Kerrie's Missions #11

Come On Down

The story so far . . .

During the campaign to liberate Kaesong and Yonan, you have been stationed at Dongducheon. You have now been transferred back to the Enterprise, and before you go you want to thank your friends in Seoul for their hospitality. Sounds like a good excuse for a fly-past . . .

Briefing

You are in the air NE of Seoul with Hornets 2 & 3, in transit to Enterprise. Command them to bracket close left and right on you (hit <F6> twice for Hornet 2, <Shift+F5> twice for Hornet 3), and fly a low pass over Seoul (wpt 1), and Seoul International Airport in formation, before climbing to around 4,000' for the leg to the Enterprise (wpt 2). A flight of three Tomcats has launched from the Enterprise, and is flying a reciprocal course for Seoul and Dongducheon. You should pass them well south of Kaesong, which has recently been over-run by the Marines, with your assistance.

Be alert while in transit. Maintain your course, but watch your RWR for any indications of enemy interceptors. We believe the enemy is about to launch a major air offensive, and may even try to recapture Kaesong. If this is the case, they could try to bring in personnel and supplies in Tu-154 transport aircraft and helicopters. - the Tupolev's could be disguised as civilian Boeing 727's - and there could also be a strong air cover. The enemy have moved several SAM's close to the north of Kaesong, although Kaesong itself is still not under threat. However, if they are trying to regain the base, they could well have sent a ground team in advance to re-establish the AAA defences.

If you see any RWR indications of enemy interceptors, respond immediately. The presence of transports or helos would be a strong indication that an attempt is underway to recapture Kaesong, and if that is the case you are to ensure that none of them manage to land and discharge their cargo.

Recover on Enterprise.

Loadout

This is only a transport flight, but it's best to be prepared!

AIM-9M Sidewinder x 2
AIM-120 AMRAAM x 4
AGM-88 HARM x 2
EXT FUEL x 1

Victory conditions

The destruction of all transport aircraft or helicopters, before they are able to land.

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BTW - 'COD' is also an acronym for 'Carrier Onboard Delivery'. This function is currently undertaken by the C-2 'Greyhound', which is essentially an E-2 'Hawkeye' with a larger fuselage to carry cargo and passengers.

However, do you know that tests were carried out some time ago to ascertain the feasibility of a C-130 Hercules operating from a carrier? The tests were conducted with the Forrestal, and a C-130 successfully landed without using arrestors (they relied on the reverse pitch to pull up), and then took off without the cat. The C-130 is designed for STOL, but it was still an impressive feat - they had the undercarriage on the deck maybe a dozen feet from the stern, and there wasn't a lot of room for the starboard wing. There are short movies of both the landing and takeoff available on the web - worth looking for if you're interested in unusual aviation feats.

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Enjoy!

Deep Runner

Kerrie Reay

<kerrie_reay@bigpond.com>


