CV32

Not to second guess you, but I'd venture to say what you're aiming at here is better AI decision making about when to use SAMs in the SSM attack role. The problem right now is that an AI ship will empty its SAM cells trying to kill a player ship in range (and SAMs used in the SSM attack role typically have small DP values, so the AI will use plenty of them). The number of potential scenarios and circumstances where an AI ship will need its SAMs for air defense continue to far outweigh those limited number of situations where SAMs might be needed to attack ships.

Plan R.

I strongly recommend that folks download and install the latest version of the HCDA database (HCDA-090513) for best results with Nef's new scenario. (This latest iteration of the HCDA continues to update magazine entries, including some of the platforms featured in this scenario).

A new version of the HCDA database, the Harpoon Commander's Edition (HCE) 'Americas' Database (HCDA-090513), is now available. It is available in the Downloads section of this website. New additions (or overhauls of existing entries) include: Aircraft: VC-2 (EMB-190) - Brazil Ships/MLUs: Guaicaipuro FFL - Venezuela Guaicamacuto OPV - Venezuela Enjoy!

Yep, it should. EW gear for ships and MLUs is a relatively new feature, so its taking awhile to work it into the DB. I appreciate the reminder.

A new version of the Harpoon Commander's Edition World Wars Database (HCWW-090513) is available. Get it in the Downloads section of the HarpGamer website. New additions include: Ships: Australia (1944) CA - Australia Blyskawica (1942) DD - Poland Burza (1942) DD - Poland Canberra (1942) CA - Australia Grom (1940) DD - Poland Iowa (1943) BB - USA Iowa (1945) BB - USA Kent (AU/1940) CA - Australia London (AU/1944) CA - Australia London (GB/1939) CA - Great Britain London (GB/1941) CA - Great Britain Wicher (1939) DD - Poland Enjoy!

HCWW-080405 added the following new additions: Ships: Lexington (1942) CV - USA Aircraft: L-3 Grasshopper - USA

The initial version of the Harpoon Commander's Edition World Wars Database (HCWW-080321) contained the following additions: Ships: Admiral Graf Spee CA - Germany Admiral Hipper CA - Germany Alaska CB - USA Andrea Doria BB - Italy Aoba CA - Japan Asashio DD - Japan Bolzano CA - Italy Enterprise (1943) CL - Great Britain Flower (GB/1940) DE - Great Britain Flower (GR/1940) DE - Greece Flower (NE/1940) DE - Netherlands Flower (CA/Aug 1940) DE - Canada Flower (GB/Aug 1940) DE - France Flower (GB/Aug 1940) DE - Great Britain Flower (GR/Aug 1940) DE - Greece Flower (NO/Aug 1940) DE - Norway Flower (CA/Jun 1941) DE - Canada Flower (GB/Jun 1941) DE - Great Britain Flower (GR/Jun 1941) DE - Greece Flower (NO/Jun 1941) DE - Norway Flower (CA/Sep 1941) DE - Canada Flower (FR/Sep 1941) DE - France Flower (GB/Sep 1941) DE - Great Britain Flower (US/Sep 1941) DE - USA Flower (GB/Jul 1942) DE - Great Britain Flower (NO/Jul 1942) DE - Norway Flower (CA/Mar 1943) DE - Canada Flower (GB/Mar 1943) DE - Great Britain Flower (IN/Mar 1943) DE - India Flower (NZ/Mar 1943) DE - New Zealand Flower (US/Mar 1943) DE - USA Fubuki (1941) DD - Japan Gneisenau (Scharnhorst) BC - Germany Graf Zeppelin CV - Germany Hood (1939) BC - Great Britain Hood (1941) BC - Great Britain Jakobi (Zerstorer 1934A) DD - Germany Kongo BB - Japan Lancha Torperdera PT - Spain Leander (Grp 1/1939) - Great Britain Maas (Zerstorer 1934) DD - Germany Queen Elizabeth (1939) BB - Great Britain Roeder (Zerstorer 1936) DD - Germany Schnellboot S-7 (1935) PT - Germany Schnellboot S-14 (1936) PT - Germany Schnellboot S-18 (1939) PT - Germany Schnellboot S-26 (1940) PT - Germany Schnellboot S-30 (1939) PT - Germany Schnellboot S-100 (1943) PT - Germany Schnellboot S-151 (1941) PT - Germany Tirpitz (Bismarck) BB - Germany Troopship (Lrg) TRAN - Great Britain Troopship (Sml) TRAN - Great Britain Warspite (1941) BB - Great Britain Warspite (1944) BB - Great Britain Aircraft: Ar.196A-4 - Germany Ar.232B Taussendfussler - Germany Ar.234B-2 Blitz - Germany Bf.109B-2 - Germany Bf.109E - Germany Bf.109F - Germany Bf.109T-1 - Germany Bf.110C-4 Zerstorer - Germany Ba.349 Natter - Germany Bv.138C-1 - Germany Bv.138MS - Germany Bv.238V-1 - Germany Do.17Z-2 - Germany Do.17Z-10 - Germany Do.335A-1 Pfeil - Germany Fw.189 Uhu - Germany Fw.190D-9 Wurger - Germany Fw.200C-3/U4 Kondor - Germany Fw.200C-8 Kondor - Germany Go.229A-0 (Ho.IX) - Germany He.111H-16 - Germany He.111J-1 - Germany He.111H-12 - Germany Hs.129B-1 - Germany Hs.129B-2 - Germany He.162A-1 Volksjager - Germany He.280V-5 - Germany Ju.87D-1 Stuka - Germany Ju.87B-2 Bertha - Germany Ju.87C Stuka - Germany Ju.87G-1 Gustav - Germany Ju.88G-7b - Germany Ju.88A-4 - Germany Ju.287V3 - Germany Ju.390V1 - Germany Me.262A-1a Schwalbe - Germany Me.262A-2 Sturmvogel - Germany Me.262B-2 Nachtjaeger - Germany Me.410A-1 Hornisse - Germany Me.410B-2 Hornisse - Germany Ta.152H - Germany Ta.154A-1 Moskito - Germany Submarines: Agosta (1940) SS - France Agosta (1942) SS - France Ariane SS - France Argonaute SS - France B Class SS - Norway Balao (Group 1) SS - USA Balao (Group 2) SS - USA Balao (Group 3) SS - USA Biber SSM - Germany Circe SS - France Gato SS - USA Grampus SS - Great Britain H Class (Group 3) SS - Great Britain K XIV SS (1939-42) SS - Netherlands K XIV (1943) SS - Netherlands L'Espoire (1940) SS - France L'Espoire (1942) SS - France Malyutka (VI) SS - Soviet Union Malyutka (VI-bis) SS - Soviet Union Malyutka (XII) SS - Soviet Union Malyutka (XV) SS - Soviet Union Marder SSM - Germany Minerve SS - France Molch SSM - Germany Neger SSM - Germany O Class (Odin) SS - Great Britain O Class (Oxley) SS - Great Britain O 21 (KXXI/1940) SS - Netherlands O 25 (KXXI/Ge) SS - Germany Oruc Reis (P611) SS - Turkey P Class SS - Great Britain P611 (Oruc Reis) SS - Great Britain R Class (Rainbow) SS - Great Britain Redoutable (1940) SS - France Redoutable (1942) SS - France Requin SS - France River (Thames) SS - France S Class (Group 1/USA) SS - USA S Class (Group 1/GB) SS - Great Britain S Class (Grp 1/US-GB) SS- Great Britain S Class (Group 1/Pol) SS - Poland S Class (Group 2) SS - USA S Class (Group 2 mod) SS - USA S Class (Group 3) SS - USA S Class (Group 4) SS - USA S Class (Group 2/GB) SS - Great Britain S Class (Group 2/USSR) SS - Soviet Union S Class (Group 3/GB) SS - Great Britain S Class (Group 4/GB) SS - Great Britain S Class (Group 4 mod/GB) SS - Great Britain S Class (IX) SS - Soviet Union S Class (IX-bis) SS - soviet Union S Class (IX-bis-2) SS - Soviet Union Saphir SS - France Sea mine MTA - Germany Sea mine SMA - Germany Sea mine TMA - Germany Sea mine TMB - Germany Sea mine TMC - Germany Seehund Type XXVIIB SSM - Germany Sirene SS - France Surcouf SS - France T Class (Group 1/1939-40) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 1/1941) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 1/1943) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 1/1945) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 2/1941-42) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 2/1943) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 2/1945) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 3/1942) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 3/1943) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 3/1945) SS - Great Britain T Class (Group 3/Neth) SS - Netherlands Tench SS - USA Type IA SS - Germany Type IIA (1939-42) SS - Germany Type IIB (1939-42) SS - Germany Type IIC (1939-42) SS - Germany Type IID (1939-42) SS - Germany Type XXI Elektroboot SS - Germany Type XXIII SS - Germany Type XXIII mod SS - Germany Type VIIA (1939-42) SS - Germany Type VIIB (1939-41) SS - Germany Type VIIB (1942) SS - Germany Type VIIB (1943) SS - Germany Type VIIB mod SS - Germany Type VIIC (1940-41) SS - Germany Type VIIC (1940/GB) SS - Great Britain Type VIIC mod (1941) SS - Germany Type VIIC mod (1944) SS - Germany Type VIIC (1942) SS - Germany Type VIIC (1943) SS - Germany Type VIIC (1943/Italy) SS - Italy Type VIIC (1944) SS - Germany Type VIIC/41 (1943) SS - Germany Type VIIC/41 (1944) SS - Germany Type VIIC/41 (1945) SS - Germany Type VIIC (U-Flak) SS - Germany Type VIID (1941) SS - Germany Type VIID (1942) SS - Germany Type VIID (1943) SS - Germany Type VIID (1944) SS - Germany Type VIIF (1943) SS - Germany Type VIIF (1944) SS - Germany Type IXA (1939-41) SS - Germany Type IXA (1942) SS - Germany Type IXA (1943) SS - Germany Type IXA (1944) SS - Germany Type IXB (1939-41) SS - Germany Type IXB (1942) SS - Germany Type IXB (1943) SS - Germany Type IXB (1944) SS - Germany Type IXC (1939-41) SS - Germany Type IXC (1942) SS - Germany Type IXC (1943) SS - Germany Type IXC (1944) SS - Germany Type IXC/40 (1942) SS - Germany Type IXC/40 (1943) SS - Germany Type IXC/40 (1944) SS - Germany Type IXC/40 (1945) SS - Germany Type IXD1 (1942) SS - Germany Type IXD2 (1943) SS - Germany Type IXD1 (1944-45) SS - Germany Type IXD1 (1945/Japan) SS - Germany Type IXD2 (1942) SS - Germany Type IXD2 (1943) SS - Germany Type IXD2 (1944) SS - Germany Type IXD2 (1945) SS - Germany Type XB (1941) SS - Germany Type XB (1942) SS - Germany TYpe XB (1943) SS - Germany Type XB (1945/Japan) SS - Japan Type XIV (1941) SS - Germany Type XIV (1942) SS - Germany Type XIV (1943) SS - Germany Type XIV (1944) SS - Germany U Class (Group 1) SS - Great Britain U Class (Group 1/USSR) SS - Soviet Union U Class (Group 2a) SS - Great Britain U Class (Group 2b) SS - Great Britain U Class (Group 2b/Pol) SS - Poland U Class (Group 3) SS - Great Britain U Class (Group 3/Fra) SS - France U Class (Group 3/Neth) SS - Netherlands U Class (Group 3/Nor) SS - Norway U Class (Group 3/Pol) SS - Poland U Class (Group 3/USSR) SS - Soviet Union V Class SS - Great Britain V Class (France) SS - France V Class (Greece) SS - Greece V Class (Norway) SS - Norway

Thanks to Buddha for coming up with a graphic that shows the locations of carrier catapults and elevators as they are laid out in the Platform Editor:

Hey, you finished it! Congrats! And thanks for your very kind words. The ultimate satisfaction from writing a scenario comes from others playing it and enjoying it.

Guys, you must know that if you really want to sell a title, especially an acronym, it must have the word "Joint" in it. Amateurs.

Okay, guys, Larry Bond says the example given in Rule 4.4.5.1.4 is wrong and should instead read as follows: "Thus, an active MF sonar could be detected by passive MF and LF-MF sonars but not HF or LF sets."

Added Nos. 31 and 32.

The HCDB already has the Yankee (667) SSBN, and most (if not all) of the following variants.

I'm going to guess that you have already been entering ID numbers for awhile now, and that by now, your DB is royally screwed.

File upload approved. Thanks! Looking forward to checking it out.

From DefenseNews India Prepares To Induct Air Version of BrahMos Missile By vivek raghuvanshi Published: 11 May 2009 12:03 NEW DELHI - Indian scientists have completed development of the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos for all three military services. While the Navy version was the first to be inducted in 2006, the Army ordered $2 billion worth of land-based BrahMos missiles last month. The latest version to be developed - the air-launched version - has a range of 290 kilometers. Two Indian Air Force Su-30 MKI combat jets have arrived at unknown Russian facilities, where the BrahMos will be mounted on the multirole aircraft for final testing. The air version of BrahMos will fly at a speed of Mach 2.8, while the land-launched version will have a speed higher than Mach 5 [CV32: Emphasis mine. ]. The air version will be integrated on Ilyushin Il-38 maritime surveillance planes and the Su-30 MKI. The aerial version will be shorter than the standard land or marine versions, and will have the capability to auto-launch toward a target after being released from the aircraft, an Indian Air Force official said. The BrahMos has been developed by the BrahMos Corp., a joint venture between India's Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia.

From Ares We Got Hosed, Osama, We Got Hosed! Posted by Bill Sweetman at 5/12/2009 5:00 AM CDT "We can sink a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) at 100 meters," remarks a representative of a joint program between Raytheon's marine radar unit and Unifire, Sweden-based specialist in firefighting equipment. At the IMDEX maritime defense show in Singapore earlier today, Unifire and Raytheon unveiled their joint approach to non-lethal defense against typical pirate attacks. The keys are that large ships often already carry water cannon for firefighting and that they are not regarded as weapons - which demand special training and may cause a ship to be restricted in using international commercial ports. Also, in addition to being powerful enough "to send an 85 kg barrel flying end over end at 75 meters", Unifire's water cannon systems are already equipped with precise, responsive joystick remote control systems so that operators are not exposed on deck. The system is non-lethal and variable in its effects. With pepper-spray irritant, it is effective out to 200 m. Even if pirates take cover against the water blast at shorter ranges, 5000 liters of water a minute are apt to have a negative effect on a small boat. Raytheon's contribution to the defense package is a small-craft tracking system that comprises a special processor linked to the ship's existing navigational radar. A land-based version is already operational in Spain and the Netherlands Antilles, for coastal surveillance against small, fast craft. The processor sifts through short-range clutter for moving target tracks, using scan-to-scan and multi-hypothesis tracking to even pick up targets that may only appear in one out of three sweeps. A digital camera can be slaved to the radar for positive ID. Unifire has developed a networking system which connects the water cannon to the radar and camera displays.

For Russia, WWII is still a very vivid memory ... From RIA Novosti WWII, a war which changed the world 20:34 | 07/ 05/ 2009 MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military correspondent Ilya Kramnik) - World War II was the bloodiest war in human history. It ended in Europe on May 9, 1945, and continued for another four months, until Japan's surrender, although its outcome had already been predetermined. Participants in the war began to gradually sum up the results and consolidate its experience. Every big war, especially a war with the participation of great powers on each side, changes military art. WWII was special in this respect. Changes in the armed forces' structure, equipment and concepts of use were unprecedented in scale and importance. Even WWI with its massive use of combat aviation, submarines and tanks did not bring on such a transformation. By the beginning of WWII, the armed forces of major powers had not changed much since WWI. Infantry with magazine rifles continued to be the backbone of the world's armies; tanks still looked clumsy despite modernization; cavalry units existed in all armies, while the bulk of combat aviation was formed by plywood-cloth biplanes, albeit with improved specifications. However, in the fall of 1939 there were prerequisites for a revolution in military art, which took place in the few subsequent years. Reliable mass-produced cars formed the foundation for mobile ground troops, which turned upside down all former ideas about operational art. By the late 1930s, technical progress enabled the leading powers to develop a new generation of tanks, which were capable of not only providing fire support for the mobile infantry, but also of breaking the defenses, and exploiting in-depth success instead of cavalry units. The war requirements quickly removed obsolete planes from the scene; improved specifications of aircraft turned the air force into an independent arm, capable of solving strategic tasks. The development of jet aircraft by the end of the war made this leap even bigger. Radio equipment was not marking time, either. First, mass-produced reliable radio transmitters fundamentally changed command chain functioning by markedly increasing the information awareness of headquarters and the speed of their response. Combined with higher mobility of ground troops, these factors allowed them to translate into reality the concepts of in-depth operations. Second, radio allowed headquarters to secure arms coordination on the battlefield. Third, by the beginning of WWII, the leading powers developed the first radars, which drastically changed the tactics and operational formations in all services, first and foremost in the air force and navy. Radars and new combat aircraft undermined the dominance of big artillery warships, which seemed immutable for centuries and reached its peak with the appearance of dreadnoughts in the early 20th century. Aircraft carriers, which were considered to be auxiliary ships before WWII, ousted battleships from their superior position. They became fundamentally new strategic vehicles -floating bases for dozens of powerful aircraft capable of controlling hundreds of kilometers around them. Submarine fleet, which had already gained respect as a serious force after WWI, also underwent a revolution. During 20 years between the two world wars, submarine specifications changed very little, but in subsequent five years they made a big leap. Before, they had been able to go underwater for a short period of time, but the development of the air force and surface ships compelled their designers to turn them into full-scale submarines capable of staying underwater for weeks. There was only one step from the submarines, which operated by the end of WWII, to nuclear-powered submarines, and this step was made before long. Radio equipment soon turned into radio electronics, and led to the appearance of weapons that only existed in science fiction before. WWII gave birth to ballistic missiles (and test models of air defense and anti-tank missiles), guided torpedoes, adjusted air bombs, and pilotless vehicles, not only airborne but also ground-based, which were the prototypes of modern robots, and centralized air defense systems. Finally, WWII brought into being the first computers. They were developed for strictly military purposes - new armed forces and their maintenance required fast calculations. Talking about technical advances of WWII, it is important to mention nuclear weapons, which have drastically changed humanity's attitude to war and peace. These serious technological changes were bound to affect tactical and operational art. It would be no exaggeration to say that practically all current military art is rooted in what was done in 1939-1945: action by combined units, close teamwork of different arms and services, task force operations, fleet-against-shore operations (which have become much more important than before), strategic bombardment, radio electronic warfare, mass-scale information-psychological warfare, to name but a few. War has become truly total in terms of information, psychology, and technology, and has radically changed the requirements to logistic potential and stability. The revolution in military art has fundamentally changed the ratio between big and small countries in the world arena. Before, the difference in their armed forces was mostly quantitative. When it became qualitative, very few countries could afford to develop fully-fledged armed forces of the nuclear era. It is only natural that these countries form the big Nuclear Five, and the nucleus of the UN Security Council. New operational concepts, backed by the nuclear bomb, strategic bombers, and missiles with an increasing range, have practically put an end to the notion of a "tensions build-up." Transition from peace to war for major powers has become very thin. Even in peacetime they had to plan their infrastructure based on a possibility of an attack at any moment and to any depth. WWII was preceded by many big and small local conflicts, which determined the configurations of blocs and alliances in its course. The exacerbation of these conflicts and their drawing closer to the borders of leading countries signified an early start of a big war. After WWII, a victory or defeat in a big war became a life-and-death issue. A country defeated in a big war is bound to lose everything and cease to exist as an independent political entity for a long time or forever. Indicative in this respect is the example of Yugoslavia, which lost its own identity as a result of defeat. Under the circumstances, the continuous modernization of armed forces is becoming a priority for the preservation of a country, its freedom and independence. It is as important today as it was 64 years ago. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

From Flight Global DATE: 12/05/09 SOURCE: Flightglobal.com Boeing: Airborne Laser test aims to defy 'stunt' and 'one-shot wonder' labels By Stephen Trimble A Boeing official says the YAL-1 Airborne Laser (ABL) will seek to pre-empt critics of the programme's first shootdown test scheduled later this year by choosing a deliberately difficult engagement scenario. Both the first shoot-down attempt and a follow-on test will engage targets simulating the design and trajectory of short range ballistic missile (SRBM), Boeing Michael Rinn told reporters attending a week-long media tour. To engage a relatively low-altitude SRBM, the 747-400F-based ABL's megawatt-class laser beam must pass through about 100km of atmosphere. Denser atmosphere at lower altitudes can more easily degrade the quality of the laser beam than against longer-range missiles, which reach apogee above the Earth's atmosphere. "We have chosen one of the most difficult targets," Rinn said. "We have chosen something with a quick burn, very short timelines and atmosphere that we have to correct [the beam] to shoot through." Rinn said the test scenario was chosen specifically to show that the shootdown attempt was not a "stunt", with the operational conditions tilted artificially in the ABL's favour. "Having said that there are some things I have deal with," Rinn said. "I have to worry about where I point my laser, how they exit the sky. I have to worry about the FAA and other commercial aircraft So there is a little scripting that goes on." The ABL programme is also planning to stage a follow-on demonstration soon after the first attempt. "We think it's important to show the critics that ABL is not a one-shot wonder," Rinn said. "In fact the system is designed to do multiple shots and do them quickly even though we're early in the test programme." The ABL update comes as the US Department of Defense has released a Fiscal 2010 spending proposal that lowers the programme's status. The DOD budget request confirms plans to delete funding for a second test aircraft, and re-designates the first aircraft as a research and development programme. However, the first aircraft, dubbed T-1, will continue operating, although with fewer funds. "We had always planned to fly the T-1 aircraft for a number of years as a test aircraft," Rinn said. "It's not as strong a test programme as I would like, but we will work with our customer to improve what we can do with the dollars available."

Units in the AAW ring do not sprint and drift. (This is the correct behavior).

Surely some of you loved or hated the TASM enough to make a comment on this latest proposal. Anyone?

As discussed on IRC, I'm going to take you up on the offer of help, Terry. Scenario testing and whatever else comes up. Thanks for your kind offer!

Baseline 7 for Aegis (or maybe one of the late phases of Baseline 6) added the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) and Tactical Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD) upgrades, so while Aegis has been a naval weapon system, it can draw upon sensor information provided by offboard sources (and there's no reason to think land based radar couldn't be included here). Also, although not directly related to Aegis, there's been talk recently of 'selling' the anti-ballistic missile Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) to the Israelis, who would probably have to employ it in a land based role.

The first scenario of the series, pitting a submarine against a surface ship equipped with a towed array sonar, will soon be available. It will also serve as the example for study in Tactics 101: Anti-Submarine Warfare Part 4.