Operation El Dorado Canyon, 1986 (Updated 6-24-2021)

[Blast33]

A very interesting presentation of a planner of the Eldorado Canyon mission. You have to see before you play the scenario!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBGB1ix ... L&index=50

Watch the recording of the Annual RAeS Sir Alan Cobham Lecture, which was given on the 23 March 2023 by Major Jim Rotramel (USAF Ret.) hosted virtually by the RAeS Christchurch Branch, on the subject of "Operation Eldorado Canyon'’’.
Jim Rotramel graduated with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering before having a 20-year Air Force career that included 10 years and more than 1,000 hours as an F-111D and F-111F Weapons System Operator (WSO), becoming the chief training route planner for both wings. He was part of the planning effort for the 1986 Libya raid, Operation Eldorado Canyon.

Just swap through the powerpoint slides.

Another great episode is this one from a pilot who flew the mission and what he encountered:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7eUZ1A ... 0aeb104340

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[Kushan04]

A very interesting presentation of a planner of the Eldorado Canyon mission. You have to see before you play the scenario!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBGB1ix ... L&index=50

Watch the recording of the Annual RAeS Sir Alan Cobham Lecture, which was given on the 23 March 2023 by Major Jim Rotramel (USAF Ret.) hosted virtually by the RAeS Christchurch Branch, on the subject of "Operation Eldorado Canyon'’’.
Jim Rotramel graduated with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering before having a 20-year Air Force career that included 10 years and more than 1,000 hours as an F-111D and F-111F Weapons System Operator (WSO), becoming the chief training route planner for both wings. He was part of the planning effort for the 1986 Libya raid, Operation Eldorado Canyon.

Just swap through the powerpoint slides.

Another great episode is this one from a pilot who flew the mission and what he encountered:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7eUZ1A ... 0aeb104340

Clipboard05.jpg

I've listened to the RAeS podcast on OEC several times. It's fascinating to listen to. I'm reading Jim Rotramels book right now. It's equally as good. Puts all the other books on OEC to shame. Which is to be expected, with the exception of Venkus's book, all the others are all third parties piecing together information from sources that are often contradictory.

Thanks for the the link to the interview with Puffy 12. I've never heard that one. I'll listen to it this weekend.

[boogabooga]

I know that there is a new new version of this out in beta, but in the 2021 version that's in the CSP right now, some of the special actions are failing with Lua errors in1328.18.

[Kushan04]

I know that there is a new new version of this out in beta, but in the 2021 version that's in the CSP right now, some of the special actions are failing with Lua errors in1328.18.

Yes, it's this version that's currently in the CSP. What lua errors are you getting?

[boogabooga]

This is what happens if hit 'F-117 Option' after the scenario starts but before pressing play.

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Some other options do this, too- with the same or similar error message.

[Kushan04]

This is what happens if hit 'F-117 Option' after the scenario starts but before pressing play.

2024-05-06.png

Some other options do this, too- with the same or similar error message.

That's interesting. Nothing has changed within the scenario in years, might be an issue caused by a newer version of Lua. At this point think I'm going to just leave it. My plan is to deprecate this version now that the new scenario is out.

If I might ask, what brought you back to this one over using the new version? Everything available in this version should be available in the new one.

[boogabooga]

If I might ask, what brought you back to this one over using the new version? Everything available in this version should be available in the new one.

I'd played the 2021 version a while ago, and I was just trying to see what the differences were in the new version. This is one of those scenarios that makes a guy want to hug his Ronald Reagan doll at night.

However, Operation El Dorado Canyon is an example of a scenario that I'm not going to play right now, since strike missions and iron bomb delivery are two things that are really buggy in version 1328.18. Hopefully the next build fixes things enough to justify the time investment. I'll try to give some feedback then, if I have any.

[Kushan04]

This is one of those scenarios that makes a guy want to hug his Ronald Reagan doll at night.

Why would you not do that every night?

[Kushan04]

However, Operation El Dorado Canyon is an example of a scenario that I'm not going to play right now, since strike missions and iron bomb delivery are two things that are really buggy in version 1328.18. Hopefully the next build fixes things enough to justify the time investment. I'll try to give some feedback then, if I have any.

What's wrong with iron bombs? I haven't seen any issues with them.

[boogabooga]

What's wrong with iron bombs? I haven't seen any issues with them.

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 0&t=402489

[Kushan04]

What's wrong with iron bombs? I haven't seen any issues with them.

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 0&t=402489

If you haven't already, might I suggest trying to downgrade to a previous build?

Dimitris posted some of the previous updates in This thread. I did a bit of testing and I found B1328.17 works for me as a balance between fixes and known issues, and it supports the latest public DB release (DB505).

[Blast33]

Forty years ago today, we witnessed the absolute peak of Reagan-era airpower: Operation El Dorado Canyon, the U.S. strike on Libya (April 14, 1986). Focusing purely on the military aspect, El Dorado Canyon was a logistics and endurance miracle. Denied overflight rights by European allies, 24 USAF F-111Fs and 5 EF-111s flew a massive 5,500-mile detour from the UK, circumnavigating the entire Iberian Peninsula just to reach targets in Tripoli, Libya. We’re talking 14 hours in the cockpit, radio silence, and a grueling cycle of no less than eight mid-air refuelings. It remains the longest fighter combat mission in history, proving that even in the analog era, the USAF could, if needed, project power across continents. 1/2

Apart from the long-ass flight, the U.S. strike was a masterclass in "jointness." While the 'Varks came in low and fast at 200 ft, the US Navy launched an equally impressive SEAD effort from the USS America and USS Coral Sea. A-6Es, A-7Es, and the F/A-18s (in their combat debut) hammered SAM/AAA sites and used Pave Tack pods to overwhelm and dismantle Libyan defenses with surgical precision. The level of coordination seen during El Dorado Canyon - integrating carrier decks with long-range land-based strike aircraft - shows the same tactical DNA we see today in the ongoing conflict with Iran.

All in all, El Dorado Canyon set the gold standard of '80s air power, showing that if you have the grit, and the tankers, no target is out of reach. 2/2

https://x.com/RealAirPower1/status/2044068805068869908

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[Kushan04]

I was on a work trip to the UK last week. Was so busy I forgot what day it was.

Unfortunately there's still some refueling issues (manual speeds being cleared) that make playing the scenario harder than it already can be. Hopefully they'll be fixed someday and I can give Eldorado Canyon the Iran Strike style rework it deserves.

[Blast33]

RAF Lakenheath (48FighterWing) has unveiled a F-111 schemed F-15E #StrikeEagle marking 40 years of Operation El Dorado Canyon, the 1986 raids against Libya.

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