File - WPac - The Chinese are Coming!!! (Against ARC21). Mid-2021.

[broncepulido]

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The Chinese are Coming!!! (Against ARC21). Mid-2021.

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The Chinese are Coming!!! (Against ARC21). Mid-2021. Hypothetical Scenario.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for Western Pacific WesPac 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/Allied side or from the Red/Chinese side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.

Image: San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD-18), joined by the Royal Australian Navy's Anzac-class frigate HMAS Parramatta (FFH-154), the French Navy's amphibious assault helicopter carrier FS Tonnerre (L9014), and Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's Osumi class tank landing ship JS Osumi, transit together during exercise Jeanne D'Arc 21 (ARC-21), off the coast of Kagoshima, Japan on May 14, 2021. US Marine Corps photo by a serviceperson on duty, and in consequence on public domain).

Putting President Putin aside and his current hybrid-war generated tensions in Easter Europe, expansionist China imposes a greater military, economic and politic challenge to the Western powers and other Far East allies.

After historical periods targeted against other neighbours from 2012 China expansionism reveals itself clearer, marking an oceanic path. Beyond old vindications on nearer islands from Japan, Philippines and other countries, it's a subjacent strategy to exercise control on the Chinese sea approaches just to the second "string of pearls" (islands) and beyond, with complete domination of the sometimes named East and South china Seas.

This scenario is centred on mid-2021, when annual French training mission ARC21 arrived near Japan, and international situation degenerates hot.

The scenario reflects the complete Japanese and US order of battle in the region in 2021, and a very approximative Chinese order of battle of its Eastern Theatre Command forces, both PLAAF and PLAN (only main and selected warships), with some (air defence) PLAGF elements.

This scenario is apparently cumbersome, but easier to command than others with fewer forces. Also it was surprisingly easier to program than other a lot smaller.

Both sides forces are asymmetrical but probably balanced ... or not.

Enrique Mas, November 14, 2021.

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• Submitter
  broncepulido
• Submitted
  11/14/2021
• Category
  WestPac

 

[broncepulido]

Some sources related to this scenario:

https://www.stripes.com/branches/marine_corps/2021-10-25/marine-corps-iwakuni-japan-harpoon-missiles-3376502.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB 10.27.2021&utm_term=Editorial - Early Bird Brief

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/13/u-s-begins-joint-exercise-in-japan-with-french-and-australian-navies

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/14/navy-sending-two-guam-based-mq-4c-tritons-to-japan-for-temporary-operations

http://navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2021/october/10874-us-navy-s-mq-4c-tritons-uas-complete-first-deployment-to-japan.html

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/17/officials-jeanne-darc-exercise-tests-how-allies-can-work-together-in-indo-pacific

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/11/interview-french-indo-pacific-commander-rear-adm-jean-mathieu-rey

https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/depart-de-la-12eme-mission-jeanne-darc

 

About the Type 022 discontinued in service:

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/22型导弹快艇

 

About the Chinese expansionism:

https://www.tni.org/my/node/4883

[Palex80]

Thank you for this scenario. Quite interesting! I finished it playing blue.

 

SPOILER ALERT

 

I expected a bit more aggression from the Chinese. No surface strikes materialized against my fleets. I was anxious that they might try to shoot ballistic missiles against Naha and Kadena, but that also did not occur.

I managed to shoot down over 200 aircraft and killed all their fleets, achieving total victory. The F2A is a great asset with its long range ASMs and the Guam based bombers were also very handy. One needs to reposition assets from the bases in Northern Japan to the South in the beginning to achieve a swift victory, but Blue is certainly privileged having so many fighters with long range AAMs operational. I lost close to 20 fighters mostly due to errors from on side, there is a very slight chance of missing any Chinese fighters with all the AEW assets at your disposal.

 

[broncepulido]

SPOILER ALERT

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea was (Hopefully!) to not fix a very agressive posture by the Chinese to avoid an escalade.

Because that central idea  they have not scripted attacks (But yes patrols flying with antiradar and antiship missiles), and the Chinese should attack every opportunity target (ships or SAMs) detected, with strike fighters, ASBM and bombers.

About the land-attack ballistic missiles, are no present because are no scripted attacks against bases, and are present only Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles.

Perhaps the Allied ECM prevent detection in range of the Allied ships.

Perhaps someone gets another Chinese behaviour?

Thanks for sharing your experience!!!

Edited November 23, 2021 by broncepulido
ADDED SPOILER ALERT AND BALLISTIC ATTACKS

[Palex80]

SPOILER ALERT

 

Indeed, my surface groups did not attract any attention from Chinese bombers. I think, I mostly shot down fighters and only a small group of Chinese Badgers that were not vectoring towards my ships, but rather Naha?

 

[donaldseadog]

17 hours ago, broncepulido said:

SPOILER ALERT

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea was (Hopefully!) to not fix a very agressive posture by the Chinese to avoid an escalade.

Because that central idea  they have not scripted attacks (But yes patrols flying with antiradar and antiship missiles), and the Chinese should attack every opportunity target (ships or SAMs) detected, with strike fighters, ASBM and bombers.

About the land-attack ballistic missiles, are no present because are no scripted attacks against bases, and are present only Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles.

Perhaps the Allied ECM prevent detection in range of the Allied ships.

Perhaps someone gets another Chinese behaviour?

Thanks for sharing your experience!!!

I'm part way thru my second run again playing blue. My feeling is that by keeping the surface groups emitting no radar signature and by being very aggressive against all chinese air groups our blue surface groups are staying undetected. This can be checked in I think LazGui or extendedLazGui where you can read units visibiility to enemy. I'll have a look and report back

[Palex80]

9 hours ago, donaldseadog said:

I'm part way thru my second run again playing blue. My feeling is that by keeping the surface groups emitting no radar signature and by being very aggressive against all chinese air groups our blue surface groups are staying undetected. This can be checked in I think LazGui or extendedLazGui where you can read units visibiility to enemy. I'll have a look and report back

There is no reason to turn of radars on your surface groups.

You have two dozens of AEW aircraft to spot everything. Chinese air attacks can be stopped rather close to the Chinese coastline. I guessed there was going to be a major effort and I launched around 80 aircraft with AAW loadout in the opening minutes all on CAP outside the Chinese coastline. I managed to barely stay outside their SAM range. Mostly groups of 6-8 aircraft. The amount of Chinese drones was quite the surprise for me.

[aviator]

Quote

This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.

What exactly is the Advanced Scenario Editor? I can't open this scenario in my updated HUCE editor.

[Byron]

On 11/24/2021 at 4:58 AM, donaldseadog said:

I'm part way thru my second run again playing blue. My feeling is that by keeping the surface groups emitting no radar signature and by being very aggressive against all chinese air groups our blue surface groups are staying undetected. This can be checked in I think LazGui or extendedLazGui where you can read units visibiility to enemy. I'll have a look and report back

I've found this to be true...as long as the ships aren't emitting or detected by a long range recon asset they won't get attacked. Attacking bases like Guam is easy but.....you better have a lot of tanking assets. I wrote a scenario where the PLAN had Subic Bay and they STILL needed tanking to get to Guam.

[donaldseadog]

After Action Report

Game time: about 5hr:15 min

[Kill Detail Red Side ]
Su-30MK2 Flanker G 09/Plane=16
JH-7A Flounder 04/Plane=14
J-10A Vig Dragon 06/Plane=18
J-8F Finback B 04/Plane=8
J-20 Mighty Dragon 18/Plane=4
Divine Eagle 15/Plane=1
J-16 Flying Shark 14/Plane=14
Ka-31 Helix E 10/Helicopter=2
Zhi-9C Haitun/Helicopter=8
Su-30MKK Flanker G 01/Plane=7
Y-8Q/Plane=1
Y-8CA/Plane=1
Luyang II Type 052C/Ship=2
Houbei Type 022/Ship=12
Ka-28 Helix A 96/Helicopter=3
Kunming Type 052D 15/Ship=2
J-11A/Plane=4
BZK-005 Sea Eagle/Plane=8
Q-5I Fantan 83/Plane=6
KJ-500/Plane=1
KJ-200 (Y-8W)/Plane=1

[Kill Summary Red Side ]
Planes:=104
Helicopters:=13
Ships:=16

[Kill Detail Blue Side ]
P-3C-II Orion 92/Plane=8
F-2A (FS-X) 17/Plane=1

[Kill Summary Blue Side ]
Planes:=9

 

My strategy, for want of a better word, was to put up a dense curtain of fighters with a second curtain of ASUW and a rear line of air refuel tankers and AEW aircraft. I let the ships and subs continue along their designated routes keeping a watch on how close enemy units progressed. The long ranged fighters were a god send, so to their long ranged AAM s allowing the firing of good salvos of missiles and a quick retreat to home (or in some cases a waiting IFR tanker). I did get a bit intrepid, to my regret, trying to get some Orions in close enough to DDGs to let fly their relatively short range anti ship missiles but learned to keep them for the less well defended missile boats leaving the harder to crack surface groups to the longer ranged ASMs of the  P1 s and F-2a s (I liked these fellas) and a few F-35 s loaded up with SDB s.

I decided to quit while ahead when I got a Minimum Victory although there was still a lot of action happening and certainly some competent enemy ships still about.

Thanks to broncepulido for another great Harpoon scenario ... now back for another crack to try for a complete win