Duelists AAR [Contains Spoilers]

[RoccoNZ]

Desperate affairs require desperate measures.

- Lord Horatio Nelson

Sunday 3 September

The scenario starts with the British Task Force heading north between Norway and Iceland. A pair of SSNs are position North East (Sceptre) and North North West (Torbay) of the Task Force.

A Nimrod is launched from Kinloss and routed up the Norwegian coast to search for the Soviet SAG.

The Nimrod detects a group of ships with an incriminating speed and bearing. Meanwhile, ESM has detected two Bear-Ds on patrol, searching for the Task Force. With the range too extreme for Harriers, the Nimrod is ordered to intercept. The first Bear falls to a Sidewinder, and the Nimrod manoeuvres towards the second contact for a shot. The Bear continues on its patrol at a steady 395kts and maintains 40,000ft. The Nimrod rolls in behind and punishes him for his impertinence and resumes patrol. ESM detects a Bear Foxtrot and Nimrod heads to investigate.

At 2308 Zulu Newcastle detects 7 vampires heading for Edinburgh. The Task Force’s screens are blurred with jamming activity as Edinburgh opens up with Sea Dart. The first two salvos of four missiles each all miss. Three more Sea Darts are launched and one finally scores a hit. Phalanx engages and takes one. Edinburgh takes a hit from a Shipwreck and is lost.

Newcastle is busy dealing with its own problems, shooting down one Vampire with its first salvo, one with its second and one with its third. Four vampires are still inbound. Phalanx takes one before Newcastle is blown out of the water by the remaining three vampires.

Two Vampires are detected heading towards Cleopatra. Invincible and Liverpool engage, but too late for Cleopatra as a massive explosion breaks her back.

The last Vampire is searching for targets. A Sea Wolf from Battleaxe missies, before Invincible’s Sea Dart hits.

A Shackleton detects another pair of missiles, heading for the point where Edinburgh went down. A Sea King and a Lynx are sent to search the launch point.

Far to the North, the Nimrod destroys a Bear-F and reports rotary-wing targets. With no Sidewinders left it is forced to ignore them. The Nimrod is carrying a Harpoon, and is ordered to launch it at the Soviets at 40NM. Just as the missile launches, the Nimrod is hit by an S-300. The Harpoon evades several bursts of gunfire, ignores a decoy and then malfunctions, crashing harmlessly into the sea.

Monday 4 September

At 0137Z Sceptre flashes a message saying she’d detected a Goblin and an inbound torpedo. The Task Force sends a Sea King to assist, and launches a Lynx.
200nm away, the Task Force’s radar screens show jamming again .

A Nimrod is diverted from Icelandic coast and ordered to assist Sceptre, but it’s an hour away. Meanwhile, a Sea King detects a Puff Ball radar at 160NM - A Soviet Badger. A Sea Harrier is ordered to investigate

Aboard Sceptre, a sonar operator reports loosing contact with the first torpedo, but there are still more incoming. Distance to contact reported at 23NM. Had the Russians fired too early?

The Harrier CAP splashes a Badger as the last torpedo disappears from Sceptre’s screens. The Nimrod detects a Big Bulge radar NNE of the Task Force and a Harrier is ordered to intercept.

Manchester detects 8 Vampires at 94NM. A Sea King is sent to investigate. Manchester kills 4 with Sea Dart before succumbing to the inevitable. Boxer and Liverpool open up, knocking down 1. The remaining three Vampires fail to find targets.

The Harrier tasked with engaging the Kamov declares Bingo and returns to base. Sceptre reports more incoming torpedos.

Liverpool detects more Vampires heading harmlessly for the sunken picket.

ESM reports a Backfire at 312NM and a Harrier is dispatched, but it’s 30 minutes away from the most optimistic range. Another Badger is detected.

Nimrod arrives on station to assist Sceptre and starts dropping its buoy pattern.

The Task Force detects 10 more Vampires, and shoots down 5 as the rest pass overhead at maximum altitude. The air warfare controller reports he’s exhausted the Task Force’s Sea Dart supply.

The Nimrod starts its torpedo run and spots a Kamov. A Sidewinder is launched and takes it down. A torpedo is dropped. The Stingray hits, but didn’t stop the sub. The sub launches another torpedo at Sceptre as she heads to the surface, chased by another torpedo. The second Stingray hits but the Soviet sub still isn’t sunk. Nimrod is Winchester and requests help from the Task Force. A Harrier armed with Sea Eagle is launched. The sub, now identified as a titanium-hulled Sierra, sinks before the Harrier can launch against her.

Two Vampires are detected, heading for the Task Force from the East. The Harrier meets the Backfire too late, shooting it down after it launched its missiles.

Battleaxe takes both Kitchens with Sea Wolf. To the North, the CAP splashes another Bear Delta at 0227. Another follows at 0243. A Badger is taken it 0249. A Bear Foxtrot is destroyed at 0406.

Boxer detects and destroys two more Kitchens at 0410 as two Nimrods leave Kinloss armed with Harpoons.

A Harrier on CAP drifts too far north and is shot down by an S-300. Another Soviet MPA is shot down at 0441.

Torbay, approaching the Soviets from the South West, is ordered to load her tubes with Harpoons. She identifies the contact as Boris Chilikin – A Soviet AOR.

At 0500 the Buccaneers of 12 Squadron lift off for a long-range strike.

A Harrier takes down a Soviet helicopter at 0532. The Harrier reports no air contacts and Torbay launches a spread of Harpoons towards the Soviets, hoping to guess the correct position relative to Boris Chilikin.

One Harpoon hits the 24,000 tonne oiler, but it’s not enough to sink her.

A Harrier shoots down a helicopter 10NM South East of Torbay, but is shot down before it can engage a second helicopter. Torbay pays the price t 0629, taking a torpedo hit that sends her to the bottom.

Sceptre detects a Goblin and she slows from cruise speed to 5kts.

As the Harpoon-carrying Nimrods drop to launch altitude at 0648, the Buccaneers pass them 10 miles to the East. The Nimrods launch two Harpoons at a cruiser and two at a DDG. The Buccaneers are slow to drop their altitude, and the lead pair is forced to evade a pair of S-300s. They return fire with 4 Sea Eagles and return to base. 4 more Buccaneers launch their Sea Eagles. One pays the price for a late launch and falls to a S-300. One of the Buccaneer pilots suffers from tunnel vision and follows the missiles in and is quickly shot down.

Admiral Tributs (a Udaloy DDG) is hit - the Soviet group’s only damage from for 4 harpoons and 23 Sea Eagles.

The CAP kills two more helicopters and a Bear Delta before 0800. Sceptre is kept busy evading torpedos.

A Harrier arrives overhead Sceptre at 0821 and finds four enemy helicopters. Two are shot down with guns before the Harrier exhausted her ammo and returns to Invincible.

A Kamov drops a depth charge and the fight it over for Sceptre.

A Sea King arrives on scene and locates the enemy submarine. Two Stingrays hit, but don’t sink her. A second Sea King arrives. A third torpedo finally avenges Sceptres loss.

Both sides spend several hours licking their wounds, while British crews carry out rearming and refuelling of aircraft on Invincible and in Scotland.

At 13:10 Invincible launches two sea harriers armed with Sea Eagles. Eight minutes later Boxer detects more Vampires, and shoots down 4 before being overwhelmed.

The Harrier’s Sea Eagles race towards their target, but 3 overshoot and the fourth is shot down by a SA-N-7.

In Scotland 8 Buccaneers and 4 Nimrods launch for another shipping strike. Battleaxe, Ambuscade and Liverpool are ordered North, while Invincible and Fort Grange head South at Flank speed.

The three warships detect 4 inbound missiles, and Battleaxe shoots down 2 before being hit. Ambuscade is also sunk. Liverpool rescues a handful of survivors before rushing to catch up with the carrier.

The Buccaneer group reaches its launch point at 1621. Of the 16 Sea Eagles launched, 12 are shot down and 4 overshoot their targets. The Nimrods have better luck, scoring two hits on the destroyer Stoykiy and one on the destroyer Boyevoy. An over-excited Nimrod pilot heading for home climbs too soon and pays the price.

Another group of Harpoon-armed Nimrods is readied at Kinloss. At Lossiemouth, 6 buccaneers are being loaded with Paveway IIs. The last serviceable Buc is being loaded with Martel missiles. The base’s supply of guided weapons is nearly exhausted.

The Sea King AEW picket to the North of the Task Force detects the Soviet group approximately 100NM North of Liverpool. Two contacts are heading south at 18kts, with two more following slowly 25NM and 30NM behind.

A Bear-D and a pair of helicopters are also detected. But with no Harrier’s available, there is little the Task Force can do about it.

A Harrier is finally ready on Invincible, and ordered to intercept the Bear at 19:44. The Bear makes a run for the Norwegian coast and escapes.

Kinloss reports a Nimrod is ready with Harpoons. The Squadron CO reports the next group of aircraft won’t be ready for another 4hrs, and the decision is made to launch the Nimrod alone.

201 Squadron’s Nimrod passes what remains of the Task Force at 21:50. Ordered to find where the rest of the Soviets where, she heads between the known contacts and the Norwegian coast. A large stationary target is located to the North, and the heads to investigate. The Nimrod reports that it’s the heavily damaged Boris Chilikin, but no fire is visible. The location is marked for a follow-up Buccaneer strike. The Nimrod is sent South to the Soviet main body. Nimrod identifies a destroyer, but carelessly gets too close and is shot down by a SA-N-7. Lack of experience amongst the remaining Nimrod crews is showing.

Tuesday 5 September

Three Nimrods taxi to take-off at 0022, reach their launch position 45NM from the Soviets at 02:35 and all launch at the largest radar return. Five missiles are shot down, but the sixth hits the Kiev.

At Lossiemouth, 208 Squadron reports its Buccaneers are launching. The crews are nervous. They know the Soviets are still fighting and coming in close to drop LGBs will be like attacking the Bismark with a biplane torpedo bomber.

As the Martel-armed Buc approaches its target it searches for active emitters. At 15NM, there’s still no sign of any.

A Udaloy turns on its Cross Swords fire control radar at 9.5NM, and the Buc launches both Martels before dropping to wave-top height and running. It wasn’t fast enough and is lost. The first Martel missed its target by 157m and the second by 305m.

Another pair of Bucs attacks the heavily damaged Boyevoy East of the main body. A fire control radar goes active. Both Bucs are shot down by SA-N-7s. Two more Bucs charge in and both are lost.

A second wave of 3 aircraft approaches the same target, while a fourth aircraft goes looking for the Soviet oiler, hoping for an easier target. A missile is evaded, one hits. A Paveway is dropped, sails towards its target and malfunctions. The Buccaneer that is Winchester escapes to base, while the one still carrying a Paveway is hit by 30mm rounds and destroyed.

At Kinlos another Nimrod is launched with Harpoon. Up North, Boris Chilikin is destroyed by a Paveway. On Invincible two Harriers are ordered to re-arm with Sea Eagle.

A Nimrod launches a single Harpoon at Boyevoy and another at Kiev. Boyevoy shoots down the Harpoon with a burst from her 30mm gun. The Harpoon heading for Kiev is shot down by a Gecko.

At 1102 Kinlos launches a pair of Nimrods, carrying the base’s last anti-ship weapons. At 1511 2 Harpoons are launched at Boyevoy. The first strikes home, sinking her. The second malfunctions. The Nimrods launch again, this time at Kiev. One missile hits.

Invincible’s two Sea Eagle Armed Harriers launch against their targets, but all missiles fail to find targets. Scenario Ends.


Final Score is 500 (Average).

SIDE: Royal Navy
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LOSSES:
-------------------------------
1x S 108 Swiftsure
1x S 107 Trafalgar

2x D 95 Manchester [Type 42 Batch 3]
1x D 80 Sheffield [Type 42 Batch 1]

1x F 92 Boxer [Type 22 Batch 2]
1x F 88 Broadsword [Type 22 Batch 1]
1x F 169 Amazon [Type 21, Exocet]
1x F 40 Sirius [Type 12I Leander Batch 2TA]


6x Lynx HAS.3
2x Lynx HAS.3

3x Nimrod MR.2P

4x Sea Harrier FRS.1
10x Buccaneer S.2B

EXPENDITURES:
------------------
24x AGM-84D Harpoon IC
46x Sea Eagle
4x UGM-84B Harpoon IA
2x AS.37 Martel [ARM]
2x CPU-123 Paveway II LGB
38x AIM-9L Sidewinder
112x Sea Dart Mod 1
243x SSQ-963A CAMBS III
10x 20mm/85 Mk15 Phalanx Blk 0 Burst [200 rnds]
20x Plessey Shield Chaff
6x 114mm/55 Mk8 HE(MP) HE
35x Sea Wolf Blk 1
4x Corvus Chaff [Distraction]
4x Corvus Chaff [Seduction]
13x SSQ-947 Julie Active Range-Only [AN/SSQ-47]
14x SSQ-905 Jezebel LOFAR
11x Stingray Mod 0
7x 30mm ADEN Mk4 x 2 Burst [50 rnds]
10x Generic Chaff Salvo [5x Cartridges]
1x Type 2066 Bandfish

SIDE: Red Banner Northern Fleet
===========================================================
LOSSES:
-------------------------------
2x PLA-945 Sierra I [Barrakuda]
2x EM Sovremenny I [Pr.956]
1x VTR Boris Chilikin [Pr.1559V]


5x Tu-95RT Bear D
2x Tu-142MK Bear F Mod 3
5x Tu-22M-3 Backfire C
3x Tu-16RM-1/2 Badger D

7x Ka-27PL Helix A
3x Ka-25Ts Hormone B

EXPENDITURES:
------------------
24x SS-N-19 Shipwreck [P-700 Granit]
16x SS-N-22 Sunburn [P-80 Zubr]
4x AS-4 Kitchen A Mod 3 [Kh-22N ASM]
13x SS-N-14 Silex [85RU, Dual-Role, UMGT-1 Torpedo + 185kg Unitary]
221x RGB-75 [Basic Search, Passive Omni]
15x Generic Flare Salvo [4x Cartridges, Single Spectral]
64x SA-N-6a Grumble [5R55RM]
35x SA-N-4b Gecko [9M33M3]
123x AK-100 100mm/70 Frag
23x PK-2 Chaff [TSP-47]
19x USET-80
32x SS-N-12 Sandbox Mod 1 [P-500 Bazalt]
17x Generic Acoustic Decoy
2x APR-2 Orlan-M
64x SA-N-7 Gadfly [9M38]
68x SA-N-3b Goblet [4K65]
48x AK-630M 30mm/65 Gatling Burst [400 rnds]
34x AK-130 130mm/54 Twin Frag Burst [2 rnds]
59x SA-N-9 Gauntlet [9M330-2 Kinzhal]
23x SA-N-4a Gecko [9M33]
4x AK-726 76mm/60 Twin Frag Burst [2 rnds]
1x SS-N-15 Starfish [RPK-6 Vodopad, UMGT-1 Torpedo]
3x PLAB-250 Depth Charge

===========================================================
POSTSCRIPT:

Spies report the following damage to Soviet fleet units:

BPK Udaloy I [ Damage 45.7%]
TAKR Kiev [Damage 54.2%]

[mikmykWS]

You try with 1.07 RC betas yet? Duelists, Operation Lightning Strike and Khark Island Raid were all updated with it. Can see some of the WRA stuff at work from the AI side.

Mike

[RoccoNZ]

The AAR is from weeks ago. Hd problems registering on the forum (weird timeout stuff Matrix were very good working through), and then 10 posts + 7 days thing because the forum software thought the AAR had phone numbers...

Replayed it yesterday with the first RC. WRA is excellent - well done.

The big change for Duelists 'd like to see is the No-fly for Norway being enforced for the Soviets too. I figure if Norway is cooperating with the Soviets, then the Scenario would be much harder, and if the Soviets are ignoring borders than Norway would have joined Britain! Maybe tweaking the Blue magazines would be useful too. Depth charges seem like an obvious omission.

[mikmykWS]

Actually they should be. Where are they violating it?

Mike

[RoccoNZ]

ORIGINAL: mikmyk

Actually they should be. Where are they violating it?

Mike

Sorry, I think this got fixed a while back