DCS Black Shark 2 - Observation Post "Baltika"

The sim: DCS Black Shark 2
The situation: hauling comms equipment between an observation post and a patrol in a counterinsurgency environment.

Observation post "Baltika" has a commanding view of the whole Predgorny District form the top of Mount Dzhutsa. The town of Etoka is in the background. A Ka-50 rushes to the plain below.

The town of Etoka has become a thorn in the side to the overextended Russian troops operating in the Predgorny District. Sitting at the foot of Mount Dzhutsa (3,700 feet), the town is all but in control of Russian troops. The insurgents have been slowly smuggling in heavy weapons and a cordon and search mission by Russian troops is overdue. All the Russians could muster for the time being is a modest observation post on top of Mount Dzhutza, which as of the recent days has become the favorite insurgent mortar fire training target.

Repeated attempts to reinforce the observation post with better weapons and sensors have been unsuccessful. The remote location of the post demands heliborne deliveries and last night a transport helicopter has crash landed almost on top of the troops.

This morning, a patrol of Russian troops operating in the plain below, 1 km south of Etoka, has raided one safe house and found transcripts and recordings of Russian fire control radio traffic. The bloody bastards are eavesdropping us! A short time later, they became engaged with insurgents from Etoka. It looks like the patrol will have to fight their way out of this mess and they have required an immediate delivery of encrypted fire control radios. The Russian troops at observation post "Baltika" have agreed to loan their spare radio set and I have been called out of a training flight to pick up the bloody equipment from the observation post and deliver it to the patrol below Mount Dzhutsa. Completely out of ammo, me and my wingman had no choice but to brace for a rough ride.

This is the patrol south of Etoka, and is engaged with insurgents.

Observation post "Baltika". The remains of the transport helicopter destroyed last night is in the background.

After ordering my wingman to stay  put, I approach Mount Dzhutsa from the opposite side, using the goddamned hill as cover. A mortar barrage starts falling on the observation post (small black puffs on the side of the mountain). I decide to wait until the fire eases a bit.

Landing at observation post "Baltika". This was a hell of an approach: a climb with forward speed hugging the contour of the mount, and a final approach at low altitude to avoid being targeted by the insurgents. The touchdown was as gentle as possible (didn't know how soft or hard the terrain was).

It took a while to get somebody at the observation post to notice that I was there and waiting, but finally I was in possession of the radio set. The soldiers were busy treating their wounded after the mortar fire. That thing in the foreground is the transport helicopter that was destroyed earlier.

I should have taken off from the other side of the mount, but the wind didn't allow it. Avoiding to enemy fire (see tracers coming out of Etoka), calling my wingman to rejoing and keeping my Ka-50 from overspeeding was too taxiing for my flying skills ... I hope that landing gear is still OK.

Landing near the patrol (background). The troops are in contact with insurgents to the right of this picture and I bet they can see my helicopter, but fortunately they didn't fire.

An insurgent RPG could have blown me away to pieces while I was on the ground ...

After an infantry man expediently picked up the radio set, I rush away from the landing zone, nose down and with the collective up to my armpit. 

Leaving the area of operations. Mount Dzhutsa is in the background. My wingman has rejoined the formation but can't be seen in this screenshot.

This is our airbase, Mineralnye Vody, which is located some 35 kilometers from the observation post.

Touchdown! I always take those firetrucks as a bad omen ... 

I don't even bother getting off the helicopter because I am sure that a call will come for a close air support mission. We didn't leave our boys over there in a good position.

Cheers,