Operation Attain Document III, Action in the Gulf of Sidra, Libya late March 1986.

Operation Attain Document III, 1986. Historical Scenario.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB-130603 1980-2015 Platform Database.

U.S. Navy chart showing operations of the aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-60) during "Operation Attain Document III", 23 to 29 March 1986. "FIR" stands for (Tripoli) "Flight Information Region". The photos show a Libyan Sukhoi Su-22, a Dassault Mirage F.1 and a Libyan missile boat after having been attacked by U.S. Navy aircraft. Note: The map does not show the real geographical outlines!

Source: Wikipedia from the USS Saratoga (CV-60) 1985-86 cruise book available at Navysite.de

This scenario is designed to be played mainly from the Blue/US side. You should play many times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/Libyan side. It's a complex scenario with the most historical possible OOBs.

Attain Document I, IIA and III were a series of operations executed by the US Navy during the first months of 1986 sailing the Gulf of Sidra, which Gadaffi's Libya claims as internal waters from 1973. Those operations were in support of his Freedom of Navigation (FON) program, challenging territorial claims on the world's oceans and airspace that are considered excessive by the United States (as also in the Black Sea or some Far East cases). As a precaution against possible asymmetric or dissimilar Libyan retaliations, it was planned the contingency plan Prairie Fire (nickname after changed to El Dorado Canyon), consisting of air strikes to chosen Libyan targets from which terrorist operations could be planned or executed.

After probing the Libyan response with the phases Attain Document I and IIA in January and February 1986 remaining just north of the so-called line of death, came the ultimate execution of the plan. Composed by three Carrier Battle Groups (CVBG of the USS America (CV-66), USS Coral Sea (CV-43, with the first operative F/A-18A in the USN and USMC, Attain Document III was also the first operational use of AGM-88 HARM, the Tomahawks not were yet operative) and USS Saratoga (CV-60)) TF-60 under command of Rear Admiral Frank D. Kelso II executed Attain Document III penetrating the waters of the Gulf of Sidra with a Surface Action Group (SAG) composed by USS Ticonderoga (CG-47), USS Scott (DDG-945) and USS Caron (DD-970), crossing below 32-30 North at 241100Z March 1986 (1200 Libyan time) and exiting the area at 271432Z March 1986, remaining for more than 75 hours sailing in station.

From that very moment the Libyan forces showed an aggressive behaviour towards the US Forces, ratifying the spirit and outcome of certain previous historical skirmishes. The Libyans launched long range SAM against USN planes, realized some offensive CAP and tried to approach his PTM near anti-ship missile launch range.

This scenario represents the historically present forces, and speculates about the possibility of an higher readiness grade on the Libyan forces, probable use of Pakistani, Cuban, East German and other nationalities loaned or mercenary pilots, a greater fighting will of the Libyan dictator Gaddafi, and less fear to sustain losses by the Libyan side, to later keep supporting his Saharan and Sub-Saharan campaigns.

Note: historically the F-14A Tomcat were limited to employ the AIM-7 Sparrow semi-active radar homing as medium range missile on this and most of his operations in the Mediterranean theater of operations, to avoid an AIM-54 Phoenix active radar homing missile locking accidentally on a neutral plane.

Unnamed places are:

AKr Lampedusa US Coast Guard LORAN-C station, Italy.

YRa Misrata AB, MRA/HLMS, Libya.

ZHa Al Bumbah North AB, -/HL68, Libya.

ZIa Al Jufra AB, -/HL69, Libya.

ZJa Marsa Brega Airport, LMQ/HLMB, Libya.

ZLa Okba Ibn Nafa AB, -/-, Libya.

ZMa Ghurdabiya-Sirte AB, SRX/HLGD, Libya.

ZNa Ghadames East AB, LTD/HLTD, Libya.

ZOa Benghazi-Benina AB, BEN/HLBB, Libya

ZVa Gamal Abdul El Nasser AB (using Sheba), -/-, Libya.

Enrique Mas, June 2013.