I want my ships in line formation with three nm spaced between them, facing 180:

 

Combattante --- 3nm --- Sumner --- 3nm --- Combattante

 

Keep radars off except for the Sumner's navigation radar.

I've had some further thoughts on our plan for this.

 

If we take out the Sovvie, we can indeed defeat the rest of the force in detail. However, we need to defeat the Sovvie first.

 

The Sunburn missiles face forward on the destroyer and so our best axis of attack is from the rear as it will take them longer to turn and engage us; hopefully too long. Also, only one of their Gadfly launchers will be able to engage our missiles rather than two.

 

My SM-1s are incapable of engaging the Sunburns at all and so their best use is in surface-to-surface mode. As a result, I intend to fire my eight Harpoons at the Sovvie from 20nm out and wait 75 seconds in game (5 fire phases) before launching all four SM-1s at the same target. 12 inbound missiles should prove more than enough to destroy it. Possibly overkill, but we will only get one salvo at it.

 

However, we also need to distract the Krivak and get it to engage something other than the inbounds. Would it possible for you to split your Phantoms and have two attack the Krivak? You may hit home with them as well, which makes our overall job easier.

 

I intend to launch the AB204 chopper shortly before we engage to get it out of the way and use it to assist in any mopping up; I severely doubt it can get close enough to participate in the initial assault.

 

All of this is likely to alter in light of what their actual formation is.

Sure.

 

Note that the Sov will be able to turn enough (45 degrees) to un-mask its other SAM launcher in one ET. And that is assuming the captain isn't smart enough to turn as soon as he detects your vessels.

 

Note also that because your SM-1s are not Autonomous you won't be allowed to fire them in the second fire phase on an ET. You can only fire in the first fire phase.

 

I'll have my Phantoms follow your Harpoons by 5nm. We'll commence our attack run as your missiles launch but from 5nm further back. That way I can orbit at Low altitude 25nm out and be able to drop down to Vlow (and below the radar horizon) if I get any RWR indication of enemy SAMs engaging me while I'm stooging about.

Good thinking. I also think that holding the FRAM back a bit might be best - sending in just the two Combattantes and keeping the former over the horizon until the Harpoons and your F-4s have done their job. Otherwise we run the real risk of losing Palang in the initial engagement; we should have enough to deal with the Sovvie without the 4 SM-1s we can fire.