[PlasmaKrab]

I agree with what Narwan says, all things considered, if the plane takes a hit that doesn't damage it further than some holes in unimportant sheet-metal parts (i.e. no functional damage) the game will return a "hit but no damage" or something. That is also what the armour rating is here for.

As already stated, any damaging hit should mean a direct trip back home, as a better option than "procrastinated crash", so to speak, however rugged the plane.