You Can't Hide



Back on the Enterprise, my Virtual Squadron is having its debrief. This has been a tough one, and the first guys up did not return. But before they left, they imparted invaluable information about the enemy dispositions.

Weapons: Four AIM-120s, two AIM-9Ls, two AGM-88s, two Mk-82 HDs

Tactics: The trick is not to dogfight two MiGs while a SAM site blasts away at you from below. One method (unrealistic, and therefore a cheat), is to taxi to the right-hand catapult and wait until the bogies are close enough to nail with AIM-120s soon after launch.

In this mission you have two wingmen, flying large circles round the Enterprise, doing touch-and-goes. One uses the left-hand cat (so if you stay where you are he will fly into you approx. 1 min 30 secs into mission), and the other Hornet uses the centre cat (he does his first touch-and-go approx. 3 mins 30 secs into mission). So get clear of them by lining up with the right-hand cat.

You will also notice the AV-8B flying off the Tarawa. The programmers at GSC have neglected to re-model this aircraft for 2.0. It looks pathetic. Its undercarriage does not retract; it is easy meat for the two incoming Floggers. Take a '5' view of the two MiGs, it reveals that they are armed with two IR missiles each. Follow the air combat form the safety of the Enterprise's flight deck, and you will see the lead MiG plugging the Harrier shortly before crossing the coast. Then the MiGs engage your two wingmen. More missiles fly. If you leave the dogfight to reach its conclusion, everyone will kill everyone else. So no wingmen, no bandits. Howver, if you launch just after the MiGs shoot down the Harrier, you can enter the fray (firing first at the MiG with the missiles) and claim some fighter kills.

Having said all that, this procedure is cheating. Take off, pull a quick one-eighty, and head out to sea for a few minutes until the above-mentioned action has played itself out. But whatever you do, do not cross the enemy coast with the MiGs and SAM all alive and active.

This mission has the SAM popping up in different places. One site seems a lot more vicious than the other, firing at you when you are still 20 miles out. You can jink six or seven of the incoming SAMs, but eventually, they get you.

In stark contrast, the other SAM site is crewed by inept novices that keep blasting their missiles into the ground. Your launch warning bleeps quickly die. This site is easy meat. Just hammer it with an AGM-88 from six miles at 6,000 feet. Take out the launchers for extra points.

Now onto Waypoint One. Drop the AAA battery with the remaining HARM (again at six miles from 6,000 ft). Now it's Hornet drivers' playtime. First, drop your Mk-82 HDs between buildings to cause maximum damage (four buildings if you are skillful), then take out the storage tanks. You should find plenty; the wide Flat Ones, the Tall One, the Group of Three, the Ones at the Ends of the Pipes... just don't run out of Vulcan shells, and don't fly into the ground.

With everything down that can be hit, back to the arrester wires at Waypoint Zero. Should your wingmen be still around, give them a wide berth, especially if one is landing immediately astern of you. As soon as you catch the wire and stop, raise your hook and taxi off to the right to avoid having some retard flying into you.

Order of targets:
1. MiG-23s (optional)
2. The SAM site (you have better luck if it's the inept one)
3. The chemical plant

Tricky moments:
1. Dogfighting both MiGs simultaneously while SAMs blast up at you (v. tricky)
2. Dealing with the efficient SAM site
Good luck, men!

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