I played this scenario commanding the BLUE side.

 

You get an interesting mix of assets here. One carrier battle group with a heavy Tomahawk arsenal, a couple of SSNs and few, but yet formidable aircraft dispersed at 3 bases in Japan.

Like I already noted in the other thread, the lack of strike assets on the blue side is one issue.

Of course the orders you get are to "just" sink the chinese carrier and not annihilate every single chinese unit/base on the map... :-)

 

I launched several air patrols out my bases in Japan and carrier battle group (CVBG). The CVBG is stationed a bit off the area of conflict, so the F/A-18Es with their long range are excellent for the task of projecting air power. Air superiority is not much of an issue. You have tons of AEW-assets in the form of E3s and E2s, so you can cover the map quit well. The CVBG stayed on EMCON, in order not to attact attention by the Red side.

It all worked fine, enemy fighters came up and were decimated by the F15s and F18s. The JSFs stationed at Iwakuni, Japan have a rather short range, so tanker support is imperative.

I readied a squadron of F/A-18Es on my CVBG with SLAMs and started my first strike against the nearest Chinese base. At the same time the Growlers started working the Chinese SAM installations.

 

Losses were rather light on my side, the only formidable air foe being the new 4th generation Chinese J-20 fighter.

Al my air losses were attributed to them, I lost a total of 14 fighters to the J-20s.

 

There are quite a few P-8s and P-3s available, so I used them as well in the anti-surface role to strike at Chinese bases.

 

Soon, the Chinese carrier group was spotted heading South, so I started getting more aircraft ready in anti-ship role.

The air battle was more or less over. Offensive fighter sweeps near the Chinese bases cost the Red side over 200 aircraft killed.

 

I fired off my Tomahawk stock at Chinese bases in the North, with quite good success, silencing them and removing the threat to Iwakuni by an attack coming in from the North.

The JSfs were relocated from Iwakuni to Kadena and started pounding the southern coastal Chinese bases with JSOWs.

 

My subs picked up a couple of Japanese subs, which were quickly sunk by ASW fixed wing aircraft and submarine fired torpedoes. No threat to the CVBG so far...

 

Just as the Chinese carrier group was starting to exit the Yellow Sea, I pounded it with a multi-vectored attack from my CVBG, Iwakuni and Kadena.

Two dozen F-18s joined the fight and the P-3s/P-8s also launched missiles.

 

Min Victory was achieved with 3:10 to go after the Chinese Carrier started sinking together a few of its escorts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having played the scenario as BLUE, I decided to give it a try as RED.

 

I was aware of the massive quality disadvangement I would be in. However I presumed that given the numbers of assets at my disposal I could be able to overrun the US. It would however not be without losses.

 

Starting the scenario left me a bit perplexed. I had hundreds of aviation assets, but they were all dispersed at various locations. I also had dozens of assets of little to no use. Dozens of troops transports, I would find no use for.

In order to limit losses I started moving assets I wouldn't need to bases outside of the battle area. Not losing forces I wouldn't need anyway, seemed logical.

 

My orders prohibited any attacks on the US installations in Japan. That's a major setback, since I could have easily annihilated those bases with the assets at hand.

I thus started offensive sweeps using sheer numbers of fighters against the Japanese airbases. Knowing that only a few squadrons of aircraft were there, I knew I could take losses to bleed the enemy dry.

Dozens of J-8s flew towards Kadena. While the first flight was shot out of the sky by Amraams, the second one made a supersonic dash against the F-15s and killed them using Chinese shorter ranged BVR-AAMs.

 

After 4 hours of battle, the PLAAF had lost 53 aircraft but had managed to shoot down 13 US fighters. A kill ratio of almost 1:4.

 

The PLN was also taking losses, losing a few subs due to undetected US SSNs as it seems. They were clearly no match for the superior US submarine force.

Seconds before being sunk however, a Ming class submarine got to periscope depth and managed to track the US CVBG with its ESM mast. I now knew where to find them approximately.

 

More air battles followed, this time I pressed the USAF as hard as I could, however my losses now became unsustainable.

For only 5 downed fighters, I lost over 40 of mine.

 

And then it happened...

The US CVBG sailed close to one of my subs, giving me a very good bearing at them.

 

I launched my all out offensive.

Short ranged JL-8s served as bait. They would lure out the USAF and USN fighters, forcing them to expend their missiles on them, while my more formidable fighters would follow.

6 squadrons of JH-/As armed with long range anti-ship missiles would follow (80 aircraft). Behind them 2 squadrons of chinese copies of the Tu-16 Badger armed with 400km ranged ASMs were ready to unleash their payload.

It was an all out gamble. Over 300 aircraft were in the air going against the presumed position of US CVBG.

 

While this happening one of my Kilo subs picked up a Virginia class SSN that was firing on another of my Yuan submarines. The US SSN did not stand a chance against 3 torpedoes launched from a distance of less than 3 miles. The Yuan submarine died however too. The KIlo managed to put two torpedoes into an Arleigh Burke DDG, before dying too.

 

The USAF and USN downed dozens of my fighters, but they were pressed to the limit.

The USN jamming proved very good and I only managed to get clear fixes on the ships of CVBG once inside SAM-range, meaning I lost a dozen or some fighter bombers to missiles.

In the end however, I prevailed. Volleys of ASMs overwhelm the Aegis system sinking the US carrier and a few of its escorts.

 

I was granted minum victory and decided to quit, not wanting to keep on the carnage. I had lost almost 250 aircraft and 3 submarines. But the US carrier, 2 ships and 1 submarine were sunk and over 120 aircraft/helicopters were destroyed.

 

[i forgot to make a screenshot of the game status]

 

Nice scenarios!

Great AARs, thanks for sharing.

I'm glad you enjoyed them.

Some very little notes:

- I intended to depict the current Chinese OOB, for shake of realistic simulation.

- The training and transport planes are included by sake of historicity and to keep track on the Chinese OOB. After the painstaking work of reasearch and build the scenario, was easier to keep them than no include them!

Thank you for the information, broncepulido!

 

If your goal was to depect the current order of battle, wouldn't it also be reasonable to include Guam and perhaps a few US bombers stationed there?

In case of a conflict, they would certainly be deployed.

It seems than in early 2017 a group of 4 B-1Bs was deployed in Guam.

http://thediplomat.com/2017/02/us-air-force-rotates-supersonic-strategic-bombers-in-the-asia-pacific/

Thank you for the information, broncepulido! If your goal was to depect the current order of battle, wouldn't it also be reasonable to include Guam and perhaps a few US bombers stationed there? In case of a conflict, they would certainly be deployed. It seems than in early 2017 a group of 4 B-1Bs was deployed in Guam.

http://thediplomat.com/2017/02/us-air-force-rotates-supersonic-strategic-bombers-in-the-asia-pacific/

 

Airfields like Guam could reasonably expect to be showered with Chinese ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, something a scenario designer can take into account if they want to omit such an airfield for the sake of scenario design/balance.

 

Its interesting that you did not appear to encounter the kinds of threats that I did when I played the scenario.

Thanks for you feedback, Palex 80.

The bombers are not present in Guam because the Chinese forces are also limited to shore-based naval aviation units (and perhaps some high-end Chinese Air Force elements), is also not present the Japanese Air Force or other Japanese elements.

The idea is to depict a limited carrier action, preventing both sides to attack land bases to avoid an escalade.

What threats did you encounter CV32? Do you mean on the US or Chinese side?

 

I am not sure why I was never attacked by their submarines while playing US. Probably got lucky there, since when I played as Chinese I did manage to attack the CVBG with one of my subs.

 

All in all meeting MIN-VIC as US was rather easy. I attacked quite a few bases in China, which I didn't have to, since it doesn't aid in achieving MIN-VIC. Where the carrier will be is pretty obvious and you do have ample resources to track and attack it. I could have probably even won faster, if I went in with a full strike from my CVBG from the beginning on. The US has quite a few tankers there, so a 30-plane strong FA-18 strike from the CVBG within the first couple of hours is possible. No way the Chinese carrier group can shoot down 60 Harpoons or SLAMs aimed at the carrier.

Theorically are present 10xChinese SSN (each with a probability of apparence of 50%) and 27xSS (each with a 37%), as consequence, some 5xSSN and some 10xSS should be present in the Chinese side.

Ok, I replayed this one from the BLUE side.

 

This time I was much more aggressive at the beginning. I did not waste time attacking Chinese bases with aircraft. I simply launched all my Tomahawks at the beginning, saturating the bases in Zhejang and Jiangsu. With 2 bases killed and 2 bases damaged, things were going to be easier now...

 

I also moved my AEW assets further forwarded and established offensive air patrols over the East China Sea. A couple of left overs SAM sites around the destroyed Chinese bases were attacked by Growlers and P-8 Poseidons.

 

Pretty soon I knew again were the Chinese carrier was, it was picked up by my Sentry. Chinese aircraft came crashing down over the East China Sea, as they were trying to kill my AWACS. It didn't work out well for them.

 

I launched 2 consecutive strikes from by CVBG against the Chinese carrier, each strike consisted of 38 Super Hornets (24 ASuWs + 12 tankers).

Older F/A-18Cs operating out of Japan also targetted the carrier.

 

In between I experienced a scare, as a biological popped up near my CVBG. It was lucky enough to be IDed early enough and not killed. Later on however, a Chinese SS managed to penetrate my ASW screen and launched a volley of 7 torpedoes. I ran and evaded them all (lucky me!), while the Chinese sub was hunted down by my ASW helicopters.

 

My Virginia class SSN also bagged a Chinese SSN a couple of hundred miles away.

 

The first couple of air strikes went after the escorts, killing 4 of them.

The final F/A-18C strike launched 16 Harpoons at the Chinese carrier, setting it on flames with more than 70% damage sustained. Further 8 Harpoons were launched, killing it.

 

MIN VIC. To go: 3:12:13.

 

I did not lose a single unit this time.

What threats did you encounter CV32? Do you mean on the US or Chinese side?

I didn't want to give it away for anyone ... but there are plenty of 'spoiler alerts' in this thread.

 

Like you, I laid waste to the Chinese bases from the start, not losing any units.

 

When I moved southwest, to engage bases in the South China Sea, I was set upon by antiship ballistic missiles.

 

The carrier was badly damaged.

Interesting...

 

In this case perhaps the MIN VIC conditions should be adapted.

Destroying the carrier and destroying some bases should be required... If the anti-ship missiles only engage after MIN VIC conditions for BLUE are met, it's less of a challenge.

 

 

On the other hand, it should be a limited campaign against the carrier according to the creator.