Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim (More info?)
Go to my website to check this story out with all the screenies
www.pumaslog.addr.com
The 99th Carrier Task Force has strategically parked itself in the
middle of the Adriatic Sea. The combination of ship born surface to
air missiles and SU-33s carried by the Kuznetsov have taken a heavy
toll on our bomb laden aircraft as they try to make their way to
target. Coming back off target low on fuel has been equally
hazardous due to this presence. Our squadron had been hit
particularly hard by this menace and despite the dangers of widening
the war it is time to take it out.
The Plan –
Flights of F16s will ingress at high medium altitude to soak up enemy
radar. These flights will attack with High speed Anti-radiation
Missiles (HARMS) from stand-off ranges.
Subsequent flights of F16s carrying G-model Mavericks. The Gmavs will
penetrate the armor of the enemy ships before their warheads explode
thus maximizing the damage. The ingress will be from low level and
overlap with the Anti-radar attack.
Finally, a couple of flights of iron bomb carrying F16s should deliver
the final blow to the Kuznetsov and maybe even the Kirov. Subsequent
missions will finish off the remainder of the enemy fleet.
(It should be noted that these missions will be flown with Falcon 4.0
“Allied Force”. I don’t know if there is any value in the overall
campaign to destroying this task force other than the survival of my
own aircraft which ultimately is a requirement for my successful
completion of this campaign.)
First I had to hijack a several flights and set the waypoints to the
last know position of the task force and then arm the planes in order
to best accomplish my mission. It looks as though this mission will
take place over an entire day and require about six flights of
airplanes. I am guesstimating on what it will take to sink the ships
as these are big bastards and may require some additional ordinance.
The 78th Fighter Squadron, the Stingers, is operating out of
Brindisi-Casale airport in Italy. The first flight is a two ship
armed with HARM missiles.
Setting on the active runway I work through the switchology (is that a
word? well if not it should be.) setting up my electronic counter
measures, master arm on, normally I would turn off my anti-collision
light but since we will be primarily over friendly territory I will
leave them on for this series of missions. (Note: unlike other
variations of Falcon, the Master Arm is default to the off position in
Falcon AF) Finishing up the last of my checks I get clearance to take
off. On my right and slightly behind is my number two for this
flight. Settling back into my ejection seat I push the throttle
forward past the afterburner stops to full power. Accelerating
rapidly down the runway I rotate the flight controls skyward and my
viper lifts off the runway effortlessly. Retracting the landing gear
I bank to the right to pick up a heading that will bring the flight
into firing position while keeping us out of the effective defensive
envelope of the enemy fleet.
Looking over my shoulder, I watch as my number two takes to the air.
Once I pick up course I call for number two to close in. Since the
fleet has positioned itself so close to our coast it is only a matter
of minutes before we are detected. I bring up my HARM Targeting
System (HTS) by selecting HARM missiles and making them active.
Continuing to climb into firing position I spread the flight and lock
up the first radar emitting target. Once locked I give orders to
attack my target.
From this distance we are not in range of the HARMs but also not in
range of the enemy defenses. I am keenly aware that their defensive
suite has picked us up but, at the same time, hopeful that they are
under the assumption that we are but another flight heading into
Bosnia. Even with that, there is a strong possibility that they will
send up some SU-33s to investigate. This would be a very bad
development but one we are ready for with our compliment of AMRAAM
missiles. Despite the threat, I believe we can get in, deliver our
payload and get the hell out before the enemy has time to deliver an
effective response.
I switch to another target and close the range on the enemy. Watching
as my range queue drop within the effective range of the HARM, the
targeting queue begins to flash in my Heads Up Display (HUD) to
indicate that my weapons are in range and ready for launch. I close
in a few more miles before I pickle the first weapon followed a few
seconds later by another missile. The flash of the HARM is blinding
and lights up the cockpit. I break right, roll inverted and dive away
from the enemy ships instinctively dumping flares and chaff as I do.
The enemy is now aware of our plan and launched a couple of surface to
air missiles in our directions. At this point my number two had yet
to release his missiles and was still closing on the target…I am not
sure why. Since I am not sure how much damage our HARMS will do I
hang on to my remaining pair as I continue to dart out of the range
of enemy weapons. I listen as my number two launches his entire
payload into the enemy. Just in case he needs to be reminded that
loitering is not a good idea, I call him to rejoin and close in. By
this point I am some miles away from the carrier task force. But my
number two catches up in a matter of just a few minutes. Now we are
down on the deck and outside of the effective range of the enemy
missiles.
I send my wingman home as he is unarmed and there is no reason to
expose him to further danger. As he breaks for home, I turn back
towards the target and initiate a 10 degree climb back towards the
enemy task force. Our missiles have rained down on the enemy radars
and they are damaged, destroyed, and/or turned off as I don’t find any
radar emitting targets on my HTS. Now I am thinking that I may have
accomplished my mission with only a few HARM missiles. (Hmmm, to tell
you the truth I was getting a little disappointed as this would be a
complete departure from reality) Just as I think the enemy has been
vanquished they come back up in a hostile mode! Quickly I lock up the
emitter and pickle off my last two missiles but not before a SAM is
launched at me! Again, I dive down and away, this time pumping flares
and chaff in earnest as the threat is very real and immediate.
Using my Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) I get a bead on the enemy
missile and put it on my 3/9 line. After a few more seconds I am able
to get a padlock visual of the missile that, despite my best efforts,
is still guiding on my airplane. Skill and timing are everything but
sometimes luck is enough. Today luck prevails, as I roll inverted and
pull under the enemy SAM that flies harmlessly past me and up into the
upper atmosphere. “Damn, that was close” I murmur and I actually have
a bead of sweat on my brow. Continuing towards the deck I hug the
waves and head for home. However, this day has just begun.
Escape - Back to the mission screen I see my next flight is already in
the air so I take the lead and hop in.
This time we are loaded with more HARMS and a pair of G-model
mavericks. Again, we should be able to target the enemy radars with
our HARM missiles and maybe even sneak in and deliver a couple of
mavericks into the hulls of the enemy ships. We are Snake 21 and 22
for this trip and we will ingress at about 12,000 feet so we can duck
down to the water in a big hurry since the enemy is now awake and
angry. After going feet wet we close in tight and head into the teeth
of the enemy defenses. This time there is no waiting for the enemy
radar to show up…it is active and searching. As soon as the HARMs
come into range, I pickle off both of my missiles and give Snake22
orders to do the same. Following the launch of HARMs we close in
tight wing abreast and on the deck. I toggle up my mavericks and
switch over to SEA mode in my targeting system. At this point I just
want to get my missiles off before we are engaged. I bring up my
weapons view and slew into the target area. Because we are so low the
angles does not allow for a good look in. Expanding the view, I climb
slightly and level off at about 800 feet. Now I can get a quick
picture and I slew over the Kirov. I try frantically to get the
Kuznetsov but my thumb cannot move fast enough, so I settle on the
Kirov and give the order to attack just as I pickle off my missile.
Quickly reacquiring I launch my remaining missile and dive away.
Snake22 follows suit and in only a matter of seconds we are breaking
for home.
This time we were able to get all of our ordinance off without taking
any returning fire, to this point it appears that our initial attack
has done little damage to the enemy. However, no airplanes have come
up to meet us and there have been a limited number of SAMs chasing us.
As we egress back towards Brindisi-Casale I spy another flight of
strikers heading for the enemy fleet. I will let this one run on it
own and see how well the new Artificial Intelligence behaves in Allied
Force.
“Maverick, Maverick, Maverick” the call comes across on guard as the
AI flight leans into the attack. I quickly toggle through my F8 key
and catch a quick glimpse of the action. Initiating auto-pilot I hit
the action view and watch the battle unfold.
Escape - Once I am satisfied that the battle is unfolding as I
anticipated, actually better than I thought. I escape out just in
time to pick up my iron bomb wing. Ok, now to inflict some serious
damage. I am sure that the enemy task force is on the defensive and
has suffered some considerable damage. A quick check of it’s status
shows it at 56 percent with a couple of its escort ships missing…”hmmm
this is very good”, I think as I teleport myself onto the runway in
the lead aircraft. First things first, master arm-on. OK we are
cleared to blast so I throttle up to full after burning and bring my
ship skyward. Closing up tight we will ingress on the deck with the
hope of getting into the enemy without being seen. We will have to
pop up at the last minute to give our bombs enough height to arm
before impact so that climb before release will be the most dangerous
part of this mission. Down on the deck we continue out towards the
target passing the returning flight of strike aircraft.
As we ride in towards the target, I set up my electronic counter
measures and stage my bombs to drop in two pairs. This will ensure
that all my bombs come off in one pass because one pass is all I am
going to get. This is the most dangerous part of this plan as there
will be no standing off lobbing missiles into the target. However, if
we are able to get hits we should be able to take a couple of the big
ships out. Of course our focus will be the Kuznetsov and the Kirov.
The fact that we have yet to encounter any enemy CAP around the task
force indicate that our initial attack came as a complete surprise and
we inflicted enough damage as to not allow for launch and recovery on
the carrier.
We continue inbound and I bring my weapons into air-to-ground mode. I
switch over to SEA. Little dots indicate that the task force is
within 30 miles traveling from southeast to northwest. Expanding the
view I only see four dots but I cannot tell if any is bigger than the
other so I take my best guess and use my thumb to move the targeting
designator over a target. The designator box is moving with the ships
so I hit the L key and get a larger view of what is going on. Hmmm, I
never attacked ships with iron bombs before and I guess they are doing
about 30 knots so the targeting computer is having a hard time
computing the impact point. Actually it is probably not having a hard
time but my mind is not comfortable with so much movement. Now we are
closing in on 15 miles so I give my wing dog orders to attack right
before I break the CCRP lock and go into CCIP. My comfort level is
greater with my own estimate rather than the computer. OK since I am
doing this by eyeball I want to maximize my chances of a hit so I
maneuver so that I can fly the length of the ship. No doubt this
technique maximizes my changes of a hit it also dramatically increases
my chances of being hit. However, my fangs are out and I continue
inbound as I want to kill this ship. At about 7 miles I start to
climb. Thus far we have been pretty lucky as the enemy has not taken
much action in his defense.
Our luck does not hold…as we pop up to a reasonable height every thing
in the world opens up on us. My wingman went to a height about three
times my own and paid the price. I watched as missiles crisscross the
sky and a pair tracks my number two. I frantically call out SAM
breaks but the missile barrage is too intense. Looking up I see my
number two take a hit and eject. A few seconds after the ejection a
second missile blows through the fuselage of Snake22 turning it into a
tumbling ball of fire. “Damn” I think as I call for a SAR. The
chances of him being picked up by friendlies, with the enemy fleet so
close are quite remote. There is a much greater possibility that he
will be picked up by enemy forces and spend the rest of the war in a
POW camp. While the focus was on my number two they either forgot
about me are were unable to lock me due to my ingress profile. In
any event, the Kuznetsov came beautifully into view and I maneuvered
my death dot for what I considered the perfect hit.
Bugging out as fast as I can, I head back home without so much as
another shot being fired at me. OK, this time I will ride all the way
back home and take it in for a landing. I stay on the deck for most
of my trip home as I would hate to lose another plane, especially one
that I am riding in. The return trip is pretty uneventful. I take a
spot in line and follow the instruction of the Air Traffic Controller,
coming in on runway 19, clearing the perimeter fence and touching down
right on the numbers. I taxi over to parking and exit to get to the
debriefing screen. It shows four bombs dropped and four hits.
“Beautiful” I grin. I look at the status of the target fleet and what
was a carrier task force of four destroyers, a cruiser and an aircraft
carrier now only consists of a cruiser and a destroyer! To make
matters even better they appear to be heading now southeast and away
from the theater of operations. Damn that, I want those ships so I
set up a couple more missions that ultimately destroys both vessels.
It has been just over one day since I took out the 99th Carrier task
force. Our situation has gone from fluid to excellent; no airplanes
have been lost to enemy air, or to ship launched SAMS. As a matter of
fact the only enemy planes I have seen up since taking out the
Kusnetsov have been the AN-124, hardly a threat. There has been some
debate about the value of committing resources to taking out this
fleet. I guess it all depends on the location of the task force. If
it is in a area out of the combat zone it poises no threat and may not
be worth the effort. However, it you find this menace parked on your
coast or in your flight path you are going to have to deal with it,
the sooner the better.
Puma-
Go to my website to check this story out with all the screenies
www.pumaslog.addr.com
The 99th Carrier Task Force has strategically parked itself in the
middle of the Adriatic Sea. The combination of ship born surface to
air missiles and SU-33s carried by the Kuznetsov have taken a heavy
toll on our bomb laden aircraft as they try to make their way to
target. Coming back off target low on fuel has been equally
hazardous due to this presence. Our squadron had been hit
particularly hard by this menace and despite the dangers of widening
the war it is time to take it out.
The Plan –
Flights of F16s will ingress at high medium altitude to soak up enemy
radar. These flights will attack with High speed Anti-radiation
Missiles (HARMS) from stand-off ranges.
Subsequent flights of F16s carrying G-model Mavericks. The Gmavs will
penetrate the armor of the enemy ships before their warheads explode
thus maximizing the damage. The ingress will be from low level and
overlap with the Anti-radar attack.
Finally, a couple of flights of iron bomb carrying F16s should deliver
the final blow to the Kuznetsov and maybe even the Kirov. Subsequent
missions will finish off the remainder of the enemy fleet.
(It should be noted that these missions will be flown with Falcon 4.0
“Allied Force”. I don’t know if there is any value in the overall
campaign to destroying this task force other than the survival of my
own aircraft which ultimately is a requirement for my successful
completion of this campaign.)
First I had to hijack a several flights and set the waypoints to the
last know position of the task force and then arm the planes in order
to best accomplish my mission. It looks as though this mission will
take place over an entire day and require about six flights of
airplanes. I am guesstimating on what it will take to sink the ships
as these are big bastards and may require some additional ordinance.
The 78th Fighter Squadron, the Stingers, is operating out of
Brindisi-Casale airport in Italy. The first flight is a two ship
armed with HARM missiles.
Setting on the active runway I work through the switchology (is that a
word? well if not it should be.) setting up my electronic counter
measures, master arm on, normally I would turn off my anti-collision
light but since we will be primarily over friendly territory I will
leave them on for this series of missions. (Note: unlike other
variations of Falcon, the Master Arm is default to the off position in
Falcon AF) Finishing up the last of my checks I get clearance to take
off. On my right and slightly behind is my number two for this
flight. Settling back into my ejection seat I push the throttle
forward past the afterburner stops to full power. Accelerating
rapidly down the runway I rotate the flight controls skyward and my
viper lifts off the runway effortlessly. Retracting the landing gear
I bank to the right to pick up a heading that will bring the flight
into firing position while keeping us out of the effective defensive
envelope of the enemy fleet.
Looking over my shoulder, I watch as my number two takes to the air.
Once I pick up course I call for number two to close in. Since the
fleet has positioned itself so close to our coast it is only a matter
of minutes before we are detected. I bring up my HARM Targeting
System (HTS) by selecting HARM missiles and making them active.
Continuing to climb into firing position I spread the flight and lock
up the first radar emitting target. Once locked I give orders to
attack my target.
From this distance we are not in range of the HARMs but also not in
range of the enemy defenses. I am keenly aware that their defensive
suite has picked us up but, at the same time, hopeful that they are
under the assumption that we are but another flight heading into
Bosnia. Even with that, there is a strong possibility that they will
send up some SU-33s to investigate. This would be a very bad
development but one we are ready for with our compliment of AMRAAM
missiles. Despite the threat, I believe we can get in, deliver our
payload and get the hell out before the enemy has time to deliver an
effective response.
I switch to another target and close the range on the enemy. Watching
as my range queue drop within the effective range of the HARM, the
targeting queue begins to flash in my Heads Up Display (HUD) to
indicate that my weapons are in range and ready for launch. I close
in a few more miles before I pickle the first weapon followed a few
seconds later by another missile. The flash of the HARM is blinding
and lights up the cockpit. I break right, roll inverted and dive away
from the enemy ships instinctively dumping flares and chaff as I do.
The enemy is now aware of our plan and launched a couple of surface to
air missiles in our directions. At this point my number two had yet
to release his missiles and was still closing on the target…I am not
sure why. Since I am not sure how much damage our HARMS will do I
hang on to my remaining pair as I continue to dart out of the range
of enemy weapons. I listen as my number two launches his entire
payload into the enemy. Just in case he needs to be reminded that
loitering is not a good idea, I call him to rejoin and close in. By
this point I am some miles away from the carrier task force. But my
number two catches up in a matter of just a few minutes. Now we are
down on the deck and outside of the effective range of the enemy
missiles.
I send my wingman home as he is unarmed and there is no reason to
expose him to further danger. As he breaks for home, I turn back
towards the target and initiate a 10 degree climb back towards the
enemy task force. Our missiles have rained down on the enemy radars
and they are damaged, destroyed, and/or turned off as I don’t find any
radar emitting targets on my HTS. Now I am thinking that I may have
accomplished my mission with only a few HARM missiles. (Hmmm, to tell
you the truth I was getting a little disappointed as this would be a
complete departure from reality) Just as I think the enemy has been
vanquished they come back up in a hostile mode! Quickly I lock up the
emitter and pickle off my last two missiles but not before a SAM is
launched at me! Again, I dive down and away, this time pumping flares
and chaff in earnest as the threat is very real and immediate.
Using my Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) I get a bead on the enemy
missile and put it on my 3/9 line. After a few more seconds I am able
to get a padlock visual of the missile that, despite my best efforts,
is still guiding on my airplane. Skill and timing are everything but
sometimes luck is enough. Today luck prevails, as I roll inverted and
pull under the enemy SAM that flies harmlessly past me and up into the
upper atmosphere. “Damn, that was close” I murmur and I actually have
a bead of sweat on my brow. Continuing towards the deck I hug the
waves and head for home. However, this day has just begun.
Escape - Back to the mission screen I see my next flight is already in
the air so I take the lead and hop in.
This time we are loaded with more HARMS and a pair of G-model
mavericks. Again, we should be able to target the enemy radars with
our HARM missiles and maybe even sneak in and deliver a couple of
mavericks into the hulls of the enemy ships. We are Snake 21 and 22
for this trip and we will ingress at about 12,000 feet so we can duck
down to the water in a big hurry since the enemy is now awake and
angry. After going feet wet we close in tight and head into the teeth
of the enemy defenses. This time there is no waiting for the enemy
radar to show up…it is active and searching. As soon as the HARMs
come into range, I pickle off both of my missiles and give Snake22
orders to do the same. Following the launch of HARMs we close in
tight wing abreast and on the deck. I toggle up my mavericks and
switch over to SEA mode in my targeting system. At this point I just
want to get my missiles off before we are engaged. I bring up my
weapons view and slew into the target area. Because we are so low the
angles does not allow for a good look in. Expanding the view, I climb
slightly and level off at about 800 feet. Now I can get a quick
picture and I slew over the Kirov. I try frantically to get the
Kuznetsov but my thumb cannot move fast enough, so I settle on the
Kirov and give the order to attack just as I pickle off my missile.
Quickly reacquiring I launch my remaining missile and dive away.
Snake22 follows suit and in only a matter of seconds we are breaking
for home.
This time we were able to get all of our ordinance off without taking
any returning fire, to this point it appears that our initial attack
has done little damage to the enemy. However, no airplanes have come
up to meet us and there have been a limited number of SAMs chasing us.
As we egress back towards Brindisi-Casale I spy another flight of
strikers heading for the enemy fleet. I will let this one run on it
own and see how well the new Artificial Intelligence behaves in Allied
Force.
“Maverick, Maverick, Maverick” the call comes across on guard as the
AI flight leans into the attack. I quickly toggle through my F8 key
and catch a quick glimpse of the action. Initiating auto-pilot I hit
the action view and watch the battle unfold.
Escape - Once I am satisfied that the battle is unfolding as I
anticipated, actually better than I thought. I escape out just in
time to pick up my iron bomb wing. Ok, now to inflict some serious
damage. I am sure that the enemy task force is on the defensive and
has suffered some considerable damage. A quick check of it’s status
shows it at 56 percent with a couple of its escort ships missing…”hmmm
this is very good”, I think as I teleport myself onto the runway in
the lead aircraft. First things first, master arm-on. OK we are
cleared to blast so I throttle up to full after burning and bring my
ship skyward. Closing up tight we will ingress on the deck with the
hope of getting into the enemy without being seen. We will have to
pop up at the last minute to give our bombs enough height to arm
before impact so that climb before release will be the most dangerous
part of this mission. Down on the deck we continue out towards the
target passing the returning flight of strike aircraft.
As we ride in towards the target, I set up my electronic counter
measures and stage my bombs to drop in two pairs. This will ensure
that all my bombs come off in one pass because one pass is all I am
going to get. This is the most dangerous part of this plan as there
will be no standing off lobbing missiles into the target. However, if
we are able to get hits we should be able to take a couple of the big
ships out. Of course our focus will be the Kuznetsov and the Kirov.
The fact that we have yet to encounter any enemy CAP around the task
force indicate that our initial attack came as a complete surprise and
we inflicted enough damage as to not allow for launch and recovery on
the carrier.
We continue inbound and I bring my weapons into air-to-ground mode. I
switch over to SEA. Little dots indicate that the task force is
within 30 miles traveling from southeast to northwest. Expanding the
view I only see four dots but I cannot tell if any is bigger than the
other so I take my best guess and use my thumb to move the targeting
designator over a target. The designator box is moving with the ships
so I hit the L key and get a larger view of what is going on. Hmmm, I
never attacked ships with iron bombs before and I guess they are doing
about 30 knots so the targeting computer is having a hard time
computing the impact point. Actually it is probably not having a hard
time but my mind is not comfortable with so much movement. Now we are
closing in on 15 miles so I give my wing dog orders to attack right
before I break the CCRP lock and go into CCIP. My comfort level is
greater with my own estimate rather than the computer. OK since I am
doing this by eyeball I want to maximize my chances of a hit so I
maneuver so that I can fly the length of the ship. No doubt this
technique maximizes my changes of a hit it also dramatically increases
my chances of being hit. However, my fangs are out and I continue
inbound as I want to kill this ship. At about 7 miles I start to
climb. Thus far we have been pretty lucky as the enemy has not taken
much action in his defense.
Our luck does not hold…as we pop up to a reasonable height every thing
in the world opens up on us. My wingman went to a height about three
times my own and paid the price. I watched as missiles crisscross the
sky and a pair tracks my number two. I frantically call out SAM
breaks but the missile barrage is too intense. Looking up I see my
number two take a hit and eject. A few seconds after the ejection a
second missile blows through the fuselage of Snake22 turning it into a
tumbling ball of fire. “Damn” I think as I call for a SAR. The
chances of him being picked up by friendlies, with the enemy fleet so
close are quite remote. There is a much greater possibility that he
will be picked up by enemy forces and spend the rest of the war in a
POW camp. While the focus was on my number two they either forgot
about me are were unable to lock me due to my ingress profile. In
any event, the Kuznetsov came beautifully into view and I maneuvered
my death dot for what I considered the perfect hit.
Bugging out as fast as I can, I head back home without so much as
another shot being fired at me. OK, this time I will ride all the way
back home and take it in for a landing. I stay on the deck for most
of my trip home as I would hate to lose another plane, especially one
that I am riding in. The return trip is pretty uneventful. I take a
spot in line and follow the instruction of the Air Traffic Controller,
coming in on runway 19, clearing the perimeter fence and touching down
right on the numbers. I taxi over to parking and exit to get to the
debriefing screen. It shows four bombs dropped and four hits.
“Beautiful” I grin. I look at the status of the target fleet and what
was a carrier task force of four destroyers, a cruiser and an aircraft
carrier now only consists of a cruiser and a destroyer! To make
matters even better they appear to be heading now southeast and away
from the theater of operations. Damn that, I want those ships so I
set up a couple more missions that ultimately destroys both vessels.
It has been just over one day since I took out the 99th Carrier task
force. Our situation has gone from fluid to excellent; no airplanes
have been lost to enemy air, or to ship launched SAMS. As a matter of
fact the only enemy planes I have seen up since taking out the
Kusnetsov have been the AN-124, hardly a threat. There has been some
debate about the value of committing resources to taking out this
fleet. I guess it all depends on the location of the task force. If
it is in a area out of the combat zone it poises no threat and may not
be worth the effort. However, it you find this menace parked on your
coast or in your flight path you are going to have to deal with it,
the sooner the better.
Puma-
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