OTC After Action Report: Mission 1

[+Bunyap 0]

Mission one was a strike against one of the SS-5 sites. I was assigned to the 511th FBS, deployed to Homestead AFB since the crisis began. We were scheduled for a 1200 takeoff and 1228 time over target. Intel showed heavy AAA around the target area with more at a nearby airfield. This was not going to be easy... On the bright side, enemy air activity was expected to be light.

 

My flight was an 8-ship of F-100Ds so we would have plenty of firepower to throw at the missile site. I decided on the standard loadout of 4x M117 General Purpose Bombs and 2x drop tanks for my flights. As usual, my wingman and myself would go for the primary target while the remaining flight members took out air defences and targets of opportunity around the primary.

 

While planning the strike I looked at the tactical situation and planned accordingly. This would be a relatively short flight so fuel conservation would not be an issue. I chose an altitude of 16,000 feet up until the IP. That would give us some altitude to play with just in case the air threat materialized and be about as much altitude as I could expect out of a fully loaded F-100 at moderate power settings anyway.

 

The main threat to my flight would be AAA around the target so I would want to stay high as long as possible. I decided to drop to around 12,000 feet at the IP, high enough to stay out of most AAA and low enough to identify the target.

 

Once past the IP I would want to set up my bombing run. I planned on diving from 12,000 feet at a 45 deg angle, peaking around 420 Knots, then releasing at 6,000 feet. That put my sight depression at about 140 mils, or just below the bottom of the sight glass. I only wanted to make one pass so I decided to ripple all four bombs at max spacing of 140 ms. This would place my four bombs on a line about 100 feet long. (I think... It's been a while since I've done the math.) That would make it more likely for me to take out multiple targets on one pass.

 

Coming off the target, I would enter a climbing left turn, careful to avoid the airfield with the AAA, and head for home.

 

Time to take-off and put it all into practice.

 

 

Rotate around 180... Off the ground around 210... The F-100 is a lot safer to take-off in since the latest patch.

 

 

My wingman forms up as I take the flight towards Key West.

 

 

Once over Key West I enter a climbing left turn to allow my flight to catch up. Red Crown calls bogeys at 9 o'clock for 50. Our air cover should brush them aside with little trouble...

 

 

We're formed up over Key West at around 8,000 feet and pressing on for waypoint 3. At waypoint 3 we loiter, waiting for our flak suppression escort, Denver flight, to arrive. Denver flight calls out "passing waypoint 3". I make one more turn in my holding pattern and push for the IP at 16,000 feet and 300 KIAS. I put the squadron into "trail" formation.

 

 

Approaching the coast, we hear numerous bogey calls from Red Crown. There are lots of Fox 2 calls from our aircraft and lots of kills reported. Nothing within sight of us... We should be clear all the way to the target.

 

Passing the IP, I put the flights into Box formation and push it up to 400 KIAS while descending to 12,000 feet.

 

 

Target in sight! The missile site is a little left of my course at about 7 miles. I clear my flights onto the target and double check my switch settings... M117s selected... ripple quantity 4... intervalometer set to 140 ms.

 

Red Crown calls bogeys at 11 o'clock for 20 miles. No aircraft in sight... We press for the target.

 

 

Rolling out of my dive and tracking the target... I'm a little shallow...

 

 

Pulling off the target into a climbing left turn... The AAA really lit up but my flight made some good passes.

 

 

Continuing the turn off the target as more of my flight hits the target. I can see the bombs hit as I look back. Tracers are still flashing around in the area but not nearly as many as on my pass. My boys are really lighting things up down there...

 

 

No more AAA for now... Looking back I see at least one missile on fire.

 

 

One more peek at the target as flak from the airfield starts to burst around me. I snap my head back forward and start jinking like crazy. Some of these are really close!

 

To top it off, Red Crown calls out bogeys at my six o'clock for 5 miles. My flight is guns only at this point so its time to haul ass out of here and leave the aircraft to the guys carrying missiles!

 

 

Feet wet and away from any danger...

 

 

Once the hard stuff was over I turnedd on the wing leveler and did some sight seeing with the F6 key. There were quite a few MiGs around but most were single ship at this point. Our air to air guys did well...

 

 

Here is one of our F-4s that provided air cover. Lots of missiles missing from the rails...

 

 

We form up out over the water and get a good head count. All are accounted for except #2 from the second flight. I never saw him get hit but it must have been over the target...

 

 

Gear down, turning onto final at Homestead.

 

 

Lining up... Watching my airspeed...

 

 

Soft landing but a little right of centerline. Oh well...

 

 

Back in chocks...

 

 

A review of gun camera footage showed we could have done a little better. I did get one of the missiles and a tent but screwed the pooch by not giving my wingman a target. By the time I realized this we were off the target and it was too late.

 

The other members of my flight did some good bombing. Numerous AAA sites in the area were taken out.

 

Our casualty was 1Lt Brice who was downed by a 14.5mm KPV machine gun near the target.

 

Overall, not a bad mission!

[boom175 0]

Hello all Newbie here to the world of SFP1. My name is Craig Baumer and I am a Msgt in the MD ANG where I am a A-10 Crew Chief.

Any ways I just installed this and I am having a blast!! A question tho. I was wondering why the F-105D does not have AIM-9 capability? I would even think that, since we are dealing with htpotheticals here why not have the dual rail 'winder! I would love to be toting a heater just in case I get jumped by a bandit over Havana.

Thanks to all the mod writers that make it fun for us!

Craig Baumer

[+Dave 2,322]

Hello all Newbie here to the world of SFP1. My name is Craig Baumer and I am a Msgt in the MD ANG where I am a A-10 Crew Chief.

Any ways I just installed this and I am having a blast!! A question tho. I was wondering why the F-105D does not have AIM-9 capability? I would even think that, since we are dealing with htpotheticals here why not have the dual rail 'winder! I would love to be toting a heater just in case I get jumped by a bandit over Havana.

Thanks to all the mod writers that make it fun for us!

Craig Baumer

 

His Craig

 

Just so happens I am an MTL at the 362nd TRS at Sheppard AFB, were as you know train A-10, F-15, F-16 crewchiefs. Glad to meet you.

 

I took the winders off the F-105 because I have data where they were lacking them to save weight for bigger loads over Cuba. The USAF theory at the time was that with all the fighter cover they were going to have over Cuba that the strike fighters would not of been bothered by enemy fighters. None one has made dual rails yet for F-105.

[boom175 0]

His Craig

 

Just so happens I am an MTL at the 362nd TRS at Sheppard AFB, were as you know train A-10, F-15, F-16 crewchiefs. Glad to meet you.

 

I took the winders off the F-105 because I have data where they were lacking them to save weight for bigger loads over Cuba. The USAF theory at the time was that with all the fighter cover they were going to have over Cuba that the strike fighters would not of been bothered by enemy fighters. None one has made dual rails yet for F-105.

 

Thanks for the reply!!

If I ever get down Sheppard I will lokk ya up!

[+Spectre_USA 7]

>ZOINK!<

 

Operation Tainted Cigar is out?!?!?

 

Yee-Haw! Thanks for the inside look, Bunyap, I must now RUN, not walk, and get this thing goin' on!