Aircraft Proficiency

The Aircraft Proficiency System (tentative name) is a system introduced in the August 10th 2015 update along with the Summer 2015 Event, which enables planes to acquire experience in sorties. This system applies to all aircraft in the game, with the exception of Autogyros and Liaison Aircraft.

By acquiring experience from repeated sorties, planes will eventually gain ranks. As planes reach higher ranks, they acquire hidden stat bonuses that increase their overall effectiveness during battle.

Planes may lose their ranks when shot down, or in the worst case, lose all their ranks. It is important to gain air superiority whenever possible to prevent plane loss.

Abyssal Planes do not have aircraft proficiency, but PvP opponents do!

Ranks

As the plane gains experience, they acquire a ranking insignia on the right of their name.

• The ranks progress as follows: → → → → → →
• The double gold chevron insignia is the highest known attainable rank.
• Planes without ranks have default stats without hidden bonuses.
• Speculation has it that these ranks are just generalizations of the planes' actual proficiency, so two planes of the same rank may not have the same bonuses.

Acquiring Experience

Scout planes can only get experience while used on ships in regular battles. Every other plane can rank in regular battles, as well as LBAS sortie and defense mode. Currently, only the Type 2 Land-based Reconnaissance Aircraft and its skilled counterpart cannot be ranked anywhere in the game.

Viable maps for planes leveling

• Method 1: Concentrating on training 4/3 bomber planes repetitively in quick succession. Train in 1-1-A, cycling Shouhou and Zuihou, or Chitose and Chiyoda. This can be done almost non-stop, low exp but uses fewer resources and requires less micro-management.
  • It's possible to bring two additional light carriers, to level up more non-bomber planes while retaining the ease of micromanagement, though the latter two ships would be subjected to fatigue.
• Method 2: Concentrating on leveling multiple planes simultaneously. A red fatigue setup in 3-2-A with 3-4 CV/L and BBV+SS can be used to yield good ship and pilot experience.
• Method 3: Utilizing the ASW capabilities of light aircraft carriers. Training planes in 1-5 allow one to rank up both seaplane bombers and carrier planes in a full run of the map, but may require buckets.
• Method 4: 2-3 with 6 CV filled with planes.
• Method 5: You can also just use CVs and planes normally to naturally level them.

Planes leveling speed

• Plane leveling speed has been changed after Nov 18, 2015 update. Further investigation is needed to figure out the new leveling speed, but in general, leveling planes is easier.
• Currently, Type 3 Command Liaison Aircraft (ASW)s, and Ka-type Observation Autogyros don't gain ranks.
• Plane slot size does not directly affect the rate of gaining ranks.
• Generally, higher-tier aircraft takes longer to gain a rank compared to lower-tier aircraft.
• Leveling speed isn't affected by battle rank, morale/fatigue, slot size, equipment order, sea area, enemy formation, MVP, training cruisers or air control status.^{[citation needed]}

Planes gain a certain number of internal proficiency points with some random variance every time they participate in Aerial Combat or Detection. The amount gained depends on the exp-rate group of the plane.

• Each LBAS wave counts as one round of Aerial Combat (scouts do not participate and do not gain experience).
• Because Seaplane Bombers participate in both Aerial Combat and Detection, they effectively level twice as fast as other planes of their group.
• Jets receive experience from both the Jet Assault and the following Aerial Combat, effectively leveling twice as fast as other planes of their group. Note however that Jet Assault does not occur against all-submarine fleets, which effectively give half as much exp as usual.

Aircraft Leveling Speed to

Very Slow-- (100 Battles)
	Reppuu Kai Ni Model E (CarDiv 1/Skilled)
	Shuusui

Effects of Aircraft Ranks

Fighter Power

• Planes (mainly fighters) gain an increase in fighter power. Experiments show that:
  • With double chevron, pure (carrier-based/seaplane) fighters gain an additional flat 24.6-25.5 fighter power per slot. However, further experimentation indicate that there are some additional and currently unknown variables affecting the bonus fighter power planes are getting within that range.
  • (Carrier-based) Bombers get an extra 3-4 air power with double chevron regardless of whether they have anti-air stats or not.
    • Max Proficiency Bombers get an extra 3.443-3.519 air power.
      • As such, for bombers without any built-in AA stats, the maximum AA value they get would be 3.00 as AA values are rounded down on a 'per slot' basis.
  • Seaplane Bombers with double chevron most likely get an extra 9 fighter power.
  • Carrier-based Reconnaissance plane, Reconnaissance Seaplane, or Flying Boat do not get Fighter Power from Chevrons.
  • Note that the final value is rounded down per slot, after adding with the actual air power given by the plane itself.
  • Simplified Table:

Proficiency
Fighter Power Bonus	Carrier-Based Fighters Seaplane Fighters	0-1	1-2	3-4	7-8	11-12	16-17	16-18	25-26
	Seaplane Bombers	0-1	1-2	2-3	3-4	3-4	5-6	5-7	9-10
	Carrier-Based Bombers	0-1	1-2	1-2	2-3	2-3	2-3	2-4	3-4

Note: The data displayed above is a rough estimation. See #Fighter Planes' Air Power Bonus Test Result for more information.

Critical Hit

Bombers (dive, torpedo, jet, seaplane, flying boat) gain increased post-cap damage when they score a critical hit.

• This bonus applies to the shelling phase, opening airstrike, and anti-submarine attacks.
• A double chevron bomber increases post-cap critical damage by 10%, two increase it by 20%, three by 30%, four by 40%.
• Bombers equipped on the first slot receive a double bonus, so a double chevron bomber would get a 20% increase in post-cap critical damage when equipped on the first slot. As a result, a carrier carrying double chevron bombers in all 4 slots would receive a 50% increase in post-cap critical damage.
• Planes loaded onto empty slots do not grant proficiency bonuses.
• Doesn't affect support expeditions.
• Accuracy and critical hit rate for bombers increase for both opening airstrike and shelling phase.^{[citation needed]}
• A current theory is that the critical damage bonus is (depending on internal proficiency)

	Formula
Level		0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Level bonus	$b$	0	1	2	3	4	5/7	7	10
Inner proficiency	$p$	0-9	10-24	25-39	40-54	55-69	70-84	85-99	100-120
First slot	$\lfloor \sqrt{p} + b \rfloor$	0-3%	4-5%	7-8%	9-10%	11-12%	13-16%	16%	20%
Other slots	$\lfloor \sqrt{p} + b \rfloor / 2$	0-1.5%	2-2.5%	3.5-4%	4.5-5%	5.5-6%	6.5-8%	8%	10%

LoS?

• According to the official Kancolle Twitter account, planes [with LoS stats ?] gain bonuses to Line of Sight and contact rate. However, the amount its increased remains unconfirmed.
  • People have failed to observe any effect from aircraft proficiency on eLoS either.^{[citation needed]}
  • Comptiq Volume H28-01 claims that aircraft proficiency helps to increase the artillery spotting rate.
• Appears to increase Night Reconnaissance's contact rate.

Others

• There's no sign of Saiun's Aircraft Proficiency system affecting engagement form, but it hasn't been thoroughly tested.
• No effect is provided from an empty plane slot.
• Proficiency doesn't seem to affect plane resistance to anti-air, nor increasing quantity of planes shot down.^{[citation needed]}

Factors Affecting Aircraft Rank

• Numbered air group planes such as Zuiun (634 Air Group), Suisei (601 Air Group) and Reppuu (601 Air Group) start with single blue stripes.
• Famed and skilled air group planes such as Type 21 Zero Fighter (Skilled), Type 99 Dive Bomber (Egusa Squadron) and Type 97 Torpedo Bomber (Tomonaga Squadron) start with double blue stripes.
• The model conversion quest for Suisei (Egusa Squadron) and Tenzan Model 12 (Tomonaga Squadron) will retain their original rank if it's higher than the default rank.
• Some model conversions such as Tenzan Model 12 (Murata Squadron), Jet Keiun Kai and Seaplane Fighters may downgrade by one rank due to the higher proficiency capTemplate:Fact^[dubious] of the converted aircraft.
• The Skilled Pilot conversion and model conversion for Iwamoto and Iwai flight requires the converting planes to be at Rank 7 and to start over from Rank 2 after the conversion, necessitating repeated training after every conversion.
• Ranks can decrease slightly (1-2) if a large proportion of planes is shot down.
• Planes will have their rank reset if the entire squadron occupying a slot is shot down.
• When a slot of planes is completely shot down, it can still receive ranks for the sortie prior to being shot down, and the ranks will be added after the rank reset. So in some cases, a wiped-out squadron can still return to base with 1 or 2 stripes left, given that the squadron performed well before being wiped out.
• Planes that are assigned to equipment slots with 0 planes will neither gain nor lose ranks.
• Planes used in aerial supports do not lose ranks even if completely shot down.
• As air superiority greatly reduces the amount of aircraft that are shot down during the air combat phase, it is important to maintain air superiority where possible to minimize plane loss and therefore plane rank, especially against enemies that have a high anti-air stat.
• Bombers are vulnerable to enemy anti-air fire and are at risk of getting completely shot down in smaller plane slots, while fighters aren't. It is recommended to put fighters or reconnaissance planes instead of bombers in the smallest aircraft carrier slots.
• Proficiency does not increase/decrease during sorties, it only changes when the fleet returns to port.
• Improving a plane to another plane will carry over some (roughly 60%) of the plane's original proficiency.
• Planes may gain and lose ranks in Exercises (PvP) runs though the rank is not updated till the next sortie. As of 2019-04-22 update, planes no longer gain or lose ranks in PvP.

Proficiency Mechanics

Airplane Proficiency ranks are displayed based on an internal 'experience' system for each aircraft, ranging from 0 to 120. Depending on the amount of internal proficiency, different ranks will be displayed, from no rank, to gold chevron.

Displayed Proficiency
Inner Proficiency Range		0-10	10-24	25-39	40-54	55-69	70-85	85-99	100-120
Flat Airpower Bonus		0	0	2	5	9	14	14	22
	Seaplane Bombers	0	0	1	1	1	3	3	6
		0
Total Air Power Bonus		0.00-0.95	1.00-1.55	3.58-3.98	7.00-7.32	11.35-11.63	16.65-16.90	16.92-17.15	25.16-25.46
	Seaplane Bombers	0.00-0.95	1.00-1.55	2.58-2.98	3.00-3.32	3.35-3.63	5.65-5.90	5.92-6.15	9.16-9.46
		0.00-0.95	1.00-1.55	1.58-1.98	2.00-2.32	2.35-2.63	2.65-2.90	2.92-3.15	3.16-3.46

Airpower Bonus Formula

$A = sqrt(I*0.1) + \text{Flat}$

Where:

• $A$ is the total bonus airpower.
• $I$ is the internal proficiency EXP.
• $\text{Flat}$ is the flat airpower bonus dependent on displayed rank.

Proficiency EXP Formula

Proficiency Gain
$\text{EXP Gained} = 0.5E + ( 0.044E * \text{random} [ 0 , R ] )$

Where:

• $E$ is the EXP Rate of the Plane.
• $R$ a bonus EXP multiplier dependent on the current EXP value of the plane:
  • Failed to parse (unknown function "\begin{cases}"): {\displaystyle A_{base} = \begin{cases} 6, & \text{ for >100} \\ 8, & \text{ for >50} \\ 10, & \text{ for >=20} \\ 12, & \text{ for <20} \end{cases}}
• $\text{Flat}$ is the flat airpower bonus dependent on displayed rank.
• In summary, the aircraft will always gain 50% of its EXP Rate, and up to another 26.4-52.8% depending on its current rank.

Proficiency Loss
$\text{EXP Lost} = 0.5N - 0.05 * \text{random} [ 0 , N ]$

Where:

• $N = E * ( L / S ) * D$
  • $E$ is the current proficiency EXP.
  • $L$ is the amount of planes lost in this slot.
  • $S$ is the amount of planes in the slot before the battle.
  • $D$ is dependent on the % of losses in the slot. 0.5 if above 50% losses, 0.3 otherwise.
• In the case where all planes are lost, EXP is set back to 0.

Trivia

• In the official Fubuki 4koma webcomic, the Aircraft Proficiency system is described as a process that fairies gain attachment toward their plane. When they lose their planes, they get resupplied new ones, meaning they would need to rebuild their attachment all over again.
• When the system was first implemented on Aug 10, 2015, there was a bug causing your fleet's Aircraft Proficiency to change even if you didn't do anything. This was due to the program mistakenly counting in battle data when other players challenged player's fleet in PvP. This was fixed a day later.
• Type 96 Fighter, Type 0 Reconnaissance Seaplane were capable of obtaining plane ranks since the implementation of the system, though it was basically impossible to level them till the Fall 2015 Event (November 18).
• It has been suggested that the highest proficiency >> might be formed by combining \\ and //, thus >> = ////. This might explain the existence of double chevron but the lack of single/triple chevron.

Appendix

Fighter Planes' Air Power Bonus Test Result

	Carrier-Based Fighter
Rank	Bonus Air Power Value
	Lower Bound	Upper Bound
New	0-0.026	0.845+
	1-1.019	1.504-1.715
	3.212-3.596	3.845-3.984
	6.845-7.019	7.277-7.504
	11.205-11.505	11.613-11.786
	16.639-17
	below 17	17-17.205
	24.679-25.384	25.458-25.467

• Upper bound refer to the maximum amount of additional fighter power obtained from plane of this rank, while lower bound mean the minimum. It is known that in same rank, under different condition, the additional fighter power varies between upper bound and lower bound
• See text above for brief description for other types of planes.
• See #Internal Proficiency Level Hypothesis for a theory on one of the potentially viable explanations to these numbers, especially the part about why planes with same rank giving different extra air power value as this table implies.

External Link

• The following Air Power calculators already (at least partially) supports the Aircraft Proficiency system. However, there might be differences between values given by these calculators and the actual value used by the system so use with caution.
  • http://kancolle-calc.net/aircrafts.html (Japanese)
  • http://aircalc.net (Japanese)
  • http://kancollecalc.web.fc2.com/air_supremacy.html (Japanese, support improvements)
  • KanColle English AS Calculator (English) (Currently Unavailable)