Herman

Protect ViCond doesn't evaluate properly Protect ship Victory Condition does not evaluate properly. Saved Game file for the ColonialWarsDb at StrategyZoneOnline

NRO Confirms Chinese Laser Test Illuminated U.S. Spacecraft Space.com By WARREN FERSTER and COLIN CLARK Space News Staff Writer WASHINGTON — The director of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) confirmed Sept. 26 that at least one Amercian satellite has been illuminated by a ground-based laser operating in China. “It was a test,” NRO Director Donald Kerr told reporters following a speech here at the Air Force Association’s annual conference. The NRO operates America’s spy satellites. Kerr did not specify the spacecraft that has been illuminated by the Chinese laser. The incident was first reported in the Sept. 25 edition of Defense News.

All strikers fail to launch All aircraft assigned to a strike mission fail to launch. 1. Run test scen in ANW SE 3.7.1 from the French Target side with Show All activated 2. At 02:15 of game time, 32 aircraft have been assigned to launch strike from Denmark. However, only 24 actually launch. It is uncertain why the AI fails to launch all strike assets, but one hypothesis is that the AI has decided that 24 aircraft are sufficient to destroy the targets and will not launch extraneous assets. This is improper behaviour. The designer may anticipate heavy losses during ingress and thereby want additional assets assigned to the mission. Sample file for the PlayersDb v6.4.9 at StrategyZoneOnline

Postures incorrectly re-built Postures are incorrectly re-estabilished once a unit has been destroyed. Three sides are in this test scenario: Attacker (Danish Airlift side), Target (French Target), and Link side (Denmark). The postures are as follows: 1) Attacker side is hostile to Target side 2) Link side is friendly to both Attacker and Target sides. (This posture prevents Attacker from launching strike on Target.) In Harpoon v3.6.3 and in ANW v3.7.0, once the Link side is destroyed, the Attacker side is freed to launch airstrike at Target. However, this is not the case with the Beta 3.7.1 patch. Once the link side is destroyed, the GE acts as though the link is still functional even though there are no remaining units on the Link side. The postures are re-build incorrectly and dysfunctionally. Steps to re-create: 1) Run [PDb] Postures incorrectly re-built (3.7.1).SCN in ANW SE 3.7.0 from the Belgian side 2) Activate show all. 3) After C-130s destroy Link target, air strike will launch on French Target at 02:15 of game time. 4) Re-run test scen in ANW SE 3.7.1 5) After C-130s destroy Link target, no air strikes appear. Further investigate will show that even though one side is hostile to another, attacks are not allowed. Sample file for the PlayersDb v6.4.9 at StrategyZoneOnline

Hez Hacked Israeli Radios DefenseTech This is downright shocking, if true. "Hezbollah guerrillas were able to hack into Israeli radio communications during last month's battles in south Lebanon, an intelligence breakthrough that helped them thwart Israeli tank assaults," Newsday reports. Using technology most likely supplied by Iran, special Hezbollah teams monitored the constantly changing radio frequencies of Israeli troops on the ground. That gave guerrillas a picture of Israeli movements, casualty reports and supply routes. It also allowed Hezbollah anti-tank units to more effectively target advancing Israeli armor, according to the officials... The Israeli military refused to comment on whether its radio communications were compromised, citing security concerns. But a former Israeli general, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Hezbollah's ability to secretly hack into military transmissions had "disastrous" consequences for the Israeli offensive... Like most modern militaries, Israeli forces use a practice known as "frequency-hopping" - rapidly switching among dozens of frequencies per second - to prevent radio messages from being jammed or intercepted. It also uses encryption devices to make it difficult for enemy forces to decipher transmissions even if they are intercepted. The Israelis mostly rely on a U.S.-designed communication system called the Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System... With frequency-hopping and encryption, most radio communications become very difficult to hack. But troops in the battlefield sometimes make mistakes in following secure radio procedures and can give an enemy a way to break into the frequency-hopping patterns. That might have happened during some battles between Israel and Hezbollah, according to the Lebanese official. Hezbollah teams likely also had sophisticated reconnaissance devices that could intercept radio signals even while they were frequency-hopping. During one raid in southern Lebanon, Israeli special forces said they found a Hezbollah office equipped with jamming and eavesdropping devices. It was my impression that this kind of signal interception was really, really hard to do -- especially for an irregular force like Hezbollah. I know there are some radio and commsec gurus who read the site regularly. Weigh in here, guys. Or maybe the article itself contains the seed of what actually happened. "Besides radio transmissions, the official said Hezbollah also monitored cell phone calls among Israeli troops," Newsday notes. A raided Hezbollah base had list of "cell phone numbers for Israeli commanders." Cells are, of course, way easier to intercept. "Israeli forces were under strict orders not to divulge sensitive information over the phone." But maybe they talked anyway. Maybe they thought Hezbollah would never be sophisticated enough to grab their calls. UPDATE 3:25 PM: Weeks ago, the Times of London and Asia Times had hints of this. Apparently using techniques learnt from their paymasters in Iran, they were even able to crack the codes and follow the fast-changing frequencies of Israeli radio communications, intercepting reports of the casualties they had inflicted again and again. This enabled them to dominate the media war by announcing Israeli fatalities first. “They monitored our secure radio communications in the most professional way,” one Israeli officer admitted. “When we lose a man, the fighting unit immediately gives the location and the number back to headquarters. What Hezbollah did was to monitor our radio and immediately send it to their Al-Manar TV, which broadcast it almost live, long before the official Israeli radio.”

Lexington Institute on "The Dumbest Weapons Decision of the Decade" Posted 19-Sep-2006 09:36 Defense Industry Daily With all of the recent C-17 related purchases by NATO, Canada, et. al., a reader drew our attention to a recent piece by military analyst Loren Thompson at the Lexington Institute think-tank in Washington, DC. Pulling no punches, it's titled "The Dumbest Weapons Decision of the Decade." People from other countries often underestimate the role of think tanks in Washington, because there are no comparable players in their own countries. That's a big mistake. American academia's growing irrelevance means that the policy agendas and talking points of US political parties are often underpinned by think-tank research and proposals. Lexington isn't in the top tier with institutions like Brookings, Heritage, AEI et. al., but it's pitching into a combustible environment. The final decision on C-17 procurement will come from Congress, the C-17 already has a lobbying base, and the country is headed for the final stretch of the 2006 mid-term elections; it's also gearing up for a hotly-contested and security-focused Presidential election in 2008. An excerpt from Thompson's September 13, 2006 Issue Brief (which sounds like a political address), reads: "The C-17 Globemaster III is by all accounts the best long-range military transport ever built. It can fly very big loads into very small places, it has a 90% mission-capable rate, it is cheap to operate, and it costs no more than a commercial airliner. The plane is so popular with military users that it is being used at a rate 40% higher than expected. Basically, every C-17 that's available is in use everyday, delivering supplies to troops in Afghanistan, providing humanitarian relief to refugees, evacuating wounded soldiers from Iraq (which is one reason why the time it takes to get wounded from the war zone to stateside hospitals has declined from ten days in the first Gulf War to three days today). So of course, policymakers have decided to stop building the plane. They say they have enough C-17's to meet strategic airlift needs for the foreseeable future. Even though their stated requirement for how much airlift is needed hasn't changed since a "Mobility Requirements Study" was conducted in 2000. Perhaps you remember what it was like back then. No global war on terror. No shift to expeditionary warfare. No plans to return troops in Europe to the U.S. No big hurricane evacuations. The good old days.... Someday in the not-so-distant future, American soldiers are going to die because the joint force couldn't get essential supplies into some remote airstrip fast enough. When that day comes, critics will recall the optimistic assumptions that justified killing the nation's only modern jet airlifter and say, "How could anybody think that 180 C-17's would be enough to cover the world when the only other long-range airlifter in the fleet was designed in the 1960's, couldn't use small airstrips, and had chronic reliability problems?" Its its defense, the US Air Force believes that re-engining (and often re-wiring) its giant C-5 Galaxy aircraft will significantly improve their readiness rates, while advancing the planned aerial tanker buy will help by ensuring that US transport aircraft can make long flights when needed. Likewise, his "every C-17 that's available is in use everyday" line reveals a misunderstanding of how the process actually works, and what the current mission rate actually means. With that said, that current usage rate shows no signs of slowing and it will age the C-17s early, like the C-141 Starlifters before them. With the C-5s facing a finite but indeterminate life cycle of their own due to aging issues, the USAF is making a risky procurement call by shutting down C-17 production. Especially given the legislature's set-aside of funds for 42 additional aircraft. Thompson's analysis fails to discuss the problem in the kind of balanced depth one expects from a think tank, but he makes a number of sharply-worded points, concerning a potential hot-button issue, that's tied to a lot of jobs around the country. If a number of candidates begin picking up on his talking points in the runup to 2008, the USAF may find that it has made a risky political call as well, receiving extra C-17s "for free" via Congress only as long as one doesn't count political credibility as a cost.

Naval Air Station Keflavik Closed After 45 Years Navy News | September 11, 2006 Military.com Keflavik, Iceland - Naval Air Station Keflavik (NASKEF) disestablished Sept. 8 during a ceremony officially ending its 45 years of operations in support of the defense of Iceland. More than 100 Sailors attended the event, representing a majority of the forces that remain of a population that once exceeded 5,000 military and civilian personnel and family members. Special guests included U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Carol Van Voorst and special envoy for Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thorsteinn Ingolfsson. Commander, Navy Region Europe, Rear Adm. Noel Preston said the base played an important role in his region’s military strategy. “In the height of the Cold War, this was the place to be to protect against Soviet submarines. And we were successful and the NASKEF team had a great deal to do with that,” Preston said. “Now the world has changed and we are facing a war on terrorism. We are changing how we plan and prepare for this war. But what will not change is our friendship and partnership with Iceland.” The United States has had a military presence in Iceland since 1941, and a formal defense agreement with that nation since 1951. The Navy assumed the responsibility of running the air station from the U.S. Air Force in 1961. The base acted as a platform for several operational capabilities throughout World War II, the Cold War and in the modern arena. The hangar housed rotational P-3 Orion aircraft and crews in support of anti-submarine warfare until 2004. The Army National Guard units and Interim Marine Security Forces stormed the lava fields surrounding the base during training exercises such as Northern Viking. The flight line served as a launching point for U. S. Air Force F-15 fighters. The ceremony also marked the final moments of a transition that began in March. In preparation for the turnover, the NASKEF and tenant command team cleaned and cleared 550 facilities, and shipped 6.6 million pounds of household goods, 850 privately owned vehicles and 600 government vehicles. “I’m in total awe of the people aboard NASKEF,” said Capt. Mark S. Laughton, the air station’s final commanding officer. “Everyone from the Sailors to the Airmen to the U.S. civilians to our host nationals who have worked this effort, have done an incredible job. And the cooperation has been simply outstanding. There are 23 tenant commands onboard the air station so it was not just a NASKEF effort. It involved everyone here and many higher headquarters elements to develop the plan and execute it.” Everywhere from housing units, to playgrounds, to schools -- all that remains now is the memories of the vibrant community the base once supported. A reception following the ceremony provided time for Sailors and Icelanders to spend a few last light-hearted moments together. For many, the hardest part is saying goodbye to host nation counterparts that have helped build the base’s strong legacy. “I will really miss this place,” said Master-at-Arms 1st Class (FMF) John Richardson, who led the Honor Guard during the ceremony. “I’ve been here two years and I’ve enjoyed being here where there is great camaraderie, beautiful landscapes to photograph, and where the people are really wonderful.”

Sounds like great scenario fodder for a Kobayashi Maru scenario. Fire aboard Russian nuclear sub kills two September 07 2006 at 09:53AM IOL Moscow - A fire broke out aboard a Russian nuclear submarine belonging to the Northern Fleet late on Wednesday, killing two of its crew, the Defence Ministry said. The submarine was anchored north of the Rybachiy peninsula near the Finnish border when it caught fire, Interfax news agency reported, quoting navy sources. The agency said there was no threat of a radiation leak. The submarine was now being towed to the port of Vidyayevo, a base for Russian submarines in the Barents Sea, Interfax said. "There was a fire, we can confirm that it happened. Two people were killed," a Defence Ministry spokesman said. He said a fuller statement would be released later. Interfax quoted a navy source as saying: "The fire was extinguished at midnight. It broke out in the electromechanical compartment. The device protecting the nuclear reactor was enacted. There is no radioactive contamination threat whatsoever." Russia's navy has been dogged by accidents. The worst in recent years was when the Kursk submarine sank in the Barents Sea six years ago, killing all 118 people on board. Last year, the British navy helped rescue the crew of a Russian navy mini-submarine that was stranded 600 feet down in the Pacific with dwindling air supplies. "This incident shows once again that we are faced with a very serious question: should we have these reactors at sea at all?" said Vladimir Tchouprov, head of the energy unit at Greenpeace Russia. Russian media said the submarine on which the fire broke out was called St Daniel of Moscow. It was not immediately known if the vessel has been carrying armaments. It is a Viktor-3 class submarine which was built in 1988 and has a crew of 85, according to the website www.hazegray.org/worldnav/russia/submar.htm which lists the vessels in service in the world's navies. Russian media reports said that in 1994 the Daniil Moskovsky sailed under the ice to the North Pole where it surfaced and planted the St Andrew's Flag, symbol of the Russian navy. Western governments have been channelling aid to the Northern Fleet to help it safely dismantle decommissioned atomic submarines. Many have been rusting for years in dock with their reactors still on board.

There's a Harpoon Classic scenario depicting a very similar mine clearance operation. Check it out on StrategyZoneOnline archives: MCMForceNorth.

Here's an excellent After Action Report by Peter Frank. It is re-printed here with permission from the author. In the most natural way I'm playing with my own country: The Netherlands. In the mission orders I found an interesting remark about the superior AAM's (Air to Air Missiles) and the superior AEW. After a few minutes of hard thinking I found the solution and it worked quite well in the game. Started off with sending 2 Apaches airborne from Gilze-Rijen bound for the French Demolition team in The Hague. At the same time two pairs of F16 equiped with AMRAAM airborne from Leeuwarden, along the coast to the South. The first pair went feet dry approximately 20nm north of Dover at an altitude of 100m, trying to find a juicy target (keeping well clear of any groun units/bases). Off course assuming that the air defence belt of the French will be up north. They found the wanted E3F just south of Reims. Approaching it on afterburner and one AMRAAM shot left me discovered in the middle of some frenchies. I think it was a nice trade. Two F16 for 1 E3F and a mirage 2000. The second pair stumbled (!) across two E2C's going on station. After this engagement, one of the two was killed by a hidden SAM site. The Apaches in the north worked like honey on the French AD fighters. The ZPRV (HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën) and the HMSK (HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck (my old ship)) was at the westerschelde. Keeping weapons tight and waiting to kill the "superior" AAMs with their SAMs. Almost the same happened with the patrolling F16s in the East and the Patriot site. Meanwhile the good old navy at the North Sea was working like a horse. The two walrus SSKs in the channel were passing targeting info the the southerly naval TG. Identified the targets with a lynx hovering over the south coast of England, just south of the NAV zone. Two pair of AMRAAM equipped F16s kept the area clear of any French helo/MPA or Super Etandard. The Southerly TG fired their harpoons in salvoes of two per ship at the French ASW screen. Those units are not very capable of AD. Then the wolfpack with the two SSKs. The northerly crept in front of the force and firing at fours DDG's with its Mk48 ADCAPs. Oops, counterfire by one of the DDGs with a rocket propelled Torpedo? It plunged in the water behind me and started a search turn. The walz began. It turned towards me and I turned after it. The Torp with 30 knots left me in the inside circle with 12. It worked, and every time the TG passed me in the front I could fire two Mk48s. Killing the whole carrier battle group in just an half hour! After these (winning) opening moves an almost boring, compared to the first hour, air (dutch) to ground (french) battle began. I searched for an airfield for Very Large Aircraft (remember the E3Fs). Found it, and killed just the aircraft revetment with a twoship F16 armed with 8 AGM65s. This, afterwards, golden move killed three (!) E3Fs. Probably no more left in the french airforce. As in every battle: Take the initiative, but be wise. In this scenario, a dutch frontal assault with "dutch courage" will leave you immediately empty handed. Go for the golden points! Be smart and you will find this a challenging scenario. SZO file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare HarpGamer.com - Home of the HCDB.

Recon mission does not work for AI Recon Mission works for player, but does not work under AI control. 1. Open test scen in 3.7.1. SE 2. Run game and you will see your own Spy aircraft observing nothing 3. Open test scen in 3.7.1. SE 4. Switch sides to side '1' 5. run game and you will see plane rise from land base on a recon mission Sample file for the PlayersDB v6.4.9 at StrategyZoneOnline

Planes directly inserted ignore target list Planes directly inserted ignore targets listed in strike missions. However, planes that launch on those same strike missions will obey the target strike list and not attack any target not on the list. 1. Run scen with SE 3.7.1 2. B-52 inserted directly into scen will launch at targets not on the Mission list. 3. Planes launching to conduct mission will obey Mission list restriction. Sample file for the ODb at StrategyZoneOnline

Mission fails to navigate without Full throttle setting Aircraft without a "Full speed" throttle setting in the database are fully functional under manual control, but are unable to calculate a path to their targets under AI control. 1. Run test scen. Two flights of Backfires will loiter over base unable to plot a path to the target. NOTE: This could be resolved by having all DB editors ensure that every platform has a full range of throttle settings. However, I believe that this is an improper solution as the strike platform should plot the intercept path according to its maximum speed whether it is Creep, Cruise, Full, or Flank. Sample file for the PlayersDb v6.4.9 at StrategyZoneOnline

NAV zone ignored II Aircraft on strike mission flies right through an Aircraft NAV restriction zone. This is not the same as the NAV zone bug reported here. 1. Run scen with SE 3.7.1 with Show All activated and slider Accuracy Low/Fast 2. Eagle flight bound for Parchin will overfly Jordanian facilities even though NAV zone surrounds it. Sample file for the PlayersDb v6.4.9 at StrategyZoneOnline

Planes disappear from base After launching and landing, planes disappear from the base. 1. Run Scen 2. Bombers will take off and release missiles and land 3. While in the readying process, 12 aircraft will disappear from the base. Sample file for the ODb at StrategyZoneOnline

Accuracy / Speed slider crashes game Different settings for the game speed / accuracy slider will cause some scenarios to crash. Sample file added for PlayersDB 6.4.9 at StrategyZoneOnline 1) Run file in GE 3.7.1 and have the slider on High/Slow setting 2) Game runs fine when slider is on Low/Fast setting

Tight budget forces Navy to put squeeze on sub But analysts say subtracting Dolphin will only add to costs By Steve Liewer UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER August 28, 2006 Navy budget cutters are about to achieve what flood and fire could not: sink the Dolphin submarine. Less than a year after completing a $50 million project to repair and upgrade the San Diego-based research vessel, the Navy will decommission it Sept. 22. It is the country's last diesel-electric sub. Pentagon officials say the Dolphin's age and uniqueness caught up with it, making it expensive to operate and maintain. The research vessel is based at Point Loma. Axing the Dolphin will save the cash-strapped Navy about $18 million annually, said Capt. John Schwering, director of the Navy Range Office in Washington. The Navy's budget this year is $125 billion. Some military analysts say the Dolphin's unique missions will get pushed over to ships that are far more expensive to operate, thus costing the Navy more in the long run. “It's just ridiculous. This submarine is very valuable,” said Norman Polmar, an independent naval expert who rode the Dolphin during its return-to-sea trials in the fall. “It's money, money, money.” Money is among the Navy's biggest problems right now. A supporting role in the expensive Iraq and Afghanistan wars frequently has put the Navy behind the Army and Marines in the queue for funds at the Pentagon. “There's a concern within the Navy that they are not as central to the global war on terror as the Army and Marine Corps,” said Ron O'Rourke, a military budget analyst for the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. “There's a perception that they are at risk for becoming the bill payer for the other services.” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's office is considering a transfer of $23 billion from the Navy and Air Force to the Army in 2008, with more shifts likely before 2013, the newsletter Inside the Pentagon reported this month. The White House also stuck the Navy with most of the nearly $2 billion tab for President Bush's border-security effort, according to the journal Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. Cmdr. Andrew Wilde climbed the ladder to the Dolphin's hatch. His crew was caught off guard when shortly after the submarine returned to service, they learned it would be decommissioned. "It's a sad time," Wilde said. At the same time, the Navy is struggling to replace an aging fleet with modern warships whose development costs are spiraling. The new vessels include the CVN 21 aircraft carrier, the Zumwalt-class destroyers, the Littoral Combat Ship and the Virginia-class submarines. “The shipbuilding accounts are in a shambles,” said Chris Hellman, a military budget analyst with the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, a left-leaning research group in Washington. “The Navy is scrambling for every dollar it can get its hands on.” As a result, Hellman said, the Navy is foraging in every corner to pay for shipbuilding. Small programs that don't directly involve war operations, including the Dolphin's scientific research mission, are especially vulnerable. “There are a lot of really unusual decisions being made right now because of budgets,” Hellman said. “Rather than taking on big systems, they're doing a lot of salami-slicing like this.” Pentagon officials said they hadn't determined what fate the Dolphin would meet. Among the options are for it to be sold to another country or taken apart. The Navy only would confirm that the submarine has been targeted for “disposal.” After a 2002 accident nearly sank the Dolphin 100 miles southwest of San Diego, the Naval Sea Systems Command spent 3½ years and $50 million to repair and upgrade the vessel. The Dolphin returned to action last November. Four months later, Cmdr. Andrew Wilde and his crew learned that it would be decommissioned. “It's a sad time,” Wilde said. “You have people who put their heart and soul into this ship.” News that the Dolphin would be retired so soon after its return to service struck hard at the vessel's close-knit, 40-member crew and its fraternity of alumni. “It was jaw-dropping. I couldn't believe it,” said David Guettler, 41, of San Marcos, who served two tours totaling five years aboard the Dolphin before leaving the Navy in 2003. Petty Officer 2nd Class John Garrett also was caught off guard by the announcement. “I had heard some rumors, but I really didn't think she'd be decommed,” said Garrett, 29, of Seattle, who has worked in the ship's machinery division for two years. “She had a lot of history.” Commissioned in 1968, the Dolphin in its first year of duty claimed what is still a submarine record – diving more than 3,000 feet, Wilde said. During the Cold War, it carried out secret missions along with its acknowledged oceanographic duties. The Dolphin had other notable firsts: sending the first successful submarine-to-aircraft laser communication and the first sub-to-surface e-mail and making the deepest launch for a torpedo. It has served as the testing platform for numerous sonar systems. As the Navy gradually retired the rest of its diesel-electric fleet, the Dolphin often played the enemy in anti-submarine warfare exercises – an important role because most of the world's navies still field diesel-electric subs. Pentagon officials say the Dolphin's age and uniqueness caught up with it, making it expensive to operate and maintain. They say it carries obsolete sonar, is too slow and can't be maneuvered well enough to convincingly simulate a modern diesel-electric sub. “The Dolphin's capabilities no longer represent today's diesel submarine threat,” said Schwering of the Navy Range Office. “There are better platforms.” Nuclear submarines will pick up some of the Dolphin's duties, while others will fall to the Gotland, a modern Swedish diesel submarine that the San Diego-based Third Fleet has just leased for a second year at $11 million.

Israel buys 2 German subs By YAAKOV KATZ Jerusalem Post In the face of Iran's race to obtain nuclear power, Israel signed a contract with Germany last month to buy two Dolphin-class submarines that will, according to foreign reports, provide superior second-strike nuclear capabilities, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The submarines will be assembled in Germany and provided with a propulsion system allowing them to remain underwater for far longer than the submarines currently in the Israel Navy's fleet. According to sources close to the deal, the submarines will be operational in the near future. The Post has also learned that the navy is considering installing a Fixed Underwater Sonar System (FUSS) off the coast to detect foreign submarines. In 1993, Iran bought two Russian Kilo-class submarines and eight mini-submarines from North Korea, although officials said this was not the only reason the system was being considered. In 2005, Israel spotted a Western submarine snooping off its shore. The contract signing was said to have come after a long dispute over the price and financing of the submarines. According to the details obtained by the Post, Israel will purchase the two Dolphins, manufactured by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG, for $1.27 billion, a third of which will be financed by the German government. The navy already has three Dolphin-class submarines. They are the most expensive weapon platforms in the IDF's arsenal. Germany donated the first two submarines after the first Gulf War and split the cost of the third with Israel. The three submarines currently in the navy's possession employ a diesel-electric propulsion system, which requires them to resurface frequently to recharge their batteries. The new submarines - called the U212 - will be fitted with a new German technology in which the propulsion system combines a conventional diesel lead-acid battery system and an air-independent propulsion system used for slow, silent cruising, with a fuel cell equipped with oxygen and hydrogen storage. The submarines will also incorporate specifications gleaned from Israeli experience. The Dolphins currently in the navy's fleet were tailor-made for Israel's needs and reportedly have considerable operational capability. They are designed for a crew of 35 and can support 10 passengers. They have a maximum speed of 20 knots, a range of 4,500 kilometers and, according to Jane's Defense Weekly, the capability to launch cruise missiles carrying nuclear warheads. "With the new German technology," an official close to the deal said, "the new submarines will be able to remain submerged for much, much longer than the older Dolphin models." News of the impending deal first emerged in November after Der Spiegel reported that chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's outgoing government had agreed to sell Israel two submarines at a heavily discounted price. Prior to then, the German government had repeatedly turned down the request, supposedly because of reports the navy had outfitted the older submarines with Israeli-made, sea-launched cruise missiles. Sensitive armament sales need approval from Berlin's Security Council. Several months ago, however, the German government, now headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, approved the deal after, sources told the Post, no significant public opposition was voiced. Closure of the deal followed on the heels of a warming in German-Israel ties. In 2005, the countries agreed for the first time to hold joint ground maneuvers. In June, the INS Eilat missile ship participated for the first time in a NATO exercise in the Black Sea, together with German Navy.

AAR: Cruise Control [spoiler Alert] A Harpoon Classic scenario By Mark Gellis The Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation is likely one of the most difficult missions to undertake. Not only must the evacuation force fend off threats to itself, but it must also attend to the needs of the evacuees. This was the mission assigned to the LPD Iwo Jima. The situation had the Cruise liner, LPD Trenton, HSV sailing independently. This meant that they would essentially be naked to aggression. With an unknown submarine reported in the area, I felt that it was just too risky to allow for them to sail alone. One torpedo would be all that was required to scuttle the operation. Therefore, I ordered the cruise liner and LPD Trenton to group together and for the DDG Gonzalez to escort them in. This wasn't a strict interpretation of the orders, but I felt that they left enough latitude to the on-scene commander. The HSV would simply have to pray that her speed would prevent any submarine from intercepting her. Only LHD Iwo Jima would have a modicum of protection from the Perry frigate escort. Souda was a long ways away. Immediately, two Sentries and escorts were launched right away along with an EC-130H Compass Call. Hopefully, the EC-130H could jam and keep the Syrians blind to the presence of the evacuation ships. It was a longshot, but one of the few cards I had to play. The Syrians were not having any of that. Foxbats rose from Latakia to investigate the distinctive transmissions detected from the Sentries. The Foxes fired first and AMRAAM from the Eagle escorts settled the issue. Their willingness to initiate hostilities signalled a long day of operations ahead. In the ensuing battle, a Petya-class FFL was detected approaching the defenceless ships. AH-1W SuperCobras from the Iwo Jima were ordered to destroy her with Hellfire ATGMs. Since they were designed to defeat main battle tanks, they should prove quite adept at dealing with the thinly armoured corvette. Two more bogeys were detected approaching. Again, the "Do not initiate hostilities" ROE still applied. They were identified as Fitters. It was very hairy. Unless they initiated combat, I felt that I would be unable to fire on them. They only carried short-ranged AAMs. If they decided to fire them, there would be very little time for evasive manoeuvres. Luckily, they fired the short-ranged AAMs at maximum range and fire was returned with AIM-9X Sidewinders. A combination of afterburner and manoeuvres saved the Eagles from any loss while resulting in the destruction of the interlopers. Three unidentified vessels were detected SW of Cyprus. Although they had taken no provocative actions, they were certainly worthy of investigation. The vessels turned out to be Osa-class missile boats. They would also be visited by AH-1W SuperCobras. Two MiG-29 Fulcrums that had been detailed to discourage reconnaissance over them quickly lit their fire-control radar and launched a brace of AA-11 Archer AAMs at the Eagles. Six AIM-9X Sidewinders were launched in a salvo before the Eagles turned away on afterburner. The Sidewinders scored while the Archers did not. Five more flights were approaching the evacuation fleets and I only had a lone flight of Eagles to fend them off. Things were looking serious. It was decided that the DDG Gonzalez would simply have to take care of herself. With a little deft manoeuvring, the Eagles just might be able to engage each flight in turn. At a range of 4nm and after a final warning, Gonzalez began to fire SM2MR SAMs and brought down two more Fitters. They were followed by two MiG-29 Fulcrum. They were given the same warning and the same reception along with two more Su-Fitters. The Eagles killed another pair of Fulcrum. However, now the odds against them had just increased! It was now 1 vs 9 and they only had 4 Sidewinders left among the four pilots. One pilot was thinking, "Things were supposed to get easier when you shoot down the enemy, not harder!" And then the ultimate terror was detected - Su-27 Flankers! The Flankers were covering two flights of Su-24 Fencers. The long-ranged missiles carried by the Flankers negated any possibility of interference from the Eagles. Instead, they spent their final AIM-9X on a flight of MiG-21 Fishbed before turning for home. DDG Gonzalez would have to fight the ensuing battle alone. The AEgis defence system is called the “Defender of the Fleet” for very good reason. As the flights closed on the Gonzalez, she waited for the last possible moment before activating her SAM systems in hopes of minimizing the bloodshed and allowing the Syrians to abort their attack. The Sentries gave early warning of missile separation from the first flight of Fencers and all bets were off. The Gonzalez began radiating and SAMs flew from her VLS tubes. The Anti-Ship Missiles [AShMs] were brought down first. They were soon followed by their Fencer launch platforms and then the Flankers. So long as there were SAMs available, the Gonzalez would be lethal. Her Standard missiles bought sufficient time for the arrival of relief flights of Eagles and Falcons and the situation was soon rectified by the quick application of AMRAAM. Once aerial supremacy was established over the evacuation force, a Combat Air Patrol [CAP] was stationed over Beirut to stop the flights of Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters that had been ravaging the dock areas and terrorizing the refugees. Although Beirut received light damage, she was still functional. As Task Group Iwo Jima near Beirut, the FFG suddenly reported a sub contact! The sonar watch had been alternating between active and passive sonar every five minutes or so and had now caught a submarine and it was CLOSE. The frigate immediately executed a crash stop manoeuvre and launched her ready helicopter. The Syrians had cannily stationed the submarine under the protective SAM umbrella ashore. No sooner had the helo become airborne than Fire-Control Radar emissions were detected. The first sonobuoy dropped immediately detected the Iranian submarine, Tareq. Just as the torpedoes were prepared for launch, ESM reported that SA-10 Grumble SAMs had been fired! In their haste, the crew of the helicopter quickly dropped their ordnance before fleeing back to their ship. In this case, close was good enough for government work and an explosion was registered aboard the frigate. No further opposition was detected as the transports made landfall to embark the terrified evacuees. Once safely aboard, the evacuation force withdrew and victory was granted. Thanks very much for sharing this scenario straight out of the headlines. SZO file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare HarpGamer.com - Home of the HCDB.

Accuracy / Speed slider affects game execution Different settings for the game speed / accuracy slider will cause scenarios to execute in a wholly different manner. Missions may execute on one setting but will fail on another speed setting.

CTD when Database button is depressed When playing Multi-player games, scenarios will sometimes crash to the desktop when the Database button has been depressed.

CTD when torpedo fired CTD experienced when BOL torpedo fired from SSN Spartan in Power Sweep scenario run from a server. Steps to repeat: 1) Run Power Sweep from NATO side either as MP or SP from the server. 2) Fire BOL torpedo from SSN Spartan 3) CTD with Invalid Point Error Note: We've played this scen over 20 times in 3.7.0 with no problems.

Game ends abruptly When playing Multi-player games, scenarios will end at incorrect times. One side gets a message that it has not fulfilled the ViConds and has lost. He is then kicked from the game even though there is plenty of time remaining.

Katyusha The 33rd new scenario of the year! Another scenario straight from the headlines! This scenario has been tested for compatibility with the Harpoon3: ANW simulator Beta patch v3.7.1 Syrian-backed Hezbollah is raining Katyusha rockets on Northern Israel. Israeli intelligence suggests that Hezbollah has over 10,000 such rockets flown in daily through Damascus from Tehran. Iran has an advanced missile program building anti-ship missiles and ground-attack missiles of various ranges and with ever-increasing accuracy. Katyusha is a terror weapon, but if Iran decides to supply Hezbollah with modern missiles and advanced guidance packages, then Israel is really in trouble. The Israeli government has decided that this threat warrants a pre-emptive strike on the missile manufacturing plants in Iran. Author: Freek Schepers This scenario requires the latest release of the PlayersDB v6.4.9 Get it via: StrategyZoneOnline, HarpGamer, SimHQ, PlayersDB Depot, SubSim, CombatAce, or Frugal's World of Simulation. SZO file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare HarpGamer.com - Home of the HCDB.

We've released a version of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB that is compatible with the 3.7.1 Patch being prepared for the Harpoon3: Advanced Naval Warfare version. Get the PlayersDB 6.4.9-ANW on StrategyZoneOnline or HarpDB. Get the PlayersDB 6.4.9 on StrategyZoneOnline, HarpDB, or PlayersDB Depot. SZO file archives - Home of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB FilesOfScenShare HarpGamer.com - Home of the HCDB.