Hydraulics

The Hydraulics System is a part on your Avro Lancaster and Boeing B-17. Like most systems, it can be upgraded and it can break.

Appearance & Vitality
The Hydraulics system appears as one or multiple cylinders, sometimes overlapping each other partially and with a wire or tube leading to the floor of the bomber. It is located right behind the radio operator, right past the small barrier that separates the front area of the bomber from everywhere else. The Hydraulics system is vital to the success and safe return of any mission.

Usage
The hydraulics system is one of the most critical systems in the game. Electric operates radio and radar, oxygen means you cant stay at high altitude until it is fixed, and fuel tanks mean you lose fuel fast, but hydraulics stops landing gear from being lowered, turrets from tracking their targets, and the bomb bay from operating. Because of this, hydraulics is the most critical to fix, especially during the climax of a mission where you are in the middle of the enemy, where turrets are vital, and where you need to drop bombs.

The Hydraulics system is one of the most likely to fail at the start of the game, breaking down relatively often at level 1. It is recommended to upgrade this as soon as possible, so that your engineer can focus more on transferring ammo, and fixing other system failures.

Prioritise fixing hydraulics first if you are in the thick of a mission, or nearing your target. However, if low on fuel, fix fuel before hydraulics, or you risk running out.