holds the mainland across the water. Their SAM covers their port cluster, and your boats keep getting sunk by their warship.

• Build ports first. On island maps they are your economy anyway: a trade ship pays 100,000 gold plus 100 per tile travelled, multiplied by a port bonus of up to 3x.
• Get to three port levels and build the carrier.
• Air raid the warship's port or the SAM, depending on which one is in your way.
• Nuke bomber the warship itself: aimed at or near it, the bomber locks on and follows it.
• With the sea clear, send boats (up to three at once) at the coast the raid just opened.

Common mistakes

• Parking it next to your other ships. One bomber with an atom bomb can sink the whole group.
• Flying through SAM cover. SAMs hit bombers 85% of the time. Press T and route around them, or raid the SAM first.
• Raiding blind in fog of war. With fog on, you can only raid buildings you can see. Scout with boats, territory or an ally's shared vision first.
• Wasting the strike on low-value targets. A cooldown that long should hit a silo, a SAM, a high-level port or a carrier.
• Forgetting the "No ports" modifier. In those games there are no ports, warships or carriers at all.

Beginner vs advanced

Beginners: one carrier, one warship escort, and use air raids on enemy SAMs right before your silo launches. That combination alone wins a lot of nuclear exchanges.

Advanced players: use the nuke bomber as fleet control. A player who depends on warships to protect their trade or blockade you loses the sea when their carrier group goes up in one blast. Pair it with trade income and your ports pay for the next strike.

Map advice

• North America: two coasts and the Caribbean, great for carriers.
• East Asia and Oceania: long coastlines and island chains, so almost every target is within reach of the sea.
• Black Sea: a sea surrounded by land. Whoever controls the water controls the trade, and a carrier in the middle reaches a lot.
• Big inland maps like Asia: much of the interior is out of 110-tile reach. Here the carrier is a coastal tool and your silo does the inland work.

More questions

How do I get an aircraft carrier in Conqora?

Own enough ports: you can have one carrier per three port levels. Upgrade a port to level 3 with middle click, then build the carrier at it with V.

How much does a carrier cost?

1.5M for the first, rising with each carrier up to 4M.

What can an air raid destroy?

One building near where you aim, within 110 tiles of the carrier. With fog of war, only buildings you can see.

How do I shoot down enemy bombers?

SAM launchers (85% hit chance against bombers) and warships underneath the flight path. Keep both near your ports.

Can a nuke bomber miss a moving ship?

Aim at or near an enemy warship or carrier and the bomber locks on and follows it until it drops the bomb, so the ship can't just sail away. It can still be shot down on the way.

More: navy guide, how nukes work.

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More answers in the Conqora FAQ and the guides. Updated 2026-10-16.