I took the Oct 22nd version of the scen for a spin yesterday. The Enterprise took a DF-21 hit in the first hour (40%) damage but I proceeded to bust up Red air killing well over 100 planes. However I couldn't break thru the SA-21 SAMs having squandered TLAMs in what I thought would be sufficient attacks to do the job, unfortunately I was wrong and my Hornets got slaughtered trying to finish the deal. I gave up the ghost before even reaching Sicily.

 

Oh, and about those anti-sub death rays, there is a problem with the torp counter-fire. What you saw were surface guns managing to kill the sub underwater. While some of the mine hunting helos may have super-cavitating projectiles in this case it is a bug. I saw the same thing but did not write up a report on it so that is still an available task for someone to do

I might be border line cheating but on the basis that aircraft ordinacne is limitless I try to kill every thing I can with planes and keep ship fired weapons for last ditch efforts. (In my first attempt at breakoutUK I found (too late) that my AAW boats were out of SAMs. It got pretty grissly soon after.) I don't know how many long range AGMs I fired off but I'll be stuffed if someone plugs the bottomless pit that is the current magazine.

I figure that in this case a little stretching of fair play is OK?

Don

 

I would say that it depends. On one hand, airplane ordnance is limitless but on the other the carrier group has an AOR that can ship more weapons to the carrier and before setting off I imagine that the USians would have had replenished their magazines.

 

On the other hand, expensive ordnance like Kh-65s are not going to be a-plenty in the Sicilian, Tunisian or Lybian armories, so you win some, you loose some.

Thought I'd put my oar in. Here's a few tips. There's nothing about enemy OOB, just tactical management stuff. You may have more fun if you DON'T read this, but it'll help if you are having trouble in the beginning. My next project will be different. Live long and prosper, Cobalt Shiva.

 

Good advice there which would apply to most any scenario.

 

I am not so sure, however, that it is even possible for the player in either Breakout or BreakoutUK to keep their ships from being detected early on. Has anyone been able to keep the DF-21 ASBM from shooting?

There are 2 ways to defeat that early attack.

 

1) Split off one of the OHP frigates, into their own group and have them illuminate their radar.

 

That usually brings down the missiles, without having them aimed at the Carrier. Don't light up the radars to shoot at the missiles.

 

You will probably lose the frigate, but you might get lucky, they aren't the best at hitting their targets I find.

 

The only real other risk to this is that it will lock onto the Churchill Arleigh Burke and sink it instead.

 

2) A far more gamey way, is to use the French sub, surface it, and light up it's radar. Wait 30 seconds, then dive.

There are 2 ways to defeat that early attack.

1) Split off one of the OHP frigates, into their own group and have them illuminate their radar.

That usually brings down the missiles, without having them aimed at the Carrier. Don't light up the radars to shoot at the missiles.

 

Heh, the things that become obvious the second time around.

 

You will probably lose the frigate, but you might get lucky, they aren't the best at hitting their targets I find.

 

Especially since they've been declawed.

There are 3 ways to defeat that early attack.

 

1) Split off one of the OHP frigates, into their own group and have them illuminate their radar.

 

That usually brings down the missiles, without having them aimed at the Carrier. Don't light up the radars to shoot at the missiles.

 

You will probably lose the frigate, but you might get lucky, they aren't the best at hitting their targets I find.

 

The only real other risk to this is that it will lock onto the Churchill Arleigh Burke and sink it instead.

 

2) A far more gamey way, is to use the French sub, surface it, and light up it's radar. Wait 30 seconds, then dive.

 

3) you don't really have to split the formation since the unit window allows for individual units to light off their radars, but is better to break out the bullseye formation and move the carrier to the AAW ring with the radars OFF! Keep the Ticos close by to insure an adequate goalkeeper.

I found when the group isn't split, if you use the OHP's from the unit window, you will still have missiles target the Carrier anyway.

I found when the group isn't split, if you use the OHP's from the unit window, you will still have missiles target the Carrier anyway.

 

I expect this is because it is enemy submarines that are betraying the carrier's presence, rather than it being detected by airborne SS radar or by its own emissions. And, thus, why I was curious if anyone had been able to avoid getting shot at in the first place.

Was here someone able to win the scenarion without cheat mode and without analysing the red side in the scenario editor?

 

 

Further, we have a 30 Su-35 with 4xAA-12 (Range 94 nm), 16 MiG-31 with 6xAA-X-13 (Range 53.3 nm), 8 Su-34 with 4xAS-17 (Range 75 nm) and 17 EF with 6xMeteor (Range 54 nm)

vs.

33 F-18 with 6xAIM-120 (Range 44 nm). Was here someone able to down a Su-35?

Was here someone able to win the scenarion without cheat mode and without analysing the red side in the scenario editor?

 

 

Further, we have a 30 Su-35 with 4xAA-12 (Range 94 nm), 16 MiG-31 with 6xAA-X-13 (Range 53.3 nm), 8 Su-34 with 4xAS-17 (Range 75 nm) and 17 EF with 6xMeteor (Range 54 nm)

vs.

33 F-18 with 6xAIM-120 (Range 44 nm). Was here someone able to down a Su-35?

 

You can down them with a bit of fancy footwork. Try to mix or at least put in the air one of the Growlers to cut back their detection range, close in Afterburner, fire at max range and reverse course asap. AMRAAMs will close on a collision course with red air while the counter-fire shots are likely to ran out of fuel.

 

The biggest problem are not the red air, but red SAMs...

Was here someone able to win the scenarion without cheat mode and without analysing the red side in the scenario editor? Further, we have a 30 Su-35 with 4xAA-12 (Range 94 nm), 16 MiG-31 with 6xAA-X-13 (Range 53.3 nm), 8 Su-34 with 4xAS-17 (Range 75 nm) and 17 EF with 6xMeteor (Range 54 nm) vs. 33 F-18 with 6xAIM-120 (Range 44 nm). Was here someone able to down a Su-35?

 

I had no particular trouble with Red air, including the Su-35s, but keeping my carrier from getting hit by ASBM is another matter.

Strange, the Eurofighter has by Fontanarossa the status AEW!

 

 

What are ASBM?

Strange, the Eurofighter has by Fontanarossa the status AEW!

 

Due to the formation patrol.

 

What are ASBM?

 

Anti-ship ballistic missile.

Was here someone able to win the scenarion without cheat mode and without analysing the red side in the scenario editor? Further, we have a 30 Su-35 with 4xAA-12 (Range 94 nm), 16 MiG-31 with 6xAA-X-13 (Range 53.3 nm), 8 Su-34 with 4xAS-17 (Range 75 nm) and 17 EF with 6xMeteor (Range 54 nm) vs. 33 F-18 with 6xAIM-120 (Range 44 nm). Was here someone able to down a Su-35?

 

I had no particular trouble with Red air, including the Su-35s, but keeping my carrier from getting hit by ASBM is another matter.

Trying to pop the ballistic missiles is hard. I assume it's because of their height and a lot of AAMs and SAMs can't get to them.

I put fighters out beyond the ships' SAMs range and try to get what ever is coming in with mnimal expenditure of the shipboard missiles. I can't get the ASBMs like this.

Against the fighters I achieve most success by using the stealthiest fighters I have and patrolling at very low altitudes with some EW planes further back and up high. (If I haven't been pelted with anti ship missiles I keep radar inactive all through the ship group formation.) When incoming fighters are detected I send in a small fighter group (staying very low) and let them decide when to fire, add a few extra missiles and get out flat chat (afterburn high altitude). Often have to then get back home for fuel so if I sent off all my longer range AAMs (and got good kills) I don't mind.

The best I've done is to run out of time with most of my ships afloat and all red bases to the west destroyed along with large numbers of SAM and SSM sites destroyed. Some of these take a huge number of anti radar and decoy missiles to kill. I've been close to what I think are the straights of Malta.

While the initial assault (once your surface group is detectd) is pretty full on, if you survive it then its a matter of detect and destroy surface installations and planes. The planes tend to die off, even if you don't kill hundreds. If you're game tweek the scenario to put the mobile units in multiple start locations and make the aircraft patrols continuous and in larger unit, it really gets hard!

Don.