Hi Silent,

 

fascinating AARs! I love it. Reading your comments on that old scens is high end nostalgia, giving me back the feelings I had 15 years back when I played them first.

 

Keep on with it!

 

Ralf

Playing 1.32 at the moment and I can't seem to find the saved game...

1.32 Part One

 

Cyprus: HDS II MEDC

 

After playing about with advanced SAM systems and carriers with enough planes for a small air force, this next scenario was a major step down in capabilities.

 

First to set the scene. In 1974, after the Greek military junta deposed the civilian government of Cyprus, Turkey (another nation prone to military involvement in politics), invaded the strategically important island. The result was a Turkish occupation of the northern third of the island, a country being created that only Ankara recognises and an unresolved diplomatic situation that impacts duty free allowances in the EU.

 

This scenario, set in 1994, explores a possible attempt by Greece to take back the island. I have a pre-programmed course for a group of Jason-class LSTs (this apparently can vary each time the scenario is loaded), which I can't really touch.

 

My air assets are limited in quantity and to be honest quality. I have only eleven fixed-wing aircraft, all shore based, and a single ASW helicopter in the amphib group (henceforth designated ACS). The shore-based aircraft are a bunch of F-104 Starfighters with two Sidewinders and A-7 Corsairs with iron bombs (the scenario designer said not to change the loadouts to give the A-7s stand-off weapons as it would break the scenario balance). Greece has not been at the forefront of military technology for over two millennia.

 

I have one Type 209 submarine with Harpoons in its tubes. This might be handy.

 

The ships are an even ruder awakening; on both sides. Most of them are hit-and-sink missile boats, FRAM destroyers from the Second World War and the aforementioned LSTs which are literally just ships with tanks inside. No Harrier carriers for me; most of my ships don't even have SAMs.

 

Then there's the MEKO 200s, which appear on both sides. This German design is probably the best surface platform of the scenario, but it's just a frigate with SSMs and 16 Sea Sparrows. It's better than nothing, but it's not going to stand up to concentrated attack.

 

I decide to keep my forces on their pre-set courses as the game begins, then made some minor sensor tweaks (although ACS stayed EMCON A). I rapidly get a contact; a large surface group north of Cyprus including a Sumner-class destroyer. These will need to be dealt with and I decide to initiate an airstrike to hit at the same time as my submarine attacks. As I start to launch my aircraft, I find that three of my F-104s lacked enough range to reach the target. I decided to use these as ground-based CAP, to be launched to intercept inbounds on my airbases. The rest headed for the ships.

 

As they started to form up for the strike, my ground radars detected a Turkish fighter, probably an F-5E Tiger II. I scrambled the Starfighters to intercept.

 

At around the same time, I detected a helicopter with my submarine and decided to launch my Harpoons as I was probably detected (I probably wasn't). The two Harpoons were both, rather amazingly, shot down before they could hit their targets.

 

Consecutively with this, ACS got painted with active radar and I switched on my radars after staff advice. In the Maverick/Sea Sparrow exchange that ensued, the Turks lost three Tigers for one hit on a LST that didn't do any real damage. Not a good exchange ratio.

 

The air-to-air F-104s went to military power then re-heat, making an intercept on the Turkish attackers, launching their measly six AIM-9Ls and missing with all of them. This caused the Turk to turn and run. A result of sorts.

 

I detected a Berk frigate south of ACS during this and lobbed three Harpoons at it. This sunk the vessel and the Israeli (I think) national anthem played.

 

I moved my submarine closer to the Turkish group and launched torpedoes as the airstrike closed in. I failed to factor in a run-time; it would take an hour in game time to reach the target.

 

The air strike was a disaster. SAMs took out all of my aircraft bar one A-7, which destroyed two patrol boats with iron bombs. I thought a frigate was out of SAMs and sent the A-7 to drop some more 500-lb bombs on it. Turns out it still had some. I should have put in the AG in at low level and gone after the weaker Sumner with the A-7. Give me Harpoons! Still, those were two missile boats out of the equation.

 

(to be continued, if I can get the saved game back)

I can't find the save. I guess there's a reason for the 1.32A and so I'll start with another scenario in that version.

I'm gradually working my way through "The Sri Lanka Incident".

 

I've learnt that "Badgers" and "Kingfish" missiles can be a deadly combination, especially when your enemy lacks a decent CAP.

The Sri Lanka Incident: HDS II IOPG

 

Clearly there was a severe problem with 1.32 for us to get a 1.32A, but I digress

 

The Tu-16 "Badger" bomber was exported rather widely by the Soviet Union and remains in service in its H-6 form in the People's Republic of China. The Soviets did a massive amount of modding to a type they considered a workhouse and the venerable "Badger" only went with the end of the USSR.

 

The "Badger" can be dubbed a slow-moving very large target that doesn't stand a chance against a half-way decent air defence. However, when you're not facing said air defence, say against a surface fleet or in your own airspace, it can be a devastating aircraft. In fact, for an opponent it's more annoying than Weebl's infamous memetic animation, which rather nicely sums up the aircraft's ability to create "mushrooms" if used in sufficent numbers. No wonder the Israelis give them special attention in 1967.

 

I have more to say about the Tu-16, but onto the scenario. India backs a coup in Sri Lanka, so the British decide to invade with their amphibious forces supported by two CVHs. My mission, in charge of a former British navy vessel that used to be called HMS Hermes is to stop them, basically by parking myself off the coast or as it later transpired, sinking them before they could even get there.

 

Not only do I have the Harriers on Viraat, I have some decent land-based air; including "Flankers" and "Badgers". In retrospect, this scenario looks tilted too far in favour of REDFOR. I have two submarines, export "Kilos"; so not too bad.

 

My orders state Weapons Tight, which means I can't start shooting people until they start shooting me. I commence with launching two recce Badgers and 3 Flankers. The former are going to seek out the amphib group to the south of India, while the latter are providing an off-shore CAP (ah, the repeatable patrol feature...)

 

The carrier group sets up a small CAP and an ASW patrol. I hold the rest until something develops.

 

Fairly quickly, I get an ESM detection via my recce Badgers that IDs itself as a Merlin and an AEW Sea King. This of course immediately gives me a ballpark estimate of where the carrier group is (I've clearly been hanging around American forums for a long time; I've got Americanisms slipping into my language).

 

As soon as the Badgers detect this, I run into a Mach 2 problem. A visual one that calls itself a Tornado F.3, which I then see launching Sky Flash missiles at me. The Badgers go down in flames. Like I said, can't handle a decent air defence.

 

Deciding that I need to deal with these Tornadoes sooner rather than later, I send the Flankers after them but they lack the fuel to make the intercept and have to RTB. So too do the MiG-25 "Foxbats", aircraft which are all speed and no range.

 

As I have a good idea where the enemy is, I decide to launch a fighter escorted reconnaissance in force with some of my Badgers. Hopefully the Flankers can deal with any fighter opposition until I get into a decent range and start lobbing AS-6s at them. Oh, yes...

 

The Tu-16s find a group of surface contacts and launch their high explosive payloads...

In fact, for an opponent it's more annoying than Weebl's infamous memetic animation, which rather nicely sums up the aircraft's ability to create "mushrooms" if used in sufficent numbers.

 

That's great.

 

Continuing to enjoy your stroll through these older scenarios.

Thanks. Of course, some "Badgers" also have "Mushroom" radars.

Tu-16, Tomcat fodder

1.32A Part Two

 

Of the 14 AS-6 anti-shipping missiles that were launched by the 7 Tu-16s, 12 were shot down on their way to the targets. I had allocated my missiles to the larger targets, figuring that they were amphibious targets or a carrier. Two missiles struck a single large target and send it to the bottom; this was revealed to be a Type 22 Batch 3 frigate.

 

Harpoon in the CE version groups its contacts by three size classes for detection purposes: Large, Small and Very Small. The H4 paper rules use five. For some reason, the 4,900 ton T22/3 enters the "Large" category. OK...

 

I launch another attack with 7 more Badgers from another airbase (IIRC) and during that approach, the Flankers approach two Tornadoes. The groups merge and fire missiles at each. All the missiles miss and the groups break away without loss.

 

However, I'm not prepared to let the Tornadoes go and pursue them, launching four more AA-10 missiles at the Tornadoes. In a further engagement, I destroyed the two RAF fighters, one with AAMs and one with cannon fire. The problem with the F.3 is that it isn't designed to get into dogfights unlike the much more agile (and surprisingly large) Su-27.

 

Back to bomber action. I forgot to turn my radars on and ended up launching the AS-6s bearing-only. The game has a nice feature for you to set the desired activation distances, but I think you're expected to have a good idea of rough ranges before you do it.

 

The British must been thoroughly surprised to see 14 supersonic missiles on their scopes. Eleven survived to actually go active. As a result of all this, I destroyed a Fearless class LPD. I actually had to look up the type in my High Tide annex, which shows what I know about the history of the Royal Navy...

 

Taking advantage of the 30-minute readiness time (would that even be possible in RL?), I launch another strike, this time going for the carrier...

Part 3

 

I managed to detect some fighters somewhere and launched ground-based Flankers to intercept them. Around the same time, my Badgers picked up a Type 42 destroyer on ESM.

 

Once I got into range, I launched my missiles, allocating ten at the CVH, as it was the bigger and more important target. The missile clock was six minutes until activation; which can be a very long time.

 

During this six minutes, one of my submarines hit the bottom in the shallow Gulf of Mannar (the bit between Sri Lanka and India); this would take a little while to sort out.

 

I only managed to hit one target with my Kingfish, but it wasn't my intended one. In fact it was Sir Galahad, an LST. That'll do. In retrospect, sinking that would have helped the Indians more than the carriers.

 

I had sent my Flankers in to do what might be termed "Airborne Anti-Anti-Sub Warfare", namely shooting down the ASW choppers that were protecting the carrier/amphibious group so my submarines would have an easier chance later. I managed to take down a Sea King AEW, although I was now in the AAW range of a group containing a carrier that packed Sea Dart.

 

I took my eye off the ball and lost two of my Badgers to Tornadoes, so I sent the Su-27s after the interceptors. The fight, one of the five Flankers was lost, then I lobbed no less than 30 missiles at the four Tornadoes. Yes, this could be termed "overkill", but as I destroyed all four in one go, it was worth it. I decided to launch another strike with the Badgers.

 

Things then developed in the east; one of my Kilos found a CZ target (these seem rather easy to find) and I ordered it to attack, but declined the suggestion to accelerate to 20 knots to close the range more quickly - fast gets you located and torpedoed.

 

A recce Badger D that I'd somehow forgotten about ran out of fuel and crashed; I didn't get a bingo fuel message.

 

The next strike was a failure; the 14 AS-6s failed to find anything and dropped into the ocean before they could find a target. Then the Tu-16s actually found the group, having wasted their missiles.

 

For some reason, which I think was impatience, I decided to ready six of my Sukhois with the LR Iron Bomb loadout and accompany them with Badgers carrying AS-6 Kingfish of the anti-radar version (the Kh-26MP). I was intending to use the Badgers to suppress the enemy SAM defences to allow the Flankers to finish the job, but I didn't do my strike timing right - in fact not at all. The Flankers managed to drop a total of 18 iron bombs at the Type 42/3 HMS York. At least five (the entirely of second batch and some of the first 13) missed entirely, but I did 65% damage on the vessel. Two of the supersonic jets were lost and I then ordered the group to RTB.

 

I had got a good idea of the location of the eastern British group, which consisted of at least another carrier and a Leander 2TA. That would be my next target...

These are Great!!

 

Thanks

Thank you!

 

****

Part Four

 

As I was readied my Harriers for an attack on the eastern group with Sea Eagles, the Badgers arrived in range and launched their AS-6 ARMs at the southern group on bearing-only; hopefully the British would turn their radars on and the missiles would home in on those.

 

The missiles finished off York then two hit Ark Royal, sending the carrier to the bottom. Those are powerful missiles. Very powerful missiles. If two can sink an escort carrier, no wonder the US spent so much on AEGIS...

 

I had sunk 4 ships and a carrier. Since I didn't know what my minimum victory requirement was, I had to keep going. Another two ARMs then took out Exeter, an earlier T42 model and there were six missiles remaining. However, they merely proceeded to land on some sharks rather than a target.

 

[to be continued...]

Part 5

 

A group of MiG-25s shot down a Merlin in the southern group. I then ordered them to go VHigh and Reheat, before bringing them back to base as they entered the AAW range.

 

I discovered that the Harriers didn't have the range for the eastern group at this time so I would have to wait until it was closer; which of course meant that they would be in range as well.

 

This would ultimately not prove an issue. My Kilos got into range and Sindugash launched three torpedoes at the Leander. I felt it best to focus on the escorts. This resulted in the entire force popping up on my scope and a helicopter dropping a torpedo at me. My subs turned and crept away, but the torpedo missed as did the ones I fired.

 

My next note says "5 more radars sent at E group", which is a bit nonsensical. After that though, I launched 14 BOL AS-6s at the eastern group, which took out the Type 22/3 Campbeltown and Tobruk another LST, the latter sinking shortly after I left it. This was enough for me to get minimum victory and I called it a day at that point.

 

This was a very easy scenario for BLUFOR; the local forces are arguably overpowered here against a not particularly pro-active AI.

 

On to 1.51.

An update on this: I'm working my way through a HDS III scenario. The write-up for this one will be a bit different; there's a lot of changes from 1.32A to 1.51.