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Operation Lancette, May 15, 1981. Historical Scenario.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.

Image: Sister ship of R98 Clemenceau, a port quarter view of the French navy's aircraft carrier R99 Foch underway during exercise Dragon Hammer 1992. On the crowed deck are present F-8E(FN) Crusader fighters (not yet F-8P), Super Etendard attack aircrafts (not yet modernized), Alizé ALM ASW aircrafts, a SA.321Gb Super Frelon assault, transport, utility and SAR helicopter of Flotille 32.F or 33.F (To 1980 employed for ASW, but replaced on that task by Lynx), and a AS.365F Dauphin 2 helicopter of Escadrille 23.S replacing Alouette III on board the French carriers from 1990 in "Pedro"/SAR tasks. May 1992 photo by PHC (Chief Photographer's Mate) Jack C. Bahm, a US serviceperson on duty, and in consequence in public domain, took from Wikipedia Commons.

This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/French side or from the Red/Soviet side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.

An apparently simple and introductory scenario based on historical facts.
In the heydays of the Cold War at a time of particular tension, two days after the Pope John Paul II assassination attempt in Rome instigated by the Bulgarian/Soviet Secret Services, was the moment of one of the most scaring naval situations in the Cold War.
Just when the R98 Clemenceau CVBG and his reduced peacetime escort was sailing from Toulon for the exercise Coriolan, was detected a submarine contact by the ASW picket (Destroyers D640 Georges Leygues and D632 Guepratte) only 50 nautical miles from Toulon and actively stalking the carrier group.
The subsequent Operation Lancette was launched, resulting in the chase of the unknown submarine continuously for more than eighteen hours and with the submarine alternating creep speeds with peaks of 28-30 knots and even passing below the Georges Leygues towed sonar array. La Royale (French Navy) employed both forward escort destroyers, Lynx helicopters and Atlantic ASW planes based in the very near BAN Nimes-Garons, and at last forced her to surfacing. Ultimately she was visually identified on surface at night from a Lynx helicopter of the Georges Leygues as a Soviet Victor-type SSN and compelled to quit the area.
But this scenario represents the possibility of the things going wrong and hot, and both sides firing in anger at the enemy forces.
This scenario also could gives an idea of the difficult submarine hunting, the difficult of hunting surface ships with submarines without long range target determination, the limited sonar ranges and convergence zone feasibility on a sea with high levels of salinity and density, the high limitations of small diesel-electric submarines employed as hunter-killers against SSN (the French SSN force was then yet two years on the future), and about the necessity of employing half of the French Aeronavale ASW forces to catch only one submarine, even when she was fortunately emplaced very near to a main ASW air base.

Enrique Mas, December 4, 2011 - October 14, 2017.

Western Sahara Tin Can Sailors, Tagomago Ordeal, September 21, 1985. Historical Scenario.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.

Image: Spanish Armada Fletcher-class destroyer D-22 Almirante Ferrandiz (Ex USS David W. Taylor DD-551) patrolling the Western Sahara banks near Canary Islands on 1985. Photo by Francisco Tevar Banos, took from http://www.losbarcosdeeugenio.com/principal_en.html, with its webmaster authorisation, and subject to a Creative Commons license.

In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the Spanish/Blue side first a few times, and only after play the Polisario Front/Moroccan/Red side, and keeping in mind the special considerations scripted in the Red Orders when playing Red side.

My aim in this scenario is to capture the flavour of small and very limited conflicts, almost naval guerrilla warfare. It's also inspired by the inclusion of the Lepanto/Fletcher class destroyers in the Harpoon HCE/HUCE DataBase and of course in the vivid historical events of our Spanish recent past.
In the first eighties, when the then modern and indigenous Descubierta class frigate was introduced in the Spanish Navy, the venerable Pacific War veterans Fletcher-class destroyers (nicknamed Los Cinco Latinos) were detached from the original Destroyer Squadron 21 (On that time renamed Escort Squadron 21) homeported in Cartagena, and scattered between the different Spanish local sea commands or Zonas Maritimas.
D-21 Lepanto and D-22 Almirante Ferrandiz were from 1980 detached from the Destroyer Squadron 21 and employed on secondary roles as High Seas Patrol ship in the Canary Islands Maritime Zone (Lepanto was later transferred to the Cantabrian Sea Maritime Zone from 1983).
This scenario shows an amalgamation of a series of difficult, confuse, bad narrated, censored and much unknown incidents between the Spanish patrol forces and the Western Saharan Polisario Front and the Moroccan Forces, fighting for the control of the old province of Spanish Sahara.
As examples on 1980 Almirante Ferrandiz was apparently strafed by a Moroccan Mirage F1, and on 1985 in other incident the Anaga-class patrol gunboat Tagomago (PVZ-22) was attacked from the shore by unknown origin (Very probably Polisario Front) 12.7mm and 106mm recoilless shots, causing one dead, and Almirante Ferrandiz was called on her help.
After the Spain retreat on 26 February 1976, the Western Sahara territory was claimed by the own Saharawis integrated in the Polisario Front, by Morocco, by Algeria and by Mauritania.
Both Polisario Front and Morocco were trying to execute maritime actions as vindication of the disputed territory control, basically exerting control of the Spanish and other fishermen traditionally fishing on the Western Sahara bank. Morocco trying it with action as an apparent transnational law enforce, and Polisario Front executing attacks with inflatable boats, shore gunfire and murdering and kidnapping of fishermen and its crews.
We must remember Western Sahara economy is bases almost exclusively on fishing which employs two thirds of his labour force, but now they are suspicions about the existence of reasonably exploitable off-shore oil fields, but his exploitation is today dubious because the international law.
The European Union fishing agreements with Morocco (EU-Moroccan Fisheries Partnership Agreement, FPA) include Western Sahara. But they are many doubts about if this is adjusted to the international law, as Western Sahara is not part of the territory of Morocco under international law. As legal excuse, according to the legal services of the European Parlament, the agreement does neither include nor exclude the waters of Western Sahara from its geographical scope, and it would thus be up to Morocco to comply with its international obligations. In consequence, in order to remain in compliance with international law, the FPA should be limited to the territorial waters of Morocco proper, excluding Western Sahara.

Enrique Mas, January 2012 - November 25, 2017.

B-52 Maritime Strike 2020. Historical training scenario.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/US-Morocco side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, parks on the flightline at RAF Fairford, England, Sept. 4, 2020, three days before the simulated attacks against USS Roosevelt (DDG-80), South West of Spain. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jesse Jenny, took by a US serviceperson on duty, and in consequence in public domain).
B-52 bombers were deployed many years with anti-surface ship capability, in prevention of an all-out war with the Soviet Block. So, thirty B-52G based some with the 42nd Bombardment Wing in Loring AFB, ME, and some others with the 43rd Bombardment Wing in Andersen AFB, Guam, were equipped with the capability of load each one eight AGM-84 Harpoon from 1983 to the end of B-52G operations in 1994. After Loring AFB closed and the retirement of the last B-52G at Castle AFB, CA, the Harpoon mission was moved to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, LA. Four B-52H models were rapidly modified (as an interim measure) from September 1994 to accept Harpoon launch control equipment pending B-52H fleet modification. By 1997, all B-52H airframes were to load and launch from eight to twelve AGM-84D Harpoon 1C, providing both the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, ND, and the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, LA, full squadron strength capability. But that capability was deleted from B-52H in 2004 (perhaps coincidental with a covert early introduction in service of JASSM).
After the coming of Second Cold War from the continuous Russian Presidency of Vladimir Putin from 2012, and the great and fast expansion of the Chinese surface fleet, surges again the necessity of anti-surface warships elements.
In the B-52H inventory is at least from 2009 the stealthy AGM-154A JASSM with some interim anti-ship capability (first only with 12xJASSM in the underwing pylons, with other four more in the rotary bomb bay from June 2017, and with the full capacity of eight JASSM in the rotary launcher from June 2019). In 2020 B-52H is yet waiting for inventory introduction of the longer ranged and ship-attack specialized AGM-154C LRASM-A, from late 2018 in B-1B Lancer, and from November 2019 in F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Yet without LRASM, from mid-2018 B-52H executed multiple simulated maritime strike missions from Guam near the Chinese theatre of operations and the China vindicated artificial islands, flying from Andersen AFB, Guam.
At last, on 7 September 2020, two B-52H of a detachment of six of the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot AFB, ND, based a RAF Fairford, with support of four Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16C (based at Ben Guerir, an old Transatlantic Abort Landing site for the space shuttle), attacked in exercise USS Roosevelt (DDG-80), one of the four US destroyers based for BDM (Ballistic Missile Defence) tasks in Rota, Spain, upgraded with a SeaRAM mount, 5"/62 gun, and other improved elements.
That's the simulation object of this simulation, with other few elements added, trying to capture the B-52 maritime strike essence.
Of course this is a training exercise and actual shots, torpedoes and missiles aren't fired and nobody is hurt ...
Enrique Mas, 10 October 2020.

Fast and Furious, Libya vs. Egypt double feature, 1977-1987.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Egyptian side or from the Red/Libyan side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: An undetermined Project 205U/Osa II, in a photo probably dated in 1982. (From Wikipedia Commons. Original photo National Archive# NN33300514. Took by a US serviceperson on duty, and in consequence in public domain).
A couple of mistakenly simple fast patrol boats scenarios.
The first one, settled in the 21-24 July 1977 short war between Egypt and Libya is a very simple one, with the historically scarce number of patrol missile boats in each side. Is a hypothetical scenario, was not any naval showdown in the 1977 war.
The second one is settled ten years later in Halloween 1987 after the 1986 Libyan skirmishes with the US Navy and after the delivery of the second Project 1159TR/Koni III missile corvette to Libya. Is a more complex and with unexpected details scenario, with more boats and a little helicopter support, and more difficult to master.
 
Enrique Mas, February 14, 2021.

HMS Queen Elizabeth CSG21 Phase I: The Med. Early July 2021. Historical Alternate Scenario.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
 
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/Russian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
 
Image: Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R 08) and guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) operate in formation in the Gulf of Aden, July 12, 2021, few days after this scenario depicted actions (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason Tarleton, a serviceperson on duty and in consequence in public domain).
At last UK returns to rule the waves. After a few years delay, Carrier Strike Group 21, centred in the HMS Queen Elizabeth, carrying both British and USMC F-35B fighter-bombers, and with a multinational NATO escort, sails the first stages of her Far East tour.
Some of her escorts are returning from courtesy visits on friendly ports, or from the conflictive Black Sea, waiting to traverse the Suez Canal from Port Said.
But from the eventful year of 2014 the World was beginning the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire and later Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of his Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina.
If the things go wrong, its forward deployed forces in the Mediterranean and Syria should complicate the life on board CSG21.
 
And the things are going wrong ...
 
Enrique Mas, July 18, 2021.

Cold War on Cold War: Mirage IIIE vs U-2 Dragon Lady. June 1967. Historical Scenario.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
 
This scenario is designed to be played from the Red/France side or from the Blue/US-UK side. You should play a few times first the Red side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Blue side.
 
Image: Article 389, serial no. 56-6722; Last of the original batch of U-2A Dragon Lady aircraft, on display at the USAF Museum. From late 1965 all (both USAF and CIA operational airframes) were painted Black Velvet colour, for visual spectre and slightly antiradar effects, and very probably this was the aspect of the very similar and probable U-2F intercepted by Pessidous, save adding two leading edge auxiliary fuel tanks and in-flight refuelling, boom type (U.S. Air Force Museum took by a serviceperson on duty and in consequence in public domain, and from Wikipedia Commons).
 
This is a very very tiny scenario simply developed from historical facts.
CIA and USAF clandestine U-2 flights in the Cold War were not only developed over potential enemies, also over doubtful allies.
Charles de Gaulle, as WWII reputed saviour of France, on his 1959-1969 presidential terms constructed an independent nuclear deterrent force for his country, improved the conventional forces and military industry, and quits the integrated NATO chain of command in 1966. In 1966, all French armed forces were removed from NATO's integrated military command, and all non-French NATO troops were asked to leave France (including now almost forgotten USAF bases). Eventually some forty years later France announced its return to full participation from 2009.
As consequence some others allied countries decide to learn more about the real French capabilities.
Are relatively well known the U-2 carrier operations in French territories in the Pacific Ocean (Operation Fish Hawk, May 1964, two U-2G based on USS Ranger (CV-61) to overfly Mururoa Atoll waiting for the first French H-Bomb test), and are mentioned in the 2013 declassified (and disappointing) CIA's U-2 book, from page 247, but are not these operations over France.
Apparently after previous flights the high point of these was June 1967, when a Mirage IIIE piloted by Roger Pessidous equipped with the option of a auxiliary SEPR 844 rocket engine photographed probably a U-2F almost sure near Dijon and the CEA Valduc nuclear warheads facility, ending the U-2 overflies of France.
As relevant side note outcome of this scenario, the Mirage IIIE was introduced in April 1965 (Escadron de Chasse 2/13 "Alpes"), but only from 1968 in the Dijon-Longvic based 2e Escadre de Chasse (Escadron de Chasse 1/30 "Alsace", and the very famous Escadron de Chasse 1/2 "Cicognes"), employing Mirage IIIC yet in 1967, and the SEPR 844 rocket engine was introduced only in 1967. In consequence the Pessidious' Mirage IIIE in this operation was very probably a test aircraft, not integrated in the regular units and probably unarmed.
But if the things had gone wrong ...
Enrique Mas, August 22, 2021.

POLARIS 21 exercise, late 2021. Historical Training Scenario.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170308 new standard 1980-2025 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
 
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/"Mercury" side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
 
Image: The U.S. Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE-6, lead of her class), the Italian Marina Militare frigate Federico Martinengo (F 596, FREMM-type, ASW variant) and the ubiquitous U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG-78, Burke-class Flight II, with modifications for Ballistic Missile Defence tasks and forward deployed from 2015 to Naval Station Rota, Spain) conduct a photo exercise during joint operations in the Mediterranean Sea, 22 April 2020. Photo took by a US serviceperson on duty and in consequence in public domain, took from Wikipedia Commons.
 
From the eventful year of 2014 the World was beginning the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire including previous Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of his Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina.
And meanwhile, more towards Far East a less perceived and gradually growing problem was China, as reflected in the transfer of the 60% of the USN and USAF combat forces to the Pacific Theatre of Operations from 2012, move completed by 2020.
This time period is characterized by constant drills and exercises of the Western forces to keep its proficiency and fighting readiness.
At last, from November 25 to December 3, 2021, was developed the exercise POLARIS 21, acronym for Preparation Operationnelle en Lutte Aeromaritime, Resilience, Innovation et Superiorite (Operational Preparation on Antisubmarine Warfare, Resilience, Innovation and Superiority).
It was a mostly French exercise, but centred on a NATO near future all-out confrontation with a near-peer enemy.
Both sides reflect the exercise historical limited resources of its respective orders of battle, with slight modifications for playability.
Despite I'm the author, could say is a replayable, fun and balanced scenario, and as in the real life both sides have many paths to victory.
 
Of course this is a training exercise and actual shots, torpedoes and missiles aren't fired and nobody is hurt ...
 
Enrique Mas, December 19, 2021.

Three Carriers and Three Cruisers: Battle for the Eastern Med. February 2022. Historical Alternate Scenario.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/Russian and allies side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 8, the ITS Cavour Strike Group and the Charles de Gaulle Carrier Strike Group transit the Mediterranean Sea in formation, Feb. 6, 2022. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to maintain maritime stability and security, and defend U.S., allied and partner interests in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bela Chambers, a serviceperson on duty and in consequence on public domain).
 
Enough is enough.
From the eventful year of 2014 (Mainly from the Russian invasion of Crimea) the world was beginning clearly the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire including previous Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of "his" Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina.
After the massive Russian build-up of forces from late 2021 in Russia and Belarus near the Ukrainian border, NATO forces were forced to an increased and constant deployment near Ukraine and the Eastern Mediterranean, to deterrent Putin's ambition.
The probably plan was to avoid an intervention by NATO ground forces but preventing the Russian main forces to enter Ukrainian territory, and to get this target to establish an air and sea exclusion zone around and over Ukraine.
Aside air elements deployed to near NATO countries (and four B-52H based in RAF Fairford (ASa), capable of both land and ship strike), and a constant monitoring of the Russian movements, three aircraft carriers (Truman, De Gaulle and Cavour, this last one mostly symbolic as was yet equipped with AV-8B+) were deployed on the Eastern Mediterranean, to keep at bay the Russian forces in Syria and the Mediterranean, and later to reinforce the exclusion zone and to execute offensive actions against the Russian forces in the Black Sea and Ukraine. Included in these forces was the USS Georgia, SSGN-729 and STANDING NATO MARITIME GROUP TWO (SNMG2), flagship Italian FREMM frigate Carlo Margottini F592.
For the Russian side a great number of elements of the Northern, Pacific, Baltic and Black Sea fleets were deployed in the Mediterranean, including amphibious ships sailing to the Black Sea, dangerously depleting the reserves of all the Russian fleets. 
Also, Tu-22M3 Backfire-C with Kh-32 anti-ship missiles and MIG-31K Foxhound with Kh-47M2 Kinzhal/AS-24 Killjoy were deployed in the infamous Russian base of Khmeimim in Syria. And of course the surviving forces of the Assad regime after the 2011 civil war are in the Russian side, defending its country.
On the paper the Russian forces are weaker, but employing old Cold War era tactics could settle a surprise and propaganda blow to the Western forces.
Also, probably the doubtful Turkey and other countries could not joint the NATO ranks because Russian nuclear blackmail and other types of asymmetrical pressure.
And the things are going worse every day...
Enrique Mas, February 20, 2022.

Black Death Sea, 13-14 April 2022. Hypothetical Historical Scenario.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170308 new standard 1980-2025 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO-Ukrainian side or from the Red/Russian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: Guided missile cruiser Moskva (Ex-Slava), lead ship of her class (Project 1164 Atlant), only partially modernized and flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet to her sinking on April 14, 2022. The bigger military unit sunk in combat after WWII. Photo by George Chernilevsky on July 22, 2009, ceded to public domain by the author and in took from Wikipedia.
 
After the Transnitria War of 1990-1992, the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia and the first Russian invasion of Ukraine and its Crimea Peninsula and Donbas from 2014 the World was beginning the so-called Second Cold War or the first stages of WWIII. Against all sensible warnings and erroneous appeasement politics the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire and later Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of his Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina ... or more probably as a sad and sadistic clown.
At last the Russian campaign for the invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022, and the surprisingly bad performance of the Russian forces, forecasting a long war, and the Western steadfast support of Ukraine surprised the world.
The two most prominent facts at strategic level on the naval side were the closure of the Bosporus strait by Turkey on February 28, and the Russian naval blockade of the Ukrainian ports from the war start, preventing the export of the very need on other world points of the Ukrainian grains.
Most of the Ukrainian navy was seized, blockaded or scuttled in port the first days of the Russian invasion.
But the more important naval actions at tactical, propaganda and boosting of the Ukrainian morale were the destruction or damage of some Russian ships, the naval use of Baryaktar TB2 drones and many retaliatory air strikes on the occupied Snake Island. And of course as the main and most outstanding action the sinking on April 14 of the guided missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, probably by the action of shore launched Ukrainian indigenous R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles, based in ISTAR information supplied by NATO from day one of the invasion, and also prior to it.
This partly hypothetical scenario is based in that last naval action, and in alternative modes of its resolution.
 
Enrique Mas, May 24, 2022.

Black Sea Red Sharks, November 2022. Hypothetical Historical Scenario.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170308 new standard 1980-2025 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO-Ukrainian side or from the Red/Russian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: Grain bulk carriers near Istanbul, November 2022. Author's personal photo.
After the Transnitria War of 1990-1992, the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia and the first Russian invasion of Ukraine and its Crimea Peninsula and Donbas from 2014 the World was beginning the so-called Second Cold War or the first stages of WWIII. Against all sensible warnings and erroneous appeasement politics the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire and later Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of his Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina ... or more probably as a sad and sadistic clown.
At last the Russian campaign for the invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022, and the surprisingly bad performance of the Russian forces, forecasting a long war, and the Western steadfast support of Ukraine surprised the world.
The two most prominent facts at strategic level on the naval side were the closure of the Bosporus strait by Turkey on February 28, and the Russian naval blockade of the Ukrainian ports from the war start, preventing the export of the very need on other world points of the Ukrainian grains.
Most of the Ukrainian navy was seized, blockaded or scuttled in port the first days of the Russian invasion.
But the more important naval actions at tactical, propaganda and boosting of the Ukrainian morale were the destruction or damage of some Russian ships, the naval use of Baryaktar TB2 drones and many retaliatory air strikes on the occupied Snake Island. And of course as the main and most outstanding action the sinking on April 14 of the guided missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, probably by the action of shore launched Ukrainian indigenous R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles, based in ISTAR information supplied by NATO from day one of the invasion, and also prior to it.
After came the yet unresolved and only partly successful bombing of the Kerch Bridge on October 8, 2022, and as other naval highpoint the four places Nordstream 1 and 2 gas pipelines sabotage on September 26, 2022. The four blasts took place just outside the Danish territorial waters, east the Island of Bornholm, an interesting touristic resort with many medieval and pseudoesoteric points of interest.
And later came the Ukrainian simultaneous attacks with UAVs (Diversion movement?) and USVs against the Russian Navy at Sevastopol, damaging the frigate Admiral Makarov and the minesweeper Ivan Golubets, preventing resting and freedom of movements to the Russian naval assets.
As absurd consequence Putin ridiculously suspended the 27 July 2022 UN created Black Sea Grain Initiative traffic with security excuses from October 29 to November 2, railing again the food flux to need countries.
This partly hypothetical scenario is based on Putin trying to stop the grain traffic in angry ways, with the bulk carrying ships escorted mainly by Turkish naval elements (The only capable navy in the Black Sea), with very limited air support in both sides to prevent escalades (Just as in others actions of the campaign).
Enrique Mas, November 12, 2022.

Two of Five Carriers: Battle for the Eastern Med. Late November 2022. Historical Alternate Scenario.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/Russian and allies side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: The Italian navy flagship, aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550), arrives at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, March 26, 2021, deployed to the United States for its initial period of flying trials with the F-35B, and just after when the trial was completed. The Italian Navy received four F-35B in March 2022, the original prevision was to embark them from 2024, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine marked their early naval deploy in the ITS Cavour (CVH 550) from mid-2022, including also many AV-8B+ Harrier II Plus. Italian F-35A/B from March 2018 to 2022 are armed with AIM-120C5 (Meteor probably from 2027), and perhaps with the first AIM-9X-2 requested 2021 as per SIPRI (As in the case of the Norwegian F-35A, very probably IRIS-T will be not integrated on F-35). US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mitchell Banks, a serviceperson on duty and in consequence on public domain.
From the eventful year of 2014 (Mainly from the Russian invasion of Crimea) the world was beginning clearly the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire including previous Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of "his" Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina.
After the massive Russian build-up of forces from late 2021 in Russia and Belarus near the Ukrainian border, NATO forces were forced to an increased and constant deployment near Ukraine and the Eastern Mediterranean, to deterrent Putin's ambition.
The probably original plan was to avoid an intervention by NATO ground forces but preventing the Russian main forces to enter Ukrainian territory, and to get this target to establish an air and sea exclusion zone around and over Ukraine.
But at last, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine against most forecast, sinking the world in a new state of international relations, as consequence of a long and failed campaign of unexpected outcomes.
Aside air elements deployed to near NATO countries and strategic bombers in UK, and a constant monitoring of the Russian movements, after three aircraft carriers (USS Harry S Truman CVN 75, FNS Charles de Gaulle R91 and ITS Cavour CVH550) were deployed on the Eastern Mediterranean on February 2022, to keep at bay the Russian forces in Syria and the Mediterranean, and later to reinforce the possible exclusion zone and to execute offensive actions against the Russian forces in the Black Sea and Ukraine. Later, on November 2022 the forces were expanded to five deployed carriers, with USS Gerald R Ford CVN 78 (On her first deployment) and HMS Queen Elizabeth R08 in the Atlantic, and USS George W H Bush CVN 77 replacing Truman in the Mediterranean, but keeping positions near a possible unrest in Algeria. Included in the Mediterranean forces was the STANDING NATO MARITIME GROUP TWO (SNMG2), flagship USS Forrest Sherman, Italian FREMM frigate Alpino F594, Spanish AEGIS frigate Cristobal Colon F105 and German oiler Spessart A1442.
For the Russian side a great number of elements of the Northern, Pacific, Baltic and Black Sea fleets were deployed in the Mediterranean, including amphibious ships sailing to the Black Sea, dangerously depleting the reserves of all the Russian fleets, but after more than six months sailing most have been retired to their parent fleets (Excluded of course the return to Black Sea).
Also, Tu-22M3 Backfire-C with Kh-32 anti-ship missiles and MIG-31K Foxhound with Kh-47M2 Kinzhal/AS-24 Killjoy were deployed in the infamous Russian base of Khmeimim in Syria. And of course the surviving forces of the Assad regime after the 2011 civil war are in the Russian side, defending its country.
On the paper the Russian forces are weaker, but employing old Cold War era tactics could settle a surprise and propaganda blow to the Western forces.
And with Truman keeping an eye on Algeria, only the French and Italian carriers could keep at bay the residual Russian forces on Eastern Mediterranean.
Enrique Mas, November 27, 2022.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Ukrainian/NATO side or from the Red/Russian. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: The Soviet Project 864 Meridian-class intelligence collection ship Kareliya (SSV-535), sistership of Priazovye (437) who was involved in the receiving side of the Ukrainian mid-2023 USVs open sea strikes, steaming alongside the U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS Texas (CGN-39) in the First Cold War. Texas was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) for a deployment in the Western Pacific from 15 June to 16 December 1988. US Navy photo by a serviceperson on duty and in consequence on public domain, and took from Wikipedia Commons.
From the eventful year of 2014 (Mainly from the Russian invasion of Crimea) the world was beginning clearly the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire including previous Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of "his" Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina.
After the massive Russian build-up of forces from late 2021 in Russia and Belarus near the Ukrainian border, NATO forces were forced to an increased and constant deployment near Ukraine and the Eastern Mediterranean, to deterrent Putin's ambition.
The probably original plan was to avoid an intervention by NATO ground forces but preventing the Russian main forces to enter Ukrainian territory, and to get this target to establish an air and sea exclusion zone around and over Ukraine.
But at last, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine against most forecast, sinking the world in a new state of international relations, as consequence of a long and failed campaign of unexpected outcomes.
On the conflict naval side, many new tactics and strategies has been employed as novelties in the Ukrainian campaign, including many that could be called of naval guerrilla warfare.
One of the novelties is the employ of USVs (Unmanned Surface Vehicles) not only against moored ships in port, but also against underway ships on open sea.
In concrete attacks on the Russian intelligence ships Ivan Khurs on May 24, and Priazovye on June 11, 2023, the first with three USVs, and the second employing six USVs.
This scenario depicts those inconclusive Ukrainian attacks against Russian AGIs in the Black Sea.
A very simple and easy scenario, at least apparently, and perhaps surprisingly balanced.
Enrique Mas, June 17, 2023.

Ukrainian Falcons, August 2024. Hypothetical Scenario.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Ukrainian/NATO side or from the Red/Russian. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: A Ukrainian Tupolev Tu-22M3 (NATO-Codename: Backfire-C) bomber is dismantled through assistance provided by the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program implemented by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, November 12, 2002. Depend on Russia and its consecutive nuclear disarmament was probably the greatest error of the Ukrainian history. Photo by an US serviceperson on duty, and in consequence in public domain, took from Wikipedia Commons.
From the eventful year of 2014 (Mainly from the Russian invasion of Crimea) the world was beginning clearly the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire including previous Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of "his" Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina.
After the massive Russian build-up of forces from late 2021 in Russia and Belarus near the Ukrainian border, NATO forces were forced to an increased and constant deployment near Ukraine and the Eastern Mediterranean, to deterrent Putin's ambition.
The probably original plan was to avoid an intervention by NATO ground forces but preventing the Russian main forces to enter Ukrainian territory, and to get this target to establish an air and sea exclusion zone around and over Ukraine.
But at last, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine against most forecast, sinking the world in a new state of international relations, as consequence of a long and failed campaign of unexpected outcomes, extended more than two years at this moment.
After that time, the Ukrainian Air Force is almost depleted of effective aircrafts, and at last at late July 2024, and after a long preparation, the first F-16AM/BM begin to arrive in Ukraine. They come from many NATO countries, mostly Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Denmark, and were update in the early 2000, expected to receive between 79 and 129. But they came apparently supplied with older models of AIM-9M Sidewinder and AIM-120B AMRAAM, not with state of art AIM-9X-2 or AIM-120C-7.
Many speculated at the Russian invasion start about NATO establishing an air exclusion zone over Ukraine, but that time was over after the first days of war.
This scenario is very simple and mainly abstract and hypothetical, and not based in the real (secret!) placement of the Ukrainian F-16AM.
I started it as a simple test of capabilities developed in only two or three hours (After some days of thinking on it), and grow a little, and decided to publish it as tribute to the Ukrainian resistance against the invader.
Enrique Mas, August 7, 2024.

Hot Start with tovarich Tupolev, JFK in the Med 1988.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/Soviet. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: An aerial port bow view of USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, conducting high speed manoeuvres, circa 1989 and depicting the same air wing displayed on this scenario. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 300-CFD-DN-ST-89-02161, took by a serviceperson on duty and in consequence on public domain.
This scenario was initially based on that titled Tattletale of the Admiralty Trilogy’s recent book “High Tide” second edition.
But as usual my personal research of the scenario and my “rivet counter” syndrome made me complicated it, adding a great number of historically correct Soviet Long Range Aviation and Naval Aviation units to balance more the scenario.
The Soviet supposed strategy was to neutralize the US carrier in the Mediterranean in the first hours or the first day of an open WWIII in the 1980s.
The idea is a surprise attack from the scenario start with Soviet naval forces, trying to damage USS John F Kennedy (CV-67), exploiting the lack of readiness of her air wing the first hours of the conflict.
Later, supersonic and subsonic Tupolev bombers of many types should finish the carrier, attacking her with long range and big supersonic missiles, with the stockpile of anti-ship missiles probably exhausted after the first three attack waves or similar (as saw in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine).
Overflight of Greece and Turkiye are guaranteed by the usual Soviet nuclear menaces and blackmail against both countries, with only some few Greek empty airbases present.
The Soviet target is clear, to neutralize the US aircraft carrier.
The NATO target is even more clear, survive the aircraft carrier beyond the first day of war.
This scenario is for me balanced, winnable for both sides, and very interesting, because the very asymmetrical forces.
As sidenote are supplied two almost identical variants of the scenario, one with and one without Soviet AGI ships (adjusting the victory conditions by the presence of more ships), marking with their presence the relative zone of Soviet SSGNs and “aiding” on their anti-ship missile targeting, in case someone is using a game version previous to 2024.006.
Enrique Mas, November 24, 2024.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
 
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Israeli side or from the Red/Algerian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
 
Image: Algerian Navy LPD Kalaat Beni Abbes (L-474) on April 2, 2016, a San Giorgio-class derivative with very reinforced weapons, included sixteen ASTER 15 missiles. She is also employed as ASW ship capable to carry up to five Super Lynx Mk140 ASW helicopters, intended also for use in the MEKO A-200AN frigates, and equipped from 2023 with Compact FLASH dipping sonar. Photo by Messaoud Mesbouk, and took from Wikipedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
 
This scenario was inspired yesterday by a comment by Mackie Folsom on the Navy General Board Facebook group, and fast researched a little time.
It’s not clear its historicity, but at least a very interesting story and scenario.
Basically at September 27, 2021, an unnamed Israeli submarine was collecting data on Algerian Navy drills, probably to know sound signature of Project 06361/Kilo II submarines opening tubes and launching 3M14E/SS-N-30B Sagaris land-attack cruise missiles.
On the Algerian side was claimed their forces ride out the Israeli submarine presence, forcing her to surface and quit the area.
For many and the lack of sources (Read the sources links on the Harpgamer website) is simply a foul propaganda action by the Algerian side, but none is clear or definitive.
Anyway is basis for an interesting scenario, but in this play both sides are more aggressive and some boats could be past of The Med Sea Sharks.
 
Enrique Mas, July 12, 2025.

On the 2 May 2011 the World was surprised when US Government Officials informed about the killing the previous day in a daring Special Forces raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, of Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the al-Qaeda islamist international terrorist network.
The action was excuted mostly by DevGru (Naval Special Warfare Development Group) members, previously the SEAL Team Six and nowadays with other classified name, descended in the house by fast rope and probably in collaboration with other Special Forces/CIA/Intelligence operatives intervention and support. They were flown into Pakistan from Afghanistan by helicopter from the 160th Special Operations Air Regiment (Airborne) Night Stalkers, part of the Joint Special Operations Command, two MH-60 stealthy modified and two MH-47. One MH-60 was lost in the operation because mechanical breakdown.
The helicopters probably taked-off from Bagram, Afghanistan, where is based the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing and the Special Forces aircraft can be merged stealthly with the usual resident units.
The corpse of Osama bin Laden was buried in the sea the same day by the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), with the CVW-17 embarked.
Edit 28 november 2012: for the start I was speculating about the bin Laden corpse ferried to CVN-70 in a C-2 Greyhound because range, load and speed reasons, but a Greyhound present in Bagram or other Stan base is too notorious and conspicuous. In the December 2012 issue of Air Forces Monthly is mentioned as widely and unofficially accepted the corpse was ferried in a more discrete V-22, doing the first and unofficial landing of the Osprey type in a carrier.
 
At the moment of the scenario design the data about the operation are scarce, and it's not historically accurate.
This scenario only pretends to be a little divertment and a little tribute to the people who ultimately has killed Bin Laden.
Change 4 May 2011: 2xMH-53J Pave Low III replaced by 2xCV-22B Osprey (the last MH-53M Pave Low IV were retired in 2008).
Change 8 May 2011: Title name changed from Kill to Killing, added 2xMH-47G, added 6xF-22A, added a FARP in the placement of the Tarbela Dam/Ghazi airport, suggested the first day as support for the helicopters flying from Pakistan.
Change 12 May 2011: added 2xMH-60 Dark Hawk stealthy modified assault helicopters, added mention to 2xMH-47 included in the operation.

Fate of PNS Ghazi, 1971. Historical Scenario.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for the IOPG Battleset and the HCCW-130923 1950-1975 Cold War Platform Database.
 
Image: AGSS-479 USS Diablo after the Fleet Snorkel conversion in 1964, in Long Island Sound and before the delivery to the Pakistani Navy. Source: Wikipedia Commons and navsource.org, probably first released by LCDR Tomme J. Lambertson USN (RET).
 
To avoid spoilers is better to play this scenario a few times first playing the Pakistani/Blue side, and only after the Indian/Red side. Is a long ASW scenario with very limited forces in quantity and quality in both sides, sailing the immense Bay of Bengal, where from long time nothing happens, but with frantic moments after the enemy is in contact.
 
The PNS Ghazi (a title given to Muslim warriors or champions) was a Tench-class submarine (SS-479 USS Diablo) transferred to Pakistan on 1 June 1964 after a Fleet Snorkel conversion (The Fleet Snorkel conversion were conversion of fleet boats by far cheaper, slower, noisier and with poorer sensors than the more celebrated GUPPY conversions, developed to fulfil the number of submarines requested by the US Navy, impossible with the expensive Guppies. The Fleet Snorkel keep the four original fast-running electric engines not replacing them by two quieter slow-running engines, as the Guppies, and her hull and sail are not so streamlined as in the Guppies. Also, it was at least two Fleet Snorkel main variants: an US Navy variant with the big German-derivative BQR-2 chin-mounted passive sonar array, and other diverse austere variants for export, mainly for training submarine crews and employ the Fleet Snorkels as targets in ASW exercises in many allied navies, with simpler sensors, usually the BQR-3 passive sonar,
an old JT in a dome. And as a Tench-class Fleet Snorkel converted her torpedo capacity was 28, not 24 as in the Gato and Balao-classes conversions.
In the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War PNS Ghazi was the only submarine in both sides, and sailed in deterrent preventing the major ships of the Indian Navy to came out of harbour, and supporting Operation Dwarka, but not firing anytime in anger.
In the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, concluded after a fast 13 days campaign with the secession of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), the Pakistani Navy strategic plan was to send Ghazi into the Bay of Bengal, to mine some ports, to do some intelligence and to menace and prevent with her presence the use of the Indian Navy sole carrier, INS Vikrant.
Ghazi was the only one Pakistani submarine capable of that task because her greater range (11000 nm against 4500 nm) and higher weapons capacity than the three modern Pakistani Daphne-class submarines, but noisier and with older sensors than the French-made boats.
As the mission was considered highly dangerous Ghazi staff was changed to employ young naval officers, under the new command of Commander Zafar Muhammada Khan, promoted to this rank only four days before the mission begins.
After looking for Vikrant in Madras/Chennai, and perhaps induced to go to Visakhapatnam by some Indian settled HUMINT trap, Ghazi was sunk near the entrance of that last harbour, when was executing minelaying operations.
She was lost with all hands, but the sinking causes are dubious, more probable an spontaneous internal explosion caused by hydrogen leaked from the batteries or the accidental explosion of one of her own mines, less probably sunk for a pair of depth charges randomly launched without sonar contact by INS Rajput.
This scenario departs from this initial historical situation the first day of war, and speculates with Ghazi surviving the minelaying attempt at Visakhapatnam, and hunting for Vikrant in the Bay of Bengal.
Unnamed places are:
ZTp Visakhapatnam port, India.
ZQp Madras/Chennai port, India.
ZRp Haldia/Calcutta port; India.
ZQp Port Blair port, India.
 
Enrique Mas, September 2013.

The Search for Cyrus the Great, Alternate History Scenario, late May 2014.
 
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for the IOPG Battleset and the HCDB-130818 1980-2015 Platform Database.
 
Image: source Wikipedia. Iranian F-14A. 2008-04-14 18:09 taked by Amirmgh. This picture is taken in an exhibition in Tehran.
 
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/Imperial Islamic Iran side.
 
On November 27, 1978, when visiting San Francisco a few days away from his long and mild Paris exile, in a meeting deeply impressed and touched by the stringent gay rights ordinance for the city, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini besides the Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated at the City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White.
As consequence, the 1979 Islamic Revolution not happened, and the old Shah keeps in power to 1988, when forced by the people abdicated in favour of his son Reza.
The Soviet/Russian occupation of Afghanistan lasted only to 1985 because the strong Shah support to the anti-Soviet not-Islamist Afghans. And in support of the Shah, the United States does generous weapons transfers, keeping Iran as the Persian Gulf Guardian. With a stronger Iran, the Iraq-Iran War neither happened, and Saddam Hussein keeps in power in 2014.
Aside the planned weapons programs, in 1978 the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) was not scrapped, she was transferred to Iran to be renamed Darius the Great. After a long and painful conversion process, to almost the level of the USS Midway SCB-110.66 conversion, she was recommissioned in 1986 and employed mostly for training. After, in 1988 and because the Darius the Great was too small to operate the F-14A Tomcat the Imperial Iranian Navy want to operate and in service previously in the Imperial Iranian Air Force, the United States transferred Iran the USS Forrestal (CV-59) and was renamed Cyrus the Great. It was possible because after the Afghanistan debacle in 1985 and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident the Soviet Union was dissolved a few years earlier than in our timeline, on 1987, and the US Navy can ride out of some carriers.
But from 1988 the problems begun in Iran. As in our timeline violent Islamic movements spread all the planet as consequence of the lack of balance between two hyperpowers and the multiplicity of power poles. And in Iran turmoils and rampant Islamism forced the old Shah to resign, abdicating on his elder son Reza, formed as fighter pilot in the West.
The new state entity of Imperial Islamic Iran survives from 1989 to 2014 with a very difficult balance between Imperial and Islamic traditions, keeping the Pahlavi dynasty nominally on power and with the clerics supporting Islamic terrorist groups worldwide. But directly this politic almost isolated Iran, and was punished with successive weapons embargoes from 1990. The Imperial Islamic Iranian Armed Forces now are not state of art as in the 1970s, but count with some semi-clandestine support from China, India and Israel.
And when from February 21, 2014, erupted multiple crises in Ukraine, Baltic States (well staged by President Putin) and China, and in front of the feeble and hesitating Obama Administration, Iran saw his opportunity as a major player.
Iran menaces to close the Persian Gulf with his carrier force and control the oil flow with very superior power to previous historical attempts.
Some days before, pressed by Iran, the Gulf minor States forced the Western forces to quit Al Dafhra and the other Persian Gulf bases.
With his forces divided between Europe and the Far East, only the isolated small Bush CVBG with very little support from Camp Lemmonier in Djibouti and some occasional SSN can prevent the Persian Gulf blockade.
 
Enrique Mas, May 13, 2014.

First Chinese antipiracy flotilla in trouble, January 2009. Alternate History Scenario.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for the IOPG Battleset and the HCDB-150621 1980-2015 era Platform Database.

Image: Chinese DDG-171 Haikou (AEGIS equivalent), "A boarding team from the People's Liberation Army (Navy) Haikou (DD 171) makes way toward the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) July, 16, 2014, during a Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercise (MIOEX) as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014". U.S Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Manda M. Emery, a serviceperson on duty, and as consequence in public domain. Taked from Wikipedia Commons.

This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/India side or from the Red/China side. You should play a few times first the Blue/India side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/China side.

The situation is inspired in some fake news reports repeated in the Web every few years, the last apparently in 4 July 2015, about a Chinese antipiracy flotilla in the Horn of Africa shadowed by a Indian Kilo submarine undetected.
But analyzing the Chinese flotilla composition, you will discover (as cited in some of the reports) they're the ships composing the first Chinese antipiracy flotilla in January 2009!
This scenario is build to reflect the strategic potential of this bizarre situation (and of course a diesel-electric SS as Kilo-class can't trail a nuclear SSN!).
As cause of origin of this crisis you could choose between 29 October 2008, when UK recognised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet, the Arunachal Pradesh dispute, Russia shutting off all gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine from 7 January 2009, or a radical and unexpected change in the US foreign policy when Barack Obama in 20 January 2009 succeeds George W. Bush as the 44th President of the United States, and becomes the first African-American President.
As a result of one of these or other unexpected events the Chinese flotilla is trapped far home and must return sailing Indian hostile waters.
Luckily the Indian forces are unprepared and the transit opposition is light.

Enrique Mas, July 11, 2015.

Indian Submarine Incursion 2016. Hypothetical/Historical Scenario.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the IOPG Battleset and the new HCDB2-161204 1980-2025 era Platform Database (But because the limited employed units, it's also playable with the old HCDB- 1980-2015 era Platform Database). This simple and introductory but historical accurate scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.

Image:An Indian Shishumar-class submarine on 29 July 2006, a German-designed and build conventional diesel-electric submarine, of the successful and widely exported Type 209/1500 model. Indian Navy official photo, took from Wikipedia Commons.

This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Indian side or from the Red/Pakistani side. You should play a few times first the Blue/Indian side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red/Pakistani side.

After the Second Cold War originated middle in the second presidential term of Vladimir Putin from May 2012, starting in 2014 and in the successive years the world was full of naval, military and security incidents.

Some were related with the Second Cold War, others not.
Between those last ones the supposed Indian submarine incursion near the Pakistani shores in 14 November 2016, detected and repealed by the Pakistani Navy, was one of the most worrying.
The incident was denounced by Pakistan and denied by India, and probably involved a conventional Indian diesel-electric submarine executing intelligence operations. The incident was not clear because apparently was buried in the media and forgotten few days later.
At time of building this scenario no other news were released on the matter.

A short list to remember them, mostly as result of President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) actions, provoking in succession the Crimea, Ukraine, Donetsk, Baltic States, October 2014 Swedish submarine incursion, G-20 Brisbane meeting naval crisis, November 2014 Faslane submarine incident, frigate Yaroslav Mudryy February "Channel Dash", April 2015 Finnish submarine incursion (for many observers causing the pre-mobilization of Finland reserve forces), Russian intervention in Syria from 30 September 2015, violation by Russian military helicopters of the Finnish and Georgian borders on 10 December 2015, March 2016 detection by the French of a Russian submarine near Bay of Biscay, violation by Russian military helicopters of the Polish border on 18 April 2016, the confuse Russian submarine B-265 Krasnodar incident with Polish warships (and the consecutive Putin sack of Russian Baltic Fleet numerous commanders), the HMS Montrose confuse and dangerous encounter with the new Baltic Sea Fleet Russian corvette Soobrazitelnyy in middle of the BALTOPS 2016 exercise in June 2016, the failed (in relation to carrier-based air strike operations) deployment of the Russian Northern Fleet Admiral Kuznetsov CVBG near the coasts of Syria from 4 November 2016 and the successive incident with a stalking Dutch submarine on 9 November, and with constant and multiple overflies with military warplanes entangled in potential incidents with commercial and military flights in Europe. That without counting with other unrelated naval incidents, just as the Iranian seizure of the Maersk Tigris in 28 April 2015, or the mid-October 2016 launching of anti-ship missiles against UAE and US warships from the Yemen shores and the successive retaliation with cruise missiles by US forces (and neither counting in landlocked actions, as the continuous counter-Daesh operations in Middle East).
And all those incidents without counting those more towards Far East with China as a less perceived and growing problem, and his own many types generated incidents. China was building structures with military capabilities, including from 2012 more relevant structures, as the 3000+ meters long (Very Large Airport in Harpoon parameters) runway in Fiery Cross Reef (finished at March 2016), and more important, building multiple artificial reefs and islands above previous simple shoals for claiming territory, and for. At last in an undetermined date late April 2015 China claims as territorial waters the 12 nautical miles circling his "new" islands.
As the US official doctrine is Freedom of Navigation (FON) worldwide on international waters (same in the Baltic and Black Seas), and as in this case with fears about a decision about not to send naval vessels into the zone would inadvertently help the Chinese build their own case for sovereignty in the area, some air and surface elements of US Navy begin to orbit near the Chinese claimed areas, but not crossing the 12 nm line surrounding the islands.

Both Indian and Pakistani navies must prevail over the other, to show his resolution to control the Arabian Sea and the access to the main Pakistani ports, and to prevent the other side to overcome. Only eluding that unbalanced situation, probably directing towards a nuclear escalade, a major conflict could be avoided.

Enrique Mas, December 6, 2016.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 IOPG Battleset and the HCDB2-170308 new standard 1980-2025 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Indian side or from the Red/Pakistani side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
 
Image: INS Chakra (II) S72 (ex Russian Pacific Fleet K-152 Nerpa), a Project 971I/Akula-class nuclear attack submarine, leased from Russia for India, and employed on Indian waters from 29 March 2012 to 5 June 2021, when returned to Russia in Vladivostok. Official Indian Armed Forces photo 31 March 2012 in fair use, and took from Wikipedia Commons.
 
In the immediate aftermath of the 14 February 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack, on the continuous Indian-Pakistani conflict for Jammu and Kashmir, succeeded by the Indian retaliation by the 26 February 2019 confuse Balakot airstrike, a intermediate submarine action is usually beleaguered.
Soon after the Pulwama terror attack, on February 19 India pulled out its Navy from the exercise TROPEX 19 and deployed a major part of its fleet with 60 vessels to March 10, from the Andaman and Nicobar islands to close to Pakistani territorial waters, apparently hunting for the Pakistani Agosta 90B-class submarine Saad, improved with an AIP system.
Including in the exercise was the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and also the then two only Indian nuclear submarines, the SSN Chakra and the SSBN Arihant, the last one concluding her first operational deterrent patrol few months before in November 2018.
Both Indian and Pakistani navies must prevail over the other, to show his resolution to control the Arabian Sea and the access to the main Pakistani ports, and to prevent the other side to overcome. Only eluding that unbalanced situation, probably directing towards a nuclear escalade, a major conflict could be avoided.
At last on 4 March 2019 the Indian Scorpene-class submarine Kalvari was detected by a Pakistani P-3C Orion some 86 nm of Gwadar, well into the Pakistani Exclusive Economic Zone.
But cold heads prevailed and no more shots were fired.
This scenario speculates on the situation going hot between the both sides submarine and ASW elements. Even a submarine lost by a hostile action could be covered as a lamentable accident to avoid a further escalade.
The sea is perhaps too much wide and open and both side forces scarce, but after an encounter the actions can be short and destructive.
 
Enrique Mas, April 12, 2024.

Halloween 1997 WWIII, Ghosts of an Alternate Past. Hypothetical Scenario.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 IOPG Battleset and the HCDB2-170308 new standard 1980-2025 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/USSR. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: The flight deck of the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on the Persian Gulf October 12, 1997, just in this scenario time period. On deck there are aircraft of her single squadron of F-14A Tomcat and her three squadrons of F/A-18C(N) Hornet, two USN, one USMC. The aircraft with the round disks over the fuselage are the AWACS aircraft with their round radar domes. The three aircraft to the left of the foremost E-2C Group II Hawkeye and directly in front of the 1st elevator (outlined in red) are two S-3B Viking and an EA-6B Prowler. The one aircraft that is directly on the first elevator/lift is an F-14A Tomcat. Also clearly visible are the catapult rails and the folded jet deflectors (which are folded up when an aircraft makes a catapult launch). The two small rectangles directly to the left of the foremost E-2C are the weapons elevators.
Official U.S. Navy photo took by a serviceperson on duty and as consequence in public domain, took from Wikipedia Commons and from ttps://www.navysite.de/cvn/cvn68_9.htm 
This remaking of the old original IOPG battleset scenario "12.0 ...and then there were two" is the answer at an request by a decades long harpgamer and political science professor, about updating a scenario he employs academically to teach naval operations on introduction to strategic studios. The updating is realizad because in the current HCDB2 platforms are very actualized and corrected, the orders of battle are historically corrected, and the new game engine is clearly superior. Also, at request, are added some submarine operations. Incidentally I flash developed it in few spare hours when travelling on holidays near Mantua, Italy.
Original scenario text:
12.1 Background: As the war against Turkey by Syria and Iraq raged, the Soviet Union found its own battle against Iran unwinnable because of U.S. assistance. The U.S.S.R. felt that it might be able to make the United States back down if it cut off the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. Unfortunately, the Soviet Union had underestimated the will of the American President. The Admiral of the Fleet Kuznetsov and the escorting battlegroup found itself trapped in the Arabian Sea between the remains of the Iranian Air Force and a Nimitz-class carrier battle group.
Updated by Enrique Mas, September 8, 2024.

Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the Human/Blue side a few times, and only after play the Alien/Red side.
 
All-out pre-Columbian Alien Invasion 2016:
 
For thousands of years the Nest Ship and perhaps some Mother Ships rested deeply in the Chicxulub meteor impact crater after her interstellar travel with the basic elements moleculary disassembled, occult and mixed in cenotes and with other terrain irregularities and culturally coverted by local legends (or emplaced in the remains of the Olmec and Epi-Olmec cities and power centers of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, La Venta, Laguna de los Cerros, El Tajin or Cerro de las Mesas, in the old Olmec Heartland, or in Bimini Road, or in the Bermuda Triangle area), blind and automatically working on the self-reconstruction and activation of her colonization forces.
At last, after a very long time the slow Invaders have enought forces for the military occupation of Gaia and begin the last phase of the invasion, the genetically induced biological reconstruction of the Aliens own bodies.
But while concludes the biological reconstruction they need temporarily the support of other biological forces, and the Aliens have found help in related biosocial groups and countries that seemingly share the same way of vision of state and religion-controlled swarm mind, collectivist life and fanatic determinism: the Islamist and the Communists ones.
 
Key of the unnamed Air Bases:
ABa Santa Lucia, Hidalgo, Mexico.
ACa La Ceiba, Honduras.
ADa San Pedro Sula-La Mesa, Honduras.
AEa La Aurora, Guatemala.
AFa Comalapa, El Salvador.
AGa Panama Pacifico, Panama.
AHa San Andres, Colombia.
AIa San Jose, Costa Rica.
AJa Barranquilla, Colombia.
AKa Bogota, Colombia.
ALa El Palanquero, Colombia.
AMa El Yopal, Colombia.
ANa Guantanamo Bay, USA.
AOa San Juan, Puerto Rico.
APa Homestead, USA.
AQa Jacksonville, USA.
ARa Barksdale, USA.
ASa Whiteman, USA.
ATa Dyess, USA.
AUa New Orleans, USA.
AVa Tyndall, USA.
AWa Seymour Johnson, USA.
AXa Shaw, USA.
AYa Eglin, USA.
AZa Beaufort, USA.
BAa, Holloman, USA.
ZLa La Coloma, Cuba.
ZMa Havana Jose Marti, Cuba.
ZNa Santa Clara, Cuba.
ZOa Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
ZQa Holguin, Cuba.
ZPa San Antonio de los Banos, Cuba.
ZRa Cuenca, Ecuador.
ZSa Taura, Ecuador.
ZTa Maracay, Venezuela.
ZUa Maracaibo, Venezuela.
ZVa Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
ZWa El Sombrero, Venezuela.
ZXa Barcelona, Venezuela.
ZYa Managua, Nicaragua.
 
The S102B Korpen represents many types of ejecutive jets equipped with ESM.
The Italian Maestrale-class FFG represents Venezuelan Lupo-class FFG.
 
Enrique Mas, July 2011

Red Spanish Main, Juny 1986.
A simple and introductory scenario ... or perhaps not.
 
Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the US/Blue side a few times, and only after play the Soviet/Red side.
 
1986 was a year full of events with strategic implications, some of them very unexpected: Soviet war in Afghanistan, US retaliatory strikes on Libya against the Gaddafi's terrorist actions, Challenger disaster, launching of the Mir space station, Chernobyl atomic disaster in the Soviet Union ...
Many things and alternative historical lines of action could go wrong and degenerate in an open war.
The first reform of Mikhail Gorbachev, the new Secretary General of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was a heavy restriction in the sales of vodka to prevent the alcoholism in the Soviet Union. This measure provocked the overthrowing of Gorbachev and a new Politburo composed exclusively by Communist Party of the Soviet Union hard-liners.
As consequence, at the unexpected hostilities start some ships of the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet showing the flag in neighbouring fellow countries are trapped in the Spanish Main, like the long time ago vanished pirates, and they need to reach the safe haven of Havana (near YVa) in eight days or so, before the US can concentrate forces coming from the East Coast and the Northern Atlantic in the Caribbean to obliterate them.
Is confirmed the presence of the nuclear-powered battlecruiser Kirov in the trapped forces, but her presence is balanced because the supposed dominance of the newly recommissioned battleship BB-61 Iowa and her surface action group, after the reactivation of the battleships by the aim of President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of the Navy John Lehman to create a 600-ship navy, and just after the correction of her deficiencies after a recent InSurv inspection.
Also, Hurricane Bonnie precludes the use of land-based air assets, prevents the use of air strikes and reconnaissance planes against the Soviet ships, and masks his transit to the Cuban harbours.
 
Key of the unnamed Air Bases:
ABa, Howard AFB MPHO, USA.
ACa, Guantanamo Bay MUGM, USA.
ADa, Homestead KHST, USA.
AXa, Roosevelt Roads TJNR, USA.
AYa, Key West NAS KNQX, USA.
AZa, Key West International KEYW, USA.
BAa, Kingston MKJP, Jamaica.
YWa, Gustavo Rizo MUBA/Baracoa, Cuba
YXa, Camaguey MUCM, Cuba.
YYa, Sancti Spiritus MUSS, Cuba.
YZa, Santiago de Cuba MUCU, Cuba.
ZAa, Cienfuegos MUCF, Cuba.
ZBb, Mariel Port, Cuba.
ZCa, Playa Baracoa MUPB, Cuba
ZTa, La Coloma MULM, Cuba.
ZUa, Havana Jose Marti MUHA, Cuba.
ZVa, Santa Clara MUSC, Cuba.
ZWa, Pinar del Rio/San Julian MUSJ, Cuba.
ZXa, San Antonio de los Banos MUSA, Cuba.
ZYa, Holguin MUHG, Cuba.
ZZa, Managua MNMG, Nicaragua.
 
The Cuban warships and submarines are represented by equivalent types of other Soviet satellite navies.
 
Enrique Mas, October 2011
 
Edited:
Changes 5 October 2011: a number of not used Air Bases deleted to speed-up the gameplay. ICAO designation added to the Air Bases. Unnecessary nuclear release deleted.
Changes 13 October 2011: Group AKS (Kocak) restored course, speed and alternate start points. Two not used Air Bases deleted to speed-up the gameplay.

Supporting Argentina, 2 Juny 1982.
Another simple and introductory scenario ... or perhaps not, anytime with a lot of things to do.
 
Note: In this scenario, to avoid spoilers, it is better to play the US/UK/NL/Blue side a few times, and only after play the Soviet/South American/Red side.
 
On 1982 it was a lot of speculation about the possibility of a Soviet Union attack against the Western Forces, because the compromise of the British Forces in the South Atlantic War.
Argentina has invoked the Rio Treaty of 1947 and some Latin American countries of doubtious political stability and affiliation in the Cold War had created a blockade in the mid-Atlantic between the British ships detached in the South Atlantic and Europe, and later had joined the Soviet side in the campaing against the Allied Forces.
On this scenario the South American countries with Soviet and Cuban support attempt to prevent the use of the sea lanes to the Western Forces.
The Western Forces attempt is to exit some merchant ships loaded with vital assets to the North Atlantic Ocean, East of Bermuda, and to keep the sea dominance breaking multiple lines of enemy attacks.
The Soviet/Latin Forces must prevent the Western Side to achieve his goal, and to cause the bigger amount of damage possible.
Also, Hurricane Alberto precludes the use of most of the US land-based air assets in CONUS, prevents the use of air strikes and reconnaissance planes against the Soviet/Latin ships, and cover his offensive operations.
 
Key of the unnamed Air Bases:
ABa Howard AFB MPHO, USA.
ACa Guantanamo Bay MUGM, USA.
ADa San Juan TJSJ, Puerto Rico.
AEa Homestead KHST, USA.
ALa, Roosevelt Roads TJNR, USA.
AMa, Key West NAS KNQX, USA.
ANa, Key West International KEYW, USA.
AOa, Kingston MKJP, Jamaica.
ARa, Antigua Air Station/Coolidge International TAPA, Antigua and Barbuda.
ATa, Ladyville MZBZ, Belize.
AVa, Curacao International Airport TNCC, Netherlands.
YSa, Gustavo Rizo MUBA/Baracoa, Cuba.
YTa Camaguey MUCM, Cuba.
YUa, Sancti Spiritus MUSS, Cuba.
YVa Santiago de Cuba MUCU, Cuba.
YWa Cienfuegos MUCF, Cuba.
YXb Mariel Port, Cuba.
YYa Playa Baracoa MUPB, Cuba.
ZOa La Coloma MULM, Cuba.
ZPa Havana Jose Marti MUHA, Cuba.
ZQa Santa Clara MUSC, Cuba.
ZRa Pinar del Rio/San Julian MUSJ, Cuba.
ZSa San Antonio de los Banos MUSA, Cuba.
ZTa Holguin MUHG, Cuba.
ZUa Manta SEMT, Ecuador.
ZVa Maracay SVBL, Venezuela.
ZWa Maracaibo SVMC, Venezuela.
ZXa Barquisimeto SVBM, Venezuela.
ZYa Barcelona SVBC, Venezuela.
ZZa Managua MNMG, Nicaragua.
YRa, Puerto Cabezas MNPC, Nicaragua.
YQa, Bluefields MNBL, Nicaragua.
YHa Barranquilla SKBQ, Colombia.
YIa El Palanquero SKPQ, Colombia.
 
The Cuban warships and submarines are represented by equivalent types of other Soviet satellite navies. The other South American countries forces are represented by equivalent types of other countries.
 
Enrique Mas, October 2011
 
Edit: 28 October 2011, strenght of 198th Fighter Squadron, 156th Tactical Fighter Group, Puerto Rico ANG, reduced from 36 A-7D CorsairII to the historical accurate 18. Year of A-7D replacing F-104C changed from 1975 to 1976.
29 October 2011, added a necessary submarine on a Red surface group.
30 October 2011, added forgetted patrol pattern for the Bermuda based VP-56 Dragons' P-3C Orions. Changed patrol pattern of the F-16A defending Panama.
11 November 2011: Scenario adapted to the HCDB-111103 new historical platforms, with A-7D replacing A-7E, Kfir C.2 replacing Kfir C.7, Belknap 1980/3 replacing Belknap 1990/2, and adding Komar-class PTM.
15 November 2011: Starting point of Cuban/Soviet PTM modified to prevent going aground. Number of ships to be sunked by the Blue side increased proportionally to the now greater number of Red side ships.