AAR Young Tigers

[Flankerk]

I tried this scenario out with a view to testing out some air combat in ANW and to check for any potential bugs, which beats imagining them after all. The usual spoiler warning applies , there were some anomalies found too.

The scenario is set on 26/5/00 at 20:00 hours. I tested it with 3.7 and the ANW DB .
I chose the Chinese player side and was faced with a potential invasion force of the ASEAN countries. ASEAN air bases were at Kuantan and Labuan.

At game start I had 12 Flanker B and 12 H6D Badger variants armed with silkworm. These were based at Cam Ranh Bay.

TF 12 and 13 consisted of 4 missile patrol boats each and frankly I didn't hold out a lot of hope for them, both groups having relatively poor defences and short ranged missiles.

TF 14 on the other hand consisted of 13 reasonably capable and larger ships. One Han class submarine was also on patrol.

From 20:00 to 21:00 pairs of Flankers patrolled and generally located a number of merchant ships without locating much in the way of enemy forces.
Curiously although all aircraft were ready at game start ,at 20:35 I received the aircraft are now ready message as if they were ready 30 ? Although this was anomalous I couldn't see that it effected anything.

21:12 4 Fulcrums had been radiating at some distance but now chose to close at high speed ( 750 knots).

21:15 In the initial exchange 2 Fulcrum and 1 Flanker lost, the Fulcrums then turning and running for home. Neither making it.

21.47 3 fulcrum also inbound at speed versus 2 Flanker, two each lost. A poor exchange.

22.05 Major difficulties tracking surface targets using the Flanker alone so one of the Silkworm Badgers scrambled in a recon role. One Haitun helicopter also launched from TF.

22.14 An exchange between 2 Flanker and 2 Fulcrum, all my aircraft being lost, an even worse exchange.

22.29 The remaining two are shot down for no loss.

22.50 Another paired combat, both Flankers lost probably both Fulcrum also.

23.23 An undetected air contact shoots down the Haitun.

23.37 A solo Mig is located and shot down, possibly the Haitun killer.

00.17 On the 27th and 2 Spica types found by the Badger. An ideal and isolated target, however unable to launch the missiles. I understand this has now been corrected in the DB though.

1.21 Large convoy located far to the south west. All task forces and the Han head there at maximum speed.

1.59 One last Fulcrum shot down, little other ASEAN air activity now seen.

2.49 Proved wrong as another single is downed, this time there does seem to be no others........

7.50 The friendly Vietnamese flotilla engages the screen elements of the convoy and destroys two missile boats.

10.05 A group of 4 PCM to the East is engaged by 4 Badgers now rearmed with iron bombs. 3 sunk albeit for the loss of 2 Badger.

11.04 I lose another recon helicopter probably to air cover operating from mainland Malaysia.

From 11.21 to 13.05 the Vietnamese Flotilla snipes at the convoy with missiles being returned. Eventually all are lost but a number of ASEAN ships believed sunk. Battle damage assessment very difficult with limited recon assets.

14.30 to 15.50 With the main Task Force in range, initial strikes with Seersucker are successful. Follow up strikes and shorter range SSM's trigger the Victory Conditions. Again BDA was difficult so it proved difficult to know exactly what happened in this interchange.

Generally the air combat looks to have improved. Fighters now try to operate in pairs or fours and behave aggressively. The fighters bugging out once they have used up a ceratin amount of ammunition is interesting too.

I managed to avoid Hermans Navigation Bug on this occasion by micro managing the one group and sticking to open ocean.

The Victory Conditions appeared to have triggered with no anomalies noted.

[Dimitris]

Good one [8D]