Tomorrow, When The War Began: The RNZAF perspective (photo story)

[+dtmdragon 2,694]

Tomorrow, When The War Began is a book published in 1993 that details the invasion and partial occupation of Australia by a foreign power. Is basically the Australian version of ‘Red Dawn’. It was also turned into a movie released in 2010.The invading nation is never specified in the book but is portrayed as China in the movie. In the book no major world powers are prepared to fight in Australia’s defence due to the risk of war with the invading nation. The only country engaging in open warfare alongside Australia is New Zealand. However the book states that the United States is supplying New Zealand with military equipment and training since it cannot engage in open warfare itself.

Here is my take on that RNZAF from invasion in 1993 till today:

 

1993 The invasion is achieved by a massive simultaneous air and amphibious assault that overwhelms Australia’s Air Defences.  Long range bombers striking the RAAF’s airbases succeed in severely damaging the RAAF’s capability to resist the invasion.

 

 

The remaining RAAF F111 squadrons and arriving New Zealand A-4K Skyhawks attempt to prevent the reinforcement of the beach heads but ultimately most of Northern Australia falls to the invaders despite months of heavy resistance. PLAAF aircraft are now operating from captured Australian airstrips.

 

 

Late 1993 To replace heavy losses the United States supplies the RAAF with F/A-18 Hornets from its own Navy squadrons, however replacing the lost RNZAF Skyhawks is a more difficult problem. Eventfully A-4N Skyhawks from Israel are sourced with pressure from the US. These Skyhawks enter service immediately and are often in combat before they are totally repainted in RNZAF markings. Due to the difficulty in replacing RNZAF Skyhawks The US decides to supply F-16C aircraft to New Zealand under similar terms as the WWII Lend-Lease program. Operation ‘Peace Justice’ provides the Aircraft along with training in the US for Kiwi pilots.

 

 

1994 Ex USAF F-16C Block 40 aircraft enter service with No. 75 Squadron. By now the replacement Israeli A-4N Skyhawks have been updated to ‘Kahu’ standards with the APG-66NZ radar etc. All A-4K and N Skyhawks are now assigned to No. 2 Squadron.

The war reaches a stalemate and enters a ‘war of attrition phase’ with a largely stagnant front line as neither side has the strength left for any large scale offensive pushes. Ultimately an uneasy peace will develop with periodic border skirmishes.

 

 

2001 The RNZAF expands its air combat force with another squadron of F-16s and commences an upgrade of its Skyhawk fleet with ‘Kahu Phase II’. The new F-16 aircraft are practically band new A/B Block 15 OCU models from an embargoed Pakistani order in storage and are a fraction of the price of new aircraft. The F-16A/B models are delivered to No. 2 Squadron who hand their upgraded Skyhawks over to No. 14 Squadron.

 

 

2003 No. 75 Squadron F-16C Block 40 aircraft are rotated through the United States for the CCIP upgrade to F-16CM Block 40 standards.

 

 

2007 No. 2 Squadron F-16A/B Block 15 OCU aircraft receive the F-16AM/BM Mid Life Upgrade (MLU).

 

 

2008 To counter the threat from a PLAAF Chengdu J-10 squadron now based in Occupied Northern Australia, a squadron of brand new Lend-Lease F-16C/D Block 52 Plus aircraft are delivered to the RNZAF. These new aircraft are operated by No. 75 Squadron who hand their Block 40 F-16CM Falcons over to No. 14 Squadron who in turn hand their Skyhawks over to No. 4 Territorial (Reserve) Squadron.

 

 

2009 The Free Royal Australian Air Force takes delivery of two squadrons of F/A-18F Super Hornets. The RAAF has also continued to operate the A/B model Hornet since the invasion with these aircraft now upgraded to the HUG 3.2 standard.

 

 

2013 The continued build up of PLAAF aircraft in occupied Australia has lead to the requirement for a third RNZAF Combat squadron. No .1 Squadron RNZAF is reactivated to take delivery of the newly built F-16D Advanced Block 52 Plus Fighting Falcons. The D model was chosen due to the advantages of a two man fighter crew learnt by the RAAF crews operating the Super Hornet in combat.

 

 

2014 The sudden appearance of the advanced Hongqi HQ-18/ S-300V SAM system on the border of occupied Australia in January has left the ANZAC Air Forces at a substantial tactical disadvantage. An urgent operational requirement was issued by the RNZAF to the USAF who responded by leasing a squadron of secondhand F-16CM Block 50 aircraft with the ASQ-213A HTS to New Zealand. The RNZAF has reactivated No. 30 Squadron to operate these aircraft.

 

 

Today No. 2 Squadron (F-16AM/BM) is permanently based in New Zealand for local air/ maritime defense and the F-16 pilot training syllabus. No. 4 Territorial Squadron is likewise based in New Zealand for emergency point defense. Of the four F-16C/D squadrons (No. 1, No. 14, No. 30, No. 75) three are always based in Australia on Operations and one is rotated back to New Zealand for air defense and pre-deployment work up.

 

The RNZAF has also established No. 8 Tactics Development/ Aggressor Flight which is a small flight based in New Zealand that operates one of each Block F-16 model in RNZAF service to develop air-to-air and air-ground tactics. The flight also operates two captured PLAAF aircraft as part of its air-to-air tactics development. Due to its in-depth understanding of enemy tactics the Flight also functions as an aggressor unit.

 

 

Apart from combat aircraft the US has also supplied four E-3A Sentry AWACS aircraft to the RNZAF.

 

Edited April 28, 2014 by dtmdragon

[MAKO69 186]

Very interesting, A Cold War in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. New Zealand may have to lift their ban on tactical nukes.

[+daddyairplanes 10,146]

this begs for a campaign and terrain..........

awesome backstory as always

Edited April 28, 2014 by daddyairplanes

[+russouk2004 6,958]

Really well done "what if" scenario m8...looks could have been ish lol

[+Brain32 265]

Tomorrow, When The War Began is a book published in 1993 that details the invasion and partial occupation of Australia by a foreign power. Is basically the Australian version of ‘Red Dawn’. It was also turned into a movie released in 2010.The invading nation is never specified in the book but is portrayed as China in the movie. In the book no major world powers are prepared to fight in Australia’s defence due to the risk of war with the invading nation. The only country engaging in open warfare alongside Australia is New Zealand. However the book states that the United States is supplying New Zealand with military equipment and training since it cannot engage in open warfare itself.

 

I watched the movie it was bloddy awesome and was thinking about transferring that to SF world somehow, great concept man

[+Hans Topp 115]

Very nice history, really interesting, could be made one campaign addon sir???

[Viggen 643]

Yeah this is begging for a campaign.

[Wrench 9,801]

totally enjoyed the movie; much better than the Red Dawn remake. Looks like I'll have to find the book!

I recognize both the Darwin and NZ terrains. Dosen't the NZ terrain need 'retargetization?'

[+dtmdragon 2,694]

Cheers guys

 

I have a separate 'Tomorrow, When The War Began' mods folder with all these aircraft plus every other Chinese, Australian and New Zealand ground, air or sea unit available. The plan is to eventually create a campaign with it but I have never done a custom campaign before so it is going to be a learning process for me! Also as you pointed out Wrench the Darwin and NZ terrains need a bit of changing to more accurately reflect the scenario. Darwin needs the enemy territory spreading inland from the coast of Australia as the campaign progresses and the NZ terrain needs to be changed to all friendly with an enemy carrier station off the coast for the Liaoning to launch raiders from. I know how I would like it to be so it’s just a matter of translating it to the SF2 game.

 

Wrench, the book is actually a series of seven books. I read it about 12 years ago in high school when we had to do a book study on it for English class. I liked it back then so you can imagine how cool It was for me when they released the movie a few years ago!

Edited April 28, 2014 by dtmdragon

[MAKO69 186]

Cheers guys

 

I have a separate 'Tomorrow, When The War Began' mods folder with all these aircraft plus every other Chinese, Australian and New Zealand ground, air or sea unit available. The plan is to eventually create a campaign with it but I have never done a custom campaign before so it is going to be a learning process for me! Also as you pointed out Wrench the Darwin and NZ terrains need a bit of changing to more accurately reflect the scenario. Darwin needs the enemy territory spreading inland from the coast of Australia as the campaign progresses and the NZ terrain needs to be changed to all friendly with an enemy carrier station off the coast for the Liaoning to launch raiders from. I know how I would like it to be so it’s just a matter of translating it to the SF2 game.

 

Wrench, the book is actually a series of seven books. I read it about 12 years ago in high school when we had to do a book study on it for English class. I liked it back then so you can imagine how cool It was for me when they released the movie a few years ago!

What about the Royal South African Air force would they come to help a fellow Commonwealth country. And why not some Mercs.

[Derk 265]

VERY interesting. May help the Kiwi's governement to realise that since the phase out of the Skyhawk, New Zealand lies completely open to anything ...... Two great New Zealand terrains already exist  with plenty of enemy air activity and targets.as well as NZ F16 skins and of course Skyhawks ....

Edited May 12, 2014 by Derk

[+JonathanRL 974]

The plan is to eventually create a campaign with it but I have never done a custom campaign before so it is going to be a learning process for me!

 

Thats how TSF begun.

 

At any rate, if I remember the book correctly, the initial wave was low flying, fast attack jets such as A-5 Fantan and the like.

 

Suddenly the loud buzzing became a roar. I couldn't believe how quickly it changed. It was probably because of the high walls of rock that surrounded our campsite. And like black bats screaming out of the sky, blotting out the stars, a V-shaped line of jets raced overhead, very low overhead. Then another, then another, till six lines in all had stormed through the sky above me. Their noise, their speed, their darkness frightened me. I realised that I was crouching, as though being beaten. I stood up. It seemed that they were gone. The noise faded quickly, till I could no longer hear it. But something remained. The air didn't seem as clear, as pure. There was a new atmosphere. The sweetness had gone; the sweet burning coldness had been replaced by a new humidity. I could smell the jet fuel. We'd thought that we were among the first humans to invade this basin, but humans had invaded everything, everywhere. They didn't have to walk into a place to invade it. Even Hell was not immune.

I got back to the sleeping bag and Fi said sleepily: 'What was that noise?' It seemed that she was the only one awake, though I could hardly believe it.

 

'Planes,' I said.

'Mmmm, I thought so,' she said. 'Coming back from Commem Day I suppose.'

'Of course,' I thought. 'That's what it'll be.'

I started to drift into a kind of sleep, restless and full of wild dreams. It still hadn't occurred to me that there was anything strange about dozens of aircraft flying fast and low at night without lights. It wasn't till much later that I even realised they'd had no lights.

In the morning, at breakfast, Robyn said, 'Did anyone else hear those planes last night?'

'Yes,' I said. 'I was up. I'd been to the toilet.'

'They just never stopped,' Robyn said. 'Must have been hundreds.'

'There were six lots,' I said. 'Close together and really low. But I thought you slept through it. Fi was the only one who said anything.'

Robyn stared at me. 'Six lots? There were dozens and dozens, all night long. And Fi was asleep. I thought you were too. Lee and I were counting them but everyone else just snored away.'

'God,' I said, starting to realise, 'I must have heard a different lot to you.'

Edited May 17, 2014 by JonathanRL

[cenden 4]

good story very similar to red dawn nice work