Harpoon Classic: Hold on Diego Garcia

[Anonymous]

After Action Report
by
Ralf Koelbach


Hold Diego Garcia

A Harpoon Classic scenario by Don Thomas aka Donaldseadog


1. Read the orders. Understand the current situation.

2. Draw a plan based on your goals aka Victory Conditions.

3. In this scenario both defensive and offensive action is needed in order to win.

4. The mixture of ressources is well suited for this: two carriers groups and
land based aircraft as well as subs.

5. First actions:

5.1 Split the carriers and escort from Diego Garcia. I decide to make it two carrier groups

5.2 Fly the JSFs onto the British Carrier and the Rafales to the French
carrier

5.3 Up with the only Sentry available.

5.4 Launch Air cover for the Sentry.

5.5 Split the subs from Diego Garcia.

6. Shortly after this initial steps I get contacts, six aircraft approaching
at 560 knots. Could be SU-24 Fencers.

7. Vector two Eagles towards those boogies.

8.Got them! Alls ix boogies downed, but not wothout shooting some nasty
surprises at me. Must have been Adders or something like that.

9. The Eagles turn on their heels and go to afterburner, diving.

10. The Egales have survived, but meanwhile the Mersey is attacked and sunk.

11. There they are, the next six boogies. Again large AAW range circles.

12. Those are, like the first wave, Mig-21 Bison. Impropved Fishbeds, able
to carry the Adder missile - bad news.

13. Got them with another pair of Eagles! This time the Migs didn´t shoot,
I was faster. So aircraft kill ratio is 12 - 0
for me. Good start.

14. Time to make it count. First attack on Gan, eight SEAD armed Hornets.

15. The Hornets run into an ambush. Suddenly they are amidst a cloud of
Mig-27s firing the deadly Archer Missles. Where did they come from?
Why didn´t my Sentry detect them? Anyway, the Hornets shoot back. A
bloody mess results. I lose seven out of eight Hornets, killing six Migs.

Now kill ratio is only 18 to 7. I´m not amused. The Hornets were very
important as SEAD birds. Why did they get so close? How was the Sentry blinded?

End of Part One.

16. Started to pound Gan with long range ac launched cruised missiles.

17. Stopped an attack by several Jaguars in the tracks. Kill ratio
is 38 to 7. Regarding the numbers, acceptable. But six of my seven losses
are valuable Super Hornets.

18. Air battle raging. Lost three Rafales, got six more Migs. 44 to 10.

19. SSN Rubis torpedoed and sunk. Sigh.

20. Another attack shattered, got three Jaguars and three more Mig-21.

21. Shock: Two F-35 attack! So the enemy has newest equipment. Got them.

22. Gan annihilated. Kill ratio is 57 to 11.

23. Both carrier groups set course Trivandrum. Time to regain the initiative.

24. Torpedo contact close to my French carrier group!

25. Got some more aicraft around Gan, including two Flankers. Kill ratio
is 69 to 11. The loss of the Hornets still hurts but maybe I can compensate
it with those wonderful Scalp and Storm Shadow missiles.

26. Another torpedo in the water, racing for my SSN Trafalgar. Still not
sub contact.

27. The Trafalgar counterfires a torpedo, turns on its heels and races for
safety.

28. Sub contact! My 65knot Spearfish obviously frightens the hostile sub
and it has started its machines.

29. Three helos are underway, location yet unclear.

30. I love the Spearfish torp! It has struck a Shishumar class SS. Now it
becomes evident why it took so long to detect this sub: it is a variation
of the excellent German Typ 209 sub - real stealthy.

31. Got contacts on Mig-29Ks. Carrier based Migs. So there should be a
Kusnetzov class carrier around. Nice prospect.

32. SU-34 Fullback bombers detected! These are deadly birds.

33. Six SU-24 Fencers closing in. Got them.

34. Downed the Fullbacks, too. Kill ratio now up to 78 to 11.

35. There is more than just a carrier group outside. At least another SAG.
There will be no easy way for my carrier group to break through towards
India.

36. Next air engagement - I´m up to F-35s again. It ends 3 to 3. I lose
one F-35 and two Eagles. Not good. I have not enough aircraft for such
dogfights.


36. Starting to mop up SAM sites around the destroyed AB Gan. Better
not to have them there, still monitoring and firing SAMs.

37. Looks like all remaining Gan SAM sites are destroyed.

38. surface contacs! An Indian carrier and a DDG. Now it becomes clear
where those F-35s came from. Carrier based high end aircraft.

39.Both subs set course and speed to intercept this Indian carrier group.

40.The job is to concentrate forces in order to finish the Indian forces
off by using overwhelming assets. So I vector both carrier groups towards the Indian one.

41. My French carrier group will be in striking distances in an hour or so. Would be
great to still have my Super Hornets in order to harm the Enemy first.

42. Missile alert! Four sea skimmers approaching my British carrier group!

43. Torpedo attack! Seems to be the same sub which lanuched the cruise
missiles.

44. The hostile carrier group is now clearly identified, seven ships
including the carrier. EMCON active. A kingdom for some SEAD birds.

45. I will attack with cm armed attacking birds from both carriers.

46. The first salvo sinks one DDG. All other missiles are downed.

47. Next attacking wave launched: Tornados from Diego Garcia.

48. Seven SU-34 Fullback attacking with long-range ARM missiles! Where
do they come from?

49. Got t he Fullbacks, losing one F-35 to an Archer IR guided missile.

50. Although I downed many ARMs, there are still 12 closing in.

51. Got all ARMs, though with last ditch defenses. On the offensive site,
my Tornados hit the Indian carrier several times, but it is still afloat and
operating. One Tornado lost.

52. There is asecond hostile surface group, few hundred miles North of
the carrier group.

53.The carrier group fires four long range SSMs at my French carrier group. No problem,
two Rafales get them.

54. my British carrier group launches 19 JSF, armed with Storm Shadow
cm in order to get the carrier.

55. Sunk a frigate and two more hits on the carrier which is burning and slowing
down.

56. Another torpedo attack on the British carrier group. Both carrier groups
do not gain any space. They are still close to Diego Garcia because their
way out seems to be plastered with subs, ships and hostile ac.

57. I fear the second SAG is a carrier group, too. Migs came from that
direction - and the Fullbacks, too.

58.My subs are slowly closing in on the carrier group.

59. The SSN Triumph has reached an optimal position and fires six
Spearfish torps at the carrier group.

60. Strike! Two ships and the carrier are on their way towards the sea
bottom.

61. Three F-35s made it to flee from the sinking carrier. They get two
Rafales who in return kill them with their missiles.

62. Three more Fullbacks attacking from the North. Got them.

63. The Triumph sinks the remaining frigate. The first hostile surface
group is in shambles!

64. Aircraft kill ratio is 121 to 15.

End of Part Two

65. Six Su-30 downed, no own losses.

66. SSN Triumph detects hostile ships.A group, at least four ships.

67. SSN Triumph fires four Spearfish, one for each vessel.

68. Two ships sunk. SSN Saphir joins the battle, but fails. No hits.

69. Next Spearfish salvo kills the two remaining vessels. Another victory.
The second hostile group litters the bottom of the sea.

70. I send two Eagles to this section in order to down those ASW helos still
in the air before they can be dangerous for my subs.

71. Two helos downed. Following a third one the Eagles detect three Mig-29Ks. The
shipborne Fulcrum variation. So there is another carrier group.

72. The Eagles down two more helos and detect the carrier and another vessel. Certainly there
are more.

73. Four Scalp armed Rafales underway.The first test for the Indian carrier group.

74. At least six Fulcrums form the carrier´s CAP.

75. Three Fulcrums chase my Eagles which are out of BVRs. No way to fight
the Fulcrums with Sidewinders. Two more Eagle underway. This will be close.

76. The first Scalp wave doesn´t get through, as expected.

77. The Fulcrums turned, maybe out of fuel. My Eagles have survived.

78. Now it´s another exercise in patience. I have to gradually build up
my attacking force. Two subs and two carrier groups. Not to forget my
ASuW armed Tornados at Diego Garcia. Enough to overwhelm this carrier group
with minimal own losses.

78.The plan is easy: the British carrier group will comoe from the
West, the French from the East. The subs and later the land based ac
will puch through directly.

79. The carrier group carries Harriers, too. Five permannently on CAP.
This is no milk run, that carrier group is formidable defended.

80. Not forget the land based air assets. Six Mig-21 Bisons are rather close to my French
carrier group.

81. Looking at the estimated ac numbers staioned on the Indian airfields
makes me somewhat depressive: There are still hundreds of ac in the game,
my forces are totally outnumbered. I think I´ll badly miss those Hornets
I blundered.

82. The carrier is identified as CVH Vikramaditya, a former Russian Kiev
class carrier. But if this is correct - how can it carry Fulcrums?

83. A group of six SU-30MKI Flankers is approaching. Coming from the carrier, too?
If verified, bad news.

84. btw my Sentry is stationed rather forward, close to the French carrier
group. Just vectored a recon bird (Nimrod) even more close to the hostile
carrier group. Intelligence rules.

85. The hostile carrier group consists of at least seven vessels and is
doing 20 knots. Good for my subs. Problem is that the SSN Triumph only has
five torps left. The so far low performing SSN Saphir has eight left.

86. Time to act. 23 Storm Shadow armed F-35s launch from the
British carrier. This means business.

87. Four land based SU-30 try to outflank me and head straight for my Sentry! The first
eight F-35s have launched their cruise missiles and are vectored towards the dangerous
Flankers.

88. Fourteen Meteors underway. Got them - all four!

89. The second wave of F-35 downs three Fulcrums, too.

90. The score is two frigates. Not bad for the first serious test.

91. The third wave of JSFs downs five Sea Harriers and several helos.
The carrier´s CAP is ripped apart. Kill ratio is 139 to 15.

92. Changed the French carrier group´s course. Westward, bringing
distance to the Indian airbases.

93. An Indian P-8 closes from the east and fires two Bramos missiles,
followed by two Harpoons.

94. All missiles downed, a F-35C gets the P-8. Another success.

95. Next strike underway: the six Sea Eagle armed Tornados, guarded by
three Eagles.

96. One DDG sunk, many helos downed by AMRAMs. The way is ploughed for
my subs!

97. Two SU-30 coming from the East break through and down one of my
remaining Rafales.

98. This is a real counterattack! Four more Flankers following the first ones.

99. My Nimrod EW bird is downed. Too bad.

100. Six sea skimmers approaching my French carrier group. Fired from
those SU-30s?

101. Four hits and the carrier sinks! Kill ratio rises to 167 vs 17.

102. The third F-35 wave launches their missiles in order to sink the
last two surviving vessels. One sinks, one damaged.

103. Got six more Mig-21s.

104. The SSN Triumph finishes the job. The second carrier group is
completely destroyed.

End of Part Three

105. Air attack on Trivandrum. Four Jaguars downed on my way.

106. Second air attack. Only 3 per cent damage. But got more fighter bombers while
attacking.

107. Kill ratio is 193 to 18. Though I only lost one ac in a long time,
it was my sole F-35C, my sole remaining HARM capable ac.

108. Third attack on Trivandrum. Still only minor damage. How I miss
SEAD capable birds. Lost 5 JSFs to hostile fighters. Again those mean
Adder armed Fishbeds. Got many of them, though.

109. Lost four Rafales in a row. Now it has become critical.

110. Kill ratio 253 to 27. Just detected that I have some F-35Cs left!
They were on CAP in the Formation Editor.

111. Trivandrum levelled flat! Kill ratio is 281 to 27.

112. Next target: Cochin. Attack with my three HARM armed F-35Cs.

113. Cochin harmed. Next attack wave are my 18 remaining F-35Bs.

114. Cochin is destroyed! The first Storm Shadow wave worked. Bless
the HARMS.

115. Kill ratio is 319 to 27.

End of Part Four

116. Eighteen Sea Skimmers approaching the British carrier group from the
South. Who was the archer?

117. The SAMs got them.

118. The F-35Bs shoot their first Storm Shadow salvo at Bangalore.

119. On their egress, they got two more Jaguars.

120. First missile wave damages Bangalore 22 per cent.

121. HARM armed F-35Cs underway, it does not work without them.

122. Sub Contact. An Indian SSBN.

123.My approaching F-35Cs got a Mainstay. Great!

124. Bangalore is harmed.

125. Second Storm Shadow wave. Damage Bangalore is up to 72 per cent.

126. Aircraft kill ratio is 364 to 27.

127. Third wave destroys Bangalore.

128. Merged the two carrier groups into one. Driving the small SAG in the
same direction in order to build one powerful group, capable for the
final battle.

129. Got six attacking Mirages.How strong is Bombay? How many aircraft
left to causing me problems?

130. Six more Mirages shot down. Looks like a long range CAP.

131. Kill ratio 404 to 27.

132. Four more Mirages downed. maybe the last long range CAP.

133. Coordinated HARM and Storm Shadow attack on Bombay. My fighter bombers
detect two neutral surface contacts.

134. Perfect time: the HARMS arrive shortly before the cruise missiles.
57 per cent damage is the result. Got several aircraft on my way home.

135....Time Limit exceeded - DRAW !

Why that? Maybe because I did not manage to destroy Bombay; especially its port
where neutral shipping was kept hostage. Not sure, though.

Anyway - a wonderful scenario by donaldseadog!

[Amono]

Decided to try this one too. At first all went smooth, splashed lot's of MiG 21s, Jaguars and first strike against Gan was succesfull. Then couple of F-35s sneaked through my air cover and got within AIM-120D range of my Sentry and shot it down[:@] Sneaky bastards!

[JRyan]

Great AAR, I will have to try this one. Where is this scenario located? I found it but can not run it? Errors? Maybe I am not putting it in the right spot??

Er log attached.