After Action Report: United They Sail

A scenario by Mark Gellis

 

The Middle East has seen many shifts in alliances and political friendships over the years. Recently, Iran has become increasingly hostile to many of its neighbors in the region, which it describes as "puppets of the West." After the U.A.E. openly criticized Iran about its policies and suggested OPEC take action against Iran for its support of groups like Hamas, Iranian leaders threatened that the U.A.E. would pay for its "treachery."

 

Transiting the Strait of Hormuz in a time of conflict is not a comfortable proposition. Particularly when one has to do so without the considerable force that can be brought by bear by Western air and naval firepower, both land and sea based.

 

Thankfully, however, the UAE has decided to invest heavily in its self-defence, including procurement of the F-16E/F Block 60 Desert Falcon.

 

Because of their presence, the Iranian F-4s, F-5s and even F-14s gave me very little trouble.

 

It was the naval threat, and particularly the undersea threat posed by submarines and sea mines, that worried me.

 

I lost the FPB fast attack craft P6201 to a coastal Sunburn antiship missile battery, mainly due to my own inattentiveness. (I often play HCCE with several other applications running on my PC simultaneously, which is both a blessing and a curse).

 

An CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft picked up a MAD contact in the easterly mouth of the Strait, and hunting underwater contacts without the benefit of sonobuoys was particularly difficult. Discovering it was a minefield was a little unnerving, but finding mines without the usually associated "KABOOM" is much less unpleasant.

 

My group eventually transited the Strait without too much difficulty, using both the MPA and fighter cover to find a suitable path and beat off the Iranian surface attackers. I made it just past Muscat when time ran out.

 

Thanks, Mark. Your scenarios keep me on my toes.

Are hostilities considered already declared at the start of the scenario? I aborted the first run after P6201 was taken out by surface fire from one of the enemy surface ships, believe it to be a boghammer but that would mean RPG fires(?). Started over.

 

Started second by plinking enemy surface ships, most if all boghammers. Enemy air basically negated by AIM-120's or their equivelent. Have not yet reached the mines fields or encountered the possible SS.

 

Figured I'd chime in.

 

Good scen so far Mark, thanks.

Are hostilities considered already declared at the start of the scenario? I aborted the first run after P6201 was taken out by surface fire from one of the enemy surface ships, believe it to be a boghammer but that would mean RPG fires(?). Started over.

 

Started second by plinking enemy surface ships, most if all boghammers. Enemy air basically negated by AIM-120's or their equivelent. Have not yet reached the mines fields or encountered the possible SS.

 

Figured I'd chime in.

 

Good scen so far Mark, thanks.

 

Thanks.

 

I'm assuming that hostilities are not "official" at the beginning of the scenario. Of course, Iran is going to start shooting--the computer opponent tends to start shooting once it sees something worth shooting at, even if that isn't really the smartest thing to do--but U.A.E. would rather avoid conflict if it can. So at the beginning the orders are mostly "you can defend yourselves if you have to," but once the shooting starts, I suspect the U.A.E. would consider itself free to eliminate any potential threat to the convoy, particularly mines. You can go after targets of opportunity if you want, but doing so won't help you meet the victory conditions.

 

Mark

OK, not much more to add to Brad's AAR.

 

Hawk Mk61's are about darn worthless except to be a missile sponge there by starting the conflict as the Iranians cannot resist a patrol of Hawks between them and the P6021.

 

F-16 E/F Block 60's are the deal breaker, without them, Blue's overall mission is doomed.

 

Once hostilities began, it was a multiple wave Iranian air attack. Iranian Boghammers also make their appearance in the face of Blues movement east toward the strait.

 

A couple of additional boghammers make an off-axis attack, but are quickly dealt with.

 

One decision made may have excalated the situation if RW standards could be replicated which was Blue's downing of a P-3F which was remaining over Iranian territory far enought that Blue's fighters had to go feet dry to accomplish this task.

 

A medium surface contact was detected just off of Bandar Abbas and it launches two raids, of three and one missile respectively, of SS-N-22 Mod 1 Moskit (Sunburns).

 

A personally interesting development is AIM-120 A/B used successfully in interecting and downing Sunburns. Have a kinda an unqualified uneasiness about that.

 

What turns out to be the Sunburn Battery, not a medium surface ship, is attacked by a section of Mirage 2000's and ultimately destroyed by 1 Hakim PGM. Three Hakims were destroyed by SA-6 interceptions. One of the marauding Mirage 2000's was shot down by an SA-6 during its egress. The surprise is that apparently SAM and SSM barges are just off of the coast of Bandar Abbas. On the bright side, Qeshm Island appears to be unoccupied.

 

It now appeared that the Iranian air force was no longer in any position to contest Blue's movement through the straits. Also Blue could transit outside of the effective range of the now identified coastal batteries.

 

The focus was now almost completely ASW. As it turned out in my playthough it was now a matter of encountering an SS but identifying and procescuting many mines.

 

All in all an enjoyable scenario.

Swapped out the two Blue warships with two guestimate Littoral Combat Ships (one predominently ASuW, the other ASW) - hope you don't mind Mark.

 

Land based air played an important yet lesser role in this run through.

 

The lead LCS took care of most of the air and boghammer threats with it's Mk48 VLS with ESSM's and it's 4 Harpoons respectively. Lost the "scout" through my own negligence by continuing to move forward through the minefields when my MH-60R had to land for refueling. With the loss of the lead LCS, the helo went with it. Big loss.

 

MPA's screened the main body the rest of the way. Made it beyond Moscat (sp?)when minimum victory was declared.

 

RQ-8 are extremely vunerable in medium to high threat environements. Two were quickly shot down in extremely one-sided air to air engagements.

 

Still have not yet encountered the Kilo SS.