DCS A-10 Warthog - Is really this close to release?

Yesterday and today I watched some fantastic videos in Giller's blog (Hogs of War, it's in the blogroll, don't miss it) about the upcoming DCS A-10 Warthog.

Latest video from Glowing Amraam is fantastic and I'm embedding it below. But also watch the videos in Giller's blog about the start up of the A-10. Yeah, guys! We are in for some serious button pushing.



Thanks Giller for the heads up. This flight simulator has me all pumped now.

Cheers,

ArmA 2 Operation Arrowhead - Poking the Mosquitoes from Hell

That was their word for us: 'Mosquitoes'. Ed Macy about the nickname the Taliban fighters gave to the British AH-64 attack helicopters. Quoted from Apache.

I am a bit obsessed with helicopter operations lately.

While messing around with ArmA2 (heliborne assaults and such), I wondered about the troops fighting the air assault. More in particular, insurgents.

What's like to deal with an attack helicopter by using an RPG-7?

In real life, not easy.

But real life is over-rated :), I think the virtual world of ArmA2 will do for the time being. :)

Off course ArmA2 has its limits but so does my question. For starters the computer controlled units do behave in certain ways that expose them to fire. Computer controlled attack helicopters overfly their targets, fly straight patterns, hover in questionable places, don't take advantage of their weapons range, etc. Only thing nice about computer-controlled attack helicopters is how they do running attacks instead of attacks from the hover. Having killed myself one millions times in DCS Black Shark because I got trapped in my rotors' downwash while hovering and trying to evade enemy fire at the same time, I'm now a big fan of running attacks. So is the US Army.

That's enough digression. Here's the deal: a flight of two computer-controlled US AH-64Ds against an RGP-7 team (me and my ammo man). Semi-urban setting, great visibility. Mano a mano.

The RPG-7 is a very simple weapon to use. Useful mostly at relatively short ranges (200 meters and below), it was designed for fire support and ambushing armored vehicles. Yeah, helicopters are not in the list. But it has been used against them: Mogadishu, Afghanistan, Chechnya, etc.

Here are a few notes from this scenario.

I tried to stay out of sight, close with the attack helicopters and fire while they were looking elsewhere. Easy to say, not so easy to do. I got killed more than I killed them. My ammo man, computer-controlled guy, would always give up our position by walking right in the middle of an intersection. When the Apaches see you, it's hard to shake them from above you.

The AI in ArmA2 doesn't cheat. Here is the fire from an Apache, impacting right where we were a few seconds ago. For the record, Jalil's corner shop will need some serious repair.

Avoid standing in the clear, off course, and keep moving. Cross streets quickly and using the shortest distance at a perpendicular angle. Zig-zagging is useless, the target acquisition of the Apache can take care of a car moving at 60 mph so your fancy running is a piece of cake for them. Once across the street, move away from the spot you just reached: the computer-controlled Apache may have seen you crossing the street and it will fire right at your destination spot even when there is no direct line of sight to you (don't forget these helicopters fire high caliber rounds that will go through walls).

The sights of the RPG-7 are not designed for this. I never hit a moving helicopter.

The best chances to hit a helicopter is when it is hovering. In the picture above, I was trying to hit a moving Apache and the only thing I got out of this folly was to get their aiming reticles right onto me.

Hug the walls of buildings like dear life, but treat buildings like temporary shelters, not fighting fortresses. There is no building in ArmA2 that can't be demolished by the arsenal of an Apache.

The only thing that saved us here is the big angle between the ground, ours and the helicopter's position.

When you stop to observe or to fire, always have an escape route that can't be observed by the helicopter.

Mega! We are still too far from them. These alleys/corridors that go across blocks are great to take you from street to street without being spotted.

You will have to move not only in a defensive posture avoiding fire, but also while on the offense. In the few times that I could hit an helicopter it was after running a lot to get into a firing position.

One of those few seconds when you feel the hunter. The helicopter is flying away from our position. Make sure the wingman has also passed you.  Keep alert! The Apache can literally turn on a dime.

Patience, can't have too much of it. This is not Call of Duty!

Hovering at a medium range from us, this Apache is asking for trouble. I don't think the power lines would interfere with my shot here, but I wonder if they would in real life.

This Apache is forcing us out from the built up area. Extra careful now as buildings become more scarce.

Rule of thumb: fire at the helicopter only when its relative size is at least as big as the widht of the aiming reticle. At least for a man of poor marksmanship like me.

You can almost see the faces of the pilots at this range. Secondary effects include unhealthy doses of cannon rounds coming your way.

Have the discipline of firing and reloading instantly thereafter. Re-loading a real life RPG-7 takes 14 seconds at least.

A good hit like this one doesn't warrant a downed helicopter. Reload right away, the mosquito can still bite you!

And in case you haven't figured it out yet: shoot at the helicopter from the rear or flanks. I doubt you will ever get a chance of actually aiming at one from its front.

Steady, steady ... Please don't turn ...

Cheers,

Combat Mission Afghanistan -Landing Zone from Hell: Forming Up in the Middle of an Enemy Kill Zone

This Combat Mission Scenario has me a bit puzzled.

Briefing says that I am in command of an airborne battalion (-) conducting an air assault on a fortified complex in some remote mountain area. When I saw the tactical map below I thought that somebody put the wrong picture in the briefing.

We are the red forces, right in the middle of the enemy. Are you sure this is not a Muji ambush?

 When I hit the OK button, I realized that the tactical map was correct. Whoah!

Our fearless battalion commander has skillfully landed us into an enemy kill zone. Click the picture for a better view.

Boy, that's a tough spot to have our desants!

First things first, I order massive suppressive fires on each hill top.

Combat Mission tip of the day: even when you can't see the enemy, area fire impacting nearby an enemy unit will have them suppressed. Click the image for a better view.

What to do next? Attack each hill simultaneously? I thought of extracting my troops from the kill zone, so I can attack the hills sequentially.

Would this work? Extract the battalion from the landing zone, move it into assault possition 1 and take Hill 2131. The leave some fire support detachments and FOs in Hill 2131 to support the attack from position 2. The third hill would fall by itself. Click the image for a better view.

Now, the stunner: this is a mini-version of an air assault that happened during the real war. During the early hours of April 12, 1987, the 1st Air Assault Battalion conducted this assault as part of a bigger operation by the Separate Air Assault Brigade. In real life, the Soviets succeeded attacked each hill simultaneously with one company and took all the real estate after a short firefight.


So, I better stop whining and keep it simple.

BTW, it has been a long time since I don't command a whole battalion in Combat Mission.

Wish me luck.

Cheers,

Combat Mission Afghanistan Released

Battlefront has launched Combat Mission Afghanistan, a wargame based in the Combat Mission Shock Force engine  and developed in collaboration with a third party.

The setting is the Soviet-Afghan War and the game includes new 3D models, new weapon systems and new terrain tiles (snow and sorta-water).

There is a demo available. More impressions coming soon.

Cheers,

Battle- Flight-Worthy, At Last

Sorry for the lack of entries. I have been migrating all my gaming stuff to a new computer. Worst part was the HOTAS. I had old versions of the CH Products drivers and it drove me nuts to figure out what the hell was wrong. I'm not getting any wiser ...

Best part is that I finally got a serious look at TrackIR in ArmA2. During the weekend I played an online game in  some server (great group of tactically-minded guys BTW) and I noticed how much head swiveling was in place.  TrackIR is great for situational awareness and squad/fireteam command.

At last ... time to play.

Cheers,

Attack Helicopter Units - Maneuver or Fire Support Units?

In an scenario from Decisive Action, a single US Division faces 3 Iraqi counterparts that are attempting to take control of Kuwait's capital and oil fields. The situation is dire for the US troops. Outnumbered, the only option for the US appears to be an operational defense.

I will post more details about this scenario at a later time. It's a lot of fun to scramble for every single nugget of firepower to stop the Iraqi tide.

Last night and for the first time I could use attack helicopters with moderate success. Please click the figure below to see a composite graphic of the attack that A/1-44 AHB brought into an Iraqi reconnaissance battalion.

Click the figure for a better view. The region inside the blue circle has been expanded for a better view. 

 In a typical Cold War scenario, this is exactly what AHBs would be doing: maneuvering independently and whacking the hell out of Soviet armored formations. However, it looks that in some US Army circles, the role of attack helicopters is being reconsidered from maneuver units to fire support units. Click the figure below to read an article that appeared in the Air Force Magazine. To fight an insurgency, it makes sense to have attack helicopters as fire support units. But in a high intensity conflict like Korea, China or Iran?

Click the figure to read the article.

Cheers,

Contact With the Enemy: More than a Plan Killer

You remember the famous phrase: "no plan survives contact with the enemy".

Well, the other thing that goes away, at least for a while if you are lucky, is command and control (C2).

Last night I was playing a sandbox, fictional scenario in Scourge of War. I was in command of a Union division and I had a hell of a time pulling a brigade out of contact. It can be done, but if the morale of the troops is slightly  less than super, the retreat quickly becomes a rout.

Maneuvering and avoiding deployment as the plague! Note the graphics glitch that makes the horses fly.

Troops embroiled in combat. These weapons have a maximum range of 160 yards and you may feel tempted to minimize the distance to the enemy. Be careful, the closer to the enemy, the easier your troops can rout during a retreat.

Having other regiments in the flanks will help morale and to break contact. However, deploying all units to the front will leave you reserve-less and anxious.

My troops get cold steel from their right flank. In the confusion of battle, for a good while  is difficult to figure out who is winning.

Cheers,

Lenovo Split Screen - Finally I Can Run "Decisive Action" Without Changing My Screen Resolution!

Great as it is, Decisive Action has its quirks. For example, it can run only at certain specific screen resolutions. Modern monitors don't always render stuff decently when their resolution is set to something different than their native one. That's why "Decisive Action" was sort of a sore to watch in my desktop.

In my laptop, there is this Lenovo Split Screen gadget that allows you to set sorta multiple monitors. It is great to play a game in one split and watch something else in the other.

Waiting for somebody to show up at SimHQ while playing Decisive Action. I know it looks silly as Decisive Action is a game that plays inside a window. But this trick can be used for any other game that plays in full screen.

Cheers,

Throwing Books at Victoria 2

When I play a tactical or a grand-tactical game, I check a real life field manual. Color me a weirdo, but I'm THAT interested in warfare.

When it comes to strategy or grand-strategy games ... well, there are no field manuals.

I am playing Victoria 2 right now. Started a game as Argentina and I have this deer in the headlights look. All I can do (game and interface wise) is clear to me. The un-answered questions are: what, why, where, how, when and who?

The following book is being helpful to answer those questions.

It's a primer in military strategy and it is aimed to provide a framework rather than thorough analysis. It is very concise and has a no BS approach.

As for my questions above, chapter 2 has a brief description of national security interests. The author classifies them in universally and variably important. Universally important interests are valid for every country in every situation. The variable important interests are followed depending on the particular situation of the country.

Universally important national security interests

• National Survival
• Homeland Defense
• Domestic Tranquility
• Military Power
• National Credibility
• Freedom of Action

Variably important national security interests

• Peace
• Stability
• Prosperity
• Ideology
• Geostrategic Position
• Morality

The list above may sound obvious for some veteran armchair strategists here. But the above list is helping me a lot to have a framework for my strategic plan. The book also describes a six-step strategic planning process. I'm going to comment on that in a future entry.

Cheers,

British Forces Training Grounds - Afghanistan in the UK

And speaking about videos, this documentary is being shown at VBS.tv.



Cheers,