Herman

As the arctic daylight fades into mid-afternoon twilight, the tension along the Soviet/Norwegian border erupts into a heavy artillery and rocket barrage. The Norwegian defence forces have been preparing for this day for many years. It is now time to defend their homeland or suffer a second occupation in 50 years. 'Helmets On!' this is going to be a tough one.

As the Norwegian commander, the best you can hope for is to inflict delay on the overwhelming force coming towards you. Destroy key bridges or tunnels to slow Soviet ground troops and inflict as many casualties as you can.

As the Soviet commander, you enjoy overwhelming superiority in numbers, but don't underestimate your opponent's capabilities. Your initial lunge into Norway needs to be quick and decisive. In order to pave the way for follow-on forces, you have three hours to secure key choke points and neutralize the air defences. Use a combined strike of Land, Sea, and Air forces to cripple the defences.

Author: Bart Gauvin

One of the first tasks of the Falkland Task Force was the liberation of South Georgia. This was considered both a practice step for the Falklands liberation, and an essential first goal to secure safe anchorages for the many support ships that were needed by the Task force.

Author: Freek Schepers

With over 226,000 PlayersDB scenarios downloaded in the last 12 months alone, the PlayersDB has proven itself the unequivocal players' favourite.

Harpoon ANW users can get the:

Complete Harpoon ANW Library

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the:

Complete Harpoon 3.6.3 Library

FilesOfScenShare

Ed and I met up for our weekly ANW match. This week, we elected to try out Bart Gauvin's first scenario production, Ice Picket, made with the Harpoon community's favourite database, the PlayersDB.

I played the Soviets while Ed commanded the NATO forces. My orders were to prevent NATO from reinforcing the Jan Mayen Island outpost with a PhibRon.

Right away, one of my spy trawlers [AGI] picked up radar transmissions and one of my Victor III subs detected the distinct acoustic signatures of Tarawa-class and Wasp-class vessels and moved in to investigate. The AGI soon spotted a SH-2 SeaSprite helo coming over to give her a look. The pilot was very cagy and came in slowly while the AGI had trained a pair of Gremlin SAMs tracking her all the time. Closer, and closer, she came until she was just outside of maximum range. Crap. She fingered the AGI, so there was no further need for stealth. She went to flank speed and raced to nail down the position of the enemy PhibRon.

Soon enough, a pair of AH-1 SeaCobras came in on an attack run to fire Hellfire missiles. However, they got too close and one was brought down by a Gremlin. The AGI was burning furiously and listing, but still afloat and she had confirmation of the course and speed for the PhibRon. This was transmitted to SubSquadron 31 and the nearest Victor III calculated an intercept course. Unfortunately, the PhibRon was moving at a very high rate (24kts!) so there was no chance of the SSN catching it without moving at a high speed, herself. Captain Ivanov ordered the sub to full speed (23kts) and hoped that he would survive long enough to deliver his attack.

Once she transmitted her data, the AGI had outlived her purpose. When two Harriers from the PhibRon came to finish her off, she was determined not to go down without a fight. They Marine pilots fired Mavericks, but they also came in too close and one of them suffered the same fate as the previous SuperCobra and was blown from the sky by a Gremlin. The Mavericks found their mark and the AGI was soon sinking by the stern.

Captain Ivanov was approaching perpendicular to the course of the PhibRon. At his closest approach, he decided to let loose his Type 65-76 wake-homing torpedoes. Their phenomenal range meant that they could actually catch the large landing ships. He fired them on bearing-only launch.

As soon as they left the tubes, the NATO sonar operators must have heard their launch transient for a helo came out to investigate. The crew kept their fingers crossed and hoped to live long enough to deliver the rest of their ordnance. Once the tubes were re-loaded, a second, then a third, brace of lethal 650mm killer torpedoes were launched.

This also gave the helo systems operator sufficient information to further localize the onrushing submarine and a Mk46 ASW torpedo was dropped. Although nearly blind in their haste, K-305's sonar operator detected the high-pitched eminations from the approaching torpedo. As a final act of desperation, the K-305 fired the 3 USET-80 torpedoes in her tubes on the last generated sonar bearings just as the Mk46 struck. With 92% of their flotation destroyed, the crew blew the ballast tanks and tried to fight their way to the surface. The pressure of the North Atlantic ended their race at -190m when their pressure hull imploded.

Although they did not live to see it, their torpedoes ran true and first LHA Saipan, the LHD Wasp were struck by the massive Type 65-76 torpedoes. Both were lost immediately. The USET-80 torpedoes selected the CG Leahy for their terminal run and two were more than enough to leave her listing with here engine room flooded.

With his three High Value Units sinking, Ed conceded the game. Jan Mayen would get no re-inforcement this day.

Thanks for a very nice game and congratulations to Bart on the first MP session for his debut scenario. Thanks, also, to Harpgamer for hosting the server.

Anyone looking for an MP game can drop a line here or look for us on HarpGamer pHp chat room or the HG mIRC chat room.

Dateline July 1, 2008

North Korea has recently been threatening to test a long-range ballistic missile; shrugging off the concerns of the world community. Despite the threat of sanctions, they have persisted in their preparations.

This scenario was originally written for Harpoon Classic by Scott Boles (a.k.a. Akula) and has been re-made for compatibility with Harpoon3 and the PlayersDB with the consent the author.

Author: Herman Hum

This scenario has been tested for compatibility with Harpoon ANW.

East Timor is an old Portuguese colony which was annexed by Indonesia in 1975. In August 1999, the citizenry overwhelmingly voted for independence, and, almost immediately afterwards, Indonesian-backed militia became active. By September, 250.000 people had fled the killings.

In September, President Habibi of Indonesia finally agreed to the deployment of a multinational UN-peacekeeping force in East Timor so long as it was primarily Asian troops.

While US, New Zealand, Italian, Singapore, Malaysian, and Norwegian troops began the long preparations for deployment, Australia was ready and an amphibious convoy put to sea. Indonesia objected strongly to this breach of the agreement.

Author: Freek Schepers

With over 209,000 PlayersDB scenarios downloaded in the last 12 months alone, the PlayersDB has proven itself the unequivocal players' favourite.

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the:

Complete Harpoon 3.6.3 Library

Harpoon ANW users can get the:

Complete Harpoon ANW Library

FilesOfScenShare

ANW welcomed another long-time Harpoon player into the world of Multi-player action. Karl (a.k.a. Mallard) has been playing since '92 and it shows. We played three matches of Dawn Patrol, made with the Harpoon community's favourite database, the PlayersDB.

I won the first game since Karl was unfamiliar with the set up, but he quickly evened the score in #2 and #3 by fighting me to a standstill. Neither of us won a decisive victory, but we also prevented one another from gaining their own victory conditions. The third game was particularly memorable as we were both using BOL shots to try and pin the other down. I was lucky to eke out a draw.

Thanks for the great games, Karl, and thanks to HarpGamer for hosting them on their server.

Anyone looking for an MP game can drop a line here or look for us on HarpGamer pHp chat room or the HG mIRC chat room.

Could this problem be related to the torpedo acquisition problem?

These 68 new behaviours appear to have been introduced by the 3.9.0 patch:

1. Unable to fire SSM
    
   
   Unable to fire SSM Sizzler from any depth or range. Weapons will fire from DDG Sovremennyy.

   
    
   

2. Unable to intercept target
    
   
   Unable to intercept target for either unit. Weapons will fire if units are manually placed within range of target.

   
    
   

3. Crash as Russian side
    
   
   Game Crashes/freezes after 45 seconds of run time when playing as Russians.

   
    
   

4. Distorted maps created
    
   
   Distorted maps are created when F10 is used to draw a new map.

   
    
   

5. Fighters hanging on refPt
    
   
   Fighters will launch and hang on one Ref point.

   
    
   

6. Firing sonobuoys at subs
    
   
   Sonobuoys can be fired at subs through the weapons allocation window.

   
    
   

7. Full speed over 140kts
    
   
   Ship group shows full speed of 15+131kts.

   
    
   

8. Full speed wrong
    
   
   Group only allows full speed of 15kts, but all units within the group are fully capable of faster speed.

   
    
   

9. GBU-15 will not fire
    
   
   GBU-15 will not fire under AI control.

   
    
   

10. Icons appear off map
     
    
    Icons for uncertainty zones appear off of the map and cannot be seen nor selected.

    
     
    

11. Torpedo decoy fired at radar
     
    
    Torpedo decoy is an eligible weapon for firing at radar.

    
     
    

12. UnRep do not return to PZs
     
    
    After conducting UnRep operation, participants do not return to original patrol zones within the formation.

    
     
    

13. Wrong loadout descriptions
     
    
    Helix helos are show the wrong loadout descriptions. Display is Mk44 torp, but they revert to Minimal when launched.

    
     
    

14. False contacts at -17000m
     
    
    False contacts at -17000m.

    
     
    

15. CTD when altitude changed
     
    
    CTD when altitude changed in MP

    
     
    

16. AI subs will not stop re-charging
     
    
    Sub never stops re-charging.

    
     
    

17. Sonobuoys non-functional
     
    
    Sonobuoys deployed by Bear F non-functional.

    
     
    

18. Afterburner unavailable at low alt
     
    
    Afterburner speed unavailable at low alt in MP for Rafale. No problem in Solitaire.

    
     
    

19. Aircraft below sea level
     
    
    Aircraft below sea level.

    
     
    

20. Cannot meet for UnRep
     
    
    Ships are unable to plot a path for UnRep when ordered to do so.

    
     
    

21. Change in threat axis ignored
     
    
    Change in threat axis ignored in MP.

    
     
    

22. Crash after nuclear detonation
     
    
    Crash after nuclear warhead detonates.

    
     
    

23. Crash after re-building with SE
     
    
    Crash after re-building with SE.

    
     
    

24. Crash after re-building with SE II
     
    
    Crash after re-building with SE. Clock will not start.

    
     
    

25. Crash after re-building with SE III
     
    
    Crash after re-building with SE. Clock will not advance.

    
     
    

26. Crash during re-build process
     
    
    ScenEditor freezes up and does not complete function when ordered to re-build scenario.

    
     
    

27. Crash during re-build process II
     
    
    ScenEditor is unable to complete function when ordered to re-build scenario amd seems to be in endless loop.

    
     
    

28. Crash during UnRep
     
    
    Game will crash/freeze up with infinite loop if replenishment ship moves during attempted UnRep rendezvous.

    
     
    

29. CTD incomplete
     
    
    CTD does not drop game all the way down to the desktop. Instead, the Shell window remains and must be closed manually.

    
     
    

30. Crash on re-load
     
    
    Crash while attempting to re-load same scenario file previously opened.

    
     
    

31. CTD changing map size
     
    
    CTD occurs while changing size of tactical map.

    
     
    

32. CTD during UnRep
     
    
    CTD occurs while selecting ordnance to be transferred with "Enter Number of Weapons" command.

    
     
    

33. CTD on re-load
     
    
    CTD while attempting to re-load same scenario file previously opened.

    
     
    

34. CTD running new scen in SE
     
    
    CTD occurs when new scenarios are written and immediately run in SE.

    
     
    

35. CTD while drawing new map
     
    
    CTD while drawing new map

    
     
    

36. Damage changes aircraft ready time instead of destroying them
     
    
    Damage changes aircraft ready time instead of destroying them. Planes are given a ready time of 0:00 but they never become ready unless player uses F6 to change them to Ready status.

    
     
    

37. Delayed On-Station ViCond Faulty
     
    
    Delayed On-Station ViCond does not wait for delay time to expire before evaluating.

    
     
    

38. Destroyed submarines not always evaluated in ViConds
     
    
    Destroyed submarines do not always evaluate properly in ViConds.

    
     
    

39. Ferry mission to SSN
     
    
    It is possible to create a Ferry mission with the destination as an airplane or SSN.

    
     
    

40. Focused strike not firing
     
    
    Artillery does not fire on a Focused Land Strike mission even when Weapons Free.

    
     
    

41. Formation patrols ignore axis
     
    
    Formation patrols ignore axis when assigned patrol zones in the Formation editor. Most often, the patrols appear offset from the actual Threat Axis. i.e. if the Threat Zone is pointing North and a Patrol zone is assigned to it, the ship may take up a patrol zone 90 degrees off the intended placement. This occurs primarily in multi-player games, but has been reported in SP (by Shemar), too.

    
     
    

42. Group and Unit speed incongruent
     
    
    Group and Unit speed are incongruent for the same unit.

    
     
    

43. Group cannot lay string of sonobuoys
     
    
    Group cannot lay string of sonobuoys with ";" hotkey.

    
     
    

44. Group speed differs from plane speed
     
    
    Air groups have different speed from individual plane speed in MP.

    
     
    

45. Incorrect number to be readied
     
    
    When aircraft are ordered to change loadout for Minimal mission, an incorrect number of planes is recommended in the message window.

    
     
    

46. Land facility reports abandoning ship
     
    
    Damage report states that crew is abandoning ship on a land facility.

    
     
    

47. NAV improperly drawn
     
    
    NAV zone shows double-sided left wall and inability to modify other points of the zone.

    
     
    

48. On-Station ViCond non-functional
     
    
    On-Station ViCond non-functional in GE but functional in SE.

    
     
    

49. Over-filled magazines
     
    
    Over-filled magazines not detected and fixed.

    
     
    

50. Plane does not re-arm upon landing
     
    
    Plane does not re-arm upon landing.

    
     
    

51. Planes on Transit missions
     
    
    Planes can be assigned to Transit missions.

    
     
    

52. Planes refuse to launch
     
    
    Planes requiring Small/Med runway refuse to launch from a base equipped with Medium runways. (From Petterr)

    
     
    

53. Protect ViCond failure
     
    
    Protect ViCond fails to trigger even when no enemy is present to inflict damage on player.

    
     
    

54. Runways cannot be destroyed by nukes
     
    
    Runways can be reduced, but not be destroyed by nuclear weapons.

    
     
    

55. SAMs locate new targets in mid-flight
     
    
    SAMs locate new targets in mid-flight after original targets destroyed.

    
     
    

56. Subs activate sonar on ship strike mission
     
    
    Subs activate sonar on ship strike mission. Previously, subs only activated radar on ship strike mission.

    
     
    

57. TALD cannot be engaged
     
    
    TALD will not be engaged as they fly across target.

    
     
    

58. TALD cannot be ignored
     
    
    TALD cannot be ignored as they fly towards player units.

    
     
    

59. Total loss of unit control
     
    
    Player loses control of all units in the middle of a game.

    
     
    

60. Unable to bomb sub on surface
     
    
    Planes are unable to bomb or strafe submarines even though they are on the surface and acting like ships.

    
     
    

61. Ships are unable to navigate around ice
     
    
    Ships are unable to navigate around ice.

    
     
    

62. Unidentified targets auto-engaged
     
    
    Unidentified and unknown targets are auto-engaged without being properly classified as hostile.

    
     
    

63. UnRep can overload magazines
     
    
    UnRep can overload magazines by placing more weapons in the magazine that capacity allows.

    
     
    

64. UnRep done concurrently
     
    
    UnRep process is conducted concurrently and not consecutively. If all items take 1 second to transfer, 1000 items can be transferred in a single second if they are all different items.

    
     
    

65. UnRep for 2 ships only
     
    
    Only 2 ships can conduct UnRep at the same time even though the ship has ability to replenish 2 ships to port and 2 ships to starboard.

    
     
    

66. UnRep magazine shows zero
     
    
    After UnRep procedure, magazine count shows zero weapons if a second UnRep operation is ordered.

    
     
    

67. UnRep Teleportation
     
    
    UnRep process is possible while physically separated by several miles.

    
     
    

68. Wrong cruise altitude
     
    
    TLAM shows cruise altitude of 20m and Intermediate depth.

    
    

Over 208 new aircraft, ships, submarines, facilities, classes, countries, and weapons have been added to the Harpoon3 PlayersDB with the official Database editor issued by AGSI.

Revised for the Harpoon ANW 3.9.0 patch

Get the PlayersDB-ANW on HarpDB, SubSim, or ughHQ.

Get the PlayersDB on HarpDB, SubSim, or ughHQ.

Additions include:

AOL Berrio PT 93

KC-45A A330-200 MRTT US 13

PTM Albatros Type 143A TN 05

DDG Atago BMD JP 07

DDG Atago JP 07

CGN Bainbridge USN 72

FFG Bartolomeu PT 08

CG Belknap USN 64

FF Bronstein USN 67

CGN California USN 74

DDG Charles F. Adams USN 72

DDG Farragut / Coontz USN 77

PG Flyvefisken LT 07

DDH Hyuga JP 09

CG Leahy USN 72

CGN Long Beach USN 61

E-6A Mercury US 89

E-6B Mercury US 97

SSN Swiftsure RN 88|108

SSK Tridente Type 209PN PT 09

CGN Virginia USN 76

- countless changes and improvements guaranteed not to crash any earlier scenario built with the PlayersDB

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the

Complete Harpoon 3.6.3 Library

Harpoon ANW users can get the

Complete Harpoon ANW Library

 

FilesOfScenShare

 

The Patch for Harpoon ANW 3.9.0 has finally been officially released.

ftp://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/Harpoon3ANW...ase-v3900DR.zip

FilesOfScenShare

Queenfish: A cold war tale

By William J. Broad

Published: March 18, 2008

International Herald Tribune

Atop the globe, the icy surface of the Arctic Ocean has remained relatively peaceful. But its depths have boiled with intrigue, no more so than in the cold war.

Although the superpowers planned to turn those depths into an inferno of exploding torpedoes and rising missiles, the brotherhood of submariners — the silent service, both Russian and American — has worked hard over the decades to keep the particulars of those plans hush-hush.

Now, a few secrets are spilling through a crack in the wall of silence, revealing some of the science and spying that went into the doomsday preparations.

A new book, "Unknown Waters," recounts the 1970 voyage of a submarine, the Queenfish, on a pioneering dive beneath the ice pack to map the Siberian continental shelf. The United States did so as part of a clandestine effort to prepare for Arctic submarine operations and to win any military showdown with the Soviet Union.

In great secrecy, moving as quietly as possible below treacherous ice, the Queenfish, under the command of Captain Alfred McLaren, mapped thousands of miles of previously uncharted seabed in search of safe submarine routes. It often had to maneuver between shallow bottoms and ice keels extending down from the surface more than 100 feet, threatening the sub and the crew of 117 men with ruin.

Another danger was that the sub might simply be frozen in place with no way out and no way to call for help as food and other supplies dwindled.

The Queenfish at one point became stuck in a dead end. The rescue took an hour and tense backtracking out of what had threatened to become an icy tomb.

"I still dream about it every other week," McLaren, 75, the book's author, recalled in an interview. "It was hairy." The University of Alabama Press is publishing his recollections of the secret voyage.

Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer and the former chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said such feats in perilous waters made McLaren a genuine hero. "The sub could have disappeared, and nobody would have known anything about it," she said. "But they came through. That's exploration at its most exquisite."

After McLaren's mission, the Arctic became a theater of military operations in which the Soviets tried to hide their missile-carrying subs under the fringes of the ice pack while American attack subs tried relentlessly to track them. The goal was to destroy the Soviet subs if the cold war turned hot, doing so quickly enough to keep them from launching their missiles and nuclear warheads at the United States.

Norman Polmar, an author and analyst on navy operations, called the polar environment "very very difficult" for subs. He said ice dangling from the surface in endless shapes and sizes made the sub's main eyes — sonar beams that bounce sound off the bottom and surrounding objects — work poorly.

Polmar added that the submarine community nonetheless considered the Arctic "a big deal," because it had a near monopoly on operations there.

McLaren commanded one of the navy's most advanced warships, a jet-black monster the length of a football field.

It was the first of a large class of submarines specially designed for year-round operations in polar regions. As such, it boasted an array of special acoustic gear meant to help it visualize the complex world beneath the pack ice.

For instance, the sub had a special sensor to detect icebergs jutting downward with threatening spikes. From bow to stern, it had a total of seven acoustic sensors pointing upward to help the crew judge the thickness of ice overhead.

As McLaren recounts in "Unknown Waters," the Queenfish, in preparation for its Arctic voyage, was stripped of all identifying marks and picked up a full load of torpedoes.

It arrived at the North Pole on Aug. 5, 1970, rising through open water. On the ice, an impromptu Santa Claus in a red suit frolicked with crew members.

The submarine then sailed for the Siberian continental shelf, where it began its mission of secret reconnaissance.

Moscow claimed seas extending 230 miles from its shores, including most of the shelf, whose waters averaged a few hundred feet deep. But Washington recognized just a 12-mile territorial limit, and McLaren was instructed to play by those rules.

As the book recounts, the sub repeatedly ventured within periscope range of Soviet land. In the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, its crew examined the October Revolution and Bolshevik Islands.

The Queenfish also spotted a convoy. "I was able to see and identify all six ships as Soviet," McLaren writes. "They consisted of an icebreaker leading a tanker and four cargo ships on an easterly course that slowly weaved back and forth through the chaotic ice pack."

The main mission was to map the seabed and collect oceanographic data in anticipation of the Arctic's becoming a major theater of military operations. The sub did so by finding and following depth contours, for instance, by locating the areas of the Arctic Basin where the seabed was 600 feet below the surface. A result was a navigation chart that bore the kind of squiggly lines found on topographic maps.

The goal of mapping the bottom contour also sent the Queenfish into the dead end. The crew was watching a favorite Western movie, "Shane," when a messenger touched McLaren on the shoulder and whispered that the sub had ground to a standstill.

"Heart in my mouth, I ran up to the after-port side of the control room," he writes. "Saturating the iceberg detector scope was bright sea-ice-return in all directions."

McLaren ordered all crew movement to cease as he and other watch standers worked the propeller, rudder and stern planes to move the Queenfish slowly backward. Finally, he writes, the boat entered deeper water, and the crew "gave out a huge collective sigh of relief."

The two-month voyage ended in Nome, Alaska, where the sub and crew encountered a chilly reception. The mayor and other people on the town dock had mistaken the sinister-looking sub without markings as Soviet.

In 1972, McLaren won the Distinguished Service Medal, the military's highest peacetime award.

Historians say cold war maneuvering in the Arctic picked up after his mission, with the two sides deploying more submarines beneath the ice. The United States built a total of 36 sister subs to the Queenfish, known as the Sturgeon class.

Little is known publicly of the polar exploits. But every so often the icy world erupted in a foretaste of war. In 1984, an American satellite observed a Soviet sub breaking through the ice of the Siberian sea to test fire missiles.

Military and legal experts said McLaren's book, while providing a glimpse into a hidden world of cold war planning, might also make political waves today.

That is because of the sub's repeated penetrations of what Moscow considered its territorial waters, defying boundaries that Washington refused to recognize. The disclosure of that boldness could bolster the case in international forums for American navigational rights, legal experts said in interviews.

Bernard Oxman, a specialist in maritime law at the University of Miami School of Law, called the 1970 voyage "an indication of state practice and a refusal to acquiesce in Russian claims over navigation." Although Moscow has in recent years relaxed such claims, he added, the legal precedent remains.

So too, McLaren sees his spy mission as a milestone for freedom of navigation, whether in Russian waters or elsewhere in the contested wilds atop the globe.

Today the issue is hot, because melting polar ice is opening up new shipping lanes and exposing potentially vast deposits of natural resources, including oil. A modern gold rush is getting under way.

"It's important to maintain freedom of the seas," McLaren said in an interview. "That's something our country has fought for literally from its inception."

Global warming and the shrinking polar ice pack are creating new opportunities and responsibilities, he said, adding, "We've got to stand our ground."

Issue has not been resolved by Patch 2008.024

Issue has not been resolved in Patch 2008.024.

Plane still flies faster than maximum speed. This behaviour can be replicated by:

1) Divide all planes from ZIa into a new group.

2) Order new course for group

3) Order new speed for new group

4) Speed of 650kts will appear for VHigh altitude

5) Hit okay and new speed will be 650kts when it should only be 560kts

Game engine works as described in Patch 2008.024

Problem does still appears in Patch 2008.024

Problem does not seem to appear in Patch 2008.024

Problem does not seem to appear in Patch 2008.024

Just because an idiot like me cannot win it shouldn't discourage you from creating more scenarios.

That was fun and challenging and in the end I didn't stand a chance!

I'm glad to know that I'm in good company...

Otherwise I hoped you enjoyed it, If enough people do I will probably work on the second/continuation to the scenario.

I sure hope that you do it, anyway. Just because an idiot like me cannot win it shouldn't discourage you from creating more scenarios.

No such thing as a 'Bad' scenario.

Release version.

I ran this one and think that I've run into a problem.

I was granted victory as soon as my SSN and SSBN crossed the Kuriles and into the Sea of Okhotsk.

I checked in the ScenEditor and the Polygon is definitely centred on the area specified in the orders and not around the Kurile Islands.

I like the detail provided within the orders. It's a nice story background and very believable.

I ran the scenario and promptly ordered my Wedgetail over to Dili. She detected the land convoy in motion and ordered the Hawks stationed at Dili air field to attack. Once they bombed the trucks and the AAA, victory was granted.

Since the scenario was set for 7 days, I decided to continue playing. I stationed CAP over Dili and shot down the occasional F-16 patrol until there was no more.

Meanwhile, the Corte Real group was sailing for Dili. They encountered a few Indonesian ships which they dispatched with gunfire and saved their SSMs for Indonesian vessels armed with similar weapons. Even though they didn't waste any SSMs, there weren't enough to sink the enemy and soon the Corte Real was overwhelmed by Harpoons and the group was wiped out south of Sumatra.

This isn't meant as a criticism, but I'm not sure if there is any way that the Real group can survive. It is outside of AEW and CAP coverage from either Dili or Australia so it has to rely upon its own resources. None of the helos can carry ASuW weapons and the number of Harpoons is very limited as are the SAMs. The only potentially viable option appears to be to sail away from Sumatra as fast as possible and then sail around all possible interference. That might make for a long game without much/any action.

I hope that this helps and does not hurt. Congratulations on posting up your first scenario!

AAR: Oubliette [spoiler Alert]

A Harpoon Classic scenario

By Brad Leyte

The navigator plotted a course for Point Echo Zulu northeast of Sakhalin Island at coordinates 51 29 N 145 12 E. At our current speed of advance (8kts), SSBN Tennessee should be able to arrive at her designated deterrent patrol station in time. Since the SSN Tullibee was already in the Sea of Okhotsk, I would use her to scout the area before the SSBN's arrival. The nearest base was Naha, over 1500nm away. This meant that there would be no air cover as none of the P-3 Orion MPA had sufficient range to reach the area. The only plane able to reach the Sea of Okhotsk was the EP-3 Elint platform and she was unarmed.

As she set out on her mission, SSN Tullibee immediately detected a submerged contacted. After working up a TMA [Target Motion Analysis], she generated a firing solution and launched two Mk 48 AdCap torpedoes at the target. They were counter-detected when they got within 2nm and the submarine raced to evade. It turned out to be a Tango-class diesel, but the Mk 48 torpedoes were easily capable of 40kts+ speed and they easily caught her. First on the scoreboard was the USN!

I ferried my aircraft assets over to Naha from Andersen air field to give them just a bit more range and ordered the SSBN Tennessee and her escorting SSN Chicago escort to cross the Kuriles and into the Sea of Okhotsk. Soon, the SSBN detected several surface contacts. They tried to avoid contact and just let them pass, if possible, but the enemy wasn't playing along. The group consisted of a Mirka-class corvette and a Krivak-class frigate. Both had reasonable sonar systems that would be effective if they got too close. I decided not to risk detection of the SSBN so the Chicago engaged the Mirka with two Mk 48 torpedoes at a range of 7nm. Both vessels detected the weapons close to the Mirka and turned to flee. The Mirka was caught and one detonated under her keel, snapping it. The Krivak kept running and was a mission-kill as far as I was concerned for it cleared the way for the SSBN.

After re-fueling at Naha, I ordered the EP-3 Aries to reconnoitre the region. She carefully and cautiously scouted and detected several Tu-142 Bears, Be-12 Mail, Il-38 May active in the area along with several hunter-killer ASW groups. She wove and weaved among them until her ESM detected Foxbats rising to intercept her. Pucker time. She dove to the deck and slunk out of the area, grateful to have escaped with her own skin. It was certainly a nervous time, but worthwhile since it gave me an indication of the forces arrayed against the SSBN.

Not soon afterwards, the Chicago detected another submarine in her path. Although she never fully classified it, it was close and could not be allowed to get any closer. Two more Mk 48 torpedoes settled the issue and no return fire was detected. Unfortunately, someone else was having a spot of luck. The SSN Tullibee had detected a submarine in the SSBN's patrol area and was moving to investigate when she suddenly struck by a weapon without warning for a total loss of boat and crew. Sometimes, the enemy does something right, too.

Chicago and Tennessee continued their ingress and soon came across a KPUG (Russian ASW group) centred on the CVHG Kiev. They tried to box around it and soon encountered a submarine in their path. Both subs slowed to a crawl in hopes of allowing their hunters to pass them, but Russians were not giving up so easily. Suddenly, the KPUG turned in their direction and all hope of remaining invisible disappeared. Chicago decided to engage the CVHG first as she carried most of the deadly Helix helicopters. Three Mk 48 AdCap Mod 5 were sent after her and two hits were sufficient to leave her dead in the water. Unfortunately, the KPUG refused to quit so the Chicago was forced to engage one escort after another. Next to die was the CG Kara as she sailed blissfully to her doom. She was soon followed by the DDG Kashin and then the FFG Krivak. Although tempted to sink the surviving valuable replenishment vessels, they were not part of the mission and torpedoes were limited. The sailors aboard Chilikin, Andizhan, and Kazbek would never know how lucky there were this day.

With the primary threats sunk, the submarine group arrived intact at their deterrent patrol position and total victory was awarded.

A nice challenging submarine scenario. Thanks for sharing it.

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EU report warns of trouble in Arctic over resources

Territorial claims and access to new trade routes must be addressed, briefing document notes; former U.S. Coast Guard official predicts armed conflict

Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service

Published: 1:32 am

Edmonton Journal

The coming "scramble for resources" in the melting Arctic poses a potential political crisis for northern countries -- including Canada -- says a new report by Europe's top two foreign policy officials.

The warning is contained in a briefing document about the expected impacts of global climate change, prepared for a summit of 27 European heads of government in Brussels later this week.

The report, obtained on Monday by Canwest News Service, highlights last year's controversial flag-planting on the North Pole seabed by a Russian submarine -- which drew a particularly frosty response from the Canadian government -- and argues "there is an increasing need to address the growing debate over territorial claims and access to new trade routes" in the Arctic Ocean.

Authored by the European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, and Europe's commissioner for external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the study points to "potential consequences for international stability and European security interests" as the retreat of Arctic ice makes shipping and oil and gas exploration a reality in the region.

Noting the "rapid melting of the polar ice caps," the report contends that "the increased accessibility of the enormous hydrocarbon resources in the Arctic region is changing the geo-strategic dynamics of the region."

Solana and Ferrero-Waldner add: "As previously inaccessible regions open up due to the effects of climate change, the scramble for resources will intensify."

The EU report is the latest in a string of recent warnings about looming clashes over Arctic resources -- including a prediction from former U.S. Coast Guard commander Scott Borgerson of possible armed conflict between the U.S. and Canada over Arctic sovereignty.

"The United States should not underestimate Canadian passions on this issue," Borgerson, a fellow at the influential Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an article titled Arctic Meltdown in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs magazine.

"Unless Washington leads the way toward a multilateral diplomatic solution, the Arctic could descend into armed conflict."

A top official with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also warned last month that Canada and the U.S. were headed for a clash over who owns undersea territory in the Beaufort Sea, along the offshore boundary between the Yukon and Alaska.

And two teams of American and Canadian experts on international affairs -- including Borgerson, former U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci and UBC political scientist Michael Byers -- recently conducted a "mock summit" on the Arctic that urged a rapid resolution of disputes over the Northwest Passage and other polar issues before serious conflict arises in the region.

The European report also urges the development of an EU Arctic policy to guide the continent's approach to polar issues, and suggests the possible need to "revisit existing rules of international law, particularly the Law of the Sea" to settle anticipated territorial disputes in the Arctic and elsewhere.

The Solana-Ferrero-Waldner report, which has already prompted widespread media coverage in Europe, includes the Arctic in a list of regions set to become hotspots for global conflict in an era of climate change.

"Climate change is best viewed as a threat multiplier which exacerbates existing trends, tensions and instability," states the report, which also highlights potential drought in Africa, water shortages in the Middle East and coastal flooding in South Asia as possible triggers for major international conflict.

Solana, in an accompanying statement also released to Canwest News Service, says: "What happens if the Northwest Passage becomes permanently passable? If handled well, this is a huge opportunity. But without an agreed international framework -- as is the case in the Arctic -- on how to assess and adjudicate territorial claims, political tensions are bound to rise."

During a speech in Yellowknife on Monday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper reaffirmed his government's commitment to "strengthening Canada's Arctic sovereignty" and highlighted a new federal plan to procure a Polar-class icebreaker to help patrol the increasingly ice-free Arctic Ocean.

"As Canadians, we see ourselves as a Northern people," Harper stated.

"The great white North is as much a part of Canada's identity as the red maple leaf."

AAR: There's No Place Like Home [spoiler Alert]

A Harpoon Classic scenario

By Patrick Howard

As a student of history, I had read about Xenophon and the 10,000 but never really felt that I understood it until I was faced with the same situation. The Kuznetsov group was operating off the Irish coast when she received orders to return to the Kola Peninsula. Unfortunately, receiving orders and actually carrying them out can be very different things. All I could see was an entire wall of potentially (probably) hostile bases. The more I looked, the grimmer things appeared. The previously powerful forces of Soviet Naval Aviation had fallen from regiments of Backfire and Badger bombers to only 5x Tu-22M Backfires, 2x Tu-95H Bear, and 4x Tu-160 Blackjack bombers on call to assist in the voyage home. Soviet doctrine called for regimental strikes by SNA against the American carrier battle groups and I had barely one squadron's worth of bombers.

Soon, Elint reports started coming in from two surveillance trawlers in the North Atlantic. E-2 Hawkeye radar had been detected. Where there are Hawkeyes, there is a carrier. I couldn't localize the ships, but the AWACs gave me an idea of where they might be. As all routes back to the Kola seemed to be blocked, I decided that the only chance I had would be to blast my way through the carrier group so I shuttled all available aircraft down to Kaliningrad in hopes of re-inforcing the Kuznetsov for a combined attack. It was my only hope.

I also ordered the BCGN Petr Velikiy out to lend assistance, but her meagre screen of two Udaloy destroyers was promptly engaged and sunk by torpedoes. The Ka-27 Helix got a measure of revenge by sinking one of the submarines, but there was no way that the BCGN could be risked to travel on her own through such treacherous waters so she was recalled.

Once the bombers landed and re-fuelled at Kaliningrad, they had to fly a very careful profile out to the Atlantic. In order to avoid interference from the EU fighter patrols, they stayed at low altitude to avoid the radar from the UK as well as Lechfeld air base. Once past the radar fence, they made their ingress towards the suspected position of the carrier group.

As they made their approach on the deck, the lead reconnaissance Bear reported that the strike group had been counter-detected by the Hawkeyes. Now, it was a race between the pride of Russia and the American Combat Air Patrols. All of the planes increased speed to full military power and activated their radar in hopes of surviving long enough to reach their release points. Today, luck was with the Russians as a Very Large contact was soon detected. With Bears approaching from different angles, it was fairly easily localized through triangulation. ESM also detected emissions from 2 Ticonderoga cruisers and one Arleigh Burke destroyer. This was going to be one tough nut to crack.

As soon as they came into range, the measly strike force of 7 bombers released their AS-4 Kitchen missiles from maximum range in hopes that some might survive. The Blackjacks, armed only with shorter-ranged AS-65 missiles, tried to close the distance and were promptly shot out of the sky by SAMs. One Oscar-class SSGN was also in range and threw her 20 SS-N-19 Shipwreck missiles into the fray. Attacking three AEgis-equipped vessels with only 40 missiles seemed like hopeless odds, but the attempt had to be made. The escorts must have been distracted in their hurry to destroy the Blackjacks as the AS-4 Kitchens raced through the screen and promptly demolished the carrier! Victory was awarded right away.

I wanted to see if I could make the trip all the way back to Russia so I continued onwards. It was a good thing that I managed to sink the carrier as the Kuznetsov was hit by at least two torpedoes on her voyage home. She limped along at 8kts with 77% of her flotation destroyed and never made it back to home waters before the scenario expiration.

A really superbly challenging scenario. I can't wait to try out the next one. Thanks for sharing it.

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Defect Name: CTD on tanker launch

Build: HCE 2007.000

Repeatable: Y

Operating System: XP

DB used: HCDB-080308

Scenario used: CTD on tanker launch.SCm

Long Description: CTD when tanker is ordered to launch on a patrol mission

Sequence to reproduce:

1. Run scenario from Red side

2. Order Midas tanker to any patrol point from ZTa (Afrikanda)

3. CTD when plane attempts to launch

Expected behaviour: Tanker should launch on patrol mission

Observed behaviour: Tanker patrol mission results in CTD

CTD_on_tanker_launch.zip

Here's a list of all the ships that it seems to affect:

ID: Name:

2575 Midway (-70)

2083 Midway (-65)

2366 Nimitz (1975)

2365 Enterprise (1976)

2364 Kitty Hawk (1961)

2363 John F. Kennedy (1975)

2065 Enterprise (1961)

2064 Hermes (1966)

2116 Essex w. SCB-144 (1965)

2080 Midway (-60)

2098 Hermes (1960)

2103 Essex (1960)

2220 Colossus Class (1969)

2222 Colossus Class (1956)

2206 Majestic Class (1955-)

2050 Kitty Hawk (1969)

2095 John F. Kennedy (1968)

2118 Essex (1960)

2093 Forrestal (1967)

2059 Enterprise (1967)

2092 Forrestal (1975)

2056 Enterprise (1971)

2219 Forrestal (1977)

2094 Forrestal (1960)

It's interesting that they are all aircraft carriers.