Northern Fury # 9: Hold the Line AAR

[bladesinger79]

At last! The United States Navy is getting involved in the war. In this 2-day scenario, I get the USS Enterprise carrier group with five subs and slew of land-based aircraft. The Russians have TWO carrier groups from the resurrected Kuznetsov and Varyag, lots of subs running rampant in the Atlantic, a number of land-based aircraft from Iceland (which in my last games was NOT captured), and a bunch of Foxhounds and Backfires. Evenly matched right? Unfortunately for the Russians...IT WASN'T EVEN CLOSE!!!

I've dealt out some beatings in this campaign before, but this one was a greater beating than what the Coalition did to the Iraqis in the 1991 Gulf War. I suffered only one battle damaged aircraft in this fight to a French BR1150 Atlantic. With my Tomcats armed with the Phoenix missiles, I played air sniper. The Russians did have a chance: to go back where they came from. But they told me to go do something very sexually offensive to myself. I took it a bit personal and dished out vengence.

EDITING: I changed all the aircraft to READY, except for the planes down for maintenance.

I started off the fight with laying as many sonobuoys as possible in front of TG-E (Task Group Enterprise) and the shipping lane (SLOC)while converting all of fighters to AAM loadouts. When the enemy sent their Backfires and Foxhounds, I had Phoenix missiles waiting for them. A minute later, I was sending hulks of carrier-based Flankers into the sea. Within two hours, not only did I establish a bit of air superiority, but sank two subs. In addition, I found the two enemy carrier groups too far out for attack, but they were potential sub bait. Four hours in, I had shot down 46 enemy aircraft, no losses. Hours later, my planes sent a bunch of enemy vessels under the sea from both task groups. The subs finished them off. There was nothing left of the enemy.
From there, the outcome of the battle was no longer in contest, only a matter of how many points I could rack up. Once I replenished my munitions for the Big-E, it was over (I'm still crappy with doing that in game, so I used Editor).

I attacked Keflavik twice, using up about 60 aircraft and all the Tomahawks I had. When the dust settled and the smoke was still billowing in the sky, I reduced the enemy to 8 total SAM tubes and a jammer truck. I didn't strike the airfield. With 11 hours remaining, I called the game as there was nothing left to do. I may have missed a special event but felt it wasn't necessary.

Sank 14 total enemy ships, 9 submarines. Shot down 302 enemy aircraft, not including helos.

Land-based fighters from USA were not involved as they were just too far away to do anything. I had transferred a bunch of planes to Thule AFB, but didn't want to risk any casualties trying to pick off Foxhounds and AWACs so I just left them there. I did however use up tankers, Orions, and Sentrys to the fullest. In addition, I used the 493 from Lossiemouth to pick of straggling Flanker-Bs, Backfires, and tankers trying to push past Iceland. The Tornadoes did well, they deserve some praise.

Three things really bugged me on this:
#1, the dice rolls in avoiding my missiles by the system was outstanding. I had to use 4-5 missiles sometimes just to shoot down a tanker or an ASW plane. Guns were practically useless, seems like the US piloting training needs to update themselves on dogfighting.
#2: Air Refueling. My planes would break off from missions just to refuel when they were not low on fuel. Sometimes, I had my F15s and Tornadoes try to refuel with 75% of fuel remaining and wasn't far away from Lossiemouth. Other times, I had Vikings break off from ASW patrol to go fuel at a station over 400nm miles away when the Enterprise was well within range. I tried to reset the ROE on refueling but this didn't change the situation. Only when I grounded the tankers did I have full control of my aircraft again. Wondering if anyone has addressed this.
#3: When I landed F-16s from Goose Bay what was loaded with Sparrow-III heavy loadouts, they automatically switched to Ready-Reserve and lost their munitions. The game would NOT allow me to ready them with missiles despite Thule AFB having more than enough. Had to use Editor to give them back their loaded missiles.

Lots and lots of pilots scored over a dozen kills. I kept track of kills on a spreadsheet, but stopped counting after the first 18 hours was gone. Russians never had a chance, it was a senseless slaughter. I didn't lose a single aircraft, while shooting down what should be considered an entire air division of Russian forces. That's how wars are supposed to be fought if you want to win. For the enemy, they really need to surrender. Heheh.

AAR details coming up in the next response. Total score: 2555 victory points!

SIDE: NATO
===========================================================

LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x EA-6B Prowler ICAP II Blk 86
1x Nimrod MR.2P


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
14x 20mm/85 M61A1 Vulcan Burst [100 rnds]
2x 27mm Mauser BK-27 Burst [30 rnds]
3x ADC Mk2 Mod 0 Torpedo Decoy
6x ADC Mk2 Mod 1 Torpedo Decoy
4x ADC Mk3 Mod 0 Sonobuoy Countermeasure
136x AGM-84D Harpoon IC
232x AGM-84E SLAM
30x AGM-88A HARM
88x AIM-120A AMRAAM
285x AIM-54C Phoenix
65x AIM-7M Sparrow III
42x AIM-7P Sparrow III
107x AIM-9M Sidewinder
363x AN/SSQ-53B DIFAR
241x AN/SSQ-62B DICASS
74x AN/SSQ-77A VLAD
55x CA/SSQ-523 CASS [AN/SSQ-50]
404x CA/SSQ-550 DIFAR [AN/SSQ-53A]
16x DSTA 3 DICASS [TSM 8040]
300x DSTV 4M LOFAR [TSM 8010]
209x DSTV 7A LOFAR [TSM 8030]
7x Generic Chaff Salvo [5x Cartridges]
4x Generic Flare Salvo [3x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
8x Mk46 NEARTIP Mod 5
29x Mk48 Mod 5 ADCAP
8x Mk50 Barracuda Mod 0 ALWT
122x RGM-109C Tomahawk Blk II TLAM-C
12x RIM-67C SM-2ER Blk II
82x Sky Flash Super TEMP Mod.
196x SSQ-904 Mini-Jezebel LOFAR
38x SSQ-947 Julie Active Range-Only [AN/SSQ-47]
33x SSQ-963A CAMBS III
24x UGM-109C Tomahawk Blk II TLAM
24x UGM-109C Tomahawk Blk II TLAM
4x UGM-84B Harpoon IA
12x UGM-84D Harpoon IC

SIDE: Warsaw Pact
===========================================================
LOSSES:
-------------------------------
8x 23mm ZU-23-2 [BTR-ZD] [Cargo]
21x 3MS-2 Bison B [Tanker]
1x A/C Hangar (4x Large Aircraft)
11x Be-12PL Mail
2x BPK Udaloy I [Pr.1155 Fregat]
2x BPK Udaloy II [PR.1155.1 Fregat-M]
2x EM Sovremenny I [Pr.956 Sarych]
2x EM Sovremenny I [Pr.956A Sarych]
2x Ka-25Ts Hormone B
21x Ka-27PL Helix A
5x Ka-27PL Helix A
1x Ka-27PL Helix A
7x Ka-29RLD Helix
38x MiG-29 Fulcrum C
10x MiG-31 Foxhound
24x MiG-31B Foxhound
1x PL-877M Kilo
2x PLA-671RT Victor II [Syomga]
2x PLA-671RTM Victor III [Shchuka]
2x PLA-671RTMK Victor III [Shchuka]
1x PLA-945 Sierra I [Barrakuda]
1x PLARK-949 Oscar I [Granit]
2x Radar (Big Bird B [5N64S])
2x Radar (Long Track [P-40])
2x RKR Kirov [Pr.1144 Orlan]
2x RKR Slava [Pr.1164 Atlant]
36x SA-10b Grumble [5P85S] TEL [Cargo]
16x SA-12a Gladiator [9A83] TELAR [Cargo]
8x SA-12a Gladiator [9A84] LLV [Cargo]
7x SA-12b Giant [9A82] TELAR [Cargo]
4x SA-12b Giant [9A85] LLV [Cargo]
12x SA-16 Gimlet [9K310 Igla-1] MANPADS [Cargo]
24x SA-20a Gargoyle [5P85SE] TEL [Cargo]
7x SA-6a Gainful [2P25] TEL [Cargo]
39x Su-24M Fencer D
7x Su-24MP Fencer F
8x Su-24MR Fencer E
2x Su-27S Flanker B
12x Su-27S Flanker B
48x Su-33 Flanker D
1x TAKR Admiral Kuznetsov [Pr.1143.5]
1x TAKR Admiral Kuznetsov [Pr.1143.5]
8x Tu-16P Badger J
2x Tu-16P Badger J
5x Tu-16P Badger L
5x Tu-16P Badger L
10x Tu-16RM-1/2 Badger D
10x Tu-16Ye Badger K
42x Tu-22M-3 Backfire C
7x Vehicle (Clam Shell [5N66]) [Cargo]
2x Vehicle (Flap Lid B [5N63S]) [Cargo]
4x Vehicle (Grill Pan [9S32-1]) [Cargo]
1x Vehicle (Straight Flush [1S91]) [Cargo]
4x Vehicle (Tombstone [30N6]) [Cargo]


EXPENDITURES:
------------------
8x 23mm AM-23 x 2 Burst [50 rnds]
2x 23mm AM-23 x 2 Burst [50 rnds]
14x 30mm Twin Gatling Gsh-6-30K Burst [375 rnds]
2x 65-76 Kit WH
10x AA-10 Alamo A [R-27R, MR TSARH]
94x AA-10 Alamo C [R-27ER, LR TSARH]
4x AA-8 Aphid [R-60M]
5x AA-9 Amos [R-33, SARH]
7x AA-9 Amos [R-33S, SARH]
32x AK-100 100mm/70 Frag
29x AK-130 130mm/54 Twin Frag Burst [2 rnds]
39x AK-630M 30mm/65 Gatling Burst [400 rnds]
6x AS-4 Kitchen A Mod 3 [Kh-22N ASM]
295x Generic Acoustic Decoy
249x Generic Chaff Salvo [4x Cartridges]
83x Generic Chaff Salvo [5x Cartridges]
116x Generic Chaff Salvo [8x Cartridges]
24x Generic Flare Salvo [2x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
50x Generic Flare Salvo [4x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
283x PK-10 Chaff [SR-50]
48x PK-2 Chaff [TSP-47]
39x RGB-75 [Basic Search, Passive Omni]
641x RGB-NM-1 [Passive Omni]
288x SA-10b Grumble [5V55R]
96x SA-12a Gladiator [9M83]
110x SA-20a Gargoyle [48N6]
72x SA-6a Gainful [3M9]
34x SA-N-11a Grisom [9M311K]
49x SA-N-4b Gecko [9M33M3]
201x SA-N-6a Grumble [5R55RM]
15x SA-N-7 Gadfly [9M38]
12x SA-N-8 Gremlin [9M36]
23x SA-N-9 Gauntlet [9M330-2 Kinzhal]
16x SS-N-12 Sandbox Mod 1 [P-500 Bazalt]
2x SS-N-14 Silex [85RU, Dual-Role, UMGT-1 Torpedo + 185kg Unitary]
20x SS-N-19 Shipwreck [P-700 Granit]

SIDE: Non Combatants
===========================================================
LOSSES:
EXPENDITURES:
------------------

SIDE: USAF Air Mobility Comd
===========================================================
LOSSES:
EXPENDITURES:
------------------

SIDE: USN Ready Reserve
===========================================================
LOSSES:
EXPENDITURES:
------------------
83x AN/SSQ-62B DICASS

[bladesinger79]

Northern Fury # 9: Hold the Line After Action Report
Thursday, 17 February 1994, Zulu 0800

Pre-mission tasks.
I reconfigured as many fighters as possible aboard the Enterprise for anti-air and anti-ship loadouts. All Tomcats would be fitted Phoenix heavy, Hornets Sparrow and/or AMRAAM heavy, and Eagles AMRAAM heavy. I wasn’t afraid of Flankers, but Foxhounds gives me cause for concern. All helos and ASW aircraft that was not fitted for sub warfare would be. Realizing I limited my air cover, but many would be up and running within a few hours.
I launched a ton of ASW aircraft to get those sonobuoys deployed. There’s a LOT of sea space to cover and no idea how close enemy subs would start close to my ships.
Editing.
#1. I gave all the Tomcats that were in “ready” status Phoenix missile loadouts and eliminated the dozens of civilian planes. Why? It was causing my system to either slow down considerably or crash, and I didn’t need all that on my computer.
#2. I took full control of TG-241. Just seemed like the right thing to do.

Zulu 0800: Launched four flights of Tomcats to provide long distanced CAP, while sending the current CAP out to look for bombers between Greenland and Iceland. Launched three more flights of Tornadoes in the UK to do the same, while the Grim Reapers of 493 Sqn would provide CAP. Also sent two Nimrods south to help the French in protecting the SLOC. Speaking of the French, I launch a pair of Atlantics and Atlantique IIs to get a belt of sonobuoys deployed inside and outside the SLOC.
Zulu 0812: Two Flanker Bs flying separately from Norway headed for the Faroe Islands. I have six total Tornadoes against them.
Zulu 0825: Over two dozen air contacts detected, many west and south of Iceland. A group of Su-33’s spotted SSE of Keflavik, roughly 150nm NW of the HMS Talent. I sense a potential sub attack opportunity.
Zule 0829: Su-27B #230 fires two AA-10s, most likely the Cs, at 11Sqn RAF #11, #12 of flight 3097 from long range at their tails. These were successfully outrun. The Flanker turns away, I give chase.
Zulu 0837: Su-27B #231 also fires at Flight 3097 with its long-range missiles, nearly hit.
Zulu 0839: Three groups of hostiles detected heading SSW from Iceland at very high altitudes. One peels off to intercept one of my Tomcat CAPs. Judging by their high speeds, suspected as Foxhounds. With Phoenix missile loads, I have the advantage. Seconds later, they are confirmed as MiG-31s and I engage with VF-51 #5, #6 from Flight 3123.
Zulu 0840: 11Sqn #1 shot down Su-27B #230.
Zulu 0842: 11Sqn #11 shot down Su-27B #231. VF-51 #6 shot down one MiG-31. VF-51 #5 shot down the other.
Zulu 0851: Four Su-27Bs spotted headed for the UK region. This is going to be tough.
Zulu 0852. Sonar contact detected inside the Lorient ASW 4 zone. Confirmed signature identifies it at an SSK. 23F #1 from France was sent to terminate it.
Zulu 0901: VF-111 #6, #7 each shot down one MiG-31. Ten minutes later, they each kill one more Mig-31.
Zulu 0911: 11Sqn RAF #6, #7 begins chasing down the four Su-27Bs. 11Sqn #3, #10 lends a hand.
Zulu 0912: 23F #1 sinks a Kilo class sub, took three NEARTIP torpedoes to do it. Suffered multiple hits by SAMs, as the sub was on the surface. It is ordered to return to base, it’s pretty much out for the remainder of the mission.
Zulu 0918: 11Sqn #6, #7 finished off three of the four Su-27s in the area, #3 killed the fourth.
Zulu 0930: VF-111 #10 shot down a Be-12PL Mail who foolishly flew too far out from Iceland’s CAP. With VF-111 #12, they continue to hunt down targets of opportunity from long range.
Zulu 0940: VF-111 #10, #12 of Flight 3125 engages a Fencer F and an incoming group of Fulcrums. The Fence was 20nm away, while the Fulcrums were much farther. The results were abysmal against the Fulcrums. 7 Phoenix missile shots, one hit (the chaff spoofing rolls were just unbelievable). I attempted to draw the wave of enemy fighters within range of my SAMS.
Zulu 0949: 11Sqn #2 shot down a tanker east of Ireland that was flying alone.
Zulu 0952: A sea-skimming missile detected 200+nm west of the UK and 50-60nm SSE of HMS Talent. I launched a Nimrod and diverted the HMS Talent south to investigate.
Zulu 1032: VF-51 #7 shot down one MiG-29 Fulcrum C and one Su-24MP Fencer F, VF-51 # 8 shot down two.
Zulu 1046: Surface group of unknown size and strength spotted south of Iceland heading SSW of TG Enterprise. Possible CVHG group looking to raid commerce lanes.
Zulu 1056: Sonar contact by sonobuoy in the SLOT lane, I had an Orion nearby to investigate. Confirmed as a hostile SSN.
Zulu 1058: A group of six Mails flew unprotected SE towards the MHS Talent roughly 100nm south of the enemy TG. They were all destroyed by 11Sqn RAF #8 and #9. A bunch of Su-33s tried to rescue their buddies but were too late.
Zulu 1105: Enemy sub, NNE of TG-241 identified as a Victor II class skirting north of the SLOT heading slowly east.
Zulu 1112: 493Sqn #1 shot down two Su-33s.
Zulu 1115: 405 Sqn RCAF #1 sinks the Victor II sub.
Zulu 1120: VF-51 #2, #2 each shot down a MiG-29 who flew right into CAP space.
Second enemy TG spotted west of Iceland. Judging by the amount of Su-33s, most likely a Kuznetsov group.
Zulu 1130: Received a direct message from CINCLANT to continue with the mission, added more planes to my control, and try to find those jammers deep behind enemy territory. The only fighters available that can fly that far are my F-15s with light AMRAAM loadouts. I reconfigured their loadouts and planned on using them soon. First things first, I MUST establish air superiority.
Zulu 1140: Small fighter engagement, VF-111 #6 shot down two Su-33s not far from suspected Kuznetsov Group. 493 Sqn #2 shot down one Mig-29 behind the second enemy TG. Enemy jammer and spoofing rolls were legendary here. 493 Sqn #4 shot down one MiG-29, took four total missiles to kill that one.
Zulu 1151: 493 Sqn #3 and #4 managed to track and shot down a Tu-16P Badger L at close range. Took a pair of Sidewinders to bring it down. 493 Sqn #2 shot down one Tu-16RM-1/2 Badger D.
Zulu 1204: VF-111 # 8 and #9 each shot down one Su-33. 493 #3 and #4 totaled five AMRAAMS to take down one Su-33 (the dice rolls were insane) east of Iceland. 493 Sqn #1, #2 snuck close to eastern Iceland and attacked OESM planes, shot down four total ELINT planes.

Zulu 1223: A group of Backfire Cs spotted east of Iceland, roughly four or so. I have a flight of Tornadoes enroute to try and intercept should fuel allow. Continued to play long-ranged sniping of enemy fighters with my Tomcats against the buzz of planes west of Iceland. My ASW assets continued to lay down hundreds and hundreds of sonobuoys along the SLOC. The San Juan and Portsmouth subs are closing in on the western enemy TG to attack from two directions, while the far distanced Chicago and HMS Talent attempt to do the same to the southeastern enemy TG. 201 Sqn RAF #4 is looking for an enemy sub south of the HMS Talent. I shifted the tanker zones closer to the objectives. It is four hours and forty minutes into the battle. The Losses are:
Enemy: 2 subs, 46 total aircraft.
Friendly: zero losses.

Zulu 1228: VF-111 #8 shot down one Su-33, missed once while #9 also missed. VF-111 #3 ended up shooting down the other. A hot air engagement is taking place south of the other enemy TG. Six total Su-33s are picking on four of my Grim Reapers. VF-111 #2 shot down two Su-33s blitzing at top speed at him and #3.
Zulu 1242: 11 Sqn #4 and #5 shot down two and one Backfire Cs respectively east of Iceland, had enough fuel to try and attack more support craft behind the southern TG.
Zulu 1253: VF-111 #2 shot down one more Su-33 before expending all Phoenix missiles. 11 Sqn #4 shot down a Badger 1/2D.
Zulu 1300: VF-111 #5 shot down the last airborne Su-33 from the western enemy TG. 11 Sqn # 4 and #5 each shot down a Badger D and a Badger L. All missiles and most gun ammo expended; they return home in triumph.
Zulu 1308: 493 Sqn #5 shot down last known Su-33 in the air from southern TG, headed home due to fuel shortage.
Zulu 1309: Goblin contact 58nm east of the 24th Infantry convoy. ID’d as an SSN by VP-3 #2. It is destroyed at Zulu 1312. A Nimrod crashed, have no idea how that happened.
Zulu 1320: VFA-132 #1 and #2 each shot down a Su-33 close to the enemy western TG. Took 8 total AMRAAMs to do it (should have seen the dice rolls) while the enemy was flying straight and level to land back to their base. Frustrating.
Zulu 1322: VF-111 #4 shot down one Su-33 from long range while covering VFA-132’s retreat from missiles. Meanwhile, I launch four Eagles from Thule AFB to hunt for bombers deep inside enemy territory. I send a tanker over Greenland to assist with fueling, looking at long flights. Unassigned a Sentry and sent it closer to Iceland for additional radar detection. Finally, I send all 12 fighters from VFA-137 to Goose Bay and assigned all VFA-136 to Enterprise. Swapping out Sparrow equipped Hornets for ones that can use AMRAAMs.
Zulu 1333: VF-111 #4 shot down two Su-33s chasing friendly fighters.
Zulu 1346: VF-51 #6 shot down one Su-33. VFA-132 #1 and #2 shot down one Su-33 apiece.
Zulu 1349: VF-51 #9 shot down one Su-33.
Zulu 1404: USS Portsmouth detects a Goblin contact 14nm to the SSE. It was confirmed as an SSN, launches two torpedoes. It is sunk, confirmed as a Victor III class sub.
Zulu 1423: Launched ten of 12 VA-176 Hornets, each loaded with 4 harpoon missiles to attack the western TG while their CAP was down. Risky, but maybe worth taking a few ships down.
Zulu 1450: VFA-132 #5, #6 each shot down a Su-33 that was chasing one of my Tomcats.
The First Strike begins. Fighters from VF-51 #5,#6, #7, #8, and #12 cleared out Helix helicopters for the subs to close in. The VA-176 dropped to 12000 feet. Forty total missiles fired. Eight fired at each of the two forward DDGs, 12 at each of the heavy ships flanking the carrier. One Udaloy sunk, another ablaze and flooding. The Slava took one hit, while the Kirov avoided damage by firing a beehive of SAMs. The Slava returned fire with about 20 or so SSMs but were all shot down by my valiant fighters. Just SW of Iceland, two groups of ground-based fighters were detected heading towards my ships. I launch many of my remaining Tomcats to intercept before they reach my TG. The Portsmouth and the San Juan are minutes from finishing off the Kuznetsov Group. Three flights of F-15s from 122 FS of Louisiana are about to pounce on a bunch of enemy bombers NW of Iceland. The wave of enemy planes from Iceland turned out to be Su-24s sent to attack my ships without fighter cover. It was a slaughter. The ANG F-15s discovered A scattering of Foxhounds north and northeast of Iceland. I pull them away from bomber hunting. When the madness was over, the enemy lost 24 Fencers, two Fulcrums, 2 Su-33s, and seven different bomber types. NO LOSSES on my end!
Zulu 1549: Goblin contact detected by sonobuoy SE of my TG. I sent several ASW assets to investigate. At 6kts, it’s moving too fast to be bios. It is confirmed by sonobuoys to be a Victor III class. Sunk by VS-28 #6.
Zulu 1610: San Juan begins torpedo attacks on TG Kuznetsov. Moments later, the burning Slava counterattacks. The San Juan auto-fired all remaining torpedoes while evading the enemy torpedo. Kalinin and Udaloy are sunk at 1619. San Juan miraculously avoids two torpedoes. The Kuznetsov is hit five times, heavy damage. I do risk sending in the Portsmouth to finish them off. Minutes later, the Kalinin sinks.
Zulu 1628: Small air battle begins SW of TG Varyag. VF-111 #4, #5, each shot down two Su-33; #6 shot down one.
Zulu 1655: Ground contacts detected in Iceland. Looks like the entire Russian air defense corps are protecting Keflavik.
Zulu 1730: USS Portsmouth attacks Kuznetsov TG. Slava is sunk with two torpedoes, a third one sails just south of the crippled Kuznetsov, it may have enough fuel to attack the vessel on the far left. Two more torpedoes fired at the Sovremenny-class. At 1744, the Besstrashnyy is sunk by two torpedoes. With the remaining sonobuoys and flying helos, I retreat the Portsmouth and leave the rest to the air strikes that will be coming soon. Very soon.
Zulu 1804: Goblin contact detected by VA-28 #1 NE of TG.
Zulu 1805: A large group of air contacts from Keflavik spotted heading south, made up of Fulcrums. 12 in number. Range from TG Enterprise is roughly 420nm away. I have only 8 Tomcats ready to launch and challenge them. Piece of cake.
Zulu 1815: 11Sqn RAF #12 managed to sneak behind enemy TG and shot down a Be-12PL Mail and snuck away from pursuing Fulcrums.
Zulu 1829: VS-28 Gamblers #1 engaged and destroyed an enemy SSN with two Barracuda torpedoes. Confirmed as a Sierra-1, class.
Zulu 1856: VF-51 #5-10 shot down a total of 12 Fulcrums that were headed south to cause havok on the ships in the SLOC.
Zulu 1902: VF-51 #11, #9 each shot down one Su-33 from the Varyag TG. Eight phoenix missiles fired, two hits (Really bad dice rolls).
Zulu 1906: VF-51 #1 and #2 spent five Phoenix and 4 Sparrows to shoot down four Su-24 Fencers aimed at attacking TG Enterprise.
Zulu 1915: Two Backfires fired four cruise missiles at my TG, all were shot down. VF-111 #7 and VF-51 #12 moved in for the chase, then found a third Backfire closing in. #7 shot down two, #12 one Backfire.
Zulu 1918: Goblin contact inside the SLOC almost directly between USA and France. I have a lone Orion, 405 Sqn RCAF #5 nearby to deal with it. Later confirmed to be a Victor-II class sub. It is sunk at Zulu 1942.

I launch all available Hornets armed with Harpoons to attack the TG Varyag with 8 VF-111s for fighter cover. They’re going down.
Zulu 1920: 11 Sqn RAF #3, #4 each shot down a Backfire close to Iceland.
Lots of individual and small air skirmishes shown massive dice rolls in favor of the enemy spoofing my missiles far too often.
Zulu 1932: 11 Sqn RAF #3 shot down another Backfire, closes in on a Badger D.
Zulu 1940: 492 Sqn #4 shot down two Fulcrums.
Zulu 1950: A second wave of 14 Fencers from Keflavik was detected heading for TG Enterprise. I have 8 fully loaded F14s from VF-51 on the way to greet them.
Zulu 1953: Kuznetsov finally sinks.
Zulu 2005: My fighters begin attacking the enemy Fencer formation. As that happened, another goblin contact detected by sonobuoy inside the SLOC. The 45 Sqn #5 has another chance for a kill. Finally, the Harpoon equipped Hornets and Intruders begin attacking the TG Varyag group. One Sovremenny, one Udaloy, and one Kirov class vessels identified. When it was all over, only the carrier and a DDG remained. I leave them as prey for the USS Chicago and the HMS Talent.
Zulu 2113: USS Portsmouth used all its harpoon missiles to sink the last enemy ship from TG Kuznetsov. The path to Keflavik is no longer hindered by enemy ships. Maybe subs.
Zulu 2217: I transfer four stratotankers from Burlinton AFB to CFB Gander, while sending the two stratotanker in Gander to UK for the 493 to use. US planes cannot fuel with UK tankers.
Zulu 2225: Three flights of 493 fighters are near eastern side of Iceland looking to pick off jammers and bombers.
Zulu 2300: USS Chicago begins attack on the Varyag with eight torpedoes. The Sovremenny-class DDG next to it was sunk by harpoon missiles. The Varyag is sinking and is left to capsize on its own.
Zulu 2345: Varyag sinks. No enemy ships are in the Atlantic. All that’s left are subs and scattered aircraft to deal with. The SLOC is secured for the most part. Next up: Keflavic.
Zulu 2348: Incoming cruise missiles detected between the USS Chicago and TG Enterprise. I send the sub to investigate while these missiles were dealt with. I have not found where those missiles came from or from what.

UPDATE REPORT: Enemy losses totals 221 aircraft, not including helicopters.
DAY TWO
Zulu 0010: Scattered contacts of various Badgers, Foxhounds, and Backfires appeared from eastern coast of Iceland to enter the GIUK. Nothing in large numbers.
The next two hours are spent hunting scattered enemy fighters around Iceland.
I conducted an UNREP for TG Enterprise to reload my depleted Phoenix and SLAM missiles (Scenario Editor in truth).
Zulu 0344: Goblin contact 87nm to the rear of TG-E detected by sonobuoy. Probably bios but not taking chances. I launch some ASW planes to investigate. Four minutes later, confirmed to be an Oscar-I class sub. VS-28 Gamblers #1 will destroy it.
Zulu 0345: Engaging Foxhounds with my F14Bs from long range between Greenland and Iceland. Good kills tallied here.
Zulu 0421: VS-28 #1 uses three torpedoes to sink the boomer. VFMA-251 is relocated to Gander CFB for possible use with TG-E. Two tankers and a Sentry is sent to Thule AFB to assist in the eventual big fight over Greenland. There’s practically no enemy aircraft flying over Iceland.
Zulu 0700: Launched 24 total F/A18s from Gander and Goose Bay to join in with TG-E on the attack on Keflavik. Each loaded with SLAMs. They will be fueled to and from the strike area. I had launched four total Stratotankers ahead of them to get fueling stations online, with more holding at the bases in case I need more fuel. Add in 12 Intruders, 18 Hornets with SLAMs, 6 Hornets with HARMs, 3 Prowlers with HARMs, and 178 total Tomahawk missiles, I plan on giving Keflavik a face lift.
(TECHNICAL NOTE: My f-16s from Goose Bay landed at Thule fully loaded with Sparrow III heavy. Upon landing and parked, all of them were placed in Reserve and Ready with no weapons. The system would not allow me to rearm normally. Had to use editor to change that.)
Zulu 0900: The Attack on Keflavik begun
First, I closed in with the aircraft as low as possible to get positive locks on targets. Once I had most of the targets ID’d, I launched every possible Tomahawk missile and had the fighters and bombers loiter close by at minimum altitude while the missiles would fly past them. The goal was for the Tomahawks to absorb as many SAMs as possible before launching my ASMs.
Ended in a whimper. Only destroyed two radar sites and about six SAM sites. Had to land everything to rearm with what I could. Managed to pack over 90 aircraft onto the Enterprise, as some of the Hornets were unable to return to the land bases despite the large number of tankers in the air to support. A second strike is needed but without any Tomahawks to support. The good news is that there are no enemy bombers nor ships to be worried about. I had returned the Kestrels, VFA-137, back to Enterprise, as they were already loaded with SLAMS but didn’t fire because of fuel shortages. The Big E is probably maxed out in hanger capacity now. The other 12 Hornets of VMFA-251 returns to Gander CFB.

Zulu 1315: Contemplated on using Thule AFB to attack the rear areas of the Russians to take down their Foxhounds and support craft. I had landed the 134 Vermont ANG of F-16s to assist with the 122 LA ANG of F15s, a few tankers, and a pair of Sentrys to do this. Thought the better of it, as this was risky and likely to suffer unacceptable losses.
Zulu 1348: A pair of Flanker-Bs are chasing some of my Tornado’s all over eastern Ireland. They will soon run out of fuel and die. I have a total of 106 aircraft and helos landed on the Big-E. It’s probably surpassed the capacity but the game is allowing it so I’m not complaining.
Zulu 1355: 11Sqn #7, #8, each shot down one Flanker-B.
Zulu 1412: 11 Sqn #9 shot down a Backfire-C
Zulu 1600: TG-E turns east to run parallel with the southern coast of Iceland. The idea is to get closer to UK for additional land-based fighter support. Assets from USA and Canada are now too far away to be of any real extended use to me.
Zulu 1644: 11 Sqn #1, #2, Shot down one Flanker-B. Took 9 missiles to do it (Dice rolls from hell).
Zulu 1700: I began to send flights of Tomcats east then north deep into enemy territory to hunt down Foxhounds and other aircraft. Used tankers based in Lossiemouth to extend their range. I was completely confident there are zero enemy fighters from Iceland to worry about.
Zulu 1826: VF-111 #9, #10, began shooting down tankers 180nm east of Jan Mayan. Dice rolls were pathetic. Took way too many missiles and gunshots to bring down four slow tankers. I attributed this to pilot fatigue. Later managed to shoot down two Backfire-Cs before returning to the Big-E.
Zulu 1940: I launch two Nimrods from 201 Sqn out of Lossiemouth to lay more sonobuoys in front of TF-E. Last thing I need is a brave Russian sub sneaking past my ASW net. I wait 20 more minutes to launch my second Keflavik airstrike. My Tomahawks are all expended but I have plenty of ASMs to use. I send three more flights of Tomcats east of Jan Mayan to pick off more enemy planes.
Zulu 2000: The second Keflavik Airstrike mission began. 61 total aircraft consisting of F/A-18s, and A-6 Intruders loaded with missiles. I lined them all up 110nm from Keflavik, then in 1830: I attacked. Approaching at 1000 feet, I launched everything once the weapons were within range. When it was all over, only four known SAM sites remained and those were reduced to less than ten total launch tubes.
Zulu 2100: The game was called, there was nothing left to fight for.

[Gunner98]

Thanks for the AAR

[bladesinger79]

My pleasure!

The only real challenge I felt was getting enough sonobuoys out to cover both the SLOC and TG-E in the early stage of the scenario. Once I laid out enough of them to walk from USA to France without getting my feet wet, I started detecting enemy subs in a short amount of time. It took a LOT of fueling missions to get the job done though.

I believe Napoleon once said, "Give me enough ribbons to place on the tunics of my men, and I would rule the world." Well, I have a LOT of recommendations for medals and promotions to write, and little time to do it before NF #10.

[Gunner98]

This was one of the first scenarios built in the series, so at least 7 years ago. When I had a crash in testing Dimitris commented that he would be able to walk across the Atlantic by stepping on Sonobuoys! The game engine has improved a lot since then.

B

[Dannyp19]

Code: Select all

EDITING: I changed all the aircraft to READY, except for the planes down for maintenance.

Ah...thats how you did it! Stick to Gunners ready times and load outs and I bet your losses will be greater than two aircraft.

Ive been playing this one a few times this month and its hard if you are sticking with the original load outs and ready times.

What Ive been trying on this next go round is to keep my AEW with a good coverage of the N Atlantic. (Those Foxbats were sneaking through the gaps in my AEW coverage) The AEW missions that were further out I used a 100 sq. mile AAW patrol zone with relative ref. points around the AWACS. (this also worked well with my SLOC ASW patrols)

Im also at this point ferrying an AWACS to Thule to help the La.ANG. Hoping to get at some support units and other WP air craft up north.

I keep my F14's with the AIM 54's for the Foxbats and killing all those pesky Jammers to the south. I like to send a few AMRAAM fighters from England to get the Jammers east of Iceland and the Goose Bay fighters getting the Jammers west of Iceland (those damn sparrow missiles are next to useless though). Another set of fighters from England and the CV group to harass the WP CV. I also keep 4-6 fighters as a ready reserve. Its a real juggling act!

With the new features its a lot more manageable with a lot less micro-managing. Ive set my AIM 54's and AMRAAM's to 50% range and everything else to NEZ with satisfying results.

Keeping my subs alive is another matter, my sub-surface skills need some improvement. I have never been able to keep them alive, they get some good kills but rarely survive to celebrate!

This is by far one of my favorites along with "Ant Eaters Revenge" (which, BTW I have never scored better than disaster!) in the NF series.

[Gunner98]

I'm glad to hear that this one is still manageable with the new A2A model. It was always meant to be a tough scenario and it should be a real nail biter at times. When you read about it in Limit of Advance, you'll see how we saw it rolling out.

Ant Eater's revenge! Man you do like the tough ones - I think that one is probably the hardest scenario in the whole series, even in testing I don't think anyone got beyond a draw.

Good luck and keep us posted on how you make out.

B