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View File Hot Start with tovarich Tupolev, JFK in the Med 1988. Hot Start with tovarich Tupolev, JFK in the Med 1988. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO side or from the Red/Soviet. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side. Image: An aerial port bow view of USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), with embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, conducting high speed manoeuvres, circa 1989 and depicting the same air wing displayed on this scenario. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 300-CFD-DN-ST-89-02161, took by a serviceperson on duty and in consequence on public domain. This scenario was initially based on that titled Tattletale of the Admiralty Trilogy’s recent book “High Tide” second edition. But as usual my personal research of the scenario and my “rivet counter” syndrome made me complicated it, adding a great number of historically correct Soviet Long Range Aviation and Naval Aviation units to balance more the scenario. The Soviet supposed strategy was to neutralize the US carrier in the Mediterranean in the first hours or the first day of an open WWIII in the 1980s. The idea is a surprise attack from the scenario start with Soviet naval forces, trying to damage USS John F Kennedy (CV-67), exploiting the lack of readiness of her air wing the first hours of the conflict. Later, supersonic and subsonic Tupolev bombers of many types should finish the carrier, attacking her with long range and big supersonic missiles, with the stockpile of anti-ship missiles probably exhausted after the first three attack waves or similar (as saw in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine). Overflight of Greece and Turkiye are guaranteed by the usual Soviet nuclear menaces and blackmail against both countries, with only some few Greek empty airbases present. The Soviet target is clear, to neutralize the US aircraft carrier. The NATO target is even more clear, survive the aircraft carrier beyond the first day of war. This scenario is for me balanced, winnable for both sides, and very interesting, because the very asymmetrical forces. As sidenote are supplied two almost identical variants of the scenario, one with and one without Soviet AGI ships (adjusting the victory conditions by the presence of more ships), marking with their presence the relative zone of Soviet SSGNs and “aiding” on their anti-ship missile targeting, in case someone is using a game version previous to 2024.006. Enrique Mas, November 24, 2024. Submitter broncepulido Submitted 11/24/2024 Category MEDC  

View File Gulf of Aden Clash. June 1986. Hypothetical/Historical Scenario. Gulf of Aden Clash. June 1986. Hypothetical/Historical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Middle East Battleset and the HCDB2-170308 new standard 1980-2025 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/NATO-Yemen Arab Republic/YAR (North Yemen) side or from the Red/USSR-People's Democratic Republic of Yemen/PDRY (South Yemen)-Iran side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side. Image: The U.S. Navy nuclear-powered Task Force One on September 17, 1986, commemorating a world cruise on the 25th Anniversary of the 1964 cruise Operation "Sea Orbit". Included the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65) which took part in the first cruise, accompanied by the nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers USS Truxtun (CGN-35) and USS Arkansas (CGN-41). U.S. Navy photo and as consequence in public domain, took from Wikipedia Commons and from the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) 1986 cruise book available at Navysite.de. This scenario is inspired and based in the article by Joseph Giuda "Harpoon Scenario: Hunting the Bear", published in the Harpoon SITREP 66, April 2024, but very expanded. The initial idea is very simple (read the Harpoon SITREP 66 article for more details): World War III started suddenly everywhere, and both sides forces are trapped in far places, long away of the main European theatre of operations, as reminiscence of many Imperial Germany naval forces at the World War I start. On this concrete case, the Soviet guided missile cruiser Slava (Sistership of Moskva, sunk by Ukrainian forces in 2022) currently on the Gulf of Aden and her escorts and all available forces in the region are ordered to neutralize or bottle up the USS Enterprise meagre CVBG, itself pretending to transit from the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the Indian Ocean. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are neutralized by a Soviet nuclear blackmail, have lost the control of its own air space, and its forces can't support the Blue side neither prevent the use of its air space by the Red side. Last but not least by years I was interested, and very ignorant, on the Yemen history (Also a very interesting country in the ancient era, with a wonderful architecture), its perpetual turmoil, its complex society and civil wars, its current times with Houties successful perturbing the maritime traffic even with the first use of operational ASBM, and many times thinking on design some Yemen civil wars scenario. At last I do it on this scenario, with the additional surprise found in the research of the original scenario, as it occurred just few months after the South Yemen "events" of January, 13, 1986 and the consecutive People's Democratic Republic of Yemen/PDRY (South Yemen) civil war actions, when PDRYAF lost a 75% of its assets, and the consequent limitation of its capabilities. A complex, surprisingly balanced and delicate scenario, pretended to be historically accurate about the possible historical forces, enjoy! Enrique Mas, August 24, 2024. Submitter broncepulido Submitted 08/24/2024 Category Middle East  

View File A Passage to Pakistan, May 1984. Hypothetical Scenario. A Passage to Pakistan, May 1984. Hypothetical Scenario. A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Middle East Battleset and the HCDB2-170308 new standard 1980-2025 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later. This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/US-Pakistani side or from the Red/Indian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side. Image: The US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG-993) underway on November 1, 1982, before her year long New Threat Upgrade (NTU) modernization completed September 1989, adding a long range air search radar SPS-49(V)5 in the foremast and replacing Standard SM-1MR by SM-2MR, and other changes. Later commissioned on November 3, 2006, as Taiwanese ROCS Tso Ying (DDG-1803) and yet in service. Photo by an US serviceperson on duty, and in consequence on public domain, took from Wikipedia Commons. This scenario is inspired and based in the Article by Paul French "Harpoon Scenario: Indian Interception", published in the Harpoon SITREP 66, April 2024. The initial idea is very simple (read SITREP 66 for more details): very limited US and Pakistani forces should escort three merchants loaded with vital and urgent assets from the Gulf of Aden to near Karachi in a limited time. Its task must be prevented by Indian forces. Good sailing and good luck. Enrique Mas, June 2, 2024. Submitter broncepulido Submitted 06/02/2024 Category Middle East