List of air units in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

GDI

Orca Mk. IV VTOL Assault Craft

The Orca is GDI's iconic assault aircraft, and is fast and lightly armored. Similar to its predecessors, it is armed with six anti-tank missiles and has to reload at the airfield. It can be upgraded with Sensor pods that can be used to keep an eye on an area. It can also receive Increased Hardpoints on Kane's Wrath, allowing it to carry more missiles.

Firehawk Fast Attack Jet

The Firehawk is heavily armored GDI aircraft with the ability to equip either four anti-air missiles or two bombs at the airfield. Its air-to-air missiles can defeat aircraft easily. It is also able to ascend into the stratosphere and reappear anywhere on the battlefield, bypassing enemy AA defenses. On Kane's Wrath, it can be upgraded with Increased Hardpoints (GDI, Steel Talons) or Ceramic Armor (ZOCOM)

V35 Ox Transport

The V35 Ox is GDI's aerial transport craft, a cross between older GDI Orca Transports and Orca Carryalls seen in Tiberian Sun. It renders its predecessors obsolete as it can transport both infantry and vehicles, but inherits the same lack of protection and sluggishness. It can be called in to airlift GDI units when the Airfield is constructed. Though slow, it is faster but less durable than its Nod counterpart.

Drop Pod

The Drop Pod transports three groups of veteran Zone Troopers to the battlefield. Drop pods can only be called in after the Space Uplink Command is constructed.

Hammerhead Gunship (Kane's Wrath)

The Hammerhead gunship is a helicopter armed with twin vulcan cannons and unlimited ammunition, and can take out ground infantry easily but is vulnerable to anti-air and air-to-air combat. Infantry can garrison and fire out of the Hammerhead, which can help it in air-to-air combat. They can also use this space to transport Engineers and Commandos behind enemy lines. Hammerheads can be upgraded with AP Ammo to increase their vulcan cannon damage. GDI ZOCOM faction can upgrade them with Ceramic Armor to increase damage absorption rate.

ZOCOM Orca (Kane's Wrath)

The ZOCOM Orca is a typical GDI Orca, only armed with sonic grenades. It is fast and lightly armored, and also has the ability to manually scan for stealth units. The ZOCOM orca is only available for the ZOCOM faction.

Supersonic Fighters (Kane's Wrath)

Supersonic Fighters are fast fighter jets used to take out aircraft with a sonic boom. They can only be called in when the player deploys a Supersonic Air attack. They are seen parked in a GDI base during the campaign.

Nod

Venom VTOL Scout Craft:

A fast air unit with a similar basic function as its helicopter predecessor, the Harpy, the Venom scout aircraft is armed with a machine gun effective against infantry, and is able to use a mirror to increase the range of Nod's Beam Cannon artillery. It can be upgraded with a signature generator to make additional radar signatures and thus confuse the enemy to believe that he is facing dozens of Venoms. The craft can also be upgraded with a Spitfire laser, giving it a lot more punch than before. Unlike its predecessors, the Venom doesn't need to reload at the air tower.

Vertigo Stealth Bomber:

The Brotherhood of Nod uses Vertigos as a more powerful version of their old Banshees. These batwing bombers are stealthed at all times, except for when dropping its single massive bomb at the enemy. The craft also has a rear AA turret, enabling it to fend off attacking aircraft from its slower self. However, this AA turret is extremely weak in damage. It is also capable of using Disruption Pods, which manually used allows it to stealth any unit in the area of the pod dropped in. It has been used to drop on allied units so the unit itslf, along with any other unit nearby it, will be stealthed too.

Nod Carryall

An aerial VTOL transport, the Nod Carryall can be called in to airlift infantry and vehicles when the Air Tower is constructed. As its GDI counterpart, the Carryall is slow and vulnerable.

Nod Armageddon

The Armageddon is the Brotherhood of Nod heavy bomber which is used to deliver the Tiberium Vapor Bomb and land mines, though it can also be used to Seed Tiberium to fuel the user's economy. It is incredibly fast compared with all other aircraft and in turn is very fragile. If it is destroyed before it can deliver its load, the support power fails and the credits are wasted.

Scrin

Stormrider

Stormriders are fast attack aircraft armed with a plasma gun which is effective against aircraft and vehicles. Only four Stormriders can be built per Gravity Stabilizer. The Stormriders do not need to reload ammunition like GDI and Nod's aircraft. Stormriders cost 1200 for Traveler-59, 1500 for Scrin, and 1800 for Reaper-17. The aircraft also bears a strange resemblance to Nod Banshees from Tiberian Sun.

Devastator Warship

The Devastator Warship is a slow airborne artillery unit that is able to fire a row of plasma discs at enemy buildings and ground units at extremely long range. A shield upgrade is available to this unit, and Traveler engines are available for Traveler-59 on Kane's Wrath.

Planetary Assault Carrier

The Planetary Assault Carrier is an airborne aircraft carrier which is able to carry eight fighters. It is also able to generate ion storms to damage nearby vehicles and structures, while enhancing capabilities of its own fighters and other Scrin aircraft nearby. Shields can also be purchased for the carrier, and Traveler engines when the player is Traveler-59 on Kane's Wrath.

Mothership

The Mothership can be called if the player has $5000 and a Signal Transmitter. The Mothership is a slow aircraft able to fire a large Catalyst beam cannon, charging all units and ground structures with explosive energy which detonates shortly after, causing a devastating chain reaction that can annihilate whole bases. However the ship is extremely slow and thus vulnerable to anti-air defenses. Only one Mothership can be deployed at a time. Players will often get a Mothership into the opponent's base with the assistance of a Mastermind or Prodigy, since capturing certain structures allows the player to build the Signal transmitter in the enemy base, which spawns the Mothership on top of it. It's beam can also destroy an entire tiberium field, and instantly destroy any ground unit or structure near or on the tiberium field.

Drone Ship

The Drone Ship acts as the Scrin's Mobile Construction Vehicle. It deploys into the Drone platform, allowing its owner to build structures. It is also the first aerial MCV seen in the series. Despite being airborne, it still manages to find very rugged terrain difficult to cross.