Herman

2008 saw a huge increase in pirate activities in the Gulf of Aden and Western Indian Ocean.

In the absence of an effective government in Somalia, whole fishing families took to piracy and hostage-taking as a means of income.

NATO's navies, vastly over-designed for the task (with poor HumInt and even poorer ROEs), are forced to carry out the oldest Navy mission of the alliance, keeping the Sea Lines of Communication open.

The task of preventing attacks by pirate ships nearly indistinguishable from regular fishermen is virtually impossible.

Ships operators refuse to let their ships sail only in escorted convoys (the Big naval lesson from the 20th Century!), but have agreed to report the positions of all merchant ships in transit to the NATO Operations centre in Djibouti to pass onto the NATO ships.

Author: Freek Schepers

Harpoon ANW users can get the:

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1. What exactly does the "lightning bolt" indicate? Seems to appear when the group turns its radar on - but since that is already indicated by the radar range circles, is the bolt actually indicating that the group has been "painted" by enemy sensors? Or...?

The lightning bolt indicates that the unit with active radar is being jammed by ECM.

3. Adding to my frustration, on the few times that I do detect a target and get to fire at it, the AI almost always evades my missiles - yet meanwhile they plaster my groups with un-evadable missiles; what's up with that?? It doesn't appear to be due to platform/missile characteristics, 'cause it does the same thing when I switch sides - and get to use those other platforms...

I'm not seeing the same thing. I'm able to kill the AI units quite satisfactorily. Can you provide additional details? Saved game, perhaps?

4. I can't figure out how to attack a base that has associated AA sites: My air groups will attack only one element of the base group - then stubbornly refuse to attack the other elements - or even to repeat an attack on the first element... What do I need to do to deal with these multi-element bases?

I have experienced some similar behaviour. See:

Completed intercept of dead unit

http://harpgamer.com/harpforum/index.php?a...&showbug=31

Today, we welcomed a new player to the ANW MP community. Tim Wynn (a.k.a. Hussar) has been playing awhile, but wanted to find out what MP was all about. We selected Channel Engagement, made with the community's favourite database, the PlayersDB.

Tim commanded the Soviets attempting to break out into the Atlantic while I controlled the NATO forces ordered to stop them.

I sent my ASW helos out as radar pickets and turned on my ECM early to try and deny my opponent an easy targeting solution since his SSMs had much longer range than mine. We were sailing on a collision course.

I decided to try and pick off a few of his outlying ships in order to whittle down his inventory of SSMs. One Tarantul (along with her 4 Sunburn missiles) was quickly sunk by four Harpoon missiles. I was hoping to prune a few more enemy SSMs by sinking a Nanuchka missile boat when radar detected missiles inbound.

Not wanting to lose any SSMs aboard, I pickled off my own Harpoon batteries not expecting to get through the Soviet SAM defences. I was not to be disappointed. The Soviet missile salvo very nearly penetrated my own SAM bubble, but all were shot down. The last few were destroyed within 5 nm of their targets. It was a good thing that I sank the Tarantul earlier else her additional SSMs could very well have saturated my defences.

Once out of SSMs, we closed the range and started slugging it out with SAMs used in ASuW mode. Both sides did a good job of punch and counter-punch but, in the end, I had more SAMs and managed to sink Slava. With most of his ammunition expended, Tim conceded.

Thanks to Tim for a fun session, Ralf for a nice scenario, and AoA for the use of his server. A nice way to start off the new year.

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. For complete instructions on using AoA's Server, visit ughHQ

Now Freek can prove himself worthy of the award by releasing 30 new scens in the next 30 days...

A new version of the Harpoon3 PlayersDB has been released. As of 2009-01-02, PlayersDB 9.1.2 is now available.

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

Get the PlayersDB on HarpDB, SubSim, or ughHQ.

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the

Complete Harpoon 3.6.3 Library

Harpoon ANW users can get the

Complete Harpoon ANW Library

 

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Jeronimo Chiecchio (a.k.a. Angle of Attack) and I wanted the year to end properly with one final Harpoon match so we selected Sea King to Chile Incident, made with the community's favourite database, the PlayersDB.

My objectives were to sneak some Sea King helicopters into Chile and destroy the deadly Exocet-carrying Super Etendards on the ground. I sent a pair of fighters to scout the route to Punta Arenas. As they approached the Strait of Magellan, they stumbed over a pair of Argentine destroyers! DDs Hipolito Bouchard and Comodoro Py seemed to appear out of nowhere. Luckily, this was still nighttime and, hopefully, they had not counter-detected my Harriers.

As I prepared to conduct reconnaissance on the Argentine bases to locate the Super Etendards, the Argentines engaged and shot down a PR.9 Canberra operated by the Chileans. I understand how they could have made such an error since the UK also operated that model of aircraft. The Chilean response was quick in coming. A flight of 8 Dragonfly ground attack aircraft rose from Punta Arenas, destined for Rio Gallegos. I ordered my own Canberra reconnaissance plane to follow behind them at a safe distance. With any luck, the Chileans would occupy the base defenders while my plane snapped some quick photographs.

My plan worked out, mostly. The Chileans hammered the base and lost a number of strikers, but bought me enough time to confirm that the Super Etendards were not there. Unfortunately, interceptors rising to defend Rio Gallegos caught my Canberra while she attempted to make her egress and shot her out of the sky with an AAM.

After ascertaining that the Etendards must be at Rio Grande, my forces launched and gathered to overwhelm the base. Meanwhile, the Chilean/Argentine conflict continued to grow. DD Condell opened fire on the Hipolito Bouchard and Comodoro Py in the Strait of Magellan, but only got one hit with her Exocet missiles. Commercial traffic was busy in the channel and one errant Chilean Exocet struck a passing chemical carrier while a second errant Argentine Exocet struck a neutral fisherman. Condell managed to inflict grievous damage on the Bouchard with her 5" gun until it was knocked out of commission by an Exocet. Although she was soon sunk by the combined Exocet attack, missile boat Casma avenged her by sinking both destroyers.

While the Argentines were pre-occupied in the Strait, my Harrier strike force approached from the sea, still masked by the night. A pair of fighters screened the strike elements. Two carried ALARMs while four more carried cluster munitions. The ALARMs quickly tracked and wiped out a Rapier battery.

The defending Combat Air Patrols knew they were under attack as soon as their ground radar went off the air and charged in to intercept. The escorts fired first and brought down the Mirage, but also lost a fighter in the process. A second Mirage lit his afterburners to intercept. The surviving Harrier shot him down, but was he, himself, shot down in the process of protecting the strikers. His mission was accomplished, but at high cost.

The strike elements accelerated to full military power and dropped their cluster munitions from maximum altitude to ensure widest dispersal. Four dropped close enough to the revetment containing the Super Etendards and immolated them as they were being readied for a strike mission.

Once his primary strike assets were destroyed, AoA conceded defeat.

Thanks to AoA for an enjoyable session to end out the year and for the use of his 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. For complete instructions on using AoA's Server, visit ughHQ

HCE - 2008.068

==============

- Chg:0000 GE Added hotkey O to show any On Station rectangles for the

player's side. Press O to show them, O again to hide them.

In debug builds, Alt-F5 will show on station rectangles

once for all sides (the ones for Blue will be blue color,

Red will be red, etc.)

This might be useful for the SE, too.

Herman, anyone, verification that the fix works?

Yes, this was a confirmed fix for Patch .044 and changed on the list. Missed updating it here.

The thought of refueling a Kilo at sea, close to enemies,..... brrr.

That struck me as a bit odd, too. The Kilo should have had plenty of fuel for such a short scenario. The battery charge may have been expended, but a sub can recharge its batteries with the use of the 'R' hotkey. I think that the charge starts automatically if the sub goes down to 0% electrical charge, too.

This scenario is an interpretation of the account from Michael A. Palmer's, "The War that Never Was".

"... A large convoy of eight Soviet cargo vessels carrying supplies and equipment had rounded the North Cape and was making its way to Harstad. Attack NATO aircraft were driven off by the Tbilisi's Flankers and Forgers. The Soviet carrier had covered the landing of the Northern Fleet's Marines at Harstad and seemed likely to safeguard the movement of the brigade's equipment and supplies to the newly established beachhead as well. Moreover, the carrier's fighters hindered movement by air of Norwegian reinforcements from the south to Bardufoss.

To Sir Owen, the continued presence of the Tbilisi in the Norwegian Sea ensured early defeat for NATO in north Norway. 'I would never have believed before the war', he confided to his naval aide, 'that one relatively small carrier could cause so many large problems.' At 0430 on the fifteenth of July, a tired GEN Peirse call CINCEASTLANT Hill-Norton at his Northwood, Middlesex, headquarters and explained the situation. 'Ben, your subs have got to get that Russian carrier out of there so my air can get to their cargo ships. Otherwise, we're facing disaster up north. My Norwegian boats can't do it alone.'

Hill-Norton was sympathetic. The ability of the Tbilisi's air group to fend off attacks from NATO land-based air and the Forrestal had surprised the Royal Navy's CINC, upset a variety of plans, and led to the wholesale destruction of Norwegian surface forces. 'Yes,' Hill-Norton responded, 'if we are going to get that carrier any time soon, our submarines will have to do the job. I'll talk to Dave.'"

"... Following the successful Soviet amphibious landing at Harstad, [Dave] Livesay had directed his submarines to focus their efforts against the well-screen Soviet supply convoy making its way along the Norwegian coast. Many of his submarines had been drawn inward toward the coast in an unsuccessful last-ditch attempt to prevent the amphibious landing on Hinnoy Island. Others had sparred, with some success, throughout D day with the Russian ASW group which screened the Tbilisi force further north. Later-arriving boats had been sent toward the North Cape, to loop around the rear of the powerful Russian task forces covering the approach of the supply convoy, and to get at the freighters, the sinking of which Hill-Norton himself had assigned top priority."

By 0600 on the fifteenth, several NATO SSNs had managed to make shallow runs and "pick up their mail," as one U.S. Navy submarine commander put it.

Author: Herman Hum

Many thanks to Freek Schepers for testing for compatibility with ANW.

With over 450,000 PlayersDB scenarios downloaded in the last 12 months alone, the PlayersDB has proven itself the unequivocal players' favourite.

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Put them at maximum range in the formation patrols (255nm).

Then use the subs, surface groups, and SOSUS systems for the initial detection. Order the Orions to detach and intercept after the initial detection is made.

Sounds like an awesome battle and a great defense strategy. It's a good thing that SilentHunter didn't hammer Stornoway and then work his way up the ladder to Keflavik.

Thanks for sharing your AAR.

I launched my "Backfires" on their own when they should have had fighter escort and I probably launched my SSMs too early. I also shouldn't have turned the first wave back, as it cost me twenty hours.

Who knows? Maybe you actually saved them by turning them around early?

In the future, you should know that all the plane loadouts have a line telling you how long it takes to re-arm them for that particular loadout. In this case, it said 1200 minutes.

Thanks for the AAR.

Over 10 new aircraft, ships, submarines, facilities, classes, countries, and weapons have been added to the Harpoon3 PlayersDB with the official Database editor issued by AGSI.

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

Get the PlayersDB on HarpDB, SubSim, or ughHQ.

Additions include:

SAM SA-20b Battalion IR 10

SAM SA-20b Regiment IR 10

SAM SA-22 Greyhound Btty SYR 10

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

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the

Complete Harpoon 3.6.3 Library

Harpoon ANW users can get the

Complete Harpoon ANW Library

 

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2008 saw a huge increase in pirate activities in the Gulf of Aden and Western Indian Ocean.

In the absence of an effective government in Somalia, whole fishing families took to piracy and hostage-taking as a means of income.

NATO's navies, vastly over-designed for the task (with poor HumInt and even poorer ROEs), are forced to carry out the oldest Navy mission of the alliance, keeping the Sea Lines of Communication open.

The task of preventing attacks by pirate ships nearly indistinguishable from regular fishermen is virtually impossible.

Ships operators refuse to let their ships sail only in escorted convoys (the Big naval lesson from the 20th Century!), but have agreed to report the positions of all merchant ships in transit to the NATO Operations centre in Djibouti to pass onto the NATO ships.

Author: Freek Schepers

With over 430,000 PlayersDB scenarios downloaded in the last 12 months alone, the PlayersDB has proven itself the unequivocal players' favourite.

Harpoon ANW users can get the:

Complete Harpoon ANW Library

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the:

Complete Harpoon 3.6.3 Library

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I have already downloaded the demo and I must say that HCE interface is easier to understand than ANW one. ANW demo contains three manuals, which give more information than the single manual that comes with HCE.

Acutally, most of the commands are the same between ANW and HCE.

For example, many of the F1-F10 commands will call up similar functions in both games.

F1 - Attack

F2 - Set speed/alt

F3 - Plot course

F4 - Formation editor

F6 - Aircraft editor

F9 - Sensor settings

F10 - Memo note

You can find the H4 paper rules at Clash of Arms.

http://www.computerharpoon.com/harpoon-lin...sh-of-arms.html

I want to buy Harpoon ANW although I already own HCE. There are different scenarios to play and it seems that ANW is more complex, which I like very much. I think that it is very difficult to write and package a "very-good-manual" and there are some guides you can download in the web. This is good because I like reading manuals very much.

An ANW demo is available so that you can look before spending your hard-earned money.

http://computerharpoon.com/public/Harpoon_...ge_Demo_394.exe

The manuals are free for you to look through to decide if it is acceptable for you. Also, if you want to do a demo with MP play, it can be arranged for the asking.

Let's add the USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) to our formation. Because its both a high value unit and is generally lacking in defenses, it belongs in the main body. We can 'Zoom to Main Body' to look more closely at where to place the Arctic. Note, however, that you need to place the Arctic roughly in the main body, before clicking the 'Zoom to Main Body' button. Otherwise it won't appear in the 'Zoom' window.

Is there something wrong with my game? I don't seem to have the 'Zoom to Main body' button.

In the last few years, Venezuela made over 4B$ in military purchases from Russia. Su-30 Flanker planes, attack helicopters, and SAMs significantly changed the balance of power in the southern Caribbean. Negotiations continue over SSKs and, in September 2008, two Tu-160 Blackjacks made a surprise visit to Venezuela and flew patrols before returning to Russia.

In summer 2008, the US re-activated the 4th Fleet to cover the Caribbean and CVBG George Washington practiced in the area before re-locating to Yokosuka, Japan. This left the Atlantic with just one carrier, Theodore Roosevelt which, in November 2008, was located in South Africa.

In November 2008, pre-planned joint exercises started between a Russian SAG, comprised of the nuclear cruiser Petr Velikiy plus an escorting destroyer, and the Venezuelan Navy. At the same time, Russia and Venezuela announced a plan to jointly exploit new oil and gas fields found near Aruba, about 60nm off the coast of Venezuela. Moreover, CIA intell received on November 12th indicated that Tu-160s had once again landed near Caracas. The threat posed by this development sparked a frantic buildup of Navy ships in the Caribbean.

Fourth fleet was equipped with a minimal number of ship which, supported by a Dutch frigate stationed in Curacao, were on drug interdiction duties.

Author: Freek Schepers

With over 410,000 PlayersDB scenarios downloaded in the last 12 months alone, the PlayersDB has proven itself the unequivocal players' favourite.

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the:

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This sounds a bit like Ralf Koelbach's "Papa and Son" battleset whereby he has a serious of scenarios of increasing complexity for beginners. A couple of them are already in the Baltic Battleset by Rene.

After the surprise Argentine invasion of the Falklands Islands, the British Defence ministry urgently ordered available Royal Navy units to the area.

As had been the case in earlier times of tensions, Britain's nuclear attack submarines, travelling continuously at high speed, would be the first warships on station. The arrival of the first submarines enabled the MoD to announce a 200nm exclusion zone around the Falkland Islands.

Argentina, meanwhile, was using her navy to reinforce the garrison in the Malvinas and to establish a blocking force for any early British units.

Author: Freek Schepers

With over 400,000 PlayersDB scenarios downloaded in the last 12 months alone, the PlayersDB has proven itself the unequivocal players' favourite.

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the:

Complete Harpoon 3.6.3 Library

Harpoon ANW users can get the:

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I've been dreaming of trying that situation out on Harpoon as soon as I first read the book, too.

This is the worst-case scenario for Middle East affairs. With Iran now in control of the majority of the world's oil, long silent Russia has announced a mutual defense treaty and has vowed to help protect the Gulf for their Arab friends.

U.S. forces find themselves in a very hostile world a very long way behind enemy lines. With the Russian declaration, all Russian forces operating in the area should be considered hostile. Of primary concern here should be the sub threat. All American forces should make best possible speed for Diego Garcia and the safety of U.S.-controlled air space.

From the Russian perspective, things could be much worse. A long-time Russian goal has been completed without firing a shot: that being the eviction of U.S. forces from the Persian Gulf. To stop future offensive plans, the U.S. Navy may be ordered to attack and destroy the amphibious group operating in the area.

Original designer: B.I. Hutchison

Author: Herman Hum

With over 390,000 PlayersDB scenarios downloaded in the last 12 months alone, the PlayersDB has proven itself the unequivocal players' favourite.

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the:

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Harpoon ANW users can get the:

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At the original database, CV Kuznetsov can only wear 36 aircraft.

 

David Miller, "The Illustrated Directory of Warships, London, 2001", says that "the planned capacity of the ship is 58 aircraft". And Chris Chant, "Barcos de Guerra, Alcobendas, 2006", says that it is able to carry between 60 and 70 aircraft.

 

If you are editing your own database, as I do, you can modify this entry.

 

A typical air wing of 60 aircraft could be:

36*Su-33 Flanker.

12*Ka-25 Hormone A, ASW.

6*Ka-25 Hormone B, Search.

6*Ka-31 Helix, AEW.

 

David Miller also says that a 58 aircraft air wing would be composed of 36 Flankers, 16 ASW helos and another 6 helos with other capabilities.

Here is an example of what might have happened.

I think that this scenario was originally Hold Tight. If you look at group ZLc, you will see that there are two Kuznetsov carriers in it. One had 60+ a/c when I opened up the scenario. I added the Varyag along with 36 Flankers (the max allowed by the SE). I'm not sure how the author managed to get 60 planes on the Kuznetsov, but he did. I suspect that he used the technique proposed by CV32.

There may be another possible work-around to the air group limitation. It isn't perfect, but it is guaranteed to work. If you maximize the number of planes aboard (i.e. Varyag), you can still add more planes after the scenario begins. If you decide to ferry over 100 additional Flankers from the land base, the normal carrier limitation is ignored. Provided that you don't need the planes immediately, this could work.

Kuznetsov.zip

Over 44 new aircraft, ships, submarines, facilities, classes, countries, and weapons have been added to the Harpoon3 PlayersDB with the official Database editor issued by AGSI.

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

Get the PlayersDB on HarpDB, SubSim, or ughHQ.

Additions include:

PTM Kralj Dimitar Zvonimir HR92

AGI Karlskrona SE 09

OPV Holland NL 09

PT Gyoraitei (PT-11) JP 71

P Dubrovnik [Helsinki] HR 10

FFG De Zeven Provincien NL 06

CG Albany USN 69

SAM Bloodhound 2 Squadron UK 64

SSM DF-21C Battery TEL PRC

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

Harpoon3.6.3 users can get the

Complete Harpoon 3.6.3 Library

Harpoon ANW users can get the

Complete Harpoon ANW Library

 

FilesOfScenShare