CV32

Mark, not to discourage you from writing any H3ANW scenarios, because the players would be very lucky to have you, but ... I am now running Windows 7 Professional 64 bit and using the built in XP Mode to run the Scenario Editor. And it is EASY! Running the SE is now a breeze.

Yah, been keeping an eye on events in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt ... this could have serious ripples.

Welcome back! In all likelihood the generic airbases you're creating are there, but appear off the map due to their geographic coordinates. Just select them (use your Backspace or Spacebar to cycle through created units) like you would a ship group, and put them where you want. They don't deploy like weapons, but are taken into account when the host platform comes under attack (i.e. reducing the attacking weapon's hit probability).

In the official database, electronic warfare and jamming aircraft are identified by the type 'EW'. Examples would include the EA-6B Prowler you mention, as well as: EF-111A Raven EC-130H Compass Call Tu-16P Badger J Su-24MP Fencer F An-12PP Cub C Su-24MR Fencer E Tornado ECR EC-130E Senior Scout Mi-8PPA Hip K1 EH-60A Quick Fix EA-18G Growler Tu-16Ye Badger H Y-8EW HD-5 Beagle EA-3B Skywarrior Not all of these types, however, would make useful escort jammers. That would depend on what you intend them to do, and usually, if you're escorting a strike package, you are going to want a similar 'fast jet' that can keep up.

Saw the BBC footage of the MRA4 airframes being chopped up. Still disturbing, despite the problematic program.

A new version of the Harpoon Commander's Edition (HCE) 'Cold War' Database (HCCW-110126) is now available. Get it in the Downloads section of the HarpGamer website. New additions include: Installations: Cam Ranh Bay - Vietnam, South Ships: Adams (1960/1) DDG - USA Adams (1960/2) DDG - USA Adams (1969/1) DDG - USA Adams (1969/2) DDG - USA Adams (RIM-72) DDG - USA Allen M. Sumner DD - USA Bailey FRAM II (1960) DD - USA Bailey FRAM II (1967) DD - USA Barry (Sherman/1) DD - USA Barry (Sherman/2) DD - USA Bradley (Garcia/67) FF - USA Brooke (1966/1) FFG - USA Brooke (1967/1) FFG - USA Brooke (1967/2) FFG - USA Bronstein (1963) FF - USA Bronstein (1967) FF - USA Bronstein (1974) FF - USA Buchanan (1971) DDG - USA Buckley (TE) DE - USA Cannon (DET) DE - USA Carpenter (1950) DDK - USA Carpenter (1956) DDK - USA Chevalier DD - USA Claud Jones (1959) DE - USA Claud Jones (1961/1) DE - USA Claud Jones (1961/2) DE - USA Claud Jones (1967) DE - USA Claud Jones (1972) DE - USA Coontz (1960) DDG - USA Coontz (1971) DDG - USA Dealey (1954/1) DE - USA Dealey (1954/2) DE - USA Dealey (1962/1) DE - USA Dealey (1962/2) DE - USA Dealey (1962/3) DE - USA Decatur (1967) DDG - USA Decatur (1969) DDG - USA Duncan FRAM II (1961) DD - USA Duncan FRAM II (1967) DD - USA Edsall (FMR) DE - USA Edsall (FMR) DER - USA Evans (1957) DE - USA Evans (1963) DE - USA Evans (1967/1) DE - USA Evans (1967/2) DE - USA Farragut (1969) DDG - USA Fletcher DD - USA Fletcher DDE - USA Fletcher FRAM II (1960) DD - USA Fletcher FRAM II (1967) DD - USA Forrest Sherman (1955) DD - USA Forrest Sherman (1967) DD - USA Forrest Sherman (1975) DD - USA Garcia (1964/1) FF - USA Garcia (1964/2) FF - USA Garcia (1967/1) FF - USA Garcia (1967/2) FF - USA Garcia (1972/1) FF - USA Garcia (1972/2) FF - USA Gearing DD - USA Gearing (DDE I) DDE - USA Gearing (DDE II) DDE - USA Gearing FRAM I (A/61) DD - USA Gearing FRAM I (A/67) DD - USA Gearing FRAM I (B/61) DD - USA Gearing FRAM I (B/67) DD - USA Gearing FRAM I (C/64) DD - USA Gearing FRAM I (C/67) DD - USA Glover (Garcia/65) FF - USA Gyatt (1956) DDG - USA Hazelwood (DASH) DD - USA John C. Butler (WGT) DE - USA Knox (1969) FF - USA Knox (1971/1) FF - USA Knox (1972/1) FF - USA Knox (1972/2) FF - USA Knox (1972/3) FF - USA Mitscher (1969) DDG - USA Norfolk (1962) DL - USA Rudderow (TEV) DE - USA Sumner FRAM II DD - USA Talbot (1974) FFG - USA Thomas FRAM II (1961) DD - USA Thomas FRAM II (1967) DD - USA Tweedy (Butler) DE - USA Van Voorhis (Evans/65) DE - USA Vreeland (Knox/73) FF - USA Enjoy.

Heh. My saucy comment wasn't really intended to be an argument against a 'pause', but you're right, there is a part of me (perhaps a large part) that does believe in trying to simulate the pressures of combat and decision making under stress, which includes time constraints. That incoming sea skimmer now just 30 seconds from impact was never intended to provide a 'pause'. But this is a game too, so I can see where a 'pause' would be a useful feature too. Carry on.

Pause is for pansies.

From DefenseNews France Signs Contested Russia Warship Deal By PHILIPPE ALFROY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: 25 Jan 2011 09:20 SAINT-NAZAIRE, France - France on Jan. 25 inked a lucrative agreement to sell four Mistral-class warships to Moscow, with two to be built in Russia, a move bitterly opposed by former Soviet states in the Baltics. [excerpt]

There was talk of these being British types, including Type 26 frigates, but Brazil's latest political moves do not seem to go hand in hand with military cooperation with the UK.

Thanks very much, Don, for taking the time to produce an AAR. That is always appreciated. As for the challenge, I'm still waiting for someone to match the accomplishments of Captain Michael Barkai (Yomi) and his men.

Heh, I remarked today on IRC that if anyone can come through unscathed, I will be impressed. There, a challenge for ya!

File Name: Battle of Latakia File Submitter: CV32 File Submitted: 23 Jan 2011 File Updated: 23 Jan 2011 File Category: Middle East DB Used: HCCW-110114 Authors: Brad Leyte Battleset-Middle East: .scv - CDB - CDB Battle of Latakia A Harpoon Commander's Edition (HCE) scenario for the Middle East Battleset and the HCE Cold War (HCCW) Database. This scenario is designed for play by the BLUE side. The Battle of Latakia was a small naval battle fought on 7 October 1973, during the Yom Kippur War. It was the first naval engagement to involve an exchange of anti-ship surface to surface missiles and in which electronic warfare played a principal role. The Syrians were equipped with Soviet supplied Project 183 Komar and Project 205 Osa class missile boats armed with the P-15 Termit (NATO SS-N-2 Styx), a weapon that had already stung Israel almost exactly six years earlier, with the loss of the destroyer INS Eilat on 20 October 1967. The Styx had twice the range of the Israeli Gabriel, and a much larger warhead. To meet the threat, the Israelis would need every ounce of guile, wit and and courage that they could muster. Brad Leyte, January 2011 Click here to download this file

I like how you think, Enrique.

From The Mark Why Stricter Gun Control Wouldn't Make Us Safer By Gary Mauser Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University First Posted: Jan 20 2011 07:32 AM Incidents like the Tucson, Arizona shooting raise questions about how society can protect itself from dangerous individuals, but it's a mistake to think of all gun owners as potential hazards. The irrational shooting in Tucson, Arizona by Jared Lee Loughner has shocked many people. As more facts emerge, it is increasingly evident that the attack was not politically motivated, as some had claimed earlier, and was carried out by a man who was mentally disturbed. But even though Loughner had had several minor run-ins with authorities, he had not been judged dangerously violent, and consequently he could legally purchase a firearm. The U.S. does not differ from Canada or the U.K. in prohibiting access to firearms and explosives for anyone who is deemed a risk to himself or others, or who has a violent criminal record. The problem is that it is impossible to tell who is truly a risk, whether or not they are mentally disturbed. There is no solid research supporting the idea that physicians, psychiatrists, or police can predict, with the necessary reliability, who will and will not become dangerous, based on interviews or psychological tests. And why should this be surprising? Indeed, medical tests cannot even predict physical health in future years. People can and do die suddenly just months after their annual medical check-up. At best, predictions about future dangerous behaviour are little better than 50/50. Too many of those who are thought to be a risk to themselves or others never go on to be violent – just as others who are not believed to pose a serious threat, such as Loughner, actually go on to commit violent crimes. It is unacceptable to deprive an individual of their civil liberties based on unreliable predictions of future behavior. That’s why society closed down the old mental hospitals. But in our search for ways to protect society from dangerous individuals, it’s a mistake to look upon all gun owners as potential hazards. In Canada as well as the U.S., gun owners are valuable members of society. For example, hunters are renowned for their extensive contribution to effective wildlife conservation. Hundreds of thousands of hunters and target shooters own and use firearms legally and responsibly. Analysis of Canadian Firearms Program statistics shows that legally accredited firearms owners are less than half as likely to commit murder as other Canadians. And it was a licensed and accredited gun owner, Joseph Zamudio, who was courageous enough to help stop the shootings in Tucson by disarming the gunman before he could kill even more people. As Loughner stopped to reload, a woman grappled with him, giving Zamudio, who had an Arizona concealed-carry permit, the opportunity to wrestle the killer to the ground and disarm him. Some have claimed that Canada’s gun laws protect us from murder. Not so. Among Canada’s most notorious Canadian killers is mass shooter Marc Lepine (Gamil Gharbi), who killed 14 women and wounded many others at Ecole Polytechnique in 1989. None of the teachers or students tried to intervene, even though, like Loughner, Lepine occasionally had to reload. The killing only ended when Lepine committed suicide. More recently, Kimveer Gill fatally shot one person and injured 19 others at Dawson College in Montreal in 2006. Police, who were in the vicinity on other business, ended Gill’s shooting spree by gunning him down. Had Lepine and Gill not had access to firearms, would they still have killed? It’s not unlikely. Preventing homicide is not a matter of reducing the availability of firearms. There is no convincing empirical evidence that gun laws are effective in reducing homicide or suicide rates, and international studies have actually found that murder rates are higher in countries with more stringent firearms laws. Even if guns were banned altogether, numerous deadly devices – bombs, knives, cars, poison – would still be available to anyone determined to kill. In Toronto, it was not too long ago that 18 people were arrested for planning to behead the prime minister and bomb Parliament. The former USSR banned all firearms, but still had a horrendous homicide rate (some of the murders involved illegal military firearms, but most were stabbings). In Japan, all firearms are banned, yet terrorists still found a way to injure thousands and kill 13 on subway trains a few years ago – using sarin, a deadly poison. All societies have a few people who are intent on killing, but clearly limiting their access to firearms isn’t going to stop them. We’re lucky that murderous attacks by the criminally insane are rare.

Bunch more J-20 assessments and pertinent discussions ... China Air and Naval Power blog Evolution of PRC Air Power APA's updated assessment of the J-20

You're gonna need a bigger boat. Vid of the same.

From Army Times

Brazil's latest move does seem to fly in the face of the Defence Cooperation Treaty that they signed with the UK when HMS Ocean was in Rio in September.

An awful lot went on, but some of the more memorable things that stand out, beyond the strike on the Truman battle group, include: 1. Using a hockey tournament as a cover for flying Spetsnaz into Bodo, Norway. The ruse seemed to have triggered alarm bells at the last minute, and IIRC, we had to declare an emergency landing to get on the ground at Bodo. 2. Using a faked DISSUB event as a cover for getting a surface force into the Atlantic. 3. Using the commercial ship Transshelf as a means of covertly getting landing craft and hovercraft into a position to assault Andoya, Norway. 4. A Kirov battlecruiser playing the role of Bismarck, as a surface raider in the Atlantic. Our own 'Brains' was skipper for that force. 5. Smuggling spec ops and mortars into the UK to attack their E-3 Sentry force on the ground. 6. Much discussion and debate about how to most effectively conduct the 'surge' of Russian submarines through the GIUK Gap. In the end we went for a two pronged approach, splitting forces on either side of Iceland. 7. Seizing Jan Mayen and Vagar. The latter were an airborne assault force that eventually were forced to surrender but they kept NATO from using the facility for a good bit of time. 8. Launching an air strike by Su-33s from the Kuznetsov against the radar and SAM systems at Keflavik, Iceland, just prior to an airborne assault. I am sure that I am missing a LOT but these stand out for now in my often foggy memory.

Yeah, I was in command of Soviet naval forces (including naval aviation) up until the final stages of the game.

A new version of the Harpoon Commander's Edition (HCE) 'Cold War' Database (HCCW-110114) is now available. Get it in the Downloads section of the HarpGamer website. New additions include: Aircraft: Alize - France Atlantic - France C-135F - France C.160F Transall - France Installations: Alexandria - Egypt Al Mansurah - Egypt Assouan - Egypt Abu Suwayr - Egypt Ashdod - Israel Az Zaqaziq - Egypt Baniyas - Syria Beni Suef - Egypt Berenice (Ras Banas) - Egypt Bir Gifgafa - Egypt Birma (Tanta) - Egypt Borg el Arab - Egypt Cairo East (Almaza) - Egypt Cairo West - Egypt El Arish - Egypt El Minya - Egypt Fayid - Egypt Gebel Al Basur - Egypt Haifa - Israel Hurghada - Egypt Inshas - Egypt Jiyanklis (Gianaclis) - Egypt Kom Ashwin - Egypt Mersa Matruh - Egypt Minet el Beida - Syria Port Safaqa - Egypt Port Said - Egypt Port Tawfiq - Egypt Ras Nas Rani - Egypt Sollum - Egypt Wadi al Jandali - Egypt Ships: Ashdod LCT - Israel Ayah (1952) PT - Israel Ayah (1962) PT - Israel Black Swan mod (EG) DD - Egypt California CGN - USA Colbert (1959) CG - France Colbert (1972) CG - France Dabur PG - Israel De Grasse (1956) CA - France De Grasse (1966) CA - France El Qaher (Z/55) DD - Egypt El Qaher (Z/63) DD - Egypt El Sudan (Flower) FF - Egypt Fishing boat MRCH - Intl Jeanne d'Arc (1964) CVH - France Jeanne d'Arc (1974) CVH - France Komar (183R/EG) PTM - Egypt Komar (183R/SY) PTM - Syria Merchant MRCH - Intl Osa I (205E/EG) PTM - Egypt Osa I (205/SY) PTM - Syria P-4 (123K/EG) PT - Egypt P-4 (123K/SY) PT - Syria P-6 (183/EG1) PT - Egypt P-6 (183/EG2) PG - Egypt P-6 (183/EG3) PG - Egypt P-6 (183/SY) PT - Syria Petya I (183R/SY) PTM - Syria Polnocny A (770D/EG) LSM - Egypt Port Said (Hunt/50) FF - Egypt Port Said (Hunt/72) FF - Egypt Saar 1 (Mirtach) PTM - Israel Saar 2 (Mirtach) PTM - Israel Saar 2 (Saar) PTM - Israel Saar 4 (Reshef) PTM - Israel Shershen (206/EG1) PT - Egypt Shershen (206/EG2) PT - Egypt Skoryy (30BA) DD - Egypt Skoryy (30bis/EG) DD - Egypt SO1 (201M/EG1) PC - Egypt SO1 (201M/EG2) PC - Egypt Suffren (1967) DDG - France Suffren (1971) DDG - France Surcouf (Tartar) DDG - France T-43 (254/EG) MCM - Egypt T-43 (254/SY) MCM - Syria Truxtun (1969) CGN - USA Truxtun (1971) CGN - USA Vanya (257D/SY) MCM - Syria Vydra (106K/EG1) LCM - Egypt Vydra (106K/EG2) LCM - Egypt Vydra (106K/EG3) LCM - Egypt Vydra (106K/EG4) LCM - Egypt Yurka (266E/EG) MCM - Egypt Submarines: Arethuse (1958) SS - France Arethuse (1971) SS - France Biological MISC - Intl Churchill SSN - UK Daphne (1964) SS - France Daphne (1973) SS - France Foudroyant SSBN - France Leviathan (T/IL) SS - Israel Narval (1957) SS - France Narval (1965) SS - France Noisemaker MISC - Intl Redoutable SSBN - France Resolution SSBN - UK Romeo (633/BG) SS - Bulgaria Romeo (633/EG) SS - Egypt Sovereign SSN - UK Swiftsure SSN - UK Tanin (S/IL) SS - Israel Type 033 (ES3B/KP) SS - Korea, North Type 033 (ES3B/PRC) SS - PRC Valiant SSN - UK Whiskey (613/BG) SS - Bulgaria Whiskey (613/EG) SS - Egypt Whiskey (613/ID) SS - Indonesia Whiskey (613/KP) SS - Korea, North Whiskey (613/PRC) SS - PRC Mobile Land Units (MLUs): SS-12A Scaleboard Bty - USSR SS-21 Scarab Bty - USSR Enjoy.

Can't disagree with any of that. The best computing hardware in the world is worse than useless without functional software.

Another $2+ billion contract for A-RCI in yesterday's news.