How to beat the computer opponent

[Anonymous]

Some hints regarding air-to-air and air-to-ground combat for those who are rather new and get busted too often for having fun: [:D]

a) defense - Always start with gathering inlligence: Send your AEW aircraft up. Guard them perfectly (two interceptors per AEW bird) - they are extremely important. - Build up strong CAP stations along the main threat axis b) offense - Don´t start bombing runs when there is heavy fighter opposition: Build a moving ambush with your fighters, followed by AEW and EW birds. - When the skies are clear, it´s time for the next step: Jam the SAM sites with your EW birds. - Move in with your SEAD birds and kill hostile SAM sites - Next, attack with standoff weapons like the AGM-84 SLAM - Last, mop it up with laser guided and iron bombs

[Little Beavers]

For ANW:

Remember that the AO has automatic side recognition.  This is because the computer can't think like you and I do.  For example:  We see a contact and look it up and try to ID it using it's emissions.  If we are looking for Soviet Era units and we see a Top Plate radar we can pretty much infer that we're looking at a high end Soviet surface ship.  The computer simply isn't capable of making that assumption so it gets help. 

What does this mean?

It means that lighting off your sensors could give the enemy a shot at you.  I once played a scenario where I activated my radars briefly to get a quick air picture.  I turned them off comfortable in the assumption that since I hadn't detected any radars via my ESM before hand, I was safe......

After looking at a replay of the game, I realized that the scenario designer had, instead of an AWACS or MPA, placed two ELINT birds some distance from their coast.  The distance between the two planes allowed them to triangulate and localize my position to the point where they were able to launch an air strike.  ELINT birds don't radiate, they just listen. 

Thank god for IRST or else I'd have lost most ships in the group.  As it was one frigate and a destroyer were sunk with almost every other ship damaged to varying degrees.  Missiles suck.

[darknite]

The DB for HUCE has the AIM-120 significantly outranged by OPFOR missiles (AA-10C, Meteor, AA-12 update, etc). You need to be very canny on you run air combat in these instances or risk losing your aircraft if playing the US/NATO. My current strategy has worked pretty well and is associated with HUCE's implicit CEC capability (ie, use offboard sensors for firing solutions). Here's how it works...

1) Detect the enemy's aircraft. This can be done in a variety of ways and is often a synthesis of different capabilities - AWACS, ESM platforms, ground-based radar, etc - but NOT your fighter a/c's radar.

2) Degrade your opponent's radar capability with EW aircraft. Get that little 'jamming lightning bolt' going over closing opponent's air superiority a/c.

3) The trick is to get your fighters into range to launch their Slammers without being fired upon and then escape. You do this by not having them DETECTED. Jamming opposing fighter's radar allows you to get into range without being detected (See 2 above). VSmall/Stealthy fighters can often do this against many opponents without needing jamming (depends on the enemy's radar).

4) Using the fighter a/c's radar raises the chances of their detection immensely - so use offboard and/or passive sensors only for them. Turn your intercepting a/c radars' OFF when facing superior missiles. You may have to use it to illuminate SARHs (haven't tested that in this version yet, though).

5) Launch your AMRAAMs and scram! In a closing battle (most common) get those missiles off the rail at the edge of their envelope and reverse direction away from the opposing fighter.

Examples:

F/A-18Es with AIM-120C5s with Hummer and Growler support versus SU-35Es. The Hornets are staged ahead of the jammer/AWACs and close with the inbound fighter sweep that's checking out the radiating a/c. The '35E has a very powerful radar (over 200nm) but with jamming support I am able to get the Hornets to 44nm, release missiles and reverse without being fired upon.

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F-16C Block 50/52 with AIM-120C5s with E-2T support versus J-11 (SU-27SK) with AA-10C over Taiwan. Kept the F-16s at low altitude and over Taiwan to avoid powerful ground-based radar coverage on the PRC side of the Straight. E-2T deployed just off eastern shore of Taiwan. Without jamming but with the F-16's VSmall radar size I was able to get to AIM-120C5 44nm range, launch and evade without counterfire.

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F-15K with AIM-120C5s with Boeing 737E-X AWACS support versus SU-27B with AA-10C over Korea. Used similar strategy as F-16s above. However due to the F-15's large radar signature these engagements resulted in a counter-launch and both aircraft using A/B to escape inbound AAMs. No kills, though usually the enemy a/c would bug out for home afterwards. In the same situation with KF-16s firing AIM-120As at 40nm they succeeded in getting the kill and escaping without counterfire!

[JRyan]

ORIGINAL:After looking at a replay of the game, I realized that the scenario designer had, instead of an AWACS or MPA, placed two ELINT birds some distance from their coast.  The distance between the two planes allowed them to triangulate and localize my position to the point where they were able to launch an air strike.  ELINT birds don't radiate, they just listen. 

That's just sneaky! That was a WELL designed scenario for sure. That is what makes Harpoon great! The Unknowns......