How to coordinate Air strikes

[mb]

I don't know if this is the right page for this question, but is there a strike planner for missile strikes? I would like to do a coordinated, time on target missile strike where i fire the missiles from either the same unit or from multiple units but the missiles all impact the targets at the same time.

If this is the wrong page for this, let me know and I will post it somewhere else.

Thank you for your help and comments.

[Lubaru]

Single strikes (not coordinated with other strikes) have always worked well. Let me explain so I can brag on the strike mission in the mission editor and then try to explain the downside with coordinating strikes as I have experienced it.

Creating a single air field strike mission composed of ground strike with for example two elements with GBU 24's and two elements with SDB's. GBU 24 AC target only runways and access points. Each runway capable target gets 2 GBU 24's and each Access point gets 1), While SDB AC target only tarmacs with one bomb and hardened AC shelters with 2 bombs. That is actual strike portion there is also two other elements designated as escort elements one for SEAD and one for A2A. Again all done using only the mission editor and each element getting their own WRA's etc from within the mission editor. The game handles this actually very well, in my experience it has played out... well almost to perfection. And is really fun to just sit back and watch it unfold. As these attack ac follow their way-points with both escort types right there with them engaging their targets as specified in the mission editor then the strike ac reaching their launch points and unloading on the designated targets with the correct ordinance and exact number of bombs. And this is all done with the units in groups by the way. That is also important because in groups they are much easier to track, and control should you need to intervene- and it just looks better. But I have watched the AI handle this so well that it is like watching something from a Tom Clancy movie. The caveat is that the planning is all done upfront with the mission editor and relying heavily on WRA menu. The marshaling method I think has its place but it is less about planning and more about sending the AC up and then micro managing them from there.

Anyway as I have said the game handles maintaining the integrity of the mission as specified in the editor pretty well, it is when I needed to have two more of those kind of strikes leave and execute simultaneously that things go bad. And you are left with either letting them conduct the strikes out of sync (ie not simultaneously) in which you give up the element of surprise, or using marshaling which throws some of that detail planning done in the mission editor out the window. Mik, just read where you said to wait for the ASP, well that is indeed good news. I am glad it is still a go. Hope we will also be able to set waypoints etc from the strike planner.

I know some people don't use the mission editor for strikes but for me there is nothing more thrilling than watching it all unfold just like you planned, even if you take a beating from the enemy defenses. Not saying I am even that good at it- far from it just recently figured out how to make work for me on single strikes but if anyone wants, I will make a scen with every thing setup the way I do it and post it so all you have to do is start it and observe and make suggestions

[kevinkins]

Time on target has come up previously but I can't remember or find the thread. Maybe someone will answer here. If not, you can start another topic since it is worthy of discussion.

Kevin

[Lubaru]

ORIGINAL: Eggstor

Judging from the attached photo, you're attempting to add air-to-air-equipped units directly to a land strike rather than adding them as escort. The "escort" tab needs to be active instead of the "strike/air intercept" tab.

An alternate way to add an airborne unit/group to a mission as escort is to right-click on the unit/group to bring up a pop-up menu, scroll to "Assign to mission" in the pop-up menu, then select "[Mission name] - escort". That method doesn't require that the unit/group first be unassigned from its current mission, but it only works on one unit/group at a time.

As for the test scenario in the third post, there is a major issue with the scenario itself. The added facilities at Kunsan hosting the Boston/Iron Maiden/Metallica aircraft aren't grouped to either the existing airbase or any other runway/runway access point combo, so those aircraft won't take off, at least in the current hotfix 936.16 build.

Actually the image and what he is saying is correct. You have to assign it to the Mission before you can designate (check mark) it as an escort, and what he is showing is that after unassining the ac from a marshaling it wont let you get them back into the strike mission to be designate as the strikes "Escorts". It now just rejects them as not compatible with the target for some reason. I know it sounds counter intuitive but the actual tabs being active don't affect the designation of the AC. I thought that too in the beginning when I was experimenting. You can have any ac with any loadout added to the mission with either tab active. Only after you check the boxes for "Escort" next to the AC already added to the mission dose the Escort tab mean anything.

With regard to the second part of you question. I may have screwed it up. Let me start fresh and I will try to get a better example posted. Sorry about that.