Running Tranh Hao Bridge on my primary system - 2011 Mar 18

Game starts with 12 hours on the to-go clock, at approximately 12:00 (Daytime).

Red Base ZZa shows 36 fighters;  ZVa shows 20 fighters.

I use Ctrl-Alt-S to set "show all" mode.

I immediately launch two Hawkeyes, to these positions:
1. ACA - 78 nm, more or less easterly from the carrier group center.
2. ADA - 250 nm, more or less NNE of the carrier group center.

Both groups travel at 320 knots, at high altitude.

In addition to numerous Red formation air groups, three Red non-formation air groups appear:
1. ZGR - MiG-17F x 2 - Loiters at Med near its base
2. ZFR - MiG-17F x 2 - Loiters at Med 36 miles SE of the The Bridge
3. ZHR - MiG-21MF x 2 - Cruises (560 knots) at Med towards patrol spot 240 nm SE of its base

At 11:43:xx to-go, Red group ZER appears 138 nm SE of its base, cruising at Low (560 knots) with radar active and target of ADA.

Moments later (11:43:26 to-go), ACA reaches its patrol point and turns on its radars.

At approximately 11:37:37, Red Air group ZDR appears near base ZVa, and proceeds at cruise/Low (420 knts) with target of ACA.

At approximately 11:26:37, ZER turns back (about 280 nm from its base at that point, at the same time that ADA had gone around 190 nm from the carrier).
Elapsed clock time was approximately 33.5 minutes.   In that period ZER traveled approximately 280 nm at 560 knots, and ADA traveled 190 nm at 320 knots, which
seems about right.
At the same time, a new air group ZCR appears 145 nm East of its base (ZZa) and proceeds at cruise/Low (560 knots) with radar active and target of ADA.
Also, ZHR has reached its patrol spot 240 nm SE of base ZZa, and is loitering at Med (420 knots).

As of this point, NONE of the Red air groups have yet been detected by the Blue side, even though ZER (with its radar active) came within 75 nm of Hawkeye ADA, AND
was within the radar range of ACA.

At approximately 11:20:xx to go, ZHR starts back to base, cruising/Med (560 knots).

At 11:12:xx to go, ADA reaches its patrol station (250 nm from carrier), and turns on its radars.  It traveled 250 nm at 320 knots in approximately 47.5 minutes, which
seems correct.
At this time, ZCR is 81 nm from Hawkeye ADA; both have their radars on, but so far, NONE of the Red air groups have been detected by Blue.

At 11:11:40 to-go, ZCR turns back to base, cruising/Low (560 knots).  It is roughly 285 nm from its base at that time, so its total travel time/distance and average speed is unknown, but it traveled
(285 - 145 =  140 nm) in 15 minutes at 560 knots, which is correct.

At 11:08:24 to-go, ZDR enters the AAW range of the carrier group, and is 91 nm from the carrier group center and is 237 nm from its base ZVa.  It has traveled ~235 nm
at 420 knots in 29+ minutes, which comes closer to an average speed of 480 knots.

At approximately 11:00:xx to-go, ZDR passes nearly over the center of the carrier group, with both now approximately 100 nm from stationary Hawkeye ACA.

At 10:48:33 to-go, ZDR turns back to base, at cruise/Low (420 knots).  At this point it is 331 nm from base ZVa and 38 nm from Hawkeye ACA.  It has traveled 331 nm 
at 420 knots in 49+ minutes, for an average speed of about 404 knots.

At this point, there are still no Blue detections of any Red Air groups, so I decide to move ACA closer to base ZVa, to see if another interceptor will come out, and then
find out how close it comes to ACA before being detected.  So, I send the ACA group about 60 nm west of its current position.  Oddly, it cruises/High at 340 knots rather than
its usual 320 knots.
I also move Hawkeye ADA 60 nm west of its current position, for the same reason.  It cruises/High at the normal 320 knots.

Somewhere around 10:30:xx to-go, a new Red air group YZR MiG-17F x 2 appears SE of ZVa, cruising/Med at 420 knots, with target ACA.

A previously unoticed Red air group ZBR MiG-21MF x 2 is observed cruising/Med at 560 knots with radar off to a patrol position that appears to be the same as for ZHR earlier.

At 10:35:58 to-go, ACA reaches its new patrol position, having traveled 60 nm at 340 knots in 11 minutes, which is consistent.  This position is 360 nm from Red base
ZVa, and 401 nm from Red base ZZa.

At 10:30:00 to-go, ADA reaches its new patrol position, having traveled 63 nm at 320 knots in 12:03 minutes, which is fairly consistent.  This is 288 nm from Red base
ZZa and 297 nm from Red base ZVa.

At approximately 10:25:xx to go, ZBR starts back to base, crusing/Med at 560 knots, radar still off.

At 10:15:27 to-go, YZR, still at cruise/Med, reaches the AAW range of the carrier group.

At 10:03:15 to-go, YZR, still at cruise/Med, passes over the center of the carrier group, and is 59 nm from ACA at that point.  Carrier group shows visibility of 21 nm.

At 09:55:55 to-go, YZR is the first Red air group detected by Blue in the entire game, and is detected by ACA only.  YZR is still cruise/Med at that time, and is located
40 nm from the ACA Hawkeye, and 24 nm from the carrier group center.

At 09:57:xx to-go, YZR turns back to base, still cruise/Med at 560 knots.  It had traveled approximately 325 miles from its base, at 420 knots in an unknown total time,
of at least 33 minutes - which gives an average speed of something less than 590 knots.

At 09:54:44 to-go, Blue's solid contact on YZR is lost, at about 45 nm from the Hawkeye ACA.

At 09:52:14 to-go, YZR passes back over the carrier goup center, still at cruise/Med of 560 knots.  Blue has only a large uncertainty zone contact on YZR at this time.

At 09:44:29 to-go, Blue loses all contact with YZR (and has no other contacts with any Red air groups).  YZR at that time is 122 nm from the Hawkeye ACA, and 60 nm
from the carrier group center... and still at cruise/Med of 560.

At 09:43:44 to-go, no Red groups are reporting any targets, so I decide to launch an RA-5C to a patrol point that it is approximately 40 nm from from ACA and on the
Red intercept bearing - to see whether a Red group will try to sneak up on it.  I also launch two pairs of Phantom IIs to patrol Med at 40 (AFA) and Low at 80 nm (AGA),
respectively, on the Red intercept bearing, and leave their radars off - to see whether they detect (or are detected by) Red interceptors.  As the RA-5C launches, it
immediately obtains ESM detections of numerous Red ground units, and two of the Red air groups (presumably YZR and YYR).  Other assorted units are detected by ESM
shortly afterwards.  None of the new Red air groups show as up separate air groups on the Group Window.

At approximately 09:31:xx, the RA-5C (AEA) reaches its patrol location and activates its SS radar.  This position is 326 nm and 368 nm from Red bases ZVa and ZZa,
respectively.  YYR is also observed to change course, and it now shows a target of the ACA Hawkeye, and is 204 nm from it, cruising/Med at 560 knots.

By 09:28:xx to-go, YYR has turned back to its base, before even reaching the carrier group's AAW range.

At 09:13:xx to-go, Red air group YXR MiG-17F x 2 appears near base ZVa, at cruise/Low 420 knots, with target of Hawkeye ACA, and is detected via ESM from the RA-5C,
but no group for it shows on the Group Window in normal mode. 

At 09:06:xx to-go, Red air group YWR MiG-17F x 2 appears near base ZVa, at cruise/Low 420 knots, with target of RA-5C AEA, and is detected via ESM from the RA-5C,
but no group for it shows on the Group Window in normal mode. 

At 08:45:20 to-go, Red air group YXR passes undetected within 3 nm of Phantom IIs AGA;  both groups are at Low.

At 08:40:29 to-go, Red air group YXR passes undetected within 3 nm of Phantom IIs AFA; YXR is cruise/Low and AFA is Loiter/Med.
At 08:40:29 to-go, Red air group YWR passes undetected within 3 nm of Phantom IIs AGA; YWR is cruise/Low and AGA is Loiter/Low.

At 08:37:59 to-go, Red air group YXR is detected visually by AAC Robison at 2nm, and lost again by 08:36:xx.

At 08:35:29 to-go, Red air group YWR is detected visually by at 2 nm Phantom IIs AFA.  AFA is Loiter/Med; YWR is cruise/Low.  I denied AFA permission to attack nor
turn on its radars.  Group YVR MiG-21MF x  2 sets an intercept course for AFA, at cruise/Med 560 knots.

At 08:29:57 to-go, YXR passes undetected at low altitude within 2 nm of RA-5C AEA (at Loiter/VHigh).

At about 08:27:xx, YVR breaks off its intercept of AFA and heads back to base, after closing to about 50 nm of AFA. 

At 08:26:19 to-go, YXR (now fixed by Blue) closes on ACA at 4 nm, and YWR (still not fixed by Blue) approaches AEA at 7 nm.  (Screenshots THB-4 and THB-5 show the
Show-All and Normal views at this point, respectively).  Game-save THB-1.USNI-hp2 is made at this point as well.

At 08:26:00 to-go, YXR shoots down Hawkeye ACA.

At 08:24:46 to-go, YVR shoots down RA-5C AEA, without being fixed by Blue.  (Due to its prior detection, YVR has an uncertainty zone from Blue's perspective, but in
the typical case, it would have been totally undetected by Blue - even though it comes within the 40 nm presumed detection range of a Hawkeye, as with ACA in this 
case).  (Screenshot THB-6 shows the current state in normal mode).

At some point around 08:20:xx, Red group YTR MiG-17F x 2 appears to the east of base ZVa, and is at cruise/Med 420 knots, with Phantom IIs AFA as target.

At 08:17:59 to-go, AAC Robison re-detects YWA at 1 nm, cruise/Low 420 knots, then looses it again.  It is re-fixed by AFA at 08:14:59, and then lost again.  AFA's radars
are turned on after Staff Assistant recommendation.  YWA remains un-fixed.

At 08:13:00 to-go, AGA's radars are turned on due to Staff Assistant recommendation of contacts within 18 nm. 

At 08:12:59 to-go, AAC Robison detects YXR visually at 1 nm.  (Screenshot THB-7 shows normal view state at this point).

At 08:10:30 to-go, YWA passes un-fixed within 3 nm of AGA, even though YWA had been detected and AGA's radars were on.  Both groups at Low.  Meanwhile, AFA at
cruise/Med with its radars active is attempting to engage YWA, but cannot get a fix to shoot.

At 08:07:05 to-go, Screenshots THB-8 and THB-9 show the state as YTR (still undetected) comes within gun range of AFA.  Despite being at Low and Medium altitudes,
respectively, and having their radars active, AGA and AFA have no detection of YTR, and only poor uncertainties of YWR and YXR.

AFA and AGA are ordered to attack YTR and YXR, respectively.  Although they get no fixes on the targets, they are allowed to shoot several times.  After expending all 16
of their Sparrows by 07:41:48 to-go, they kill only one MiG-17 (which is actually relatively successful).  (The net result is shown in Show ALL screenshot THB-10).



Despite its being closer to the Red airbases than either the ACA Hawkeye or the AEA RA-5C, Red never again attempted to intercept Hawkeye ADA after the first two
early tries.








