Craigkn
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Joined: 1/27/2022
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Playing with an updated "Black Sea, 2019" scenario, I deployed a 5 ship SAG, and found a huge issue of a lack of ASuW missiles on the NATO side. I added a ton of units, and to balance, I deployed most of the current Russian Navy OOB; 7 x Kilos (assigned to a Black Sea-wide patrol zone), a 4 ship Russian SAG based around the Moskva, 4 additional FFG's, and a swarm of Missile boats. Each Russian controlled airport had a SA-17 "Buk" site. All Russian ships were placed on patrol orders, similar to the original scenario, however the Moskva SAG was placed in the eastern Black Sea.
This is my SAG:
1 x Tico
2 x Block IIA Burkes
1 x Type 45
1 x F100 class
Aircraft played a large role. I decided that this was a secondary theater, and that NATO would have most of its forces deployed elsewhere, so I picked a group of effective, but small in number, aircraft. My air component is:
3 x E-3G (From the original scenario)
6 x F-22A
6 x F-35A (2019 model)
3 x RQ-180 UAV
3 x RQ-170 UAV
6 x XQ-222 UCAV
6 x F-16CM Block 52
3 x EA-18G (in offensive ECM, short range loadout)
2 x Tankers
The drones proved fun to utilize, the RQ-170 and RQ-180 provided SIGINT coverage and identified the S-400 sites, and helped track the Russian SAG. The EF-18G, XQ-222's and the F-35A's provided SEAD coverage, and I managed to eliminate two of the four S-400 sites total. The EA-18G's were crucial to protect the inbound GBU-39/B SDB's launched from the F-35A's, and the SDB II's from the XQ-222's were effective at ASuW. I screwed up though, the 2019 F-35A's could not carry the SDB II's, which have ASuW capabilities - the original SDB's do not.
My novice-skilled notes:
- Stealth aircraft are nearly a requirement in a high threat area. The original scenario has four S-400 sites on the Crimean peninsula with interlocking ranges; F-16's that did not immediately dive for the deck were quickly shot down, while the F-22, F-35, XQ-222, and RQ-170/180 could operate mostly normally.
- Getting close to the S-400s was important, to limit the flight time of the SDB's, ideally impacting the target before the other three S-400 sites missiles could reach them. EW from the EF-18G proved critical to that.
- I did not employ HARM/AARGM, I had so few aircraft, I decided that saturating the target with SDB's would be more effective than a handful of HARMs.
- I ran out of ASuW weapons and could not engage the Moskva SAG operating in the eastern Black Sea. I think I had about 24 Harpoons total between the five ships, and those were expended defeating the Russian ships in the western Black Sea. The Moskva was covered by the two remaining two S-400 sites, requiring careful planning to attack. If I had selected the 2021 version of the F-35A, which can carry SDBII, I could have made an attack.
- Stealth drones were crucial to keep tabs on the various Russian naval units. As long as they were not overflown by Mig's, they remained undetected. Strikes by the XQ-222's did catch the attention of the S-400's, but my only drone losses were due to operator error - keeping them too close to a S-400 after a weapon launch.
- The only non-stealth aircraft that could safely fly over the Black Sea was the EF-18G, with jamming on. Everything else was at very high risk.
< Message edited by Craigkn -- 1/29/2022 5:48:12 PM >
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Optimal Black Sea NATO SAG and the Montreux Convention - 
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