Lightning Strike

[davedwmullins]

Any tips on how to win this one?

[Runibl]

Just beat this one myself, without making anyone hostile except the rebels themselves and a couple of airfields nearby.
This was a difficult one for me, I'm not hugely experienced.
Advice: Patience.
Plan far ahead and rearm and relocate assets to where they may be needed.

Stay away from borders unless absolutely needed to cross them (meaning Iranian, Pakistani and Indian borders).
I only crossed the pakistani border for the attack and not before then.

Plan and hope for the best, but prepare and be ready for the worst.

And make sure when you attack, that you take out the bunker and TELs at the same time.

[davedwmullins]

Wait for rebels to attack you?

[Runibl]

No, you need to take out that bunker and TELs that the rebels have control over.
But if you only take out the bunker, and leave any TELs alive. Then they will launch a nuclear missile. Which is basically what you are meant to prevent.

[davedwmullins]

Okay, I need to keep a closer watch out for the TELs to pop up. The missiles get launched within the first hour of game time nearly every time I've played.

[Runibl]

Here's a short on how I did it.

I made the decision to work out from Bagram AB, since it's nice and close.
So the first 24 hours was all about armin/readying assets, and relocating to where I wanted them.

I decided to use the B-2 bombers for the task, so I started to rearm them straight away with AGM-158A JASSM loadouts.
While everything is rearming and such, I moved a few EW, intelligence and electronic warfare aircraft to be stationed in Bagram AB.
I'm also making sure that they fly the long way around pakistan and Iran, staying at least 50nm away from their border.

I also move the U-2 aircraft up to Bagram, I planned to use these just prior to the attack. Also fly them the long route around.

I move all the naval assets farther away from the borders. And set up a maritime patrol and EW missions east of Oman.

Set up CAP patrol above Bagram and Kandahar. Also Tanker & EW Support over Bagram when available. Also making sure they don't go near the borders. And try to ignore aircraft from Pakistan, they generally stay passive near the border. They sometimes cross but without any hostile intent.


When the B-2 bombers are ready, I fly them at max altitude and speed towards Masira AB. And from there north crossing through Iran near the Pakistani border towards Afghanistan as fast as possible. With fingers crossed. And then towards Bagram.

At roughly the same time they cross Iran, I send the U-2s at max altutude and speed, to pass by the Pakistani Belligerents base. One or two passes should be enough to see most units there. This is the first border crossing I do in the entire scenario.
I was not able to identify the TELs myself sadly, only see multiple mobiles.

So when the B-2 bomber are about halfway there, I send a squadron of F-16c from Bagram to meet up and escort them. Then redirect them east south around Pakistani base "PAF Peshawar" for the strike.


Since I couldn't identify the TEL's, I made best guess. Shot 8x Jassm at the bunker, and assigned 2-4 per mobile that I thought could be the TELs.

Overall losses for me:
1x E-3C Sentry (Ran out of fuel on approach).
1x B-2 Bomber (Wasn't quick enough, to get the escort to them)

Pakistani Belligerents lost the Bunker, all the TELs and a whole lot of other vehicles.

[davedwmullins]

Wow! Good job! I've been too aggressive. Do you fly north along the Pakistan Afghanistan border to Bagram?

[Runibl]

I also did it much more aggressive first couple of times I tried this.
I only sent the B-2 bombers that way. Refueled them over Oman. Then sent them stealthily along the Iranian/Pakistani border quickly north to Afghanistan (with fingers crossed), and then to Bagram.

For everything else, I sent the long way around Iran.

B-2 Bomber route (Iran to the left, Pakistan to the right) attached:

[Runibl]

Route for the rest of the aircraft attached:

[Russian Heel]

I set a refuel track over the Bay of Bengal, ingress the B-2s south of Sri Lanka over India, attack the targets, cross to A-stan and egress through A-stan, back over Pakistan hit a tanker track over Oman and head back to DG.

You can accomplish the mission using only B-2s, tankers, UAVs and EA-6s.

For the hell of it one time I decided to unleash hell on the Pakistanis using all of my assets, it was fun to play with everything, but kind of gamey at the same time.

[davedwmullins]

Finally got one of the TELs before New Delhi got hit. Iran went hostile so I opened up a gap to fly through in SE Iran to fly north to Bagram. Most of Pakistan went hostile also. Got a U2 up to Bagram to scout things out in the target area. Thanks for the advice finally making some head way.

[davedwmullins]

Finally got a triumph! Sloppy one though.

[mikmykWS]

Great job guys[:)]