Primarchx -> Caribbean Crisis - The Showdown AAR (5/28/2015 11:58:31 PM)
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Finally got around to spend some quality time with this scenario. Set in 2012 it posits that Venezuela has invaded Curaçao and Aruba, prompting the Netherlands (the Player side) to respond with a force to push the invaders out. It's a great example of using every element of your OOB to its' utmost, because the Dutch are dealing with very potent Venezuelan resistance. The small surface group of two De Zeven Provinciën-class air defense frigates, a single Karel Doorman frigate, an oiler and the amphibious ship Rotterdam along with a single Zeeleeuw SSK are your sole naval forces. Stationed on far away (480nm+) St. Martin are a couple of dozen RNLAF F-16MLUs, a pair of KC-10s and another of C-130s. Against this the Dutch face Venezuelan Su-30MK2 fighters and other powerful air defenses centered on double-digit SAM systems. Their navy is limited but a significant SSM threat is implied and did appear more than once. I didn't find a sub, but I suspect at least one was around. The Dutch task force starts a distance north of the beleaguered islands, while your SSK loiters near Curaçao. Several landing zones are marked for amphibious, airmobile and/or airborne troop insertion. But the first task is recon, because there are precious few 'permanent' facilities in sight. It doesn't take long for the first Flanker radars to appear patrolling over the mainland. The Venezualan aircraft in the DB don't appear to have any air-launched PGMs so I'm not too worried about that. But the moment I energize one of my NH-90 helo search radars to see if there are nearby surface threats the Flankers come a running. I silence the helo, put it on the deck and send it back toward home, while firing up the De Zeven Provinciën's radar and jammers. The Su-30s lose the scent and head home. This is going to be a problem. The Su-30 is a beast. Its' radar has a huge range, it can practically speed across the entire Caribbean on AB and carries 6 AA-12 Adders (50nm). The F-16s carry AIM-120Bs (40nm) and are operating 500nm away from the nearest friendly airbase. Head to head the Su-30s will bury my Vipers. While I can try to draw them into my air defense ships' SAMs, in doing so I risk exposing the invasion fleet - which I'm not willing to do at this stage. So, to start with, I'll have to make do with the Viper. I decide to maintain the De Zeven Provinciën as my Red Crown PIRAZ ship. That initial helo radar sweep showed no nearby surface threats and a check of the Command DB shows that the Venezuelan air force doesn't have any ASM loadouts. The Dutch air defense frigates are very capable, with 32 ESSM and 32 SM2s, so I decide the risk is worth it. To the north of this I orbit a single, massive KC-10. This flying gas station will keep a set of two 2-ship flights of air defense F-16s on station over the Dutch fleet, flitting back and forth topping off their tanks from time to time. Next I bring in a single F-16 with a RECCELITE Recon pod to do a pass over Curaçao. My SSK picked up radar emissions from a Styx SSM launcher covering the invasion beach so I decide we'll start further south, near the airport, and end the run near the northern invasion site to fix the SSMs. After tanking, the recce Viper hugs the deck and heads toward the island, popping up to 5k feet just as it goes feet dry near the airport. Although some ground forces are quickly found the RWR begins squawking in alarm as missiles streak in from the southern tip of the island. Making a jarring turn northward, kicking in the AB and diving for the deck, a pair of SA-17s narrowly miss the recon ship while more are seen closing in. In total six Grizzlies are evaded as the Viper comes to refuge skimming over the water off the eastern shore of the island. I decide to risk crossing Curaçao further north, popping up long enough to get an unobstructed view of any enemy forces before running home. However the invasion beach is covered by a Barak I SAM, which also does its' best to down the recon aircraft. Again judicious use of speed, altitude and vectoring, as well as chaff and DECM, get the F-16 clear with its' valuable intel. But the battle is just beginning. A pair of Venezuelan Su-30s are streaking in from the south, hunting the recce bird and boring in at high speed. Engaging in a high Mach chase northwards the Viper pilot nervously watches his fuel gauge plunge towards E, knowing that his only chance is to get back to the tanker. And the only way that will happen is if the fleet CAP can stop the Flankers. The intruding Su-30s are in close formation. I decide my best bet is to separate my F-16 sections enough that the enemy aircraft can only see/pursue one section at a time on radar. This allows the unmonitored section to speed quickly toward the enemy aircraft and hopefully into a good firing position before being picked up. The first time is a little clunky in execution and I suffer close-range counter-fire, but it works and two Flankers go down in flames to no Viper losses. This tactic works pretty well and later I begin to note which section the enemy interceptors are heading for, and vector that group away so that the other section can approach undetected. I get a total of 8 kills to no losses using this method. But it's not foolproof. Once I unknowingly fly into SAM radar coverage while stalking an interceptor and it abruptly turns its' nose and shoots. Several times my F-16s just outdistance pursuing missiles in supersonic dashes and on occasion a missile approaches close enough to be seduced by chaff or DECM or just plain misses. Just so, nothing was assured and the virtual pucker factor was pretty high. One thing I could tell, this scenario was well built and was going to be a challenge.
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