ANTI_RDR_OBJ missions (e.g. Iron Hand) SF2V

[Mr_Tayto 26]

Occasionally I get a mission "description" of the type in the title. Not even a description like "air defence suppression" or indication of the area - of course there is a flight plan with an IP and target waypoint. It's not a big deal, I think I understand that these are Weasel/Iron Hand missions, and approach them as such.

 

The main issue is that the game doesn't give you any idea of how to complete these missions, unlike strike and escort, which are self-explanatory; destroy such-and-such target, protect this flight from interception. It's just as well I am extensively read on Vietnam war aircraft, missions and tactics, or I might not have the first clue, but it's still confusing at times and I want to be good at these missions (and of course, safe to RTB). So, a first question: When do "Primary targets" show themselves in these missions, and what's the best way to find them?

 

I understand the theory behind Shrike/Standard ARM employment, but struggle to know when is best to shoot. Even with maximum settings, I find draw-in for ground targets, especially at medium level and above, means I often don't see targets on the ground unless they're big and obvious like buildings. Radar vans, launchers and individual AA guns are difficult to pick out without using the visual targeting HUD markers. Add to this early Rolling Thunder aircraft don't have a RHAW scope, often only audio warnings. To my second question: How do you combat SAM tracking radars (especially without knowing range and, in early months, bearing)? Does firing toward launched SAMs help, as the radar would be close?

 

Thirdly, I guess I'm just looking for tips. I dread these missions when they appear, not because they're dangerous (although they are), but because they're less "directed" than strike missions, which have an obvious pass/fail point. Can anyone share best practice for 'Nam-era Weaselling?

 

Thanks in advance!

[OlWilly 89]

Sadly, the implementation of ARMs in Strike Fighters is just bad. The only thing you can do with them is to loft them in LOAL mode, that's all.

Thus, the only viable tactic is... To know the effective range of your missile at the given altitude and airspeed. Let's say we have Shrike and go low, this should be around 10-15NM.

Then, you had to get the azimuth and range on the radar you want to attack, from RWR for example or from pre-flight. When the range is met - when you are closer than 15NM from the target, lob your missiles towards it and hope that they will lock, immediately turn away.

Other modes of use are simply not modeled.

For example, Shrike could lock before the launch, it was similar to Sparrow in floodlight mode, Shrike's seeker could lock emitters in the narrow cone in front - giving the pilot a tone when lock was obtained. Ho HUD, no dedicated display was needed - just turn on the target emitter and wait for a tone.

Later ARMs displayed spotted emitters to the pilot either on display or on a HUD, letting the pilot to select them for attack.

ARMs with more range were often paired with detecting equipment, which likewise spotted the emitters and displayed them to pilot. Missile will go most of the way on INS and switch to seeker when close to the target

[MigBuster 2,861]

To complete these missions from the game side involves taking out a random number of Air defence sites AAA/radar/SAM (more like DEAD).

If you dont have easymode where you can see what are primary targets - then taking out guns near the target waypoint will usually work.

To see guns without aids - really difficult with default effects - go through the ground targets (E) untill you get a gun and padlock it.

Some of the modded effects mean you can see the tracer and flashes easier to can hit them

Strafe with guns and rockets needs practise - pull out before you get to close basically and never over fly a gun site. If you can learn to remember where the gun site is climb say 9000 ft above, dive down and ripple rockets or bombs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr_Tayto 26]

Thanks both, really good advice for mission execution. I wonder if there's a way to edit the mission success/failure parameters so that SEAD works the same way as "Escort", where success is defined by how many strike aircraft survive to attack the target and egress?

 

This way, just the presence of the Iron Hand flight would be helping to achieve missions success, and it wouldn't be purely based on destruction of enemy units, which is unclear. In every example I've seen on video, there has never been a "Mission Accomplished", even where the strike flight has destroyed its target and the IH flight has egressed safely.

 

You would of course have to have mid-late war Wild Weasel with completely different goals, as those flights were about destroying suspected SAM sites regardless of friendly air activity in the vicinity.