Herman

The 124th NEW Harpoon scenario of the year! This scenario has been tested for compatibility with Harpoon ANW. PIRATES The Malakka strait, Sunda Strait, and Java Sea are notorious Pirate waters. Attacks have increased to over 200 per year. Often crews of attacked vessels are put overboard, the ship is quickly searched for valuables, and then sunk. Many pirates are individual criminals, but organised gangs have emerged who have excellent Intell, and have purchased some of the hundreds of obsolete Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Australian 1960s and 1970s gunboats. While Pirates have no chance against modern naval ships, the Navies in the region have other priorities; and rumour has it that some Pirate gangs are headed by ex-navy personnel. With over 50.000 ships passing the Malakka Strait annually of which 2000 are Ultra Large Crude Carriers, private enterprise has stepped in with the creation of the United Escort Service. Author: Freek Schepers This scenario requires the latest release of the PlayersDB v6.4.9-ANW Get it via: ughHQ, Gamersquad, HarpGamer, SimHQ, PlayersDB Depot, Matrix, SubSim, CombatAce, or Frugal's World of Simulation. Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare

Russia May Scrap U.S. Arms Control Treaty Reuters DefenseNews MOSCOW -- Russia warned the United States on Thursday it might pull out of a Cold War nuclear arms reduction treaty because of plans by Washington to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe. General Yuri Baluyevsky, head of the Russian general staff, said Russia could unilaterally withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), Russian news agencies reported. When asked whether Russia would pull out of the agreement, Baluyevsky, said: "We will see how our American partners are going to act," Interfax news agency reported. "What they are doing at the moment -- creating a third positioning region for anti-missile defense in Europe -- is totally inexplicable," he said. The INF treaty was one of the key arms control pacts of the Cold War. The treaty was signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in December 1987. "There is a possibility of leaving the agreement if one of the sides presents convincing evidence," Baluyevsky said, Interfax reported. "Today there is such convincing evidence - many countries are developing and perfecting medium range rockets." The United States has suggested the shield is needed to protect Europe from Iranian missiles but Russian officials have said Washington and its NATO allies are building the shield because of Russia. "Our efforts to deploy missile defense systems around the world, and in this case we’re working very closely with the Czech and the Polish governments to develop a system in Central Europe, is in no way directed at the Russian strategic forces," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington. "This is in no way directed at Russia ... We have offered to cooperate with Russia on missile defense because we believe that we face a common set of threats emanating from the Middle East as well as other areas," he told reporters. McCormack later said that while Washington had received reports "from various Russian sources" that Moscow might pull out of the treaty, it had not heard anything formally from the Russian government.

France says aircraft carrier price too high Former French aircraft carrier Clemenceau Yahoo PARIS (Reuters) - France's chief arms buyer on Tuesday rejected the proposed cost of a new French aircraft carrier as too high and urged French and British industries to work more closely on respective projects to keep costs down. MOPA2, a joint venture between French state shipyard DCN and arms electronics firm Thales, sent a proposal to the DGA arms procurement agency in December but the agency's top official told reporters the price tag was too expensive. "What you need is a satisfactory industrial proposition, which we don't have at the moment. The proposition is excessive," DGA director general Francois Lureau said. Speaking at a news conference, Lureau did not disclose the offer price but industry reports have in the past estimated the cost of building France's new carrier at around 2 billion euros (1.3 billion pounds). France already has one carrier and is exploring whether to build the second one in co-operation with Britain, which has two aircraft carriers on the drawing board. Both countries face pressure on defence budgets and have urged their defence contractors to make the ships as similar as possible while respecting the specific needs of each navy, such as different aircraft handling systems and accommodation needs. Lureau said the four main contractors -- DCN and Thales on the French side and BAE Systems and VT Group in Britain -- should provide clear evidence that they were able to meet cost reduction targets by working together on all 3 ships. "The other condition (besides price) is a good industrial accord on both sides of the Channel," Lureau said. France and Britain agreed in principle last year to jointly construct three aircraft carriers, with France agreeing to pay 100 million pounds towards the design work. Britain hopes to deliver the first of two new aircraft carriers to the Royal Navy sometime around 2012, while France wants one new ship by about 2014. The British ships will carry versions of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, while the French plan to use the Rafale fighter jet built by Dassault as well as unmanned air vehicles.

The 124th NEW Harpoon scenario of the year! PIRATES The Malakka strait, Sunda Strait, and Java Sea are notorious Pirate waters. Attacks have increased to over 200 per year. Often crews of attacked vessels are put overboard, the ship is quickly searched for valuables, and then sunk. Many pirates are individual criminals, but organised gangs have emerged who have excellent Intell, and have purchased some of the hundreds of obsolete Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Australian 1960s and 1970s gunboats. While Pirates have no chance against modern naval ships, the Navies in the region have other priorities; and rumour has it that some Pirate gangs are headed by ex-navy personnel. With over 50.000 ships passing the Malakka Strait annually of which 2000 are Ultra Large Crude Carriers, private enterprise has stepped in with the creation of the United Escort Service. Author: Freek Schepers This scenario requires the latest release of the PlayersDB v6.4.9 Get it via: ughHQ, Gamersquad, HarpGamer, SimHQ, PlayersDB Depot, Matrix, SubSim, CombatAce, or Frugal's World of Simulation. Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare

The situation, when we broke for an intermission, was that the Batroun had just outrun a torpedo fired from an Israeli submarine… The only hope of victory lay with a speedy arrival in Lebanon. All my surviving blockade runners engaged their engines and went to full speed. Unfortunately, the fastest ship cannot outrun the slowest helicopter and, soon, another snooper was bearing down on my ships. However, this helo was in for a surprise because the blockade runner was under escort from a Syrian gunboat. The unwary Israeli pilots got a rude surprise in the form of an SA-7 Grail SAM! Even so, they managed to dodge the first one and only succumbed to the second. A tremendous cheer rose from the crew; the Israeli air force was not invincible, after all. Not long afterwards, a second helo came looking. The missileer was a young man of only 19 years and he was still elated from the exhilaration of his first kill. He immediately set about to engage this second target. The captain of the vessel burst forth from the bridge just as the SA-7 left the launcher. “Stop!” he screamed. “That’s a UN helicopter!” but he was too late. The SA-7 ran unerringly into the exhaust of the Lynx. “Abdul, you’ve killed us all,” bellowed the Captain. Sure enough, an incoming Exocet missile soon put a quick end to the glorious missile career of Abdul as it exploded directly underneath his feet. The two surviving Hezbollah smugglers were within sight of Lebanon, 15nm away, but that was as close as they would come. A second Israeli helo swooped down on the little cigarette boat and blew her out of the water with a stream of rockets while a second UN Exocet claimed the other blockade runner. So close, yet so far. The three soldier-hostages would have to be removed from Lebanon another way. Thanks for a great Part II to my opponents, John and Brandon, and to Tony for the use of his ANW server at HarpGamer.com. Blockade is made with the favourite database of Harpoon3:ANW, the PlayersDB. This scenario has not yet been published, but anyone wanting to give it a try can find it on the HarpGamer ANW 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. Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB

AAR: Matrix Shield [spoiler Alert] Brandon and I met up for another match, tonight. We decided to try Matrix Shield made with the favourite database of Harpoon3:ANW, the PlayersDB. This scenario has not yet been published, but anyone wanting to give it a try can find it on the HarpGamer ANW Server. The scenario is a training exercise between a CIS submarine against combined Swedish / Polish Baltic ASW groups. Brandon elected to play the Hunters while played the role of the Hunted. But, as is often the case, the tables can quickly be turned around. My Kilo-Class sub was just creeping around, patiently awaiting targets to appear. Soon enough, a pair of Hugin missile boats was detected to the NE and she crept off to intercept. Not long afterwards, a Goteborg corvette was detected nearby the Hugin and they were heading right for the Kilo. Minutes later, they were both in torpedo range and a pair of TEST-71 torpedoes was fired at the Goteborg and a single torpedo at the Hugin. As the torpedo room crew hurriedly re-loaded, the attack centre counted down the seconds. Less than 1nm from the target, the torpedoes must have been detected for the Hugin abruptly turned about-face and raced off at 36kts! The torpedo was only capable of 40kts so the prey would escape, this time. However, the Goteborg was not so fortunate and she was caught in a tremendous explosion. I didn't know if the enemy had pinpointed me, but he had to know that their target was in the general vicinity. The surviving Hugin was not finished and she tried to locate me. I had the answer to that pest in the form of a 53-65 Wake-Homing torpedo. These babies were capable of running 70kts and she would not escape, again. Or so I thought. Once again, she came forward seemingly oblivious to her fate. A single 53-65 torpedo was launched after her and the crew anxiously awaited the explosion. Once again, she turned to run. However, the torpedo elected to chase a target on the opposite side of the map! (Oh, great. Looks like the targeting bug is back.) There went half my torpedo inventory rendered useless. The surviving ASW forces started to swarm into the area. They knew that a diesel boat couldn't run very fast. However, this diesel boat still had some teeth. Although she was seemingly surrounded by hostiles, she gave a good account of herself with her remaining TEST-71 wire-guided torpedoes and sank another Goteborg and 3 Hugin boats before the Polish corvette, Kaszub raced in to deliver a SET-65 torpedo that killed her. It looks like both sides had their technical problems. The 53-65 torpedoes did not work for me, but neither did the ELMA ASW rockets work for the Hunters! In the end, the sub was sunk before it could bag its goal of 6 ships. Another excellent game even if it was a bit frustrating to see that some bugs just won't die. Thanks to HarpGamer server for the use of their server and to Brandon for being a crafty opponent. 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. FilesOfScenShare Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB

AAR: Matrix Siege [spoiler Alert] Brandon came ashore from his little cruise in the Gulf and immediately came onto HarpGamer to look for a game of ANW. Can you believe this guy? He didn't even call his girlfriend before setting up a game with us. Now, THERE is a guy who has his priorities straight! We selected Matrix Siege made with the favourite database of Harpoon3:ANW, the PlayersDB. This scenario has not yet been published, but anyone wanting to give it a try can find it on the HarpGamer ANW Server. The scenario is a European training exercise matching a USN force against a combination of European naval forces in the Kattegat and Skaggerak. I took the European command. I knew that the USN force had an Arleigh Burke destroyer so it was going to be a tough nut to crack. I tried to try and mask my ships by running behind a few merchant vessels travelling through the Kattegat. I had my ships match their speed of 15kts. This was successful until his helicopters showed up and surprised my northern flotilla. Both of them were quickly shot out of the air with a combination of Stingers and AAA, but The Jig Was Up! Soon enough, a wave of Harpoon SSMs was detected. Forunately for me, most of them locked onto a nearby freighter, Laekonda, and pummelled her mercilessly. However, two of my missile boats must have also been in the cone of detection for they each sucked a Harpoon down the windpipe. I decided to volley-fire my own SSMs down the bearing of the incoming missiles in hopes of distracting the hidden enemy. I figured it was a matter of, "Use'm or Lose'm". We had to call it a night at this point, but we certainly look forward to completing this game. Thanks for the game and the use of the HG ANW 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. Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB

India, Russia may export 1,000 BrahMos [ 24 Jan, 2007 0005hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] NEW DELHI: The US used almost 800 cruise missiles for its attack on Iraq in 2003. Much cheaper and easier to operate than ballistic missiles, cruise missiles are rapidly becoming the preferred option to wage a war. So much so that there are around 80,000 cruise missiles in the inventories of 75 countries at this moment. Keeping this "huge export potential" in mind, India and Russia now obviously want to rake in the moolah by selling at least 1,000 of the jointly-developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to "friendly" countries in the near future. The export version will basically be the anti-ship variant of the 290-km range BrahMos, already inducted into Indian Navy. Incidentally, the land-attack, air and submarine-launched versions of BrahMos are also in the pipeline for the Indian armed forces now. But in the run-up to Russian president Vladimir Putin and defence minister Sergei Ivanov's visit this week, there has been some wrangling over the issue of exports. India is keen to jumpstart the process, with the global cruise missile market estimated to be worth around $10 billion in the coming decade, but there has been opposition from some quarters in Russia. Ivanov, however, clarified in Bangalore on Tuesday that Russia was not opposed to selling BrahMos to some "specific third countries". In Delhi, top Indian and Russian officials also dismissed reports that Moscow had reservations on the matter. They, in fact, asserted that a supervisory council of the two governments had already identified the countries concerned. Though they were reluctant to name them, TOI has earlier reported that talks had been held with Malaysia, Chile, South Africa, Kuwait and UAE in this regard. "There is a huge market for cruise missiles. BrahMos is unique among cruise missiles due to its 2.8 Mach supersonic speed (all other cruise missiles are sub-sonic at present) and much-longer strike range. It's the ultimate force-multiplier," said BrahMos Aerospace chief A Sivanthanu Pillai. G Leonov Alexander, first deputy director-general of NPO Mashinostroyenia, the Russian partner in the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture, in turn, said,"I hope we will be able to sell around 1,000 missiles to friendly countries very soon...Our prospects are very bright." This will be a big step forward for India, which has so far imported cutting-edge military technology rather than exporting it. As reported earlier by TOI, India is already augmenting facilities at Hyderabad to take the production of BrahMos missiles from the existing dozen or so to at least 50 per year. This will also help in its faster induction into the Indian forces, which have placed orders worth Rs 3,500 crore for the missile till now. What is interesting is that BrahMos Aerospace is even ready with the submarine-launched missile variant, which can be fired from an underwater depth of almost 60 metres. The work has centred around the Russian Amur-1650 submarines, a frontrunner for India’s second line of submarines after the French Scorpenes. "Once BrahMos is installed, it will be the first diesel submarine to have vertically-launched strike missiles," said Pillai. Meanwhile, with frontline warships like Rajput-class destroyers having already been equipped with BrahMos vertical launch systems, Army is now gearing up to induct the "precision-strike" land-attack version by converting three of its light artillery regiments into BrahMos missile regiments. Each regiment will have four mobile autonomous launchers on 12x12 Tatra vehicles and mobile command posts. "We are planning to give deliveries to the Indian Army this year itself. The work on the air-launched version for Sukhoi-30MKIs, with a reduction in the size and weight of the booster, will be finished by 2008," said chairman of the BrahMos board of directors, A Dergachev Alexander.

Over 99 new aircraft, ships, submarines, facilities, classes, countries, and weapons have been added to the Harpoon3 PlayersDB. Get the PlayersDB 6.4.9-ANW on Gamesquad, HarpDB, or PlayersDB Depot. Get the PlayersDB 6.4.9 on Gamesquad, HarpDB, or PlayersDB Depot. Additions include: AGI Kamchatka (Proj 994) UA AH-1F Cobra PK AO Dubna UA 97 DDG Luzhou PRC 07 T.051C FFG Krivak III UA 91 FFG Krivak II UA 97 FFL Grisha V UA 91 FFL Laksamana MAL 94 FFL Grisha II UA 91 FFL Assad IRQ 06 FFL Khareef OM 10 LCAC Zubr [Pomornik] UA 96 LST Polnocny C UA 91 LST Ropucha II UA 91 LST Yuting II PRC 03 T.072.3 MCM Sonya (Project 1265) UA 96 MRCH Fishing Vessel|14kts OPV Onega (Project 1806) UA 97 OPV Onega (Project 1806) RUS 73 P-3C Orion Update II.5 PK 05 PCF Pauk I UA 92 PCM Tarantul III UA 97 PCM Tarantul II UA 91 PG Al Faal (Al Uboor) IRQ 06 PG Predator IRQ 06 PTM Matka UA 96 SS Foxtrot UA 97 WHEC Hamilton USCG 90-95 WHEC Hamilton USCG 94 - countless changes and improvements guaranteed not to crash any earlier scenario built with the PlayersDB GS file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB

Rising costs sock shipbuilding, as local yard fears layoffs By Steve Liewer UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER SignOnSanDiego.com February 1, 2007 Bedeviled with cost overruns, the Navy's shipbuilding program is in danger of sinking under its own weight. Navy leaders have struggled to upgrade an aging fleet of warships with next-generation aircraft carriers, destroyers, amphibious assault ships and submarines that cost billions more than the vessels they replace. San Diego's General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard may have to lay off workers if the Navy's pace of new projects doesn't quicken. This week, a crane at the shipyard positioned the bow on the supply ship Richard E. Byrd. Seven new ships are budgeted for this year, barely a third of the number built annually during the peak Reagan-era defense buildup. Fifteen will be decommissioned, including the San Diego-based Ogden, Trenton and Dolphin. The result is a fleet of 276, the lowest total in nine decades. “The number of ships we're producing is absolutely pathetic,” said Winslow Wheeler, an analyst for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Defense Information and a frequent critic of Pentagon priorities. “It's a system out of control.” Navy leaders and military analysts have warned that if Congress doesn't boost the Pentagon's shipbuilding budget – $11.6 billion this fiscal year – the Navy won't be able to meet its growing list of commitments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Latin America and the western Pacific. They raised some of those concerns at West 2007, a large military conference that began yesterday at the San Diego Convention Center. The Navy's fleet is now less than one-fourth the size of the armada assembled for the battle of Okinawa in World War II, said retired Vice Adm. John Nyquist of Coronado, who directed the Navy's surface warfare construction program in the 1980s. “We certainly want to have enough ships to protect our country,” Nyquist said. To help pay for shipbuilding, the Navy has cut thousands of sailor billets from its rolls since 2003. It also has trimmed orders for new ships and stretched them out over more years. Meanwhile, the nation's six shipyards – including General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego – fear they'll have to lay off more workers if the Navy's pace of new projects doesn't speed up. The lack of steady work also prompts highly trained employees who design and construct warships to find other careers. “That's a skill that, once it's lost, it'll be very, very difficult to get back,” said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO. San Diego's General Dynamics NASSCO is building nine supply ships for the Navy but has no additional military contracts in sight. The problem isn't easy to fix. The parties most heavily involved in shipbuilding – Congress, the Navy and shipbuilders – all have incentives to add expensive, high-tech gadgets that pump up the capabilities and prices of new vessels. Pentagon officials and shipbuilders trade jabs at conferences such as West 2007. The Navy blames shipbuilders for busting budgets, while shipbuilders point a finger at the Navy for frequent design changes and a lack of steady work that forces them to boost costs. The Navy has tried to make changes. For example, it conceived the shallow-water, no-frills Littoral Combat Ship as the future backbone of its fleet. But that program, too, has recently run into financial trouble. The Congressional Research Service has proposed shifting some Navy ships from nuclear to conventional propulsion, reducing each vessel's hull survivability from military to civilian commercial standards, and using the same hull design for different ship models. In 1997, Navy officials had drawn a bright, red line at 300 ships for its fleet, a number below which then-Chief of Naval Operations Jay Johnson said would imperil the country's safety. That was the latest in a series of red lines drawn since 1988, when then-Navy Secretary Jim Webb resigned over the Reagan administration's wavering commitment to a 600-ship Navy. (Webb is now a Democratic senator from Virginia, elected in November.) The General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego is one of six in the nation and employs 6,600 local workers. Last year, Adm. Michael Mullen, the current chief of naval operations, set a new goal of 313 ships by 2020. The goal will require an annual budget of $14 billion to $20 billion, said Norman Polmar, a well-known naval analyst in Washington, D.C. Mullen also has prodded the Navy to quit emphasizing ship numbers. Such an approach, he said, made sense in the tit-for-tat competition with the Soviet Union during the Cold War but doesn't mean much now that threats come from failed states or murky terrorist groups worldwide. He urges defense experts to gauge the Navy's fleet by its collective strength, because modern communications allow battle groups and fleets to link up in a seamless network. At the same time, Mullen has promoted a concept he calls the “1,000-ship Navy,” drawing on alliances with foreign navies and coast guards. “It's really about a global navy network,” said Vice Adm. John G. Morgan Jr., the Navy's chief of plans, information and strategy, during a West 2007 panel on shipbuilding yesterday. “When you realize you can't do it all, you've got to look at other ways.” San Diego has a big stake in the shipbuilding game. A smaller, busier Navy fleet takes dollars out of the local economy while keeping sailors away from home more. General Dynamics NASSCO – currently building nine supply ships for the Navy but with no additional military contracts in sight – employs 6,600 local workers. It is the city's largest manufacturing plant. “We are essentially the last major shipbuilder on the West Coast,” Harris said. “We'll work to keep this shipyard healthy, and this industry in San Diego.” As the Iraq war nears its fourth anniversary, the Navy must compete for funds with the Army and Marine Corps, who get top priority because their personnel and equipment have been stretched thin. The Navy is as busy as ever, its carriers launching air strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq, its destroyers chasing pirates off the Horn of Africa, its frigates halting suspected drug runners in Latin American waters, its amphibious assault ships ferrying Marines and Special Forces to the Middle East and elsewhere. “You don't see it or hear about it, because the focus is on boots on the ground – and rightly so,” said Cynthia Brown, president of the American Shipbuilding Association, the industry's lobby group. “(But) any time you talk about a global war, you can't be there, you can't get there without ships.” Sky-high shipbuilding costs are by no means new. A 2006 study by the RAND Corp., a Santa Monica-based defense consultant, showed shipbuilding costs over a 40-year period had risen 7 percent to 11 percent a year, far outpacing the rate of inflation. But cost overruns are sucking up more dollars than ever, even as shipbuilding budgets have stayed steady or shrunk. The Navy is replacing an unusual number of ship classes with modern upgrades: attack submarines, aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, destroyers, and the Lewis-and-Clark-class supply ships made by NASSCO. The Navy's biggest cost headache is the still-unbuilt DDG-1000 destroyer. The ship was conceived a decade ago as a $750 million replacement for the Spruance and, eventually, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers that now form the backbone of the surface fleet. Technologically, the sleek DDG-1000 is loaded: It will boast advanced radar, vertical-launch cells for Tomahawk and Sea Sparrow missiles, 155-mm guns with long-range, precision-guided projectiles and a super-efficient electrical generation system – all packed into a stealthy hull inspired by the Air Force's B-2 bomber. But with a cost that has swelled to $3.6 billion, the ship keeps accountants awake nights. The Navy has cut its planned purchase of the ship from 30 to seven. Some defense analysts predict the Pentagon ultimately will buy only two or three. “Cramming that much capability onto one ship is ludicrous,” said Bob Work, a defense analyst for the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington, D.C. “Everybody outside the Navy looked at it and said, 'You're crazy.' ” As an alternative to souped-up ships such as the DDG-1000, the Navy in the late 1990s hatched the bare-bones Littoral Combat Ship. Small enough to operate in the near-shore seas and estuaries that Navy officials call “brown water,” the littoral hull was designed without weapons systems. Instead, warfighting modules for functions such as antisubmarine or countermine warfare could be designed separately and loaded onto the ships as needed. The no-frills design would allow the mass production of at least 55 littoral ships, at a cost of no more than $220 million apiece. It is the key to Mullen's 313-ship blueprint. The first four littoral ships, all under construction, were bound for San Diego. Then last month, Navy auditors discovered that costs had nearly doubled on the third ship, which Lockheed Martin is building. The Navy ordered the contract suspended for 90 days while it investigates. Despite the program's troubles, even some critics of the Pentagon think the strategy of introducing more streamlined and smaller ships will offer the Navy its best chance of forming a sufficient fleet in an era of crushing technology costs. “What you really want to do is mass-produce,” said Chris Hellman, a military analyst with the Washington D.C.-based Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. “We're already operating the best Navy in the world. Our edge is so vast, we don't really need a huge technological upgrade.”

Forces to get rid of navy's supply ships Esquimalt-based vessels unable to refuel at sea for 2 years; Patrol planes also ditched in cost-cutting David Pugliese, CanWest News Service Published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 Victoria Times The Canadian Forces plans to get rid of its two refuelling and supply ships, one of which is based at CFB Esquimalt, a move that will leave the navy unable to refuel vessels at sea for at least two years until replacements are built. The recommendation is part of a military plan to pare down its ships, surveillance aircraft and helicopters to help pay for new equipment in the future. The cuts include six Aurora maritime patrol aircraft and one Iroquois-class destroyer -- moves that will also have an impact on the Island. Five of the military's 18 Auroras are based at CFB Comox, while one of its three destroyers is based at CFB Esquimalt. The plan, which is contained in the Conservatives' "Canada First" defence strategy, calls for the military to phase out the destroyer and the two supply ships -- Esquimalt-based HMCS Protecteur and Halifax-based HMCS Preserver -- over the next three to four years. The defence strategy acknowledges that the Joint Support Ship, the replacement for the existing refuelling vessels will not be in the water until at least 2012. But it says the navy will somehow "manage the risk" of operating without refueling and supply ships for a two-year period. The cuts are necessary, the paper says, in order to fund new "much-needed" purchases. It highlights previously announced plans to buy medium-lift helicopters, tactical and strategic airlift planes and aerial drones, as well as search and rescue and northern utility aircraft. The military will also look at the eventual replacement of CF-18 fighters, according to the strategy paper, which has yet to be made public. In the document, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor acknowledges that the military must make "difficult decisions," but argues it must "consider the pressing needs of the military against other government priorities." Starting this year, the military will start taking its Griffon helicopters out of service. The 20- to 25-per-cent reduction of the 85 Griffons will free personnel and money to buy Boeing Chinook helicopters. As it gets rid of the Auroras, the air force will purchase approximately 12 aerial drones to be located at CFB Comox and CFB Greenwood in Nova Scotia for domestic surveillance and overseas operations. The first of those will be in operation starting in 2008. The purchase of longer-range drones would be considered in the future. Work will be stopped on the ongoing $900 million modernization program for the Aurora, and the remaining aircraft will be re-assigned to Arctic sovereignty patrols. Liberal Senator Colin Kenny, chairman of the senate's defence committee, criticized the government's plan to scrap the Aurora, saying it won't provide proper surveillance on the coast. According to the report, the navy will also begin work on the acquisition of the future surface combatant fleet, a new type of vessel that will come into service in 2018. The army will get rid of most of its Air Defence Anti-tank Systems (ADATS), a ground-based air defence missile system, keeping them just long enough to provide protection for the 2010 Winter Olympics in B.C.

Always fun to read AARs. Thanks for sharing them.

ESM at 1800nm Radar can be detected by ESM at a range of 1800nm. Radar in Europe (Spain) can nearly be detected in N. America. Test file can be found at Xtreme-Gamer.

117 new Harpoon scenarios to enjoy! David Ennis has kindly decided to share his private collection of vintage Harpoon Classic scenarios with the Harpoon community. All 117 of these scenarios have never before been publicly available. David is the 15th designer to post his scenarios. This makes a total of 123 scenarios released this year and we aren't even out of January, yet! This must be a record for the greatest number of scenarios published in a single day. Congratulations and thanks to David for sharing his work. Comments and suggestions are encouraged by the author. These scenarios are made with the older Harpoon Classic 97 version, but play just fine in the latest Harpoon Classic Gold release. You can get them at: XG file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare

Flaming Datum The 6th new scenario of the year! This is the eleventh scenario of the Battleset "21st CENTURY OCEAN WAR" - Flaming Datum When President Gorbachev was notified in 1989 of a plot to bring down the Berlin Wall later that year, he made several crucial strategic decisions. The Russian President decided to suppress the East-German Revolt, speed up the privatisation and efficiency-focus in the Russian state industries, and invest in maintenance, spare parts, and training for the military. For President Bush and his successors, the emergence of an Eastern European market and the stabilisation of the Middle East meant they could peacefully cooperate with, though quietly dislike, Russia. However, Europe found itself more and more at odds with President Gorbachev and his direct successor, Putin. At the end of 2003, NATO found itself opposing a high quality Russian military. Russia has sunk numerous tankers in the Battle for Atlantic convoys. Russian penetration bombers were repulsed over Canada and Alaskan air space remains in US hands. US has withdrawn DDGs from Pacific Fleet to serve in the Atlantic and to defend CVBGs now heading for the Barentz sea and Japan. The vital oil terminals in Alaska are defended by the USCG, USAF, and some Canadian ships under US command. Author: Freek Schepers This scenario requires the latest release of the PlayersDB v6.4.9 Get it via: ughHQ, Xtreme-Gamer, HarpGamer, SimHQ, PlayersDB Depot, Matrix, SubSim, CombatAce, or Frugal's World of Simulation. XG file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare

Slam Dance The 5th new scenario of the year! New World Order battleset #4 - Part 1 - The War with UBAN - Indian Ocean Persian Gulf - #4 SLAM DANCE In September 1995, one of the West's not-so-secret desires was fulfilled. Saddam Hussein, the mother-of-all dictators, was assassinated. However, this apparent good fortune has also kindled one of the Western world's darkest fears. In the chaos following Hussein's demise, the "rogue nation" of Iran has taken political control of Iraq. This new nation has further amalgamated with Yemen, Syria, Egypt, and Libya in a new military and economic confederation known as the United Brotherhood of Arab-Persian Nations (UBAN). Led by Tehran, UBAN is, of course, staunchly anti-American. It is also the largest oil producer and the largest market for military arms in the world. These factors have combined to bring in the cash-hungry NSC as a powerful ally of the new Arab alliance. In a third, infinitely more terrifying re-play of the 1980-1988 and 1990-1991 Persian Gulf conflicts, UBAN has threatened to cut off the flow of oil in the Gulf and to invade both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia if the latter nations do not join UBAN. The loss of these friendly partners would be a tremendous blow. Bolstered by its alliance with the NSC (New Soviet Confederation), UBAN is determined to make good on its promise to drive out the Great Satan. Background: The US CVBG is now in position to strike UBAN-occupied territory at the highest operational tempo after surviving combined UBAN - NSC attacks. Your mission is two-pronged: to suppress UBAN military forces in the region in preparation for amphibious penetration of the Gulf, and, secondly, to create a safe corridor through Yemen for airborne assault forces flying from Diego Garcia to Saudi Arabia. Slam Dance Secret - Flash Message - 0800Z951031 Fr: CinCPac HQ - Pearl Harbour To: CentCom HQ - Diego Garcia Strike Comd HQ - Diego Garcia CVBG 44.1 Flag Eisenhower PhibGru 64 Flag Boxer Subj: Re-entry of forces into Saudi Arabia1. SitRep Riyadh has been overrun with the last transports escaping just before the arrival of UBAN ground forces. Several aircraft were caught and destroyed on the tarmac by their crews to prevent their capture.Satellite reconnaissance indicates our efforts to destroy logistical support for UBAN invasion are beginning to show results. UBAN advance into Saudi Arabia has slowed considerably in the past 24 hours. CVBG 44.1 is continuing to suppress UBAN military facilities. 2. Orders CVBG 44.1 - Flag Eisenhower - Maintain suppression of UBAN military forces and facilities, particularly destruction of UBAN forces near the intended port of entry at Beachhead Door Stop. Support airborne assault operations as requested. Proceed to RefPt Ike. CentCom [Temp] HQ Riyadh - Establish and maintain air bridge into Saudi Arabia. Begin airborne assault operations as soon as a safe corridor is established. Warning - Yemen is a known UBAN partner. CVBG 44.1 will provide force protection.PhibGru 64 - Flag Boxer - Enter Strait of Hormuz via point Boxer and prepare beachhead at objective Door Stop. Co-ordinate with airborne assault forces. CVBG 44.1 will provide force protection. 3. Rules of EngagementWarning level Red. Weapons Free. Engage and destroy hostile contacts at will.Special weapons release NOT << Repeat >> NOT anticipated. Report Codename - Slam Dance Author: Herman Hum, Brad Leyte This scenario requires the latest release of the PlayersDB v6.4.9 Get it via: ughHQ, Xtreme-Gamer, HarpGamer, SimHQ, PlayersDB Depot, Matrix, SubSim, CombatAce, or Frugal's World of Simulation. XG file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare

Here's an interesting overview of some of the sonobuoys used by the US Navy. Listening Sticks: US Navy Sonobuoy Contracts Posted 25-Jan-2007 05:04 defenseindustrydaily.com Sonobuoys are used to detect and identify moving underwater objects by either listening for the sounds produced by propellers and machinery (passive detection), or by bouncing a sonar "ping" off the surface of a submarine (active detection). They usually float, or have at least some part of them that does. Specialized sonobuoys can also detect electric fields, magnetic anomalies, and bioluminescence (light emitted by microscopic organisms disturbed by a passing submarine); as well as measuring environmental parameters like water temperature versus depth, air temperature, barometric pressure, and wave height. Sonobuoys are generally dropped from aircraft or helicopters that are equipped with a means to launch them, and electronic equipment to receive and process data sent by the sonobuoy. They can also be launched from ships. This entry will discuss some of the new sonobuoys in use, and also begin covering related contracts.... In the broadest sense, sonobuoys fall into 2 categories. Active sonobuoys emit pings or otherwise create an effect that will bounce off of underwater objects like submarines. Passive sonobuoys simply sit and look for emissions or other telltale signs they've been programmed to monitor. AN/SSQ-101: Part of the Improved Extended Echo Ranging (IEER) system. IEER was developed in for large-area search capability against small submarines operating in littoral waters. The system combines a new sensor, the AN/SSQ-101 Air Deployed Active Receiver (ADAR) sonobuoy with improved software in the P-3C Orion Anti-surface Warfare Improvement aircraft. The ADAR sonobuoy employs a multi-element planar hydrophone array to improve detection in shallow littoral waters. When coupled with the powerful USQ-78A acoustic post-processor, it enhances the US military's to effectively prosecute the difficult task of ASW search in littoral waters. AN/SSQ62E: The current generation of the DICASS family of active sonobuoys. The key advantage of the AN/SSQ-62E is that it permits each sonobuoy to transmit on any of 4 acoustic channels and their respective RF channels. Optional thermal battery technology allows DICASS sonobuoys to be shipped and stored in a relatively unrestricted manner with an extended shelf life, as this battery does not degrade significantly with time. In large scale production, and procured by the US, Canada, Netherlands, and Spain. AN/SSQ-53F: The latest generation passive sonobuoy for the US Navy, replacing replaces both the AN/SSQ-57 and the AN/SSQ-53. Combines the functionality of a calibrated omni sensor with that of the AN/SSQ-53E DIFAR, and further enhanced through the incorporation of digital technology in the form of embedded Digital Sound Processors. This allows for improved acoustic performance and permits all AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys to be calibrated to a common response curve. Additional flexibility is achieved through the use of Command Function Select (CFS), allowing various operating parameters to be modified after the sonobuoy has been dropped.

Here's another excellent AAR from Freek Schepers XG file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare

Cold Front The 4th new scenario of the year! New World Order battleset #4 - Part 1 - The War with UBAN - Indian Ocean Persian Gulf - #4 COLD FRONT In September 1995, one of the West's not-so-secret desires was fulfilled. Saddam Hussein, the mother-of-all dictators, was assassinated. However, this apparent good fortune has also kindled one of the Western world's darkest fears. In the chaos following Hussein's demise, the "rogue nation" of Iran has taken political control of Iraq. This new nation has further amalgamated with Yemen, Syria, Egypt, and Libya in a new military and economic confederation known as the United Brotherhood of Arab-Persian Nations (UBAN). Led by Tehran, UBAN is, of course, staunchly anti-American. It is also the largest oil producer and the largest market for military arms in the world. These factors have combined to bring in the cash-hungry NSC as a powerful ally of the new Arab alliance. In a third, infinitely more terrifying re-play of the 1980-1988 and 1990-1991 Persian Gulf conflicts, UBAN has threatened to cut off the flow of oil in the Gulf and to invade both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia if the latter nations do not join UBAN. The loss of these friendly partners would be a tremendous blow. Bolstered by its alliance with the NSC (New Soviet Confederation), UBAN is determined to make good on its promise to drive out the Great Satan. Things just got much worse, which is hard to believe, since Kuwait and much of Saudi Arabia has already fallen to advancing UBAN forces. The NSC has carried out air strikes against our key bases in Turkey thereby shutting down NATO operations there. The Turks have refused to permit our aircraft sanctuary for fear that NSC will renew its attacks. There are also indications that the NSC will assist UBAN in repelling the American CVBG now entering the battle zone. Secret - Flash Message - 1504Z951025 Fr: CinCPac HQ - Pearl Harbour To: CentCom HQ - Riyadh Strike Comd HQ - Diego Garcia CVBG 44.1 Flag Eisenhower Subj: NSC Intervention 1. SitRep NSC attacks on Turkish bases have prevented us from using Turkey as a base for future operations. Turkey has refused access to US forces due to the threat of further NSC attack. Dhahran and Manama have been overrun by UBAN ground forces late last night. The situation at FEBA in Saudi Arabia is grim. 2. Orders CVBG 44.1 - Flag Eisenhower - Proceed at best speed to the NW end of the Arabian Gulf. Upon arrival, begin strike operations against targets in Iran, Iraq, and Yemen. Attack by NSC aerial assets is considered a definite possibility. Engage NSC forces only in self-defence. From within your Patrol Zone, conduct TLAM strike against facilities at Bandar-e-Abbas, Kish Island, and Bushehr. At your discretion, you may allocate a maximum of 8 TLAM against Jask and Chah Bahr targets. CentCom HQ Riyadh - Begin withdrawal of aircraft and personnel from Saudi Arabia to Diego Garcia. Combat-capable aircraft should continue to suppress UBAN targets for as long as possible. Report Codename - Cold Front Author: Herman Hum, Brad Leyte This scenario requires the latest release of the PlayersDB v6.4.9 Get it via: ughHQ, Xtreme-Gamer, HarpGamer, SimHQ, PlayersDB Depot, Matrix, SubSim, CombatAce, or Frugal's World of Simulation. XG file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare

Last night, we welcomed another player to the Harpoon3 ANW community. John (a.k.a. OFFascist) is also the roommate of Sharker2003, but I knew that there wasn’t going to be any favourtism shown because of it. We elected to try Freek Scheper’s Blockade scenario from his 2nd Lebanese War Battleset. It’s made with the most popular database with the ANW crowd, the PlayersDB. It’s a 3-sided scenario with John acting as UNIFiL, Sharker as the Israelis, and myself as Hezbollah. Their orders were to maintain a blockade around Lebanon. My job was to break it. From the very start, John, who is a real life Coastie, said that the scenario was just what you would see in the real world – a radar screen Full of unknown contacts (and to think that Freek only put in 1% of the ships normally found in the area!). I was trying to sneak an old Foxtrot-class sub past the Israelis and their UNIFiL “puppets”. The Fox was cruising in at 9kts when the sonar watch reported a vessel doing 31kts. It was soon identified as the Hyane missile boat and she was in a hurry to get somewhere. Fortunately, she appeared to run right over my diesel boat. Insh’allah. The torpedo room readied a salvo of 53-65 Wake-Homing torpedos for the infidels. Closer, and closer, she came. Finally, it was time for one quick peek with the periscope before unleashing hell. Everything was perfect. Two torpedoes were fired from less than 2nm. I couldn’t check the database to see if Hyane had any functional sonar or ASW weapons (since the ANW 3.8.0 patch can still crash if you hit the DB button), but I didn’t think she did. So I was hoping that he wouldn’t detect my attack nor be able to respond. It turned out to be a fool’s hope. I got my response soon enough in the form of a torpedo in the water! And then, another! Damn. I immediately went to flank speed in hopes of putting as much distance between myself and the weapons. Unfortunately, diesel submarines are not known for their speed. A white noise decoy was ejected and it distracted the first torpedo. However, the second one exploded in the engine room and sent the Fox to the bottom. Both my torpedoes appeared to miss. My miserly allocation of only two weapons was certainly coming back to haunt me. Now, all I could hope for was to run my surviving smugglers through the blockade and avoid detection. I tried to mask their identities by only moving at 15kts amongst the swarms of fishing vessels. As one vessel neared the Lebanese coast, a torpedo was detected! (I don’t know how, since the ship had no sonar). Well, Insh’allah. God will provide. The Batroun immediately engaged her jet engines. The cigarette boat had been bought from American compatriots in Florida and disguised as a common fishing boat. This was her first time to really open up the throttles. She was able to do 33kts and the torpedoes were only running 35kts – she might survive the ordeal. Minutes later, the torpedo contact was lost. Hopefully, it had run out of fuel. However, the masquerade was over. Now, only a safe and speedy arrival in Lebanon would give me victory so I made a bee-line for port. At this point, we had to call it a night. Hopefully, we will get the opportunity to finish off this fun scenario this weekend. Thanks for the use of the server and good time was had by all sides involved.

Pakistan seems to be REALLY stepping it up! Raytheon Announces AMRAAM Sale to Pakistan By WENDELL MINNICK, TAIPEI DefenseNews Pakistan has signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance to procure 500 AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and 200 AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missiles from Raytheon. According to a Jan. 15 Raytheon press release, this is the first AMRAAM missile procurement between Raytheon and Pakistan. “The combined $284 million procurement augments Pakistan’s established inventory and will provide the bulk of the air-to-air fire power of the Pakistan Air Force,” said the release. “This is the largest single purchase of AMRAAM missiles in the history of the AMRAAM international program,” said Brock McCaman, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems’ Air-to-Air product line. Delivery is expected to start in 2008 and continue until 2011. In June, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced a wide range of Pakistani sales under the Foreign Military Sales program, including $1.3 billion for 60 F-16 Mid-Life Update Modification Kits and Falcon Star Structural Service Life Enhancement Kits; $151 million for modifications to 14 F100-PW-220E engines for F-16s; and a $650 million sale of AMRAAMs, AIM-9s and 500 Joint Direct Attack Munitions.

Diablo The 3rd new scenario of the year! New World Order battleset #4 - Part 1 - The War with UBAN - Indian Ocean Persian Gulf - #2 DIABLO In September 1995, one of the West's not-so-secret desires was fulfilled. Saddam Hussein, the mother-of-all dictators, was assassinated. However, this apparent good fortune has also kindled one of the Western world's darkest fears. In the chaos following Hussein's demise, the "rogue nation" of Iran has taken political control of Iraq. This new nation has further amalgamated with Yemen, Syria, Egypt, and Libya in a new military and economic confederation known as the United Brotherhood of Arab-Persian Nations (UBAN). Led by Tehran, UBAN is, of course, staunchly anti-American. It is also the largest oil producer and the largest market for military arms in the world. These factors have combined to bring in the cash-hungry NSC as a powerful ally of the new Arab alliance. In a third, infinitely more terrifying re-play of the 1980-1988 and 1990-1991 Persian Gulf conflicts, UBAN has threatened to cut off the flow of oil in the Gulf and to invade both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia if the latter nations do not join UBAN. The loss of these friendly partners would be a tremendous blow. Bolstered by its alliance with the NSC (New Soviet Confederation), UBAN is determined to make good on its promise to drive out the Great Satan. As expected, UBAN forces have already overrun Kuwait and are now preparing to break through the Saudi border. Heavy air attacks have begun against Saudi bases and UBAN naval forces are in control throughout most of the Persian Gulf. We are continuing to suttle aircraft into Saudi Arabia. A US CVBG is entering the Indian Ocean and is enroute to the Arabian Gulf to provide support. The NSC is threatening to become involved if we interfere "too heavily in Persian Gulf affairs." Although this veiled threat is worrisome, we cannot affort to hold back our efforts to defend Saudi Arabia and liberate Kuwait. Diablo Secret - Flash Message - 1302Z951124 Fr: CinCPac HQ - Pearl Harbour To: CentCom HQ - Riyadh Strike Comd HQ - Diego Garcia Strike Comd HQ - Bangkok Subj: UBAN Attack on Kuwait and Saudi Arabia 1. SitRep UBAN has unleashed a major attack vs. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Kuwait has been overrun. The Saudi border has been breached in some sectors. Saudi airbases are under heavy air attack. UBAN naval forces control most of the Gulf. CVBG 44.1 is now entering the Indian Ocean enroute to the Arabian Gulf. NSC has openly criticized our intervention and is threatening to become involved. 2. Orders CVBG 44.1 - Flag Eisenhower - Proceed at best speed to the Arabian Gulf. Establish AEW and AAW defence in Strait of Hormuz sector. Strike ComDs HQ Diego Garcia and Bangkok - Continue deployment of reinforcements into secure Saudi bases. Strike ComD HQ Riyadh - Execute immediate strike operations against UBAN targets in Iran and the former Iraq. Primary targets are airfields and fuel facilities. Maintain the defence of Saudi and GCC bases. Author: Herman Hum, Brad Leyte This scenario requires the latest release of the PlayersDB v6.4.9 Get it via: ughHQ, Xtreme-Gamer, HarpGamer, SimHQ, PlayersDB Depot, Matrix, SubSim, CombatAce, or Frugal's World of Simulation. XG file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare

Over 35 new aircraft, ships, submarines, facilities, classes, countries, and weapons have been added to the Harpoon3 PlayersDB. Get the PlayersDB 6.4.9-ANW on Xtreme-Gamer, HarpDB, or PlayersDB Depot. Get the PlayersDB 6.4.9 on Xtreme-Gamer, HarpDB, or PlayersDB Depot. Additions include: AOE BAC ES 09 AOR Aditya IND 00 AOR Jyoti IND 96 Boeing 737 (E-X) ROK 12 CH-149 Cormorant CDN 02 EH.101 Merlin [sAR] PT EH.101 Merlin Mk 512 DK 07 MC-130W Combat Shadow USAF 06 MCH-101 Merlin JP 06 MD 520G Defender PH 90 Mi-26T Halo VE 07 Mi-35M Hind VE 07 MiG-29G Fulcrum A DE 91-04 MRCH Nicobar IND 98 PCM Nanuchka II RUS 70 RA-5C Vigilante USN 61 SAM Chu Battery JP 08 SSN Barrakuda FR 17 UH-72A Lakota US 08 - countless changes and improvements guaranteed not to crash any earlier scenario built with the PlayersDB XG file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB

Looks like lot's of folks have been enjoying this scenario. Here's another AAR from a satisfied player:

A final report: