If a fighter in a sector with bombers uses a carrier's ability "Fighter Umbrella", and, after aborting/destroying an enemy fighter, shifts to an adjacent sector to make a second attack... are the bombers it was escorting still considered "Escorted"? Since it is no longer in that sector. In this case, the escorting fighter lost inish and fired first, so that it would no longer be in the sector when the opponent's fighters would fire on the bombers.
I want to say no, since RAW the escorting fighter has to be in the same sector as the bomber it's defending- since it's no longer there, it's no longer escorting the bombers
The man who gets beat down isn't the loser. The guy who can't tough it out to the end, he's the one who loses.
Fighter Umbrella - Once per turn, you may choose a friendly Fighter that aborted or destroyed an enemy Aircraft this turn. That Fighter may move to a sector it's adjacent to that contains an enemy Aircraft and make an Antiair attack with a -1 on each die against that Aircraft.
Escort - If this unit is in the same sector as a friendly Bomber, enemy Fighters get -1 on each attack die when making Antiair attacks against this Bomber
The wording doesn't say the Fighter has to move to another sector immediately. I suppose one could argue that the Fighter doesn't have to use it's ability until the end of the Air Attack phase. But that would be a little messy to allow the First Player to make a move after the Second Player. (Although other SAs do specifically allow that. But they do "specify" it.) Or one could argue it doesn't have to move until at least the end of the First Player's Air Attack step. (I think that would be the best interpretation.) But that would have the same outcome of the fighter no longer being there when the Bombers are attacked during the Second Players Air Attack step.
On the plus side, if we say the answer is "no" and the Escort ability is lost in that sector it would also be true that the escort ability would be gained in the new sector if it also contained some of your bombers.
I think the others are correct that the Escort ability would be lost in that sector if it was your only Fighter with Escort in the sector.
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If you had two carriers with Fighter Umbrella and two fighters with escort that were in adjacent sectors they could swap places (via Fighter Umbrella) and each sector would still be escorted?
Fighter Director - Once per turn, choose a friendly Fighter within range 3 that had aborted or destroyed an enemy aircraft. That Fighter may make a -1 Antiair attack in its adjacent sector with an enemy aircraft.
Official Clarification:
Fighter Director: Aircraft are redirected at the end of the Air Defense phase. Only a non- aborted Fighter can be redirected. If both players have Aircraft that can benefit from Fighter Director, they alternate their placements and attacks, with the First Player acting first. Each redirected Aircraft is repositioned and attacks before the next Aircraft is repositioned.
Good catch! I agree the same should apply to Fighter Umbrella.
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