First Contact 2016

[fitzpatv]

This is the (chronologically) last of the series of scenarios pitting light warships of the Norwegian and Russian Navies against each other off the North Cape. While it shares a map and other features with its predecessors, it also has significant differences, mainly because technology has moved-on. Despite it being rated as an easy scenario, I found it very hard with either side (and I'd won all the previous versions without too much trouble).

Playing the Norwegians, you have the frigate Fridtjof Nansen and four Skjold-class stealth corvettes. All are very modern vessels, carrying NSM anti-ship missiles with a range of 100nm. The Nansen has ESSM RIM-184A AEGIS SAMs and a helicopter for surface search, as well as 175nm range radar. The Skjolds rely very much on their stealth design, as they have only MANPADs for air defence - OK v choppers and low-flying planes, but not much use against missiles. They also carry NSMs, though, making them classic 'glass cannons'.

The Russians have two modern Gremyashchiy-class frigates, with 70nm radar, 200nm ranged Sizzler anti-ship missiles and Growler SAMs, which reach-out to 65nm, plus Helix choppers. They also field a pair of older Nanuchka III corvettes, with 80nm Siren missiles and short-ranged Gecko SAMs. Their radar is limited to 35nm range.

As Norway, I decided that I couldn't afford to have the Skjolds' radars on and kept them tucked into fjords in the hope that the terrain would help their stealthiness further. Launched Nansen's copter, only to find that the Russians were much closer than I'd expected as a SAM appeared straightaway!. I was VERY lucky to spoof it on a 10% chance and then got the whirlybird down to minimum altitude. Sent her inland, following the terrain, until she was at a safe distance before sending her to maximum altitude for recon. Meanwhile, I kept all ships' radars off.

I then detected the two Gremyashchiys offshore, but couldn't get a precise enough fix on them to fire any missiles. Decided to search for the easier-to-kill Nanuchkas instead. As it happened, the positions of the frigates became better-defined with time, but never enough to confidently fire at them. Note that the Russians had their radars ON, which was how I'd identified them.

Moving E at a safe distance, I eventually found the corvettes to the NE. The Skjold and her sister, the Storm, were in a good position to fire and sank both the Russians with a four-missile strike. Unfortunately, one missile, with nothing left to kill, flew on and sank an unseen trawler, but this cost no points. The Nanuchkas scored 150VP each, but this was still a Minor Defeat, so I had to find a way to eliminate at least one Gremyashchiy.

I steered the chopper back W, planning to refuel her, then send her out to sea for a better angle. At this point, the Russians found the corvettes Steil and Gnist and sank the latter with a Sizzler, costing me 100VP. Steil fired back, despite the risk of her missiles failing to find the target, but couldn't get past the SAMs.

With the exact positions of the Russians still unclear, it was maybe no surprise that they were able to take a potshot at my chopper at what must have been extreme range as she tried to take care, flying W over the mountains. Needless to say, she was shot-down, leaving me blind.

Perhaps foolishly and certainly out of frustration, I sent Nansen out to fight, hoping she could stop the Sizzlers with her SAMs. Detected a Gremyashchiy accurately enough to engage, downed her eight-missile volley, but was then sunk by the follow-up from her sister ship - you only have to be unlucky once. My own missiles (from the Nansen and the remaining two Skjolds with ammo) were either shot down or failed to lock-on.

There was no way back from here and it ended in a Disaster. Bad tactics, bad luck or scenario bias in favour of the Russians?. Swapped sides to find-out.

[fitzpatv]

My first thought as the Russians was to get the vulnerable Nanuchkas out of the way, so I sent them NE at Flank with radars off. Launched a Helix and should probably have used both for the optimised recon, as the scenario will typically be over before anything needs to refuel. Kept the frigates' radars on for SAM defence.

Soon found that, where the Norwegian helicopter was concerned, there was one rule for the AI and another for the player (or maybe it was just a matter of luck). She stooged around to the W in Growler range, out at sea, all game and I was never able to get a precise enough reading to shoot at her.

The AI wasn't subtle and went at the Gremyashchiys with all ships, making no attempt to hide. Even so, it was extremely difficult to fire at the stealth corvettes, as the Sizzlers needed perfect bearings and even a 'cross-range ambiguity' of 0.2nm invalidated the shot.

The Steil insisted on committing suicide, however, and got close enough to be fired-upon. My first pair of missiles were both spoofed on 25% chances, but a third did the trick for 100VP. Single shots are best against Skjolds, if only to conserve ammo.

Suddenly, a volley of eight NSMs came out of nowhere (radar notwithstanding). Unlike the AI in the previous playthrough, I had no time to launch SAMs and lost a frigate. The briefing says the missiles are stealthy, but it doesn't appear to be the same for both sides. This cost 175VP, plus 50 more because it was the ship with a chopper still on board (and also the one with all her missiles left).

The second Gremyashchiy fired her remaining five missiles at what I took to be the Nansen and, to my surprise, sank her for 200VP. With no missiles left, I turned to disengage, calling-in the Nanuchkas as a desperate gambit. These closed with the Skjold and Storm from behind, undetected because the Norwegians had their radars off and the helicopter was away to the W. Using Sirens sparingly, I sank both enemy boats.

The last Norwegian boat, the Gnist, then appeared close to the Gremyashchiy and repaeted the trick with her NSMs, materialising them too close for me to launch any SAMs. In sinking the frigate, she used all her ammo and the Nanuchkas then caught and destroyed her to be the unlikely sole survivors of the battle.

So, despite the entire Norwegian force being destroyed, it was another Disaster with a score of -200. A Pyrrhic Victory would have been a fairer assessment.

Overall, I found this scenario frustrating and felt that I lacked options throughout. Too much depends on fine margins of detection and whether or not your missiles get past the other side's SAMs. The victory conditions also make it very hard to win as either side without absolutely wiping the floor with the enemy, which is unlikely to happen.

[Eboreg]

This scenario is actually rather simple to play from the Norwegian side. The biggest tactic is to not turn on the helicopter's radars until both of the Grems are dead. Your radar is not going to find them due to their stealth characteristics and if you turn the heli's radars on, the Russians are going to positively ID it. The ability to repath the NSMs is a huge advantage here since you can use that capability to send them along the uncertainty zone. Also, you can narrow down the location of the Grems by sending the heli along a path perpendicular to the uncertainty zone.

Winning from the Russian side is something even I can't do so... *shrugs*

[fitzpatv]

Thanks. Gave it another go as Norway, working out what you meant in respect to the 'uncertainty zone' as I went along.

I can only assume that the AI had the chopper's radar off when I played the Russians, as this would explain why I couldn't get a shot at it. They STILL got a shot at me second time around as Norway, even with my radar off, but missed on 53%, after which I got out of range. Probably best to keep the chopper at minimum altitude until it's safe.

I was able to sink both Grems for the loss of the Gnist and got lucky when Nansen's spare NSMs flew on and totalled both of the Nanuchkas as well, but Skjold and Storm would almost certainly have taken them out anyway.

Interestingly, once the Russian Helix ditched for lack of fuel, I got another 500VP for wiping-out the enemy, taking the score to +1,550 and a Triumph. On this basis, had I waited instead of quitting, my score as the Russians would have been +300 - still a defeat, but not a Disaster.

Opinion of scenario somewhat improved.