HOME | Introduction | Replays | Tactical | Air-to-Air | Missiles | Mud Moving | Tricks | Stories | News | Hacks
Links | Mail | What's New?

NUKE THEM OPPONENTS OF LIBERTY!

I intend here to discuss some tactical aspects of ground strike operations; area denial, defence suppression and interdiction/strike. The Pilot Manual and addendum illustrate some of the basic techniques of how to actually drop bombs, but I want to give a more general outline.

Accurate delivery of A/G ordnance and therefore elimination of enemy threats on the ground is central to any conflict situation:
Superior airpower alone will not win a war, but it can increase the chances of success for a ground assault. Airstrikes can be used to cut off supply routes, soften enemy troop positions, protect friendly units from airborne attack and suppress anti-aircraft artillery. It is therefore essential to be able to:

1. Arrive at the target area at the correct time
2. Deliver an appropriate payload onto the target without causing collateral damage (unless you are dropping nukes :-)
3. Return safely to base

Planning of your mission is therefore critical. Considerations include high/low level attack, direct/indirect routing and payload choice . For example, if the major defence is expected to be intercept aircraft, a heavy bombload might have to be sacrificed for extra air-air missiles and manoeuvrability. SAM activity will necessitate a low-level approach, although this increases vulnerability to AAA. Is it better to go directly to the target, or to take a more circuitous route, using natural cover such as hills? Is it worth sacrificing a pylon for extra fuel? "Low level" in my book means 25 - 75 ft.

The F/A-18 Hornet is able to carry a substantial air-to-ground payload. This includes powered missiles, glide weapons, free-fall iron bombs carried on external pylons, and a single, internally-mounted 20 mm M61A1 gun.

Bear in mind that 1,000 lb bombs cause more damage than 500 lb bombs, for a relatively small performance loss, and that the Hornet can carry "fire and forget" air-ground ordnance.
Elimination of SAM sites is one of my favourite pastimes, and it may be a surprise to some to discover that HARMs (AGM-88) are very effective when released from only ~1200 (twelve hundred) feet and ten miles from target. The advantages of this approach are demonstrated in:
DamBus.sit.hqx, an excerpt from Pull the Plug. This sequences also demonstrates some rather effective strafing. The full replay is PulPlu2.sit.hqx.

For more ideas of how to approach ground targets, check out Bombin.sit.hqx,
which is from the training missions. I made a mistake or two, but I hope it gives an idea of the possibilities open to you.

More..... later.

Mad Dan Eccles demonstrates the full multi-role potential of the F/A-18 Hornet in Black Gold.

HOME | Introduction | Replays | Tactical | Air-to-Air | Missiles | Mud Moving | Tricks | Stories | News | Hacks
Links | Mail | What's New?