F-14 FLEET DEFENDER MicroProse

180 Lakefront Drive, Hunt Valley, MD 21030 (4 10) 771-1 15 I

All rights reserved. Copyright ® 1994 MicroProse

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or photocopy or other means without penmission,

with the exception of quoting brief passages for the purpose of reviews

Simulation Credits ............................................................................... 4 Beginning a Career ......... .................................................................. 4 3 Acknowledgments ............ .. ..... ............................. ............................. .5 Career Progression (Promotions) ............................ .. ........... 44 Start-Up Instructions .................... ..................... .. .. ...... ....................... 6 Awards and Decorations .................... ... ............ ......................... 45

INTRODUCTION .......... .............................. ........ ............................. 9 Ending Your Career ...... .. ... ............................. ................................ 45

About the F-14 Tomcat ...... .............. ..................................................... 9 CHAPTER TWO Historical Background ........................................................ .. ... ... ....... 9 SIMULATION CONTROLS ...... .............................. .......... .47 The Fleet Defense Mission ......................................................... 14 Flight Control Keys ..... ... .. ...... ...... .. ........................... .. ................... ..... ..... 49

About FLEET DEFENDER .. ............................................................... 16 Primary Fl ight Controls ......................................... ......... .. ...... .. ..... 49

CHAPTER ONE GETTING STARTED .............................................. .... ............ ... 19 Start-Up Screens ....................................................................................... 22

The MAIN MENU Screen ........................................ .................. 22 The SCRAMBLE Screen .............................................................. 23 The CAMPAIGN Screen ............................................................ 24 The Campaign Status Screen ................................................... 25 The Mission Briefing Screen ....................................................... 26 The DIFFICULTY Screen ............................................................ 28 The ARMING Screen .. ............................. ..................................... 34 The Squadron Roster ................................. ................................... 36

SCRAMBLE Missions .................. .. ............................ ..... ............. ......... .. 38 CAM PAIGN Missions ........................................................................... 40

Beginning a Campaign ..... ... ............... .. ........................................... 40

Secondary Flight Controls .......................................................... .5 I Miscellaneous Flight Controls .... .............................. .... ............. 52 Radar Controls ................................................................................... 53 Weapon/ECM Controls ........................... ... ..... ...... .......... ........... 54 Head-Up Display (HUD) Controls ...................................... 55 Simulation Views ............................................... ............ .......... ......... .56 Pilot/RIO View Controls ............................................................. .58

Hardware Controls ................................................................................. 59 Joystick Configurations .................................................................. .59 THRUSTMASTER FCS .................................................... ............. 60 FCS-MARK II WCS ............................................ ............................. 61 VIRTUAL PiLOT ... ...... ............... ........... ........... ................................. 62 FLiGHTSTICK PRO ............................................... ................ ... ...... 63 Foot Pedals .. .. ..... ... ............. ......... ... .. ......................................... ..... ....... 64

Ending a Campaign .......................................................................... 42 Your Career ................................................................................................. 4 3

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CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR HOW TO FLY .................................................................................... 65 F-14 COCKPITS and AVIONICS ................................ ... 99 Flight Dynamics ................. .... ... ................. ................................................. 65 Pilot (Front Seat) Cockpit .. ........................................... .............. .... 1 00

The "Big Four" ....................................... .. .... ........ ............................... 66 Head-Up Display (HUD) ........................................... ...... .. ...... I 00 Basic Concepts ................................................................................... 68 Vertical Display Indicator (VDI) .............................. ............. 1 06 G forces ................................................................................................... 70 Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) ................................ .. 1 08

Flying the F-14 T omcat .......... ............................................................ ... 73 Tactical Electronic Warfare System Fuel Management ................................... .......................... ....... ......... 73 (TEWS) Display .............................................................................. I 10 Navigation .............................................................................................. 75 Right Instrumentation Panel .................................................... I 12 Damage ................................................................................................... 76 Left Instrumentation Panel ....................................................... I 14 Eject ... Eject. .. Eject! (Bailing Out) ............................................ 77 Right Console ................................................................................ ... I 15

Carrier Operations .......................................................... ... ..................... 79 Left Console ................................ ...................................................... I 16 The Carrier Air Wing ............................................ ........ ........ ........ 79 Radar Intercept Officer (Rear Seat) Cockpit ...... ........ ........ I 17 Flight Rules ........................................ ........ ............................................. 81 Standard Mode Detail Data Display (DDD) .............. 1 17 Carrier T ake-offs ............................................................................... 82 Moderate/Authentic Mode Detailed Data Retuming to the Carrier ........................................ ...................... 83 Display (DDD) .................................................. .............................. 1 19 Carrier Landing Pattems ............................... ............................... 86 Standard Mode Tactical Information Display Missed Approach Procedures .................................................. 92 (TID) ...................................................................... ....... ...................... .. .. 121

Your Wing-Man ......................................... ..................... .. ........................ 94 Moderate/Authentic Mode Wing-man Control Keys .............................................................. 95 Tactical Information Display (TID) .................................... ........ 122 Section Formations .......................................................................... 95 Right Console ...................................................................... ............. 124

Left Console .................... ... .................................................. ............. 124 The AWG-9 Radar .............................................................................. 125

Standard Mode Radar ................................................................ 125 Moderate Mode Radar .............................................................. 128 Authentic Mode Radar .............................................................. 137

Campaign Maps ...................... ... .. .... ................................... .. ................ .. I 39 North Cape Theater ................................................................ ... I 39 Mediterranean Theater ........... ... ... ...... ....................................... I 28 Oceania Training Theater ................. ....................................... 137

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Producer Lead Artist Scott Span burg Terrence Hodge

Programming/Design Artists Scott Span burg Mike Reis Mike McDonald Murray Taylor Scott Elson

3D Artist Ned Way Christopher Clark Max Remington

George Wargo Historian/Writer Detmar Peterke

Lawrence T. Russell

Technical Consultants Marketing Representative

Lt Col. George P. Wargo USAF (ret.)

Carl Knoch

Chris Martin Music Composition Keith Brightwell Michael Bross Michael Dell

Photographs courtesy of Mr. Chuck Porter, Naval Imaging Center, Washington, D.C Mr. "Zip" Rausa, Wings of Gold Magazine

Sound Department Ken Lagace jim McConkey Roland Rizzo jack Miller Mark Reis

Manual Layout joe Morel Cesar Novoa

Manual Illustrations Mike Reis

Manual Graphics Mike Reis joe M9rel George Gill

Mr. Chris Martin, Naval Air Warfare Center (VF-33 "Stariighters")

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Package Design john Emory Moshe Milich

Quality Assurance Michael Craighead Vaughn Thomas David Ginsburg Quentin Chaney Walter Carter Russell Clark Andy Mazurek Matt Showalter Destin Strader Mike Wise Scott Zlotak Charl ie Andaloro Bob Abe

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As you may have guessed from the preceding credits, it takes many people working long hours to

produce a fiight simulation. There's an adage among pilots which goes, "Never fiy an aircraft designed by committee." Well, in the case of computer simulations, especially ours, this saying simply isn't true. No one person could possibly hope to excel in all the different disciplines needed to complete one of these projects. Flight simulations are a collective effort and FLEET DEFENDER is no exception.

Those of you familiar with MicroProse products will undoubtedly recognize some of the names from past fiight simulations. That's because the same core group of men and women who designed F- 15 Strike Eagle III banded together once again to produce FLEET DEFENDER. Their mission was to integrate a fiight simulation based on the F-14B Tomcat with a comprehensive air-sea campaign environment

Improving on F-15 Strike Eagle III wasn't going to be easy. This simulation pushes the edge of the envelope as far as recreating air-to-ground attack action is concemed. But the designers put together a list features that players most wanted to see in our next sim. These included seamless play, state-of-the-art graphics, a realistic F-14 fiight model, and improved AI. The design team set out to implement a dream sheet of features and in the process, create a fiight simulator that's not too hard to leam yet fun to play.

Before all the programmers, artists, and game designers got started, the principle team members took a field trip to Oceana Naval Air Station, Virginia. Oceana NAS is the readiness and training site for east coast F-14 squadrons and is located within the city limits of Virginia Beach. They didn't spend much time at the beach though. Instead, the team was treated to a week of direct hands-on experience with the F-14 and its systems courtesy ofVF-1 03, better known as the "Sluggers."

Figure I-I' During the I 99 I Persian Gulf war, VF-I 03 was assigned to the USS Saratoga (CV-60), a Forrestal-class aircraft, carrier, on station in the Red Sea. The Sluggers conduaed front-line operations over Iraq and Kuwait with distinction throughout the war.

We are deeply indebted to the men and women of VF-I 03 who welcomed us and made us feel right at home. Unfortunately, space does not allow us to mention everyone who assisted us because just about the entire squadron would make the list. The "Sluggers" are just a superb bunch. Having said that, there were a few individuals deserving of special recognition for making the trip such a worthwhile venture. First, our thanks goes out to Lt Sam "Splatt" Platt of VF- I 0 I "Grim Reapers" for orchestrating the tour at Oceana and Lt Eric "Opus" Higgins and his RIO Lt JG Paul "Ski ppy" McHenry of VF-I 03 "Sluggers" for demonstrating their F-14 and guiding us through an actual F-14 simulator.

While at Oceana the team was able to "run wild" on the U.S.S America (0/-66) courtesy of the America's Commanding Officer, CPT. W.W. Copeland. We would also like to thank our escorts; Ensign C. J. Jenkins and Joumalist First Class Albert J. McGilvray. Each of these gentlemen contributed to making FLEET DEFENDER a realistic and accurate simulation and we are sincerely grateful for their assistance.

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Figure 1-2: The USS. America (CV-66) performing a gentle tum to starboard for the camero.

START-UP INSTRUCTIONS

Contents Your complete FLEET DEFENDER F-14 simulation should contain, in addition to this instruction manual, 4 1.44 MB 3 1/2"

disks, a Key Reference Card, a registration card, and a backup disks order card.

Minimum System Requirements FLEET DEFENDER requires the following minimum system components and memory:

Computer: IBM, or fully compatible, 80386 33 MHz (a 80486 33 MHz is recommended)

System Memory: 4MB of RAM, with 2208K EMS free Hard Drive: with at least 14 MB available

Conventional Memory: at least 566 K free

Graphics: VGA graphics card and VGA monitor

Floppy Drive: one 1.44MB 3 112" (required only for installation)

DOS: MS-DOS 5.0 or higher

INSTALLATION AND LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

Installotion FLEET DEFENDER includes an installation program t hat transfers the software data from the original (distribution) disks

onto your hard drive. You must util ize the install program provided to transfer this data. You con not just copy the

distribution disks onto your hard drive; if you do, FLEET DEFENDERwili not load.

To run the Install Program, tum on your computer, and then:

I. Place disk A in your ftoppy drive A or B

2. Type A: or B: Now press the Enter Key

3. T ype Install, Press the Enter Key again. Follow the on-screen prompts

The installation program checks your system for a number of conditions, and advises you as to the status if your system

does not meet the conditions. It decompresses and copies the simulation files from the distribution disks onto your hard drive.

The install program also auto-detects your computer's configuration and provides recommendations for sound, speech,

control device Goystick, keyboard, etc.).

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INSTALLATION CONDITION CHECKS I. If your hard drive has less than 14 MB available, the installation program terminates and immediately

advises you that adequate hard drive space is not available. 2. If your system has less than 566 K of free conventional memory, the installation program continues, but

advises you that adequate conventional memory is not available. 3. If your system has less than 2208 K of free EMS, the installation program continues, but advises you

that adequate EMS memory is not available. EMS memory is required for loading.

Loading In order to load FLEET DEFENDER you must have first installed the program. If not retum to the section on installation

and follow the instructions found there.

I. To load FLEET DEFENDER change over to t he drive that contains the simulation directory. For

example, if you installed the program to your C drive, change your system by typing C:. Now press the

Enter Key. 2. Once you have accessed the proper drive, change over to the proper directory. If you selected the

default MPS\F-14 directory, you can change to that directory by typing cd MPS\F 14. Now press the

Enter Key. 3. Type F-14. Press the Enter Key to begin the simulation.

Hard Drive Requirements Before installing FLEET DEFENDER, make sure that you have at least 14 MB of available space on your hard drive. You

can determine the amount of available hard drive space through the use of t he MS-DOS utility chkdsk Run this utility according to the instructions found in your MS-DOS manual. The fifth line of the display indicates the amount of hard drive

space available.

Maf<jng A Boot Disk If you feel uncomfortable about modifYing your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files, or you are unable to free up

adequate conventional memory, your best bet is to utilize a boot disk A boot disk creates a temporary configuration for

your computer that is compatible with FLEET DEFENDER . Use the boot disk to start your system whenever FLEET DEFENDER is to be loaded. That way, your normal system

configuration is unaffected. You must first install FLEET DEFENDER on to your computer before running the boot disk utility. Return to the

"Installation" section and follow the instructions found there.

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TO MAKE A BOOT DISK: I. Insert a blank, formatted disk into your computer's A drive. (You must use your computer's A drive,

since it can not boot from the B drive.)

2. Change your drive over to the directory containing the simulation files.

3. T ype bootdisk and press the Enter Key. 4. If you have a ProAudio Spectrum sound card installed, type bootdisk pas and press the Enter Key.

The boot disk utility accesses your existing AUTOEXECBAT and CONFIG.SYS files for various pieces of information.

It also searches your hard drive for required information not found in those two files. If it is unable to find any part of the

required information, it prompts you to supply the information. For example, suppose you renamed the directory in which your mouse driver resides to MY_MOUSE and moved it to

the E drive. The boot disk utility would not know to look in that location for your mouse driver. You must supply this

information when prompted. In this example, the response would be: e:\my_mouse\mouse.com

USING THE BOOT DISK After making the boot disk, place it in drive A and reboot your computer. The boot disk configures your system for

FLEET DEFENDER, and automatically starts the program.

Restarting your System When you are finished with FLEET DEFENDER, remove the boot disk from your computers A drive, and reboot your

system. Your system will restart with your normal configuration.

Conftguration As part of the installation process, you are required to designate selections for music, sound, digitized speech, and input

controller. Fortunately, the install program auto-detects the majority of the possible options. This configuration process is also utilized to change your selections if you add, delete or modifY system equipment or

just decide to change the selections.

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ABOUT THE F-14 TOMCAT HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Aircraft Carrier and Changing Naval Doctrine

Following the successful conclusion of World War II, the United States was sold on the concept of naval aviation. The

island-hopping campaign in the Pacific against Japan would have been impossible without it. World War II changed naval strategy forever, not just in the U.s. but throughout the world. A ir power (and the aircraft carrier) had replaced the big

guns of the battleship. No longer would opposing fleets simply line up in parallel columns and hammer away at each other.

Starting with Coral Sea in 1942, naval battles could begin when the two sides were still hundreds of miles apart. Aircraft

carriers lent mobility to air power, freeing it from the restrictions imposed by stationary land bases. Taranto and Pearl Harbor demonstrated the effectiveness of the surprise carrier strike.

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A fteet could run from battle but it couldn't hide. Ships could now be t racked down and destroyed in their own bases. The aircraft carrier, on the other hand, proved its resiliency by withstanding wave after wave of Japanese pilots intent on committing suicide. The legendary Kamikaze ("Divine Wind" in Japanese) proved to be the uttimate challenge.

Clearly, naval strategy in future wars was going to be dictated by the development of naval aviation, at least as far as the United States was concemed. The Navy had over a hundred aircraft carriers left over at the end of World War II and a vested interest in promoting both the effectiveness and survivability of its carrier groups. With the war now over, the Navy had to start thinking about winning the peace. The next battles would be fought in the halls of Congress and on Capitol Hill over which branch of service would receive the most defense dollars.

Constructing and maintaining even a dozen modem aircraft carriers was going to cost plenty. The start-up cost alone would be enormous and that was just the beginning. By the time fuel costs, training and personnel costs were factored in, a single carner would uttimately require billions in defense outlays. Of course one mustn't forget to add in the air wing consisting of eighty to ninety aircraft and the cost of training a new generation of naval aviators every twenty years or so.

Big carriers meant the Navy Department could ask for big money from Congress and get it. This is not to suggest that the Navy pursued carrier development out of a desire to increase their share of the nation's defense budget Let's just say that things have a way of perpetuat ing themselves and that big budgets added to the Navy's prestige when dealing with the other services.

The Soviet Union, on the other hand, lacked the United States' industrial resources and practical experience in carrier warfare. What it did not lack was a commitment to become the preeminent military power on the planet. When WW II ended, the Soviets found themselves in possession of eastem Europe. Holding onto this expanse of territory would require land armies and their component air support.

For many years the Soviet Union had no real need to project its naval strength outside of Europe. Air and naval power was used to complement a European ground war only. So while the Army and Air force had lavish resources heaped upon them, the Soviet navy consisted of a few coastal patrol craft and surplus destroyers obtained from the U.S. during the war.

Each nation entered the Cold War with different strategic objectives. The United States recognized that it could never retum to semi-isolationism and that containing the spread of Communism was going to require global involvement. To back this commitment, the U.s. had to create a naval force able to respond quickly to potential trouble spots. Such a force would have to be self-contained and provide for its own air defense.

The Soviet Union took a much more defensive stance. Its biggest concem was keeping U.S. warships out of Soviet waters. While the United States buitt up its fteet of aircraft carriers, the Soviets jumped ahead in missile technology. The Soviets planned to make the vaunted U.s. super-carriers vulnerable to low cost missile attacks.

In the I 950s, the U.s. Navy recognized that Soviet progress in missile technology would one day pose a serious threat to its carrier battlegroups. Naval tacticians could envision having to fend off waves of attacking long-range bombers or nuclear cruise missiles. It was assumed that sometime within the next decade the Soviets would manage to arm their strategic bombers with stand-off cruise missiles. Once this happened, U.s. carriers could be hunted down and destroyed before they sailed within striking distance.

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To deal with this eventuality, the Navy wanted to develop a carrier-based fighter able to engage Soviet bombers at ranges in excess of the stand-off range of their missiles. Engineers were quick to point out that the Navy's mission requirements were at odds with the weight restrictions normally associated with carrier aircraft. A fighter conforming to this set of requirements, would have to be large enough to store tons of additional fuel yet remain light enough for carrier operations, an impossible task

The Navy's answer was to design a fighter with a powerful radar and complement of long range air-to-air missiles. This solution had the advantage of increasing the combat radius of the aircraft without increasing its fuel load. The aircraft could take up a patrol station closer to the carrier and let its missiles reach out and perform the mission. Unfortunately, this concept meant the fighter would be burdened by the weight of its own radar system and missiles, thus losing much of its dogfighting capability in the process.

The abi lity to dogfight was not supposed to matter. Under these design specifications the aircraft wou ld be a platform for launching missiles, and nothing more. Once it had expended all its missiles it would immediately retum to the carrier. Labeled an interceptor, this aircraft was never meant to engage the enemy up close and personal. After all, didn't the Navy leave the guns off their Phantom II design? They wouldn't have done that if they thought for a moment that their pilots would be dogfighting with enemy pilots.

Genesis of the F-/4 Figure /-4: A carrier battJegroup at sea.

In late 1957, the Navy won a contract to begin developing the XAAM-M-I 0 Eagle, a two-stage, solid fuel, radar­guided air-to-air missile with a range in excess of 100 nm. The Douglas F6D Missileer was the aircraft selected to carry the Eagle. The Missileer design cal led for the inclusion of a track-while-scan pulse Doppler radar with the ability to target, launch and control six Eagle missi les. This combination of aircraft and missile was intended to perform the Fleet Air Defense role through the I 970s. Three years later, in late 1960, the entire program was scrapped. Enter the Kennedy administration and a new Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara.

McNamara was a business man, moving from a successful business career in the private sector to head up the Defense Dept. It was his contention that the military could save billions of dollars in procurement by collective purchasing. That is, buying equipment in bulk Instead of allowing each branch of service to buy different items to do the same job, McNamara stressed commonality. He wanted all the services to buy the exact same items to contain costs, including everything from tools to tanks, frying pans to fighters.

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As it happens, both the Air Force and Navy were shopping around for a new fighter aircraft. The Navy was looking for a replacement for its canceled Missileer while the Air Force wanted a high speed, tactical strike fighter (the TFX program) to replace the aging F-I 05 Thunderchief McNamara saw th is as an opportunity to save money. He wanted the defense industry to build a single aircraft to suit the needs of both services.

In 1962, after much prodding by McNamara, the two services finally arrived at a compromise design. General Dynamics was awarded the Air Force's TFX contract. Grumman was given the contract to begin work on the Navy's version of the same aircraft. Both variants, the Air Force's F-I I I A and the Navy's F-I I I B, were designed with maximum commonality in mind.

The first F- I I I Bs were fl ying by 1965. From the very beginning pilots had serious reservat ions about McNamara's "one fighter for all occasions" idea. Chief among the complaints was the aircraft's weight, at 70,000 Ibs., the aircraft was too heavy to operate safely from an aircraft carrier. T ake-offs were risky, landings were worse. Catapults and arrestor cables in service at the time were not stressed to handle this load. On final approach, the aircraft had to be flown at such a high angle of attack that the pilot could no longer see the carrier deck

As a result of the F-I I I B setbacks, Grumman proposed to rework the aircraft using light weight titanium alloys. Th is reengineered design became known as the VFX. In early 1967, the Navy commissioned a study comparing the two design proposals. Grumman's VFX project won hands down. Using the same engines as the F-I I I B, the VFX tumed in a consistently superior performance and Congress canceled funds for the F-I I I B in 1968.

Th is cancellation proved to be the tuming point in the F-14's development. The way was cleared for the Navy to make a RFP (Request for Proposals) outlining specifics for a separate aircraft, apart from the Air Force's F-I I I A. Some of the design features mentioned were tandem seating for a two man crew, twin engines, a track-while-scan radar with multi­targeting capability, and carrier suitabil ity.

Figure /-5: "Hey, buddy! Get the heck outta' the way." A turkey-feathered F-/ 4 prepares to take-off.

The F-/4A Grumman was one of five aerospace companies which initially bid on

the VFX (F-14) contract. Because of its past association with the Navy and experience with swept-wing technology, it was awarded the contract in 1969. Out of hundreds of different designs, prototype 303E was the one chosen for initial test production. The first of 12 developmental aircraft was flying two years later (2 1 December 1970). Operational F-14s were delivered to the Navy (VF-I , VF-2) in October 1972. These two squadrons were subsequently deployed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise (CV-65) in 1974.

The F- 14 took over the ro le of Fleet Air Defense from the venerable F-4 in the mid I 970s. The Phantom had done an admirable job in its day but the Vietnam War never seriously tested its ability as a FLEET DEFENDER. U.s. aircraft carriers were never threatened as they would be in a future war by Soviet bombers.

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As more capable fighters entered service in Third World air forces it became clear that a number of modifications to the basic F-14 design were needed. For example, early model F-14s were issued with the TF30-PAI2A turbofan engine. The TF30-PAI2A consumed far too much fuel for the amount of power it produced. It was problematic and prone to compressor stall. The engine generated only 12,350 Ibs of thrust (20,900 Ibs. with afterbumer). Clearly, even with two of these engines, the power produced was inadequate to the task of pushing a 70,000 lb. fighter around. The 412A was, however, the only engine available for use without an extensive delay period.

The Navy decided to go ahead with the 412A until a successor could be found. Starting in 1982, however, as F-14s came in for program maintenance and overlhaul they were frtted with the new TF-30-PA14 turbojet engine. Though the 414 was slightly heavier than the 412A and produced the same thrust, it was more reliable and used less fue l. Its biggest drawback was that it produced smoky exhaust making the aircraft easy to spot in combat. (The FA suffered from the same problem.) Realizing that the 414 was still only an interim solution, the Navy directed that work continue on finding a more powerful replacement.

The USAF announced in 1984 that it was accepting a new engine, the F I I O-GE-I 00, for its F-16s. Several months later, Secretary of the Navy John Lehman told a Congressional Appropriations subcommittee that the F- 14 and TF series engine represented "probably the worst engine/airframe mismatch we have hod in many years. The TF30 is just a terrible engine and has accounted for 28.2% of all F-14 crashes." His testimony paved the way for the Navy to begin purchasing these engines along with the USAF.

The F-/ 4B Shortly afterward, Grumman was awarded a $984 million contract to upgrade the F-14's avionics and

engines. The upgraded F-14As, known as the F-14A(Plus), were given advanced avionics. Impressed with the USAF's F-I I O-GE-I OOs, the Navy redesignated these engines F I 10-GEAOO and placed them on the F-14A (Plus). F-14s could finally make a catapult assisted take-off without their afterbumer engaged. (The 400 Figure 1-6: The Fightin' 143,

better known os the "Puf<jn'Dogs" produces 14,000 Ibs. of dry thrust, 23, I 00 Ibs. of wet or afterbuming thrust.)

The F-14A(Plus) was first fiown in 1986 and delivered to VF 101 "Grim Reapers" at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia in 1988. Since then, F-14A(Plus) aircraft have also been delivered to VF-24 "Renegades," VF-74 "Bedevilers," VF- I 03 "Sluggers," VF-142 "Ghostriders," VF-143 "Puckin' Dogs," and VF-211 "Fighting Checkmates." On May 1st, 1991, the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) ordered that all F-14A(Plus) models be redesignated F-14B. To avoid confusion, all F-14s in FLEET DEFENDER retain the B designation even in those scenarios prior to 1991 .

Keep in mind, even when playing those pre-I 988 Mediterranean campaign games, you are given a more powerful version of the F-14 that did not historically exist at the time. All F-14s fiown in FLEET DEFENDER are assumed to be F-14B model aircraft regardless of the scenario being played.

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It should be noted that the MicroProse design team tested a flight model using the original TF-30-PAI2A engines installed in F-14As. The result was a particularly nanrow flight envelope. The aircraft was very unforgiving if one failed to stay within these parameters. More often than not, inattentive pilots found themselves spinning in before ever engaging the enemy. In short, it wasn't much fun. For purposes of a commercial flight simulator, the F-14B with its improved turbojet engines, was a much better choice.

THE FLEET DEFENSE MISSION Both the F-14 and the F-I I I were originally thought of as mere platfonms, built to facilitate the delivery of specialized ordnance. In the case of the F-I I I, the USAF saw the aircraft as a strategic bomber capable of low level, high speed penetration of enemy airspace. The F-14, successor to the Missileer concept, was intended to be a platfonm for launching AAMs at incoming bombers.

The Missileer program envisioned an aircraft which after taking off. could orbit a significant distance away from the carrier, for an extended period of time. From this patrol station, the Missileer would fire its long range missiles at any enemy aircraft venturing near. Once all its missiles were gone it would retum to the carrier and another aircraft would take its place.

Despite the program's cancellation, this concept of fleet defense remained. The Navy was still in need of an aircraft able to contend with Soviet advances in cruise missile technology. The U.S. Navy was forced to consider the state of carrier vulnerability 5-10 years down the road. To meet this future threat, any fighter chosen to perfonm Fleet Air Defense would have to be equipped with a powerful track-while-scan radar able to target mUltiple aircraft. The fighter wou ld also have to be anmed with active radar missiles so that it could have several of them in the air at one time.

The mission, Fleet Air Defense, exposes both the aircraft and crew to a very special set

Figure 1-7: An F-14 belonging to VF-33 "Storfighters", at rest of stressful situations. After launch, an F-14 must fly a CAP hundreds of miles away, loiter at slow

speed for several hours, then retum to make a carrier landing under all types of weather conditions or at night. No wonder Navy flyers prefer to be known as aviators rather than pilots. Being a naval aviator puts them in a class all their own.

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Flying an F-14 requires a certain mind-set. You are literally charged with protecting the lives of thousands of service men and women. A single lapse in judgment could be enough to allow an enemy bomber or missile to get through. Luckily there are safeguards and overlapping areas of responsibility built in to a carrier's air defense coverage. Even so, failure can lead to horrific destruction.

Keep in mind that the F-14 is a strategic interceptor and not a pure fighter. Although this distinction is somewhat subtle it's more than just a matter of semantics. There are profound differences in the way in which interceptors operate as compared to fighter aircraft.

To fulfill the Fleet Air Defense role on a strategic level, a long range air-to-air-missile is necessary. Under the original 1950's concept, this missile was to have been the Eagle. With its cancellation, work on the AIM-54 Phoenix was begun. (It is said to have risen from the ashes of the earlier program.) This combination of AWG-9 radar and Phoenix missile allows the F-14 to be such an effective aircraft.

One problem with the Phoenix is that there are never enough of them. The Tomcat can only carry six. When they are gone, what's next? As long as the F-14 has these missiles remaining it can act as a launching platfonm, firing at targets many tens of miles away. Once all six are expended, however, the F- 14 has to close in and tangle with enemy aircraft. Despite its size the F-14 maneuvers quite well at slower speeds. It certainly doesn't handle like a nimble F-16 but it can hold its own in a dogfight.

The fact that the F-14 can make this role transfonmation is a credit to its swept wing technology. Swept wings allow the F-14 to operate in more than one combat environment. With its wings swept back it is configured for high speed (supersonic) dash profiles. The wings come back automatically (although there is a manual override) when you're feeling the need for speed. When the aircraft is in need of energy (or additional lift to maintain an AOA) the wings come forward. Think of the wings as reaching forward as if grasping for more air.

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ABOUT FLEET DEFENDER FLEET DEFENDER is a combat flight simulation based upon the United States Navy's principle carner-based interceptor, the F-14B Tomcat Since its deployment in 1972, the F-14 has been entrusted with the defense of the United States Navy's aircraft carrier battlegroups, its most valued military possession. More importantly, however, this aircraft is charged with protecting the lives of 8,000-10,000 servicemen and women that serve aboard the ships of an average battlegroup (CVBG). They are the Navy's shield. From Admiral to Ensign, Chief Petty Officer to Recruit, the F-14 is truly our FLEET DEFENDER.

Those of you already familiar with MicroProse's F-15 Strike Eagle III should feel free to jump right in with a single sortie. Notice that many of the control keys and features are common to both simulations. The programmers and game designers made a conscious effort to limit the functional differences between the two so that you could get started playing

right away. But, if this is your first MicroProse flight simulation get ready for the ride of your life.

Picture yourself on the deck of a modem aircraft carner suspended 70 ft. off the surface of the water. You and your RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) are strapped into your F-14 with over 30,000 Ibs. of thrust spooling up behind you. "Greenshirts" swarm around your aircraft making sure everything performs as advertised. Underneath your aircraft, a steam catapult is building up pressure, it has to get your 30 ton ''Tomcat'' airbome in less than 300 feet That doesn't leave a big margin for error. The blast deflectors are raised, signifying that the moment of take-off is fast approaching. You are about to be thrown off the flight deck with only one chance to get it right.

After the obligatory ''thumb's up" exchange with the Cat Officer, it's time to go. With a deafening roar, your F-14 is thrust into the sky trailing a superheated column of air. There's no turning back now .... you're

Figure 1-8: The Cot Officer (in the foreground) is seconds from sending this F-14 airborne, you're committed. You've become a FLEET DEFENDER. on its way. The rest is up to you.

FLEET DEFENDER is specifically designed to recreate carner take-offs and landings (TOLs) in realistic detail. In fact, carrier landings are such a challenge that they can easily become a game within a game. How many landings can you make before getting your first wave-of(? The stress of so many carrier approaches can get to be too much, especially at night.

In order to relieve the tension, this simulation combines carner operations with air combat in two all-new theaters of war. Each theater of war contains three distinct campaign scenarios for you to participate in. If you're not ready for combat and just want to practice flying the Tomcat, there is an entire theater devoted solely to training.

16

Each of the campaign scenarios exposes your canrier and its escorts to savage attacks. Enemy aircraft probe your

defenses and test your CAPs. Cruise missiles suddenly pop-up seemingly out of nowhere. Yes- there are numerous

challenges which await you, from intercepting bomber fonmations at high altitudes to wave-hopping dogfights with

supersonic fighters. All in all, you' ll find yourself tangling wrth more than thirty different aircraft and helicopters. You assume the role of flight leader on each mission and as the flight leader, you are placed in command of a section of

two F-14s. A two-ship is a collective effort. You and your wing-man must work together as a team in order to get the job

done. As the flight leader, you exercise a great deal of tactical control over your wing-man, keep him wrth you to cover your

"six" or send him off to perfonm on his own. Use him but don't lose him.

Too many players think of their wing-man as cannon fodder. That's a habit you'll want to get out of because in FLEET DEFENDER your wing-man, as well as other members of your squadron, improve their skills wrth each mission they fly. The

more experienced your wing-man becomes the better he'll perfonm so rt's in your best interest to look after him.

Wrth only twenty Tomcats on-board your canrier at the start of each campaign, you can't afford to lose a single one

unnecessarily. If your squadron is handled roughly by the enemy early on, later missions may

prove difficult if not impossible to complete. Remember that in each of the campaigns

defense of the canrier is paramount. Lose the canrier- lose the campaign.

FLEET DEFENDER features an assortment of friendly aircraft ready to help you out in a dogfight or deliver a shattering counter-blow. When you're not out intercepting bandrts,

you may be required to escort strike packages. Luckily, your two-ship is not alone out there. Assisting you are addrtional two-ship CAPs and the full weight of a modem aircraft

canrier battlegroup. Unless you are forced to eject due to battle damage, you will be returning to your

carrier. Even undamaged, landing back aboard your carrier will probably be the most

stressful part of a mission, even more stressful than dogfighting or braving triple-A. For a naval aviator a good landing means catching the "three-wire" for a full stop. This

type of landing is known as a trap. Miss all three wires and you had better be prepared to go Figure /-9: Comin' in (or a perfect three-wire trap. to full throttle for a "go around." This is known as a bolter. If a bolter doesn't get your heart This aviator has retumed home in one piece.

racing maybe you shouldn't be flying jets for the Navy.

If you find yourself having difficulty making canrier landings, don't get discouraged. One of the F-14s involved in the downing of two Libyan Su-22s in 1981 took three trys to get back on deck.. You should expect to have your share of bolters

before canrier landings get easier it to you. But while they may eventually get easier, they will never get routine. Just

remember that everyone has their off-days, that's why extensive instructions on making canrier landings are included in

this manual.

Even if you don't get the hang of rt right away, don't give up. Points are deducted from your score if you end their mission wrthout successfu lly landing back aboard the canrier, so stick with it. You wi ll never get full credit for completing a

mission until you can retum safely to the canrier.

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To help you along, a complete stateside training theater has been included. The Training theater revolves around

Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) located outside of Norfolk, Virginia. It extends as far north as southem Pennsylvania and as far south as the Bahamas. While in training at Oceana you' ll be assigned to VF: 101 "Grim Reapers", the east coast Fleet

Readiness Squadron (FRS). As a Grim Reaper, you'll be given an opportunrty to sharpen your flying skills before entering

into combat. Go ahead and practice all those fancy maneuvers you see in the movies. Just remember that once in combat

this game is for real. You just might want to discard all that hot-doggin' for some common sense ACM.

Figure 1- I 0: VF- I 0 I "Grim Reapers" squadron emblem

The majority of the training takes place over water. Somewhere out there is an aircraft carrier, provided it hasn't been swallowed up by the Bermuda triangle. This carrier is devoted to conducting training exercises wfth

rookie aviators before classifying them as mission ready. Now is the time to practice take-offs and landings

(TOLs). If you're going to make mistakes it's best to make them during training and not during combat.

FLEET DEFENDER does not require you to spend time in training, however. You may choose to

ignore this theater altogether. Air combat can be very unforgiving to rookie pilots. It's life and death out there with no such thing as second best. You don't score any points for being a good loser.

Chivalry in sky was tried in WW I. The idea that air combat was a gentlemanly joust between knights in

the sky didn't last long once men started dying by the thousands. Therefore a little advance training prior to

combat can payoff big-time. If nothing else, it'll help you get a jump on the competition. Those of you died-in-the-wool flight fanatics with an eye for detail will undoubtedly be saying to

yourselves; Hey- if the F-14B didn't enter service until the late 1980s how come some of the campaigns take

place before then? That's a fair question.

The design team choose to model the F-14B because it represents a marked improvement over the F-14A. The

under-powered Tomcat-A wouldn't have perfonmed up to everyone's expectations unless we toyed with the data some

and produced an unrealistic flight model. We wanted to recreate actual campaigns but given our choice of time periods

and theaters, this would have forced us to model the F-14A. It would not have been fun to fly.

As players, we all get a greater sense of involvement when the simulation is pattemed after historical events. There's a

greater emotional attachment to one's character (and one's aircraft for that matter) when you can equate game situations to "real life.' ' So with this in mind the design team decided to keep the historical flavor yet allow the player to fly the F-14B.

If you believe this gives you too much of an edge, you can always limit yourself to a maximum power setting of 80%.

We've taken care of play balance problems by allowing the Soviets to deploy some of their contemporary fighters in these

early scenarios. Enjoy' Don't slow down for tums and may you always catch a three-wire on your way back home.

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If you're a pilot wrth a lot of flight sim time under your belt, this chapter is designed to allow you to begin play almost

immediately. On the other hand, if you're new to flight simulations, bear wrth rt. Flight isn't an easy thing to explain to newcomers. Undoubtedly, you'll come across many terms and concepts that will be foreign to you. FLEET DEFENDER. like the F-14

rt portrays, isn't always user-friendly (especially the portions dealing with radar). Don't become frustrated, though, we're

sure you'll get the hang of it in no time. Just remember, the Navy spends years teaching its naval aviators the same

information that FLEET DEFENDER tries to teach in hours (and days). By the way, if this is your first flight simulator, we think you've picked a great one to start off your flying career. The F-14

is one of this country's classic fighter aircraft. It combines just the right amount of high-tech wizardry wrth old fashioned

stick-and-rudder work.

Ideally, you should have the game running in front of you whi le you study this instruction manual. This way, you can

refer back and forth from game to manual, and vice versa. The combination of play and study should help you leam even the most difficult parts of this game with minimal confusion. If, after all this, you're still stuck. feel free to call one of our

technical experts in the MPS Customer Service Dept.

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There are two different ways to play FLEET DEFENDER : SCRAMBLE and CAMPAIGN. The SCRAMBLE method is a one shot affair, you take-off. engage in combat then retum to the carrier. Because these missions represent only a single sortie, you are spared having to worry about the "big picture" events of a full campaign.

These missions allow you to jump right in and begin fiying wh:h minimal preparation. Ah:hough there is a standard defauh: mission, SCRAMBLE also gives you the abilrty to create your own mini-combat situations from scratch. This is the preferred way to get familiar with the game before you embark on a full campaign. Tum to the section entitled SCRAMBLE for more infonmation on these missions.

The second method of play is CAMPAIGN. A campaign is a series of inter-connected missions which take place over an extended period of time. These missions differ from single sorties in that there is a lot going on behind the scenes. You won't always see h:, but h:'s there.

During testing, a furious battle erupted between a pair of Swedish Viggens and a group of MiG-23s that had wandered off course and crossed into Swedish (neutral) airspace. It was fascinating to watch. The Viggens had the Floggers for breakfast and prevented a major Soviet airstrike from reaching its target in Norway.

In a campaign, you (and other members of your squadron) are promoted based on your perfonmance in combat. How well you do on one mission directly affects your likelihood of success on the next. For example, if your squadron was to experience heavy losses on a particular mission, h: may not have enough aircraft leftover to carry out future assignments.

Campaigns give you access to greater numbers of friendly aircraft but with this greater force comes greater responsibilities. There are two F-14 fighter squadrons nonmally assigned to a carrier. These twenty aircraft are all that stands between the enemy and your ships. If these precious twenty airframes are ever bent, bumt or lost at sea, they're gone for good. Chances are you'll need every one of these aircraft if you intend to last through to the end of a campaign.

Each campaign is made up of a variety of air defense and escort missions. Not only are you tasked wh:h protecting friendly strike groups sent to attack enemy targets, you are also charged wh:h defending your own ships from enemy air attack If your aircraft carrier is ever sunk, the game is over. It doesn't matter how well you do as an individual pilot. The raison d'etre for the F-14 is to protect the carrier, everything else is secondary. Tum to the section enth:led CAM PAIGN for a more detailed explanation of these missions.

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Key Reference Card No matter which method of play you select, continually fiipping through this instruction manual detracts from the overall

simulation. For the first couple of missions you should keep the Key Reference Card next to your computer. This will enable

to you to continue fiying (and fighting) without having to pause each time you need to look up a particular command.

The Key Reference Card contains a summary of all the keyboard key commands you need to play this simulation. The

commands are arranged according to their function so that after a few missions, you'll find yourself remembering

commands without having to refer to the card any longer.

Terminology Keyboard Keys: When a keyboard key is referred to in this manual, its name

appears in italics followed by the key stroke (shown in uppercase and set in parentheses). For example, the key used to tum the radar system On and Off

is noted as follows; Radar On/OffToggle lBJ key.

Selector. refers to the mouse, joystick button, or key controls. Selector # I refers to either the left mouse button or Enter Key, Selector #2 refers to either

the right mouse button or Spacebar Key.

Pause Option You may halt this simulation at any time simply by pressing the Pause ~ iE].

Because the Pause feature is a lUXUry not available to pilots in the real world, Figure I-I: An F-14 in a high energy state with wings swept hard core "purists" are sometimes reluctant to use it. By not pausing the back for speed. simulation, however, you are giving your opponents an unfair advantage. They

continue to sneak up while you fiip through the manual.

Feel free to use the Pause feature any time you need to refer to a section of instructions. It's not considered cheating!

21

THE MAIN MENU SCREEN

Figure 1-2: The Main Menu screen showing the two principle ploy options; SCRAMBLE and CAMPAIGN.

Figure 1-3: The Hal/ of Fame screen shows the top ten naval aviators along with their col/signs and top scores.

START-UP SCREENS

To begin playing FLEET DEFENDER , you must select one of the two play options found on the Main Menu Screen; SCRAMBLE or CAMPAIGN.

SCRAMBLE []] Press t he SCRAMBLE [S] Key to begin a SCRAM BLE mission. The

SCRAMBLE option is more than just a way to get fiying in a hurry, rt's a mission generator as well. After selecting this option, you are given an opportunrty to create your own scenario and then go fiy rt.

CAMPAIGN@] Press the CAMPAIGN [C] Key to access a full CAMPAIGN. The

campaign option puts you in the middle of an entire A ir/Sea battle environment. In addition to fiying combat missions, there are literally hundreds of decisions you're required to make. Your hands will be full from the very start.

TOP TEN ITl You may also access the FLEET DEFENDER Hall of Fame from the Main

Menu screen by pressing the TOP TEN [T] Key. The Top Ten roster shows the top ten highest scores (what else) your pilots have achieved. If you are good enough you may just find yourself at the top of this list

QUIT[Qj Change your mind? Pressing QUIT [Q] Key ends this session and exits

you to DOS.

As an altemative to using the keyboard. you may use your mouse cursor to depress any particular button.

22

THE SCRAMBLE SCREEN SCRAMBLE missions are single sorties that you generate yourself With

the exception of the 1981 Libyan default option, there are no canned SCRAMBLE missions.

MAINMENU~ Pressing the Main Menu button [MJ Key returns you to the Main

Menu Screen.

DIFFICULTY @J Pressing the DIFFICULTY [DJ Key takes you immediately to the Difficulty

Screen. This screen is explained in more detail below. The some Difficulty screen is used for both SCRAMBLE and CAMPAIGN missions.

ARMING 0 Pressing the ARMING [AJ Key takes you immediately to the Anming

Screen. This screen is explained in more detail below. The some Arming screen is used for both SCRAMBLE and CAMPAIGN missions.

TAKE OFF Cf]

Figure /-4: The SCRAMBLE Screen. These are quick and easy missions that make for excellent toumament challenges.

Pressing the TAKE OFF [TJ Key puts you in the cockpit. At this point you're ready to go. You begin your mission either on the canrer deck or already in flight. If you start on the canrer deck, you must press the Afterbumer Engage [AJ Key to begin. Once your engine has "spooled up" to full RPMs, the catapuh: wi ll fire. Your F-14 is hurled down the flight deck In just seconds, you' ll be airbome, so be ready for it.

Mission Generation buttons The blue lower case buttons on this screen are known as Mission Generation buttons. They give you the ability to

construct your own scenarios "on the fly". Consult the SCRAMBLE section below for full details on how to generate these missions.

23

THE CAMPAIGN SCREEN A CAMPAIGN takes a little longer to set up than a SCRAMBLE mission

as you might imagine, but they are well worth the extra effort. Campaign missions are the most challenging way to play FLEET DEFENDER.

The CAMPAIGN Screerl shows you the current status of anyon-going campaign your squadron may be involved in. Included in this information are notes conceming your current theater, current campaign scenario, your pilot name and that of your RiO. You are also given a summary of the number of missions already flown, your individual point score, your current campaign score and difficulty level. Finally, this screen indicates whether or not you are flying this mission in Training mode. (Don't confuse this mode with missions flown in the Oceana Training theater).

Squadron ~ Figure 1-5: The Campaign Screen. Campaigns allows you to undertake missions within a full air/sea environment Pressing the SQUADRON [S] Key calls up the Squadron Roster board. This

roster shows the available squadrons plus information about squadrons with campaigns in progress. Consult the Squadron Roster section below for more details. Press the Enter key or use the mouse cursor and press OK to retum to the CAMPAIGN Screen.

Medals (IJ Pressing the MEDALS [E] Key grants access to your personal collection of awards and decorations. A Phoenix symbol

marks the number of times you've had to resurrect yourself. (This feature has been added so that your friends can check up on you when you begin to tell war stories). Press the Enter key or use the mouse cursor and press OK to retum to the CAMPAIGN Screen.

MAINMENU @J Pressing the MAIN MENU [M] Key retums you to the Main Menu Screen.

DIFFICUL TY [QJ Pressing the DIFFICULTY [D] Key takes you immediately to the Difficulty Screen. This screen is explained in more detail

below. The some Difficulty screen is used for both SCRAMBLE and CAMPAIGN missions.

BEGIN []J Pressing the BEGIN [B] Key takes you to the Campaign Status screen.

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THE CAMPAIGN STATUS SCREEN As the name implies, this screen gives you information about the current status of your on-going campaign. Inside the status

box is the number of the next mission to be flown as well as a short mission briefing. To see how well this campaign is going, press the blue lower case buttons to access first a mission log and then an individual pilot log.

Mission Log ~ Press the Mission Log [M] Key to access a complete log of all the missions flown so far in this campaign. The mission log

summarizes each mission so you can tell at a glance;

I) whether the mission succeeded or failed, 2) how many F-14 aircraftfaircrews were lost by your squadron, 3) how many enemy aircraft were shot down by members of your squadron, 4) and finally, your squadron's combined point score for this mission.

Pilot Log [£J Press the Pilot Log [P] Key to access a complete log of all the missions you have flown thus far in this campaign. The

Pilot log summarizes each mission so you can tell at a glance;

I) whether the mission succeeded or failed, 2) how many F-14 aircraftfaircrews were lost by your squadron, 3) how many enemy aircraft you were able to shoot down, 4) your LSO rating (how well you landed back aboard the carrier), 5) and finally, the point score you received for completing this mission.

Pressing the Status [TJ Key retums you to the Campaign Status screen.

SQUADRON~ Pressing the SQUADRON [S] KEY retums you to the Campaign Screen.

BRIEFING [ID Pressing the Briefing [B] Key takes you to the Mission Briefing screen.

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THE MISSION BRIEFING SCREEN The Mission Briefing Screen contains a text briefing which outlines the

nature of the mission along with the conditions for victory.

STATUS @] Pressing the STATUS [S] Key retums you to the Campaign Status screen.

WINGMAN~ Pressing the WINGMAN [W] Key gives you access to the Squadron

ASSignment Boord. The Squadron Assignment Board contains a list of all F-14 crews

(Pilot/RIO combinations) in your squadron. It also lists, among other things, their current assignments for this particular mission. These assignments include CAP (Combat Air Patrol), Ready 5, and Standby.

Crews assigned to CAP missions wi ll patrol predetenmined areas around Figure /-6: The Mission Briefing screen contains a brief overview of the up-<:oming mission.

the carrier according to the carriers standard air defense plan. You have no control over their placement. Crews assigned to Ready 5 positions are held in reserve on your carrier's flight deck until needed. If you get in trouble, these are the guys that'll be sent to help bail you out. Finally, air crews that are not needed for this mission are placed on Standby. These guys, in effect, have the day off

Should you choose to, you may spoil their day off by requesting that a Standby crew be reassigned to fly this mission as your Wing-man. New Wing-man crews must be selected from the ranks of those crews on Standby. You cannot reassign crews that are already participating in this mission.

To change Wing-man, use your mouse pointer and press the left mouse button over the desired crew. Your old wing­man is now put on Standby.

Crews gain experience as they fly more missions and accumulate higher point scores, so rotating your Wing-men is advisable. Since there is always a chance that crews wi ll be lost during a mission, building up a single crew at the expense of the others is risky.

26

VF-olt GZJ In addition to your own squadron, you may check on the status of your sister fighter squadron (VF ah:emate) by

pressing VF-alt M Key. This roster is presented for informational purposes only. You may not select a wing-man from this squadron.

ARMING [6J Pressing the ARMING [A] Key takes you immediately to the Arming Screen. This screen is explained in more detail

below. The some Arming screen is used (or both SCRAMBLE and CAMPAIGN missions.

TAKE OFF ITJ Pressing the TAKE OFF [T] Key puts you in the cockprt:. At this point you're :eady to go. You begin some missions on

the carrer deck awaiting your tum to take-off Other missions start with your aircraft already in flight and positioned at its CAP station.

If you start a mission on the carner deck. you must press the Afterburner Engage 0 or Max Accelerate I Shift 10 to begin.

27

THE DIFFICULTY SCREEN

Figure 1-7: The Difficulty screen is a handy way of setting up a mission according to your individual tastes,

The Difficulty Screen allows you to set the difficulty levels of ten

or more game features, The three difficulty levels are referred to as play Modes, They are Standard Mode (the easiest of the three),

Moderate Mode (more complex t han Standard Mode), and finally

the ultimate in realism, Authentic Mode (the most challenging of the

three difficu lty levels),

Difficulty Levels TRAINING: Select this mode and you' ll never have to say you're

sorry, You can "get away" with mistakes in Training mode that would

end a regular mission , Training mode turns your F-14 into an

invincible fighting machine, Enemy missiles (SAMs and AAMs) and

gunfire cannot harm your aircraft but your weapons retain their

lethality, Training mode also allows you to continually resupply your aircraft (and your wing-man's aircraft) wrt:h fuel and weapons, Given

time, you can clear the skies of enemy aircraft,

Training mode also gives you the ability to "teleport" your F-14 to

any point on the map w rt:h a click of your mouse button, Press the Map View 0 to access the campaign map, Now press

the blue button marked Move [MJ Key. You are now able to posrt:ion your mouse pointer anywhere on the map you wish

to go. Press the left mouse button and your F- 14 is instantly teleported to th is spot on the map. No fuel is used in this move.

As much fun as Training mode is, it does have one drawback You are never given a score for Training missions. Even if

you switch to Training mode for only part of the mission, you are given a score of zero (0). All points scored on a mission are

lost if you switch to Training mode while the mission is in progress.

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LEVEL I - 4 FLEET DEFENDER missions can be flown in various degrees of difficulty. There are four different levels; Level I (easiest)

to Level 4 (Impossible). As you might imagine, more points are awarded for missions flown at the higher difficulty levels.

You detenmine the difficulty level of each mission by setting the mission options to one of the following modes of play;

Standard, Moderate, and Authentic. STANDARD MODE is the easiest of the three modes of play. It is very forgiving of pilot enror. Aircraft systems are

simplified and abstracted for the player who just wants to fly and shoot without being overly concemed with realism.

MODERATE MODE is an intenmediate difficulty level. It combines some of the easier aspects of Standard Mode play

with the more realistic features of Authentic Mode. Many of the things that were perfonmed automatically before must now

be perfonmed manually. The biggest change, however, comes in the operation of the radar and its component systems.

AUTHENTIC MODE represents the highest level of difficulty in FLEET DEFENDER. It is also the level at which players

score the most points. Of the three, Authentic Mode places the greatest work load on the player. Aircraft avionics and

weapons perfonm just as their counterparts do in real life. As more mission options are set to harder modes of play, the overall level of difficulty goes up accordingly. You con

watch this happen by changing the mission options bock and forth.

Difficulty Options There are ten difficulty options that need to be set prior to the initiation of any campaign. Consider these options

carefully. Once a mission begins it's too late to change your mind.

WEAPON EFFECTIVENESS Standard Mode: Your missiles are always 100% effective. They always hit and they always kill. It's hardly a challenge

really, just aim and shoot.

Moderate Mode: Your missiles still destroy a target when they hit it but hitting a target has been made more difficult.

Enemy aircraft can now avoid your missiles by using electronic counter-measures (ECM) or by outmaneuvering them, if

given a chance.

Authentic Mode: The lethalrty of each missile is detenmined using infonmation drawn from a carefully constnucted data­

base. Over thirty unique characteristics are taken into account to ensure that each missile perfonms in FLEET DEFENDER just as it does in real-life. This mode accurately models the differences between individual air-to-air missiles.

29

FLIGHT MODEL Standard Mode: Your F-14 almost flies itself in this mode, rt's very hard to make a mistake. The aircraft performs the

same regardless of altitude. Roll inertia has been removed from the flight model in this mode. Adverse G effects have also

been taken out. The aircraft automatically calculates and inputs the proper amount of trim for you. The Automatic pilot is

equipped with a terrain-following feature to keep you from hitting the ground by accident.

Moderate Mode: Unlike Standard Mode, this flight model incorporates the affect of air density (altitude) on

perfonmance. In addition, you may damage the aircraft by exposing it to stress resulting from high G forces. Rol l inertia has been removed from t he flight model in this mode as well and the proper amount of t rim is input for

you. The Automatic pi lot is equipped wrth a terrain-following feature to keep you from hitting the ground by accident.

Authentic Mode: This flight model incorporates the affect of air density (altrtude) on performance. You may damage

the aircraft by exposing rt to stress resulting from high G forces. (The G force tolerance of the aircraft has been reduced

from that in Moderate Mode.) Flight controls may seem a brt sluggish. This is because roll inertia has been added. You are also required to trim the

aircraft frequently to maximize its performance. (Unless you are an absolute fanatic for realism, trimming the aircraft can get to be annoying. If you find the trim feature bothersome, press the Auto Trim Bypass I Shift I [IJ. The terrain-following

feature of the Automatic pilot has been removed. It only keeps your aircraft flying straight and level.

F- /4 DAMAGE Standard Mode: Your F- 14 can take an unbelievable amount of damage and continue to fly.

Moderate Mode: You can sti ll take a good deal of damage but missiles should not be ignored. Several hits are enough

to bring you down. Avionics and other critical areas are assessed damage individually.

Authentic Mode: Damage is assessed realistically according to the type of hrt your aircraft receives. For example, radar­

guided missiles generally cause more damage than heat-seeking missiles because of their larger warheads. Missile hits usually

(but not always) cause catastrophic failure to one or more systems. Bursts of gunfire cause less damage per direct hit than

missi les. As a rule, rt takes many bursts of gunfire to bring down your aircraft.

30

CARRIER LANDINGS Standard Mode: The Landing Signals Officer (LSO) is very lenient in this mode. You can mess up an approach and still

receive a good rating. Your F-14 is also eager to forgive mistakes. Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing and this mode lets you walk away from most of them.

Moderate Mode: Landings are somewhat more difficult. Your airspeed, angle, and rate of descent must all be wrthin

critical tolerances in order to land safely. The LSO is more crirtical of your landings than before but unless you put the nose

of the aircraft through the deck. you should do okay.

Authentic Mode: The LSO is a SOB. He demands perfection and can't wart to give you a bad rating. You must stay in

complete control of the aircraft throughout your approach or you'll receive a wave-off In this mode, it is better to go

around than risk a bad landing. Bad landings are usually fatal. Authentic Mode approaches require a high degree of piloting

skill. If you are not sweating these landings than you just don't understand the problem.

RIO ASSISTANCE Standard Mode: Your Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) gives you a great deal of assistance w hich allows you to

concentrate on flying, your primary concem as a pilot.

The RIO automatically locks the nearest enemy aircraft for you. Sometimes this helps out and sometimes it doesn't. As

a pilot you must be the final arbitrator. Your RIO also alerts you to "bandrts" (enemy aircraft) in the area by calling out their clock position. For example, if your RIO calls out "Bandit- 6 o'clock", this indicates that an enemy is on your tail.

In addition, your RIO is also responsible for deploying electronic counter-measures (ECM) when necessary. Even so, as

the pilot you might want to keep your finger near the Chaff/Flare swrtches yourself, just in case. Finally, your RIO is responsible for calling out damage to your aircraft.

Moderate Mode: In this mode, your back seater is a Irttle more casual about his duties. He's more than w illing to let

you take over some of the responsibilrties. Your RIO still reports on bandrts in the area, deploys countermeasures, and calls out damage, but you have to lock-up your own targets.

Authentic Mode: In this mode, your RIO is really just along for the ride. Oh sure, your RIO wi ll still spot bandrts and report on damage, but other than that. you're on your own.

31

BACKSEAT CONTROLS Standard Mode: You may fly the aircraft from the back seat as you would if you were seated in the front. You just have

to peer over the DDD to do it., that's all.

Moderate Mode: You cannot fly the aircraft from the back-seat. The aircraft maintains the stick posrt:ion (prt:ch, yaw, and

roll input) rt: was in when you exrt:ed the front seat.

Authentic Mode: You cannot fly the aircraft from the back-seat. The aircraft will follow rt:s natural tendency to level

rt:self. if possible.

GUN CAMERA Standard Mode: The Vertical Display Indicator (VDI) shows the camera image in color and labels the primary targets

for you. The camera rt:self can pan 360°.

Moderate Mode: The VDI shows the camera image in monochrome (green) and labels the primary targets for you. As

in Standard Mode, the camera can pan 360°.

Authentic Mode: The VDI shows the camera image in monochrome (green). It does not label the primary targets for

you. The camera has forward looking gimble limrt:s of 20° left and right of center and 20° above and below the horizon.

RADAR The three Radar difficulty modes are covered in the AWG-9 radar section of Chapter 4.

GROUND CRASH MODE Standard: The aircraft can hrt: ground objects and terrain wrt:hout being affected (i .e. you can crash into the ground and

still keep flying). Your aircraft is not damaged in any way by contact wrt:h the ground. Exception.' If your aircraft has been previously damaged by enemy action, any contact with the ground ends your mission (and your career)

Moderate and Authentic: Any contact with a ground object other than a carrier flight deck results in the immediate

destnuction of your aircraft. If you happen to be inside the aircraft when this occurs". see yah!

ENEMY SKILL: Enemy pilots are rated as follows; ( I ) Trainee, (2) Cadet, (3) Regular, (4) Veteran and (5) Ace.

Choosing the higher levels just makes your job all the more difficult. Highly skilled pilots are simply able to fly and tight

better than lesser trained pilots. Veteran pilots combine experience wrt:h training to produce superior performance. An

Ace is a veteran pilot with exceptional instincts and superb judgment.

CARRIER CLASS: Select one of three different classes of aircraft carriers represented in the game; Forrestal, f<jtty Hawk, or the giant nuclear-powered Nimitz class. The differences between the three carriers are largely cosmetic, however, the longer length of the Nimitz class flight deck makes landings a little easier.

32

Joystick OJ Pressing the blue Joystick OJ Key brings up an additional panel labeled CONTROL. This panel allows you to set up the

simulation according to the availability of your own hardware. JOYSTICK: Use your mouse pointer to make a choice of controller devices (or combination of devices). Note that you

may choose not to use a joystick at al l and use keyboard controls instead. FLEET DEFENDER also allows for specialized equipment such as throttle controllers or foot pedals as well.

KEYBOARD SENSITIVITY: You may adjust the sensitivity of your keyboard between High, Medium, and Low. The more sensitive you make the keyboard, the more control input is generated each time you press a particular key.

ROLL RATE: Select one of two different roll rates: Standard or Authentic. Selecting Standard gives you a roll which is unaffected by altitude or airspeed. An Authentic roll rate is more realistic and takes into account all the aerodynamic factors which affect your fiight performance.

Difficulty @J Press this key to retum to the previous Difficulty panel.

Recolibrote [B) Press the Recalibrote [R] Key to recalibrate your joystick or controller between flights. Follow the on-screen

instructions. When finished, press Escape/Menu Options [Esc I

Sound Off~ This key is a toggle which tums the sound On and Off. Since the [S] Key is used for this toggle, to press the

SQUADRON button you must use your mouse pointer.

Music IT] This key is a toggle which tums the background music On and Off Game sound is unaffected.

33

THE ARMING SCREEN There are six different weapon configurations for you to choose from on the Arming Screen. Each mission has its own

pecul iar set of ordnance requirements so get to know them. Once in the air, it's too late to change weapons if you find you've made a bad selection.

Figure 1-8: The Arming Screen

Fleet Defense CHARLIE

Fleet Defense ALPHA 4 (AIM-54 Phoenix) + 2 (AIM-7 Sparrow) + 2 (AIM-9 Sidewinder)

This load-out represents a good mix of radar and heat-seeking missiles. Use this load-out when going up against a group of strike-fighters. The four AIM-54s should be used to pick off a few bandits at long range. The remaining missiles are good for proximity dogfighting with the survivors.

Fleet Defense BRAVO 6 (AIM-54 Phoenix) + 2 (AIM-9 Sidewinder)

This load-out best illustrates the Navy' s Missileer launch platform concept The six Phoenix missiles allow you to sit back safely out of range and shoot down the enemy with impunity. You pay a high price for this seeming invincibility, though. Note your top speed at sea level and don't even think about getting into a dogfight.

2 (AIM-54 Phoenix) + I (AIM-7 Sparrow) + 4 (AIM-9 Sidewinder) Like the FD Alpha load-out, this mix of radar and heat-seeking missiles is great for multi-mission tasking. The two

AIM-54s could be used against non-maneuvering targets like reconnaissance or ASW aircraft. The four "heaters" gives you plenty of ammunition in case of a BFM engagement.

MiG CAP ALPHA 4 (AIM-7 Sparrow) + 4 (AIM-9 Sidew inder)

This load-out is ideal for escort missions. The four Sparrows give you a medium-range capability while the Sidewinders allow you to break formation to dogfight with interceptors. Your speed is such that keeping up w ith a strike package is not a problem.

34

Figure 1-9: Shown here, a F-14 loaded down with a full compliment of six Phoenix missiles

MiG CAP BRAVO 6 (AIM-7 SparTOw) + 2 (AIM-9 Sidewinder)

Every now and then you get lucky and come across a flight of enemy helicopters or better yet , troop transports. When

this happens there are never enough missiles around. The six Sparrows allow you to "turkey-shoot" a half dozen or 50.

These medium-range missiles let you stay out danger while you pick the enemy off one-by-one.

MiG CAP CHARLIE 4 (AIM-54 Phoenix) + 4 (AIM-9 Sidewinder)

This load-out combines long-range capabilrty with speed. The four AIM-54s are perfect for taking out reconnaissance

aircraft or tactical co-ordination platforms. Once the Phoenix missiles are gone, you're left with a dramatic speed advantage and a full complement of "fire and forget" missiles.

STANDARD ARMAMENT: In addition to the missiles, your F-14 always begins a mission with one 20 mm M61 A I gun

(675 rounds) and two drop tanks of fuel each containing 267 gallons.

Detail [QJ Press the Detaif [0] Key for a close-up inspection of your weapon configuration.

35

THE SQUADRON ROSTER

Figure /-/0: The Squadron Roster Board. There are no entrance exams to pass or initiations to endure before joining.

Before you fly any mission, you must first be assigned to a particular F-14 equipped fighter squadron. FLEET DEFENDER features ten (10) F-14 squadrons normally associated with the U.s. east coast naval commands. By pressing the SQUADRON [S] Key, you are given access to these squadrons and their current campaign status. Pick anyone of the squadrons you desire.

EDIT PILOT [ID Press the EDIT PILOT [E] Key to assign yourself to the squadron you've

selected. A name plate labeled Pilot Name appears. Use the non-key pad arrow keys and backspace key to enter your first name (top line), call sign (middle line) and last name (bottom line). For example, your entry might look like;

Edward "Killer" Crawford

Once you have finished entering or editing your name, you must now do the same for your RIO. Use your mouse cursor to press EDIT RIO button. When you are satisfied, press the Enter key or use the mouse cursor and press OK to retum to the Squadron Roster Board.

RESET (BJ The RESET [R] Key takes you back to the very beginning and allows you to start the campaign over. Any points you

may have scored during the course of the campaign are lost when you start over again.

CAMPAIGN@] Press the CAMPAIGN [q Key to make theater and scenario selections. There are three theaters to choose from; two

are combat theaters (North Cape and Mediterranean). The third theater is the Oceana NAS theater featuring training operations off the east coast of the United States. Use the non-key pad arrow keys to select anyone of the three. Your selection is highlighted in yellow.

Your choice of scenario depends entirely upon your choice of theater. Each of the combat theaters has three different scenarios to choose from. Use the non-key pad arrow keys to elect anyone of the three. Your selection is again highlighted in yellow. The Oceana theater features six different training options. You may select anyone of the six.

36

STATUS~ Press the STATUS [SJ Key to access a more detailed summary of your campaign's cunrent status.

OK @] Press the OK [OJ Key when you are satisfied with the infonrnation on the Squadron Roster board. This key retums you

to the CAMPAIGN Screen. As you can see, the CAMPAIGN Screen now reflects any changes you may have entered.

CANCEL 0 The CANCEL [A J Key negates any configuration changes you may have made to the current campaign. If you make a

set-up mistake, this key lets you correct it by starting over.

37

SCRAMBLE MISSIONS For those of you who just want to get in one last mission before heading off to work. school, etc., The SCRAMBLE

play option allows you to fiy quick and easy single sortie missions.

Rather than present you with a host of stock missions, this play option features a mini-mission generator. By combining

t he SCRAMBLE mission generator w ith a little imagination, you are able to create a variety of aerial encounters.

SCRAMBLE Mission Generator Use your mouse pointer or press the corresponding highlighted letters to select SCRAMBLE mission options.

Figure I-I I: The SCRAMBLE screen displays 0/1 your mission options. You con create 0/1 new missions or accept the default setting.

Type lIJ By pressing this button, you are given access to the list of all available aircraft. Note that you are only allowed to select

one aircraft type per mission. Use your mouse pointer and press the left mouse button to make your selection.

Skill []] Select the enemy skill level. Press this button and the ski ll level selections appear to the right. Choose from between

T rainee, Cadet, Regular, Veteran and Ace. At the higher skill levels, enemy pilots are able to use their radar better, fire

missiles faster, and generally fiy a little smarter. An Ace is a real challenge, even in a Yak-38. Trainees are little better than

sitting ducks, but even they get lucky from t ime to time.

NumberlEJ Select the number of friendly and enemy aircraft you wish to take part in this mission. You may choose up to six (6)

enemy and six (6) friendly aircraft. Warning: each additional aircraft you put in the sky practically doubles your work load.

Imagine having to fight your way out of a furball consisting of twelve aircraft.

38

Formation [B Select the type of enemy fomnation. There are four different fomnations; Box, Wall, Ladder, or Cruise. A three­

dimensional nepresentation of each fomnation appears to the right of your selection. Consult the Oceana training section for more details conceming enemy fomnations.

Enemy Alt [ID Select your enemy's starting altitude using the keyboard anrow keys. An altimeter appears to the right allowing you to

view your selection. You may place the enemy anywhere from 1000 ft. up to the SCRAMBLE ceiling of 40,000 feet.

Your Alt@] Select your own starting altitude using the keyboard anrow keys. An altimeter appears to the right allowing you to view

your selection. You may begin anywhere from 1000 ft. up to the SCRAMBLE ceiling of 40,000 feet.

Position [£J Select your starting position vis-a-vis the enemy fomnation. You may choose one of thnee starting positions; Offensive

(Advantaged), Neutral (Head-to-Head), or Defensive (Disadvantaged).

Time OJ Select the time using the keyboard anrow keys. A clock appears allowing you to view your selection. The Day-to-Night

(Dusk) transition begins at 1800 hrs and ends at 2000 hrs. The Night-to-Day (Dawn) transition begins at 0500 hrs and ends at 0700 hrs.

WeatherGYJ Choose between three different types of weather conditions; Stormy, Clear, and Overcast Stomny conditions are more

severe than mene overcast, the cloud layer is thicker and the cloud ceil ing is lower to the ground.

Squadron [QJ You may choose to fiy as a member of one of eight (8) different F-14 squadrons. The squadron's patch appears to the

right as you cycle through your selections.

Default Option: If you'ne in a neal hurry don't bother setting the mission options, just press TAKE OFF [TJ and accept the SCRAMBLE mode default. This setting allows you to recreate the Tomcat's 1981 encounter with two Libyan Su-22s. Historically, both the "Fitters" were shot down by a pair of F-14s belonging to VF-41 "Black Aces." This was the famous Navy; 2, Libya; 0 incident.

39

CAMPAIGN MISSIONS Rather than limit players to individual SCRAMBLE sorties, FLEET DEFENDER allows you to take part in an entire naval/air

campaign. A single campaign has the potential to last anywhere from several days to several weeks. Your role will be to fly

missions in support of your carrier and its strike operations. Since you have only one carrier per campaign scenario you must

protect it. If it is ever sunk or so severely damaged that it can no longer perform air operations, the campaign is over.

In addition to CAP (Combat Air Patrol) missions, you are also tasked with escorting friendly strike packages while on­

route to their targets. On these missions you are not accountable for how well the strike package performs. As a fighter

"jock", you don't care if any of these aircraft hit their targets just as long as they all make it back home. Therefore, your performance is judged on the number of friendly aircraft that survive the mission and not the level of destruction inflicted

on the target. Campaign missions have been created based on actual air/sea tactics used by the Soviet Union. They have not been

intentionally play balanced beforehand to make them easy or even fair, for that matter. You'll find that some missions are

milk runs, while others will be downright impossible.

BEGINNING A CAMPAIGN You begin each campaign aboard a single aircraft carrier being escorted by several Cruisers, Guided-missile Destroyers

and Frigates. Onboard the carrier are approximately 90 combat aircraft and helicopters. Their striking power is awesome

but it is mitigated to a degree by the enemy's formidable air defenses. The enemy has a host of ships and planes

determined to stop your carrier group and this is where you come in. You (and your RJO) represent one of twenty-two F-14 aircrews that make up the two fighter squadrons onboard the

carrier. Two of these crews are actually replacements. There are only twenty F-14s onboard, and ah:hough this may sound like a

lot, combat attrition will take its tol l. You can't afford to press the envelope too often.

In order to begin a campaign, three things are necessary. You must;

I) choose one of the two combat theaters (either North Cape or Mediterranean),

2) choose one of the three campaign scenarios, and

3) be assigned to an active squadron.

Once you have accomplished these three things, you are ready to begin your first campaign mission.

40

Flying 0 Mission Now, it's time to prepare for your first mission. Actually, individual campaign missions are no different than the single

sortie missions flown in SCRAMBLE option. However, with all the many decisions that need to be made before take-off.

it's probably a good idea to check everything once again.

I) From the CAMPAIGN screen, check the Squadron Roster Board to make sure you have the right

squadron and the right campaign. Now, press the DIFFICULTY button [DJ Key.

2) From the DIFFICULTY screen, set the difficulty options on the panel as desired. You may also recalibrate your joystick at this point if needed. Now, press the CAMPAIGN button [q Key to retum briefly to the

CAMPAIGN screen.

3) From the CAMPAIGN screen, press the BEGIN button [BJ Key. This takes you directly to the pre-Mission briefing.

4) From the BRIEFING screen, press the BRIEFING button [BJ Key to get your mission briefing. Read the briefing

text carefully, it contains important operational information and the mission conditions for victory. Now that you

have an idea what is expected of you, press the ARMING button [A J Key.

5) From the ARMING screen, make your ordnance selections based upon the up-coming mission requirements.

Now, press the WINGMAN [W] Key.

6) From the W INGMAN screen, you may assign yourself a new w ing-man, if you so desire. Take a minute to check

the other crew assignments so you are familiar with the crews participating in this mission. Once you are satisfied

with the crew assignments, there is only one thing left to do; press the TAKE OFF button [T] Key and ... take-off!

Ending 0 Mission Hopefully, each of your missions will end with you retuming safely to an undamaged aircraft carrier. Ideally, this is the

way every mission should end. Sadly, the fortunes of war will dictate otherwise on occasion.

BECOMING A CASUALTY There is always a chance you will not survive a mission. If this happens, the mission is over at the point of your demise.

See Resurrection below.

EJECTING Bailing out of a crippled aircraft is another way to end the mission. If you survive the ejection and are picked up, you

are taken directly to the mission debriefing.

41

ABORT 0 You may abort a mission in progress at any time. To abort a mission, press the Escape/Menu Options I Esc I to access

the Control Options screen. Now, press the ABORT button [A] Key located at the bottom of this screen. Ending a mission in this manner causes you to loose credit for any points you may have scored on this mission. You are taken to the mission debrief

EXIT TO 005 0 Rather than aborting a mission, you may also leave the simulation altogether from the Control Option screen. Press

the EXIT TO DOS [X] Key. This key has the same affect as pressing the Quit lED [QJ Key.

Mission Debriefing You receive a debriefing at the conclusion of each mission, whether you personally survive it or not. This debrief

consists of a replay of the entire mission summarizing the major events and placing them in chronological order. A summary of your point score is also displayed along with any medals or awards you are to receive.

Ending 0 Campaign Your carrier group will continue its operations until it achieves its objectives unless the campaign ends prematurely.

There are two principle ways for a campaign to end prematurely, if your pilot is Killed In Action (KIA), or your aircraft carrier is sunk or severely damaged.

At the end of each campaign, you're overall perfonmance is rated according to the number of successful missions you have fiown. You can lose a few missions and still have a decent campaign record. In Baseball, a .500 percentage wi ll get you in the World Series, so too, in FLEET DEFENDER. Win over half of the missions and you should feel pretty good, win 75%

of them and you're doing great.

42

YOUR CAREER FLEET DEFENDER allows you to personalize your pilot and RIO by giving them names of your own choosing. Most

players tend to name the pilot after themselves and name the RIO after their best friend. There's no requirement to do

this, however. You may give the pilot and RIO any names you wish.

Assuming you name the pilot after yourself. we can also assume that you now have a vested interest in doing well and

surviving. In this respect, you are no different than any other naval aviator that fiies the Tomcat in real life. He has his career

to worry about, now you have yours.

BEGINNING A CAREER Your career as a naval aviator begins the moment you give a name to your pi lot.

From this moment on, your career is simply the sum total of all the points scored during

al l the missions you have fiown using this persona. (You may have a different pilot name for each active squadron.)

Your personal objective is to survive the campaign, all other considerations should be

secondary. Along the way, however, you wi ll accumulate points for accomplishing certain

tasks and destroying enemy aircraft. If you are noticeably successfully, you are recommended for various awards and decorations.

43

Figure I-I 2: Feeling that need for speed? This F-I 4 is showing its stuff on a low level pass.

CAREER PROGRESSION (PROMOTIONS) Your ultimate career goal is to get promoted up the ladder until you reach the rank of Commodore. It won't be easy.

You wi ll on ly attain this lofty grade after fiying many missions, in many campaigns. After you attain this rank, you are retired. Enjoy your break from combat, you eamed it.

Mission Scoring You receive a point score depending upon how well you performed as an individual. You also receive points as a member

of the squadron for participating in a successful mission. These two sums are totaled to produce your final mission score. Failure t o accomplish your mission gamers less points for you as an individual and makes a campaign more difficult to

ultimately win. For example, you may be given a mission to prevent enemy reconnaissance aircraft from finding your carrier

group. If the enemy is allowed to locate your carrier, the next mission may have you desperately trying to shoot down a salvo of cruise missiles.

Promotions Promotions are based upon your accumulated point totals. They are not easy to get, but they do come in time. Every

naval aviator starts the game as a Lieutenant JG Uunior Grade) with a point score of zero (0). In order to attain the next

highest rank, you only need to accumulate the prerequisite number of points. The higher the rank, the more points you must accumulate to attain it.

Regardless of the number of points you receive, you are never promoted more than one rank after anyone mission. If

you do really well on a particular mission, you must fiy another so that your promotions can catch up with your accumulated point score.

The following chart outlines the rank stnucture in FLEET DEFENDER and the point scores needed to attain them;

Rank

Lieutenant JG Lieutenant

Lt. Commander

Commander

Captain Commodore

Points needed

At Start 6,000 18,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

Your Wing-man can never be more than one rank above you. Any higher than that and he'd be considered the fiight leader.

Likewise, your RIO is always kept at least one rank lower than you. Sorry bock-seaters, but that's just the way it is in this sim.

44

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS In addition to promotions, you may also earn various awards and

decorations for outstanding performance. Like your point score, these stay with the pilot who earns them. They are not transferable.

The awards, as well as the point score needed to attain them, are as follows;

Medal Awarded CMOH Navy Cross Silver Star Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal Navy Commendation Medal Purple Heart National Defense Service Medal

ENDING YOUR CAREER Retirement

Point Score Needed 7,000 5,500 4,500 3,500 2,500 1,500 None None

Figure 1-13: The Awards screen.

The most pleasant way to end a service career is through retirement after having achieved a chest full of medals. As soon as you reach the rank of Commodore, you are retired. Once you achieve the rank of Commodore your flying days are over. The Navy can't have its senior officers out tooling around in fighters, now can it?

Roll of the Honored Dead The other way to end a career is not so pleasant. Every time you take to the sky there's a chance you may not retum.

At the conclusion of each mission, a list of those who won't be returning is published. This list is termed the Roll of the Honored Dead. If your pilot's name is on it, your career is over.

Resurrect ffiJ All is not lost. Because being a FLEET DEFENDER is such a hazardous occupation, the designers have included a

universal safeguard against premature retirement. If you are ever KIA for any reason, you are given a second chance. To resurrect yourself, press the Resurrect [R] Key. If only it was this easy in real life!

45

Figure /-/4: The Roll of the Honored Dead.

The Phoenix

Resurrected pilots are immediately returned to active service and allowed to keep the points they scored prior to their demise. The drawback to resurrection is that you are considered to have failed the mission. All things considered, it's a small price to pay.

Perish (E] If you are unwilling to toy wrth destiny, press the Perish [PJ Key. The pilot

is irrevocably gone and the campaign is ended.

Fly Over~ The Fly Over option is essentially the same as resurrection except

that the pilot must start the same mission again. Press the Fly Over [F] Key to try again.

A Phoenix, a mythological bird which rises from the ashes of rt:s own destruction, is used to symbolize resurrection. One of these icons is placed wrth your medals each time your pilot is resurrected. There is no limrt to the number of times a pilot may be brought back

46

Because of the complexity of the F-14's weapon and fiight control systems there are wel l over a hundred different key

commands. Each command perfonrns a unique function and is activated by the touch of a certain key or combination of

keys on your keyboard. Originally, the game designers considered including an overlay template showing all the distinct key combinations.

Quickly we realized rt: would be unusable due to the overwhelming number of commands. So instead, a complete list of all

the key commands used in FLEET DEFENDER is provided on the Key Reference Card included w ith your game. Keep the

card handy for use during fiight.

47

This chapter is intended to provide you with a detailed summary of all the various command functions used during the

normal course of play. Each function is referred to by its name as it appears on the Key Reference Card followed by the actual keystroke in parenthesizes. The keys have been grouped into appropriate sections for quick reference. These include

primary and secondary flight controls, simulation views, radar, weapons, and general simulation controls, etc.

There is an additional list of Wing-man controls which appear on the Key Reference Card but do not appear in this

chapter. Details conceming wing-man control keys can be found in the Wing-man section of Chapter Four.

48

FLIGHT CONTROL KEYS

PRIMARY FLIGHT CONTROLS Primary flight controls are usually non-combat related keys deemed most important to your ability to fly the aircraft.

They represent keys that are frequently used during the course of a mission. As such they are easily remembered after a few sorties.

Front/Bock Seat Toggle 0: This toggle allows you to instantly move between the front (pilot) seat and back (RIO) seat. Your view perspective defauh:s to a Look Ahead view as a result of this move.

Accelerate G} Pressing this key increases the throttle setting of your aircraft in increments of I 0%. You are able to watch this incremental increase in power on the RpM gauge located directly under the pilot's altimeter. Notice a significant increase in fuel consumption as well.

Full Military Power I Shift I G : Pressing this key immediately increases your throttle to 100% RpMs (Full Military Power).

Throttle Bock G : Pressing this key decreases the throttle setting of your aircraft in increments of 10%. Notice how your fuel flow rate decreases as you throttle back

Cut Throttle I Shift I G : Pressing this key immediately shuts down both engines completely. You'd better have a landing spot already picked out. Gliding is not one of the F-14's strong-points.

Speed Brake Toggle lID: If your aircraft is on the deck, toggling this key tums your wheel brakes On and Off wh ile you taxi. If your aircraft is airbome, this key toggles between the speed brake's two positions, retracted (in) and extended (out). Extending your speedbrakes in flight is known as "popping the boards".

Afterbumer Engage 0: Pressing this key kicks in the afterbumer. Your afterbumer boosts your thrust well over 100% but consumes fuel at a prohibitive rate. Use the afterbumer sparingly.

Note that this key is not a toggle. You cannot use it to tum off the afterbumer. To tum off the afterbumer, press the Throttle Back G once.

Automatic Pilot [£} By toggling this key, you may engage and disengage your aircraft's Automatic Pilot. When the Automatic Pilot is engaged, it maintains your heading and altitude. You are able to make minor course corrections without disengaging the Automatic Pilot. Automatic Pilot is most useful when you are busy attending to other chores (like working the radar systems in the back seat).

Stick Trim Up [J : Each press of this key adjusts (trims) the pitch of the aircraft upward without putting back pressure on the joystick

49

Stick Trim Down 0]: Each press of this key adjusts (trims) the pitch of the aircraft downward without putting forward pressure on the joystick

Auto Trim I Sh ift IOJ: Pressing this key automatically adjusts (trims) your aircraft's pitch for you.

Figure 2- 1: Vampire ... Vampire ... Vampire .. ! A Sea-Sparrow missile is launched at in-coming anti-ship missiles just over the horizon.

Rudder Left Q : Pressing this key causes the aircraft to yaw (tum wlo banking the wings) to the left.

Rudder Right 0 : Pressing this key causes the aircraft to yaw (tum wlo banking the wings) to the right

Directional Controls (Arrow Keys): The keyboard arrow keys act as the Controller when the simulation is not being played with a joystick. These four keys are able to maneuver the aircraft, up, down, left and right, just as if you were using a joystick.

Eject I Sh ift I [I]: When your aircraft is damaged by enemy fire and is no longer airworthy, it's time to bailout. Press Eject I Shift I [I] to bailout but remember, there are no second chances. If you "punch Elvis" (hit the Eject key) by mistake, you are not given an opportunity to take it back

IMPORTANT SAFETY TlP- You cannot successfully eject if your aircraft is inverted or traveling over 350 knots, so avoid premature ejections.

NAV mode []] : This key causes the HUD to begin displayi ng navigation aids such as a velocity vector and 5° incremental pitch ladder. A Course Deviation Indicator appears on the Vertical Display Indicator to assist you in lining up for a carrier approach.

Waypoint Toggle @J: This key toggles through all your assigned waypoint locations for the current mission. A brief description of the waypoint appears along the bottom edge of the screen as you cyde through the settings. The waypoint's relative bearing is also displayed on the HUD by means of a heading caret on your heading indicator.

50

SECONDARY FLIGHT CONTROLS Secondary fiight controls are also important though they are less often used than those previously described. These

controls are usually associated with non-critical tasks. Extemal Lights Toggle [ShiH 1 [g : This key toggles your extemal formation lights (including landing lights) Qn and Qff.

Extemal lights are only important for identification purposes or close formation fi yi ng at night. Otherwise, tum them off or they assist the enemy in spotting your aircraft.

Jettison Extemal Tanks [ShiH IQJ : Press this key to jettison extemal fuel tanks. Since extemal fuel is used up first, it is a good idea to jettison your tanks once you have used up the first 3,600 Ibs. (or when your fuel state goes below 16,000 Ibs). Even empty your fuel tanks add weight to the aircraft.

Landing Gear Toggle [ill : This toggle raises and lowers your landing gear UP and DQWN. This should be the first key you press after leaving the ~ight deck on take-off Flying with your landing gear extended risks damaging the aircraft. It also creates an

unbelievable amount of drag resistance and slows you down. You cannot lower the landing gear if you are traveling faster than 300 knots. Use the speed brake to slow to 300 knots or less before lowering the landing gear.

Landing Hook Toggle [8J : This toggle raises and lowers your aircraft's landing hook Arrestor cables on deck cannot stop your aircraft unless the landing hook is lowered. Trying to land with the hook raised means an automatic bolter.

Hawkeye Picture [Shift 10 : Press this key to request that the E-2C Hawkeye update you with tactical information (bogey-dope). The Hawkeye is your aircraft carrier's seeing-eye dog, so to speak Consult the section on the E-2C Hawkeye in Chapter 3 for complete information.

HSOITIO Toggle [Shi ft 1 ® : Toggl ing this key altemates the HSD monitor between displayi ng standard HSD navigational information and TID repeater data. A TID repeater is just a way for the pilot to view on his HSD (in the front seat) what the RIO, is seeing on his TID (in the back seat). Consult the HSD and TID sections in Chapter 4 for more information.

VOI/TeS Toggle QJ : Pressing this toggle allows you to altemate the Vertical Display Indicator monitor between standard VDI information and images produced by the Television Camera System (TCS). Consult the VDI and TCS sections in Chapter 4 for more information.

Request Landing Clearance ~[g : Press this key to request landing instructions from the Air Boss when retuming to your carrier after a mission. You must be within 20 nm of your carrier before the Air Boss wi ll acknowledge your request. Consult the section on Carrier landings for more complete details.

TOMCA T- Ball ~[ID : Press this key in response to a "Call the Ball" query from the LSo. By pressing this key you are acknowledging that you have a visual contact with the "meatball"- a landing device on the port side of the carrier deck Consult the section on Carrier landings for complete instructions.

51

MISCELLANEOUS FLIGHT CONTROLS These controls represent miscellaneous keys that are occasionally used during flight.

Escape/Menu Selectjon I Esc I: Pressing this key while in flight gives you immediate access to a number of simulation

control options. These options include changing your joystick/hardware configurations, keyboard sensitivity, sound options,

messages and detail levels. You may also recalibrate your joystick from this menu if necessary. The simulation is paused

while you make your selections.

Quit ~@.l: Pressing this key immediately ends the simulation and retums you to DOS. It does not save information to

disk Quitting a mission in this manner does not give you credit for any points you may have scored prior to leaving. You

may as well have pulled the plug. Like cutting the power, this option may be exercised at any time during play.

Pause ~[f]: Press this key to halt the simulation in its tracks. The game is frozen indefinitely until you resume play.

This feature is perfect in case the phone rings or your Boss should happen to walk in during a frantic "furball". Play is

resumed by pressing any key.

Accelerate Time I Shifl I ITJ: Accelerated time is useful when flying long distances and the chance of encountering hostile

aircraft is low. There are eight (8x) levels of accelerated time. Your current time acceleration multiplier (if greater than I x) is

displayed in the upper left comer of the pilot's forward view screen. You are immediately kicked out of accelerated time if any enemy action takes place, otherwise press the Normal Time ITJ to exit Accelerated time mode.

Normal Time IT]: Normal Time retums the simulation to a non-accelerated time rate (I x) .

Training Mode 0D ITJ: Training Mode means never having to say you're sonry. While in Training Mode, you are immediately rendered invulnerable, enemy gunfire and missiles cannot hurt you and contact with the ground does not end

your mission. You are also eligible to perform other "cheat" options like Resupply. Training mode may be toggled On or Off as many times as you like during the course of a mission. However, if any

portion of your mission is flown in Training mode (even if it's only for a couple seconds) you will not receive any points for

completing the mission.

Resupply I Shifl I ffi) : Each time you tap Resupply, your fuel tank is filled and your ordnance stores (missiles and gun

ammo) are replenished. Resupply also automatically repairs all damage to your aircraft at the same time. You may use this

key only in conjunction with Training Mode.

Clock Advance 0D 0 : Each time this key is pressed, game time is advanced by five minutes. This feature can only be

used in conjunction with Training Mode.

Clock Reverse 0D G: Each time this key is pressed, game time is reversed by five minutes. This feature can only be

used in conjunction with Training Mode.

52

Landing Cheat Toggle ~: This key allows you to automatically advance your aircraft through the various stages of an approach pattem. By toggling this key repeatedly, you are able to move your aircraft through the entire landing procedure right down to the deck This key is only functional while in Training mode or when your camer landing difficulty level is set to Standard.

RADAR CONTROLS Leaming how to use the radar properly will be the most challenging aspect of FLEET

DEFENDER. There are three (3) different radar difficulty levels; (Standard, Moderate, and Authentic Modes). Within each difficulty level there are three (3) search modes (SEARCH, Figure 2-2.' Flight leader and wing-man retuming PDSRCH, and RWS) and three (3) attack modes (PDSn, TWS-A, TWS-M). Certain key home from on uneventful CAP. commands are only applicable when playing at certain difficulty levels or when the radar is keyed to a particular mode. These cases are noted by asterisks (*).

Radar OnlOffToggle [ID : This key toggles your AWG-9 radar ON and OFF. A message appears at the bottom of your screen indicating whether the radar is Active or Inactive when you toggle this key. Consult the section on the A WG-9 for more details.

Change Radar Mode @) This key allows you to cycle through al l the various radar search and attack modes that are available; PDSRCH, TWS-A, TWS-M, and RWS. Your current mode is indicated to the right of the ODD located in the back (RIO) seat. You can watch the radar mode indicator lights change as you cycle through the modes.

Identification; Friend or Foe, IFF CD : Before you shoot at a target It is a good idea to determine Its identity. You may destroy a friendly, neutral, or civilian aircraft by mistake and lose big-time points in the process. Special electronic systems are used to "interrogate" a target to determine Its nature. Press the IFF CD to interrogate a locked target (IFF is only effective with a locked target). Consult the section detailing the AWG-9 radar for more information conceming the IFF function.

Lock/Cycle Targets [Backspace I : Press this key to lock a target when the radar is in SEARCH mode. The radar instantly changes to PDSn when the target is locked. By repeatedly pressing this key you are able to cycle through all eligible targets appearing on your radar display. (Standard Mode radar only)

Break Lock [EJ : This key immediately breaks any radar "lock" you currently have on a target. Note that your RIO may immediately re-"Iock" the target under certain circumstances.

BoresightlVSL Toggle [End I: This key toggles your radar between Boresight mode and Vertical Scan Lock-On. (Used in Moderate and Authentic Mode difficulty levels)

Beam Elevation Up 2°[ PgUp I: Each time this key is pressed, the radar beam elevation is raised 2°. The elevation setting can be checked on the indicator located to the left of the DOD. (Used in Moderate and Authentic Mode difficulty levels)

53

Beam Elevation Down 2°1 PgDn I: Each time this key is pressed, the radar beam elevation is lowered 2°. The elevation setting can be checked on the indicator located to the left of the DDD. (Used in Moderate and Authentic Mode difficulty levels)

Adjust Bars [Home I: This key changes the number of bars cunrently being scanned by the radar. As more bars are selected the vertical area covered by your beam is increased. See the AWG-9 radar section for more infonmation on bar settings. (Used in Authentic Mode difficulty level only)

Adjust Azimuth ~: This key changes the width (azimuth) of your radar beam. The greater the azimuth setting, the greater the horizontal coverage of your radar beam. This key is only used in Moderate and Authentic Modes. In Moderate Mode, this key toggles between Wide, Medium, and Narrow settings. In Authentic Mode, the settings are measured in degrees. See the A WG-9 radar section for more infonmation on azimuth settings.

WEAPON/ECM CONTROLS Next to your primary and secondary fl ight controls, your weapon commands are the most important keys to

remember. It's too late, once you're in a dogfght to begin fumbling around trying to select the proper missi le. Get to know the weapon commands ahead of time, this way cockpit confusion won't lead to a panic situation.

These keys al low you to call up three different missiles or place your 20 mm gun in priority for real close-in work Your ECM controls allow you to escape from in-coming missiles by deceiving their infrared seekers or clouding their radar retums.

Moster Arm Switch Toggle ~ : This key toggles your Master Anm switch On and Off The Master Anm switch acts as a safety device. You can not launch missiles or fire your guns unless the Master Anm switch is On. The Master Anm switch indicator illuminates when the switch is On. When the switch is Off, an X symbol is superimposed over your HUD weapon indicator.

Guns OJ : Pressing this key places your 20 mm Vulcan M61 A I gun into priority. A floating gunsight pipper appears in the center of your HUD. The HUD weapon indicator reads G along with the number of rounds remaining on-board.

Sidewinder Missile ~ : Pressing this key puts a short range, heat-seeking AIM-9 missile in priority. The HUD weapon indicator reads SW along with the number of missiles remaining on-board.

Sparrow Missile @]: Pressing this key puts a medium range, radar-guided AIM-7M missi le in priority. The HUD weapon indicator reads SP along with the number of missiles remaining on-board.

Phoenix Missile @J : Pressing this key puts a long range, "fire and forget" AIM-54 missile in priority. The HUD weapon indicator reads PH along with the number of missiles remaining on-board.

Fire Guns 1 Enter I: Each time this key is pressed one burst of 20 mm rounds is fired from your M61 A I gun. Tracers rounds are visible so that you are able to accurately track your fire.

54

Pickle Button I Spacebar I: One missile of the type currently in priority is fired each time this key is pressed. The number of missiles currently on-board is noted on your HUD. Each time is key is pressed, this number is reduced accordingly.

TEWS Jammer Toggle CD : Press this key to toggle the TEWS Jammer On and Off. Although the TEWS jammer automatically activates when it detects enemy radars, it must first be tumed On by toggling this key. The word JAMMER appears across the TEWS display when the jammer is tumed On. When active, the word JAMMER flashes on the TEWS display.

Release Chaff @] : Pressing this key releases a bundle of radar-distorting chaff You are inrtially given twenty-four (24) bundles. When this key is pressed a message appears on the HUD indicating that you have released a bundle of chaff and how many you have remaining. In certain modes, your RIO is authorized to automatically deploy chaff bundles for you.

Release Flore III : Pressing this key releases a fiare designed to decoy incoming heat-seeking missiles. You are in rtially given twelve (12) fiares. When this key is pressed a message appears on the HUD indicating that you have released a flare and how many you have remaining. In certain modes, your RIO is authorized to automatically deploy flares for you.

HEAD-UP DISPlAY (HUD) CONTROLS Most of your cockprt time is spent looking through the Head-Up Display (or HUD). The following commands allow

you to tailor the HUD to suit your particular needs. Increase HUD Brightness 0 [8] : This key gradually increases the brightness of your HUD symbology each time rt is

pressed.

Decrease HUD Brightness I Shift 1[8] : This key gradually decreases the brightness of your HUD symbology each time rt is pressed.

HUD Glore Filter Toggle 0!]C8J : Press this toggle to raise and lower the HUD glare filter. The symbology on the HUD changes to an orange hue when the glare filter is raised.

HUD Dec/utter Toggle [QJ: Press this toggle when the amount of HUD symbology begins to clutter (overcrowd) the display. With the HUD Declutter activated only your heading symbology remains.

55

SIMULATION VIEWS One aspect of FLEET DEFENDER that we're most proud of is the art work and detailed 3-D modeling that went into

creating the aircraft you encounter. Many of these aircraft have never before been seen in a commercial flight simulator.

The following key controls give you access to a wide range of simulation views. These perspectives allow you to enjoy all

our hard work (right before you blow it up')

Forward View [ill: This perspective gives you a forward (inside the cockpit) view. It can be used from both front and

rear cockpits. The front cockpit forward view gives you visual access to the HUD and all front seat instrumentation. The

rear cockpit forward view gives you the RIO's perspective and visual access to the DDD and TID.

Full Front View m : This perspective gives you an unobstructed view out the front of the aircraft (outside the cockpit). This view is accessible from both front and rear seats.

LSO View 0: This perspective is viewed from the Landing Signals Officer's (LSO) station on board the carrier. It is a

reverse angle view from the carrier used to judge your landing approaches. Your aircraft automatically remains centered in

the LSO's field of vision as you move.

Air Boss View 0: This perspective is viewed from the control tower above the carrier deck and is known as the Air Boss view. Your aircraft automatically remains centered in the Air Boss' field of vision as you move.

Figure 2-3: Imogine the spectacular view this pilot must hove os he soors high above the clouds.

Remote View m : This is an extemal perspective which initially defaults to a rear view of

your aircraft. You are able to PTZ (pan, tilt. zoom) this view. It automat ically keeps your aircraft

centered in your field of vision.

Full Motion Pilot View ffi : This view gives you the perspective from the pilot's field of

vision. It is called full motion because it can moved wherever a pilot is normally able to

swivel his head and look. To move th is view, use the key pad numbers; 2- down, 4- left,

6- right and 8- up. Pressing the 5 Key (in the middle of the Keypad) automatically brings

the view back to a straight ahead perspective.

Missile View m: This view gives positions your perspective directly behind a missile as it

flies to its target If more than one missile is in flight you are positioned behind the one most recently launched. If no ordnance is in flight you are positioned behind your aircraft. Multiple

presses of this key cycles you through all in-flight ordnance including enemy ordnance launched at your aircraft. You are able to PTZ (pan, t ilt, zoom) this perspective. It

automatically keeps the missile centered in your fie ld of view.

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Padlock View m: This view is similar to the Full Motion Pilot View with one exception, this view does all the work for you. Padlock view automatically "locks" on a specific air target and keeps it centered in your field of view. Multiple key presses allows you to cycle through all aircraft, both friendly and enemy, that you would normally be able to see.

Tactical View m : This view positions your perspective so that you are looking past your aircraft at a target. It automatically rotates to keep the target centered in your field of view. You are able to PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) this perspective. It is invaluable when dogfighting by letting you "see" your maneuvers in relation to those of your enemy's.

Multiple presses of this key cycles through eligible aircraft.

Reverse Tactical View [F10i : This view is the same as the Tactical View m except that you are seeing the situation from the enemy's perspective. It automatically rotates to keep your aircraft centered in the field of view. You may use Zoom In/Out commands in conjunction with this view. Multiple presses of this key cycles through eligible aircraft.

Map View CD : This key brings up a large scale theater map which gives you the ability to spot the location of various friendly objects (i.e. your F-14, your wing-man, other F-14s, your carrier, etc.) The location of your mission waypoints are also noted on the map. You are also able to review your mission briefing in case you've forgotten.

The Map view allows you to "move" the position of your aircraft to any position on the map instantaneously. Press the Move button [M Key] and follow the on-screen instructions.

57

PILOT IRIO VIEW CONTROLS In addition to the normal simulation views, FLEET DEFENDER gives you quick and uncomplicated access to a variety of

pilot and RIO perspectives. These keys allow you to change your field of vision in order to better operate and monitor your aircraft's avionics. You can also sight-see outside the aircraft as well. O ccasional glances outside do wonders for your

situational awareness. All numeric keys used in changing these view perspectives are found on the keypad. Each of these perspectives may be

used by both the pilot and RIO.

Figure 2-4: The keypad numeric keys are used to change your view perspective. Use the Front SeatJ8ack Seat Toggle [] in conjunction with these keys to get both pilot and RIO fields of vision.

DOD [J[[]l!Jn ~_~[J O[[J(][l [:.. lOu

Look Ahead @J: Press this key to access a forward (straight ahead) view.

Look Up @:l: Press this key to retum to a normal forward perspective from a Look Down view.

Look Down @ : Certain cockpit instrumentation may only be

accessed by looking down. Press this key to look down. (self-explanatory)

Look Left G]: Press this key to look left. (self-explanatory)

Look Right @J: Press this key to look right. (self-explanatory)

Look Rear Left 0]: Press this key to look behind the aircraft. The view

perspective is oriented at 2250.

Look Rear Right @]: Press this key to look behind the aircraft. The

view perspective is oriented at I 35°.

58

Figure 2-5: This Tomcat (tying slow with wings out-stretched for the camera, belongs to the famous VF-143 "Pu/<jn' Dogs." Actually the emblem is not a dog at all, but rather a mythological beast known as a Griffin.

HARDWARE CONTROLS Due to the immediacy of modem air combat. it is worth the time to familiarize yourself with the cockpit and controls

before you take to the air. A good airplane can never compensate for a poor pilot. So, before you attempt to master the art of combat. you must first master your aircraft. In other words, fiying a supersonic aircraft is difficult enough without having to worry about being detected and shot down.

To configure your hardware, press the Escape/Menu Options I Esc I. A Control Options menu appears with your hardware configurations.

JOYSTICK CONFIGURATIONS

Figure 2-6: FLEET DEFENDER is entirely compatible with any standard joystick interface.

NONE Even if you do not possess a joystick, you can still play FLEET DEFENDER using keyboard control keys. Select NONE.

(0ie recommend, however, that you play this simulation with at least one joystick)

ONE If you intend to play the simulation with only one joystick (in conjunction with keyboard controls), use your mouse

pointer and left mouse button to select ONE. The joystick simulates the actual control stick in the aircraft. Pull back to go UP, push forward to go DOWN, Banking

the aircraft left and right is done by moving the joystick to the LEFT and RIGHT. The degree of joystick input controls the extent to which the aircraft responds.

The uppermost button (Selector # I) emulates the Pickle Button I Spacebar I, It is used to fire missiles. The lower button (Selector #2) emulates the Fire Guns I Enter I,

59

TWO If one was good, two ought to be better. right! FLEET DEFENDER can be played using two standard joysticks. The second

joystick emulates the throttle control keys found on your keyboard. Pushing forward has the affect of increasing your thrust (Accelerate Key). Pulling back has the opposite affect (Throttle Back Key).

WIThrottle If your joystick includes a separate throttle control, select the WfTHROTILE option. The software automatically

knows to look for this control on your joystick

THRUSTMASTER FCSTM

Figure 2-7: The THRUSTMASTER Flight Control System ™

BTNUB Pickle Button ~

BTNTG Fire Guns IEnterl

BTN LB Wcs II Rocker Switch Up - Break View @

Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Break View @ Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - IFF CD

BTNHU Wcs II Rocker Switch Up - Padlock View m Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Padlock View m Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - Padlock View ~

BTN HR Right View - 1 st Press (§J Right Rear View - 2nd Press @J

BTN HL Left View - 1 st Press @J Left Rear View - 2nd Press CD

BTNHO Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Lower View - 1 st Press @ Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Lower View - 1 st Press @

Cockpit View - 2nd Press [B Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - Lower View @

BTNMB Lock/Cycle Targets [ Backspace I

The TH RUSTMASTER Flight Control System ™ is compatible with FLEET DEFENDER. It consists of three main components, a pistol-grip fl ight stick, a four-position hot controller, and four control buttons. These controls (or combination of control buttons) emulate keyboard functions as shown in the diagram.

60

FCS-MARK II WCS The FCS Marl<. II WCS can be used as an analog throttle control. Set the top switch to ANALOG and set the hot

controller switch to DIGITAL. WCS Marl<. II drivers are included in a FLEET DEFENDER sub-directory. If you wish to devise your own control settings,

you may download this code for yourself

Figure 2-8: The THRUSTMASTER Weapon Control System TM. Button pushing on the WCS replaces key presses.

BTN4 Wcs II Rocker Switch Up - Radar ZoOOi In [IJ

Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Radar Zoom Out [ill Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - Elevate Rad~lf Beam I PgUp)

BTN5 Wcs II Rocker Switch Up - Change Radar Bar Setting ) Home)

Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Change Radar Azimuth ~ Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - Lower Radar Beam I Pg On)

RKRUP No Function

RKRMO No Function

RKR ON No Function

BTN6 Wcs II Rocker Switch Up - Speed Brake @

Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Speed Brake @ Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - Back Seat CJ

61

BTN3 Wcs II Rocker Switch Up - Change Radar Search Mode I Delete) Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Change Radar Search Mode IDelete ) Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - Boresight and VSL Mode toggle ~

BTN2 Wcs II Rocker Switch Up - Select Phoenix- 1 st Press 0

Sparrow - 2nd Press 0 Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Select Sidewinder - 1 st Press ~

Guns - 2nd Press OJ Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - Select Guns OJ

Boresight RadarMode )~)

BTN 1 Wcs II Rocker Switch Up - Chaff and Flare @)I(£J Wcs II Rocker Switch Middle - Chaff and Flare @)I(£J Wcs II Rocker Switch Down - Extend Landing Gear @J

Tailhook [EJ Go to Nav/lLS Hud ~

VIRTUAL PILOTTM

Figure 2-9. VIRTUAL PILOT'M

Fire Missiles -----f-1"l

View Controls

Up

Left + Right

Down

Throttle

Fire Guns

VIRTUA L PILOp M consists of four main components; a steering wheel device, a four-position hat controller, a bar t hrottle control and four control buttons/switches.

The control functions emulate FLEET DEFENDER control keys according to the above diagram.

62

FLiGHTSTICK PRO ™ Figure 2-/ 0: FLIGHTS TICK PRO ™

Up

Left + Right

Down

View Controls

Pickle Fire Missile ----------If [spacebar J

Throttle GG

Lock/Cycle Targets ----r.-=~=_:~ [ Backspace J

Break Lock 1RI

Fire Guns JEnterJ

FLiGHTST[CK PRO ™ consists of four main components; a standard pistol grip joystick, a four-position hat cont roller, a

wheel type throttle control and four control buttons/switches.

The control functions emulate FLEET DEFENDER control keys according to the above diagram.

63

FOOT PEDALS THRUSTMASTER RCS (Rudder Control System)

Figure 2-1 I: The THRUSTMASTER RCSTM (Rudder Control System)

The THRUSTMASTER RCSTM (Rudder Control System) consists of two linked foot pedals which operate the aircraft's rudders. Moving the foot pedals, forward and back, emulates the Rudder Left Q and Rudder Right 0

64

FLIGHT DYNAMICS The most intensely scrutinized portion of any commercial flight simulator is its flight model. Comparing flight models

seems to be an industry pastime these days. Whenever a new sim is released the first topic of discussion is inevitably- its flight model. What's a flight model, you ask? A flight model is simply the set of mathematical formulae that your computer

uses to approximate the performance of a real aircraft. Flight models vary according to the aircraft being simulated.

While flight models can get close to the real thing, (and this is entirely subjective) nothing you can do on a computer

sitting at home can compare to the sensation of actual flight. There's nothing like it. Flight is the hardest thing in the world

to describe to people who have never experienced it. Let the game designers and programmers argue amongst themselves, you and I wil l just have fun. There are plenty of

bandits to hunt down and there's always another bad weather approach waiting to give you "white knuckles".

65

The following section shows you how to make the flight model work for you. It'll also teach you the finer points of controlling your aircraft while in flight because you can't be expected to max perform your aircraft without first being familiar with how an aircraft operates. Flight Dynamics covers the art of flying in its most general (and useful) terms.

THE FOUR FORCES

Figure 3-1: As you con see by the above diagram the laws o( physics act and counter-oct upon an aircraft Controlled fiight is merely the art o(juggling these (our (orces.

THE "BIG FOUR" There are four basic forces which affect each and every object as it

moves through the air; Lift, Thrust, Drag, and Gravity. We call these forces; the Big Four.

Controlled flight is the art of managing these universal forces in order to travel through the air and reach a desired destination safely. The same forces which act upon a football to determine how far it travels also affect huge civilian airliners with hundreds of people aboard.

Lift Lift is perhaps the most misunderstood of all the four forces. When an

aircraft is in flight, air strikes the leading (forward) edge of its wing surface. As air strikes this edge, its flow is disrupted and re-routed to go over, under, and around the wing surface. Deflected air changes speed as it is forced past the wing. Air moving over top of a wing surface moves at a greater speed than the

air moving below. Since slow moving air has a higher air pressure, the higher pressure under the wing surface pushes on the bottom of the surface causing it to rise. This, in a nutshell, is the basic secret to heavier-than-air flight.

AERODYNAMIC LIFT

~ss~~: Zone ,

FASTER AIR FLOW '--./ AIR FL'!:.... __ ::;; = ~ ~

- -~~-~~~~~~~~~~~§ ....... ~ ......... ;~~ = SLOWER AIR FLOW High Pressure Zone

Figure 3-2: Uft Diagram Uft is created by the greater pressure exerted on the bottom o( a wing surface by virtue o( the slower moving air.

Forward motion is very important in producing Lift. The faster a wing surface moves, the greater the volume of air that forced past it. As the volume of air increases, the volume of air being deflected downward increases as well. This results in a greater pressure differential between the air above and the air below the wing.

Confused yet? Let's simplify matters and state that Lift is the force which directly counter-acts an aircraft's weight during flight. For example, if your F-14 weighs 80,000 Ibs. then your wings must produce exactly 80,000 Ibs. of Lift to maintain level flight, not 79,999 or 80,00 I. Any Lift produced above or below this number will cause the aircraft to change altitude.

66

Gravity (Weight) "Whatever goes up, must come down." All objects (animal, vegetable,

and mineral) fall toward the center of this planet at a constant rate of roughly 32 ft. /second2 As a practical matter, gravity holds things down and keeps them from ~ying off into space. In fact if rt wasn't for gravity, life as we know rt wouldn't exist.

Gravrty works at cross purposes to Lift. It must constantly be overcome by Lift in order for anything to remain airbome for very long. In level ~ight. Lift forces our aircraft away from the Earth's surface just as gravity pulls it downward. If the force of Gravity becomes greater than the Lift being exerted, the object will be drawn toward the ground, eventually ending the ~ight. So, while we all must appreciate the beneficial effects of gravrty, rt sure presents problems for those of us who want to ~y.

See the section on G Forces for more information on the affects of gravity.

Thrust Modern fighters have fantastic performance envelopes due to the

tremendous amount of power their jet engines can produce. This power is known as Thrust.

Thrust is the aerodynamic force which propels an object through the air. It makes no difference if the object is pulled through air by a propeller or pushed from behind by a jet engine. The purpose of Thrust is to force air

lEVElFlIGHTIG 60% BANK 2G TURN

Lift Force Turning Aircraft

Figure 3-3: G-Forces when bankjng. As you con see the ffight attitude (bank angle) that an aircraft assumes while tuming has a direct relationship to the number of "G's" infficted on the aircraft and pilot

across the aircraft's wing surface in order to create Lift. As long as the aircraft maintains a level ~ight attitude increasing the amount of Thrust results in a corresponding increase in Lift.

Pilots often discuss the relative merits of their aircraft in terms of thrust-to-weight ratios. A Thrust-to-weight (JIW) ratio is a numerical calculation which compares the amount of Thrust (measured in pounds) being produced versus the weight of the aircraft (also measured in pounds).

Ideally, aeronautical design engineers would like to build every aircraft wrth a Trw ratio greater than I: I. Such aircraft would then produce more thrust than their weight and allow them to maintain vertical climbs almost indefinitely. Unfortunately, greater thrust requires larger engines which drives the weight of the aircraft up which then requires more thrust--well, you get the idea.

Many players have expressed the misconception that the Tomcat's twin jet engines should allow it to make accelerated vertical climbs. 50nry to say but there aren't any front line fighter aircraft that can perform such a climb outside of Hollywood. This type of climb is reserved for ICBMs and the national debt.

67

Each of the F-14B's two General Electric F I I 0-GE-400 turbofans are able to produce approximately 16, I 00 Ibs. of dry thrust or 27,000 Ibs. of wet (afterbuming) thrust each. That is a huge amount of power being generated but given the Tomcat's combat weight of almost 80,000 Ibs. it's not nearly enough to sustain a vertical climb. Nuff said!

Drag Aerodynamic resistance to the forward movement of the aircraft is known as Drag. Just as Lift and Weight counteract

each other in the vertical plane, Thrust and Drag counteract each other in the horizontal plane. To grasp the concept, it is first necessary to separate Drag from the idea of weight. Weight is only an impediment to

the extent that it counteracts Lift. Therefore, weight is counter-acted by increasing Lift while Drag can be counter-acted by altering the aircraft (in simple tenms). Increasing Thrust does not overcome the affect of Drag.

Drag is a function of a particular aircraft's size and shape (design). All aircraft create a certain amount of Drag no matter how aerodynamically well constructed they may be. For example, an aircraft which exposes a large frontal area to the direction of flight creates a lot of Drag. This type of Drag is known as Parasitic. It can be reduced by aerodynamic streamlining such as minimizing the exposed frontal area of the aircraft.

Parasitic Drag is a major concem to aircraft designers. The size of an aircraft is usually dictated by the avionics carried, the size of the radar, and the amount of payload (including crew members) required. These factors cannot be changed to any great degree once an aircraft is in flight. Therefore, the amount of Parasitic Drag is generally fixed.

Some aircraft, like the F-14, are capable of changing the sweep of their wings from 90 degrees to something almost flush with the fuselage. These variable-geometry fighters are able to cut down on the effects of Parasitic Drag by adjusting their wings thereby exposing less critical surface to the direction of flight. As a general rule, variable sweep wings are extended forward for low energy maneuverability and retracted for speed.

BASIC CONCEPTS Airspeed

Your airspeed is given in knots or nautical miles per hour. Since a nautical mile is 2,000 yards in length (longer than a regular mile), an aircraft traveling at a speed of 200 knots is going considerably faster than one going 200 miles per hour. Keep this in mind when you are flying, especially at slow speeds. Think in tenms of knots and not mph.

Airspeed is the velocity of an aircraft relative to the sunrounding air mass. It is not an absolute indication of the aircraft's speed over ground. A reading of 450 knots does not necessarily mean that the aircraft is traveling 450 nautical miles an hour between points on the ground.

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Your speed is displayed in KIAS (Knots Indicated Air Speed). The primary difference between lAS (indicated airspeed)

and TAS (true airspeed) is air density. Pilots use indicated airspeed because it is a constant as opposed to true airspeed which is affected by both ambient temperature and ah:itude variations. Because air density at higher altitudes is less than

that found at sea level, an aircraft's indicated airspeed wi ll decrease as altitude increases. Therefore, an aircraft flying at

30,000 feet w ith an indicated airspeed of 350 knots is traveling much faster than an aircraft at 5,000 feet with the same

indicated airspeed.

A mach number is the speed of your aircraft in relation to the speed of sound. An aircraft flying at the speed of sound

is said to be traveling at mach I. The same aircraft flying at twice the speed of sound would be traveling at mach 2. Above

30,000 feet, pilots maneuver their aircraft using mach numbers instead of indicated airspeed. As you can see by the follow ing chart, the indicated airspeed of an aircraft traveling mach I varies considerably due to

ah:itude. An aircraft flying at sea level has to be doing 661 KIAS to break the sound barrier. The same aircraft at 60,000 feet, however, would only show an indicated airspeed of 198 KIAS.

Ah:itude

at 0 ft: at 10,000 ft:

at 20,000 ft:

at 30,000 ft:

at 40,000 ft: at 50,000 ft:

at 60,000 ft:

KIAS at Mach I

661 KIAS

548 KIAS 450 KIAS

360 KIAS

312 KIAS

251 KIAS

198 KIAS

You can also use the mach number to get a rough idea of your aircraft's ground speed. Simply muh:iply the mach

number by 10. This is the approximate distance your aircraft is traveling in nautical miles per minute. For example, at mach I

the aircraft is traveling I x 10 or 10 nautical miles per minute. At mach 2, this distance would be doubled (2 x 10= 20).

Angle of Attock (AOA) Angle of Attack is one of those concepts that flight instructors can describe, define, and demonstrate for hours. But a

student pilot w ill either grasp the concept within the first few minutes or he won 't get it no matter how long his instructor

raves. The definition of Angle of Attack in its most simplistic fonm is: the angle (measured in degrees) at which the wing surface o( an aircraft cuts into the relative wind. That's all there is to it and yet it is one of the most difficuh: concepts for

novice pilots to understand.

Basically, AOA is the difference between the aircraft's flight path and the "chord line" of the wing. In level flight the

"chord line" of the wing is facing directly into the airflow. When climbing, the "chord line" of the wing is pitched upward

relative to the airflow. With its nose and w ing pitched up, the aircraft is said to have increased its angle of attack. The reverse is true when diving.

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Angle of Attack is not the same thing as pointing the nose at a certain tick marl< on the climb ladder ar'd it has nothing to do with the position of the horizon. (Pointing the nose of the aircraft up or down is coiled aircraft attitude.) Aircraft attitude and Angle of Attack are two different things. For instance, let's say you are performing a Zoom climb in order to shake a bandit off your tail. Your aircraft would have a very nose-high attitude (pointed straight up) and yet have a very low Angle of Attack.

Stalling the Aircraft It is a common misconception among the non-fiying public that stalling means trouble with the engines. They instantly

picture a stall in terms rooted in their ground based existence; a sputtering, coughing motor in the family car. Actually, use of the word stall in the context of fiying has nothing to do with the engines. Certain aircraft, specifically gliders, fiy very well without any engines at all. And whi le these aircraft are certainly subject to stalls, the lack of an engine is not to blame.

A stall is caused by an actual separation of the air fiow from the upper surface of the w ing. The air fiow over top of the wing surface ends in an area of disturbed air extending forward from the trailing edge. This condition causes the aircraft to "depart from controlled flight" or stall.

Note that this condition may occur with the engines going full tih:. Speed has little to do with the onset of a stall. Stalls occur when the aircraft's AOA is too great to produce the necessary amount of Lift to keep it fiying. Trying to fiy the aircraft at too great an Angle of Attack is the one sure way to cause a stall.

It is important to note that speed, pitch attitude, and bank inclination are all factors in determining whether a plane is about to stall. An aircraft in level fiight may stall if it attempts too sharp a tum without increasing its speed. This is due to insufficient lift being generated by the wing in direct opposition to gravity's affect on the aircraft.

The effects of a stall are different depending on the aircraft. Some aircraft simply assume a mild nose-down attitude until retuming to level fiight. Other aircraft may enter a sudden and potentially dangerous spin. On low level missions a pilot may not have time to recover before striking the ground. This is especially true if one wing stalls before the other.

In FLEET DEFENDER the most likely time for stall condition to occur is immediately after take-off or while trying to land. Despite having a catapuh: to literally throw you into the air, you are initially fiying at just above stall speed. Therefore, on take-off. avoid sharp climbs until you are certain not to stall.

Long slow-fiight landing approaches bring your airspeed down to dangerous levels. You must constantly be on guard. In trying to land you will be fiying at near-stall speed for an extended period of time. If you stall somewhere in the landing pattem, you w ill not have enough altitude to affect a recovery before hitting the water.

G FORCES (GRAVITY) Gravity is measured in Gs (i.e. one G equals the normal force of gravity, 3 Gs would be a force equal to three times

the normal force of gravity). The pilot and aircraft experience I G in straight and level fiight. If that same pilot pulls a hard tum, centrifugal force will "load" additional force on his wings.

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Modem fighter aircraft are constructed to withstand many times the force of gravrty, It is actually the pilot that places

limits on the maneuverability of an aircraft, Aircraft are quite capable of perfonming maneuvers that would instantly

incapacitate any pilot that tried them,

Gravity govems every move we make on this planet We are so used to the effect of gravrty that we are usually not

even conscious of it as a matter of course, With few exceptions, human beings experience a constant I G (the force of nonmal gravity) on a daily basis, We take for granted that our leg muscles w ill overcome this force, We also take for granted

that if we place this instruction manual next to our computer, gravity wi ll keep it there until the next time we need it.

Think for a moment if the force of gravrty was suddenly multiplied several times. Walking would become quite a chore.

At 2 Gs our bodies would weigh twice what they weighed at I G. If the force of gravrty continued to increase eventually it

would exceed our muscle's abilrty to raise our feet

Pilots routinely expose their aircraft (and themselves) to repeated periods of severe G-induced stress. During combat.

these periods of stress can be quite prolonged. Sometimes it's the abilrty of a pilot to withstand that extra G which makes

all the difference in combat For example, when flying high perfonmance aircraft, a 200 lb. pilot can easily be made to weigh

over half a ton. A nonmal human head weighs approximately 25 to 30 Ibs. but when subjected to a relatively mild 5 G tum, it would

now weigh 125 to 150 Ibs. Imagine having to support such a load. That kind of weight places a tremendous strain on a

pilot's neck The pilot can't just brace this weight against the back of his seat, he has to be constantly tuming his head about

looking for bandits. Operating an aircraft under these conditions is extremely difficult. Every action becomes a major test of

strength and endurance. Aside from making pilots weigh a great deal, gravrty has certain other physiological affects. When the human body is

subjected to high positive Gs, blood is forced away from the brain and begins pooling in the feet When too much blood

leaves the upper extremities, a pilot w ill lose consciousness because his brain is starved for oxygen. This loss of

consciousness is known as a G-induced block-out Pilots just call it "taking a nap."

Positive Gs and Block-Outs A pilot subjects himself to positive Gs whenever he pulls back on the stick As you might imagine, this happens fairly

frequently. Even when inverted, once that stick comes back positive G forces are the result, Smart pilots will keep their eye

on the G count When the G forces reach around 8 Gs, it's time to consider unloading the aircraft. Expose yourself to

anything over 8 Gs and you run the risk of going to sleep. When a black-out does occur the screen fades to black It remains entirely black for the duration of the event As you

recover from the black-out, the screen fades back in. The length of time that the screen stays black is entirely a function of

the amount of Gs you experience over how long a period of time.

While the screen is black. the simulation continues at its regular pace. (The world does not stop just because you're asleep) In fact, by blacking-out you have become a perfect I G strafe target. perfectly helpless. Any enemy pilot in the

vicinity has an open invitation to make sure your nap is penmanent

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Negative Gs and Red-outs Negative G forces, like positive Gs, act on a pilot and aircraft as well. Understandably, it may be confusing at first to

think in terms of negative Gs. In our earlier example, positive gravity is what kept this manual resting firmly next to our computer. Negative gravity would cause the manual to be pulled from the table.

Negative Gs are caused when a pilot pushes the stick forward (away from himself). In normal fiight the aircraft would respond to this control input by dropping the nose or diving. If the aircraft was inverted, pushing the stick forward would cause the nose to rise. In either case, negative Gs are created which, like positive Gs, have certain physiological effects.

Instead of pooling in the feet, blood is pulled from the lower extremities and into the head. The arterial network of the brain is swelled by the force of this additional fiuid. In particular, the small blood vessels within the eyes (capillaries) are stretched and sometimes burst. Th is condition causes what is known as Red-out. The affects of Red-out are very pronounced and can lead to a pilot being temporarily bl inded.

Figure 3-4: This pilot is pulling some heavy G's in this 900 left bank With his wings swept full aft, you can get some indication of his energy state.

Negative G forces greater than 3.0 cause the onset of Red­out. W hen this happens the screen will fade to red. The affects of Red-out are somewhat different than that of Black-outs. Instead of losing consciousness, a player is temporarily blinded. The screen remains red (indicating a Red-out condition) until such time as the negat ive G stress is removed.

There is a simple way around Red-outs. Rather than push the nose of your aircraft down and create negative Gs, roll 180 degrees inverted. Now that you are inverted you can pull back on the stick to drop your nose. You are now creating positive Gs w hich are much easier to deal with. Once you have reached the desired nose down attitude just roll 1800 again. Now you are right si de up and in the proper dive angle. Remember, negative Gs are easy to avoid by rolling inverted

and creating positive Gs in their place.

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· FLYING THE F-14 TOMCAT Your success in FLEET DEFENDER depends almost entirely upon your abilrly to fiy the F-14 Tomcat All the high tech

gadgetry in the world can't save you if you can't fiy the plane. In fact, it's the skill you display at maneuvering your aircraft

that ultimately decides the majority of your battles.

This section covers some of the finer points of becoming a Tomcat driver. Obviously, this manual can't cover

everything. There are certain things you must find out for yourself

FUEL MANAGEMENT Fuel Load

In addition to enemy action or inadvertent contact with the ground, the only thing that can force an early end to a

mission is running out of fuel. An empty fuel tank will stop your mission with the same finality as an enemy missile. Therefore, it is important that you remain cognizant of your fuel state at all times.

Rather than being measured in gallons, aviation fuel is measured in thousands of pounds (Ibs.). One gallon of JP 4 (fuel)

weighs approximately 6.5 Ibs. Fully fueled, your F- 14 carries almost 20,000 Ibs. of fuel. This figure refiects intemal tanks

containing 16,200 Ibs. plus two extemal tanks with an additional 3,600 Ibs.

The F- 14 fuel gauge, located to the right of the HSD (Horizontal Situation Display) states the total amount of fuel

remaining on board. Your total fuel load, indicated at the top of the gauge, is divided into equal portions, signifying the fuel

available to each engine. A reading of 5600 would indicate that five thousand six hundred pounds of fuel remain on board.

Dry Thrust (Normal, non-afterbuming operation) Dry Thrust is the nickname given to power produced by the engines without engaging the afterbumer. The highest

throttle setting (100%) using Dry Thrust is known as Full Military Power. At lower power settings you consume less fuel. You fiy slower but your endurance time is raised significantly.

Practicing fuel economy whi le in-fiight is an important part of your mission. Fuel is power, but it is also weight. The heavier an aircraft is, the more fuel is bumed up pushing it around. You arrive at the break-even point very quickly. During

the course of normal patrol operations, use Dry Thrust except in case of emergencies. It saves gas.

Wet Thrust (The Afterburner) Afterbuming engines give the pilot access to enormous additional power. This power is known as wet thrust because

raw liquid fuel is literally dumped directly into the engine's fiaming exhaust. When you're feeling the need for speed, kicking in the afterbumer will do the trick but all this extra power comes at a heavy price in fuel.

There are really only two times that you should engage the afterbumer, on take-off and when conducting BFM.

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The need to use the afterburner when taking-off is obvious. Getting safely off the deck takes precedence over fuel conservation.

BFM engagements put your aircraft through its paces. They often require you to fight with the afterburner engaged just to sustain the rapid energy consumption that occurs. A few minutes of afterbumer is all it takes to drain a tank, so watch it. There's no sense using all your fuel up in combat just to be forced into ejecting later on. A plane down is a plane down. It doesn't matter whether you are shot down or crash after running out of gas.

Fuel Conservation The F-14 was meant to be a strategic interceptor able to cover long distances. You can't fulfill this role very well if

you're always having to return home on Bingo fuel. The secret to being a strategic interceptor is letting your radar and missiles do the work for you.

The AWG-9 radar is very powerful. Use it to check out areas that are far away rather than wasting fuel flying over to them. The Phoenix missi le gives you the abil ity to reach out

and touch someone nearly 100 nm away. Sure beats having to travel that 100 miles just to pop off a Sidewinder, doesn't it? Think of the fuel you 're saving.

Setting your engines to cruising speed (80% RpM) gives your aircraft its best mix of power versus fuel consumption. Th is setting shou ld be used when you are flying long distances. Avoid using high power settings, especially the afterburner, except in emergencies.

You should remain at cruise speed for most of each flight. What's your hurry? The Navy's launching platform concept doesn't require speed, it requires endurance. Complete each mission even if it means flying at 240 knots to and from the target.

Make no mistake about it, when the fuel is gone- it's game over. You had better have a landing spot in mind

Figure 3-5: This thirsty "Cat" takes a drink (rom a KA-6 Refueling tanker. 'cause the F-14B has a glide path like a brick

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NAVIGATION Getting lost has always been a problem for pilots as far back as the Wright brothers. Fortunately, the F-14 has

sophisticated navigation equipment on board to help you to find your way home. In fact, your NAV gear enables you to fiy back to the carrier in any low visibility weather condition, including prtch darkness.

Waypoints Your F-14 has a navigational computer which contains a pre-programmed set of co-ordinates known as Waypoints.

These points help you navigate by inserting reference carets on the HUD Magnetic Heading Indicator. Each mission you fiy has its own unique waypoints. Examples of waypoints for a particular mission might be: your

carrier, your mission objective, a CAP location, and even the strike package your supposed to being escorting. Waypoints are not necessarily fixed points in space. In the case of your carrier or strike package, the waypoint moves as they do.

Once in fiight. press the Waypoint Toggle [[l to toggle through this mission's list of waypoints. A brief description of the waypoint appears along the bottom of the screen. For each waypoint there is a corresponding bearing caret. This caret is located on the HUD Magnetic Heading Indicator which runs across the top of the HUD.

To reach a particular waypoint, along you need do is toggle the Waypoint Toggle [[l until you have selected this point. Wrth that accomplished, tum the aircraft so that you are fi ying directly toward the bearing caret. (It wi ll be posrtioned in the center of the HUD Magnetic Heading Indicator).

RIO Campaign Map Another means of navigation is having your RIO pull out his campaign map. The campaign map shows a weatth of

infonmation including your present location and that of your carrier. The map is oriented so that the top edge is north (or 36(0). Use the map in conjunction with the front cockpit magnetic compass (located directly to the right of the VDI).

The RIO map also allows you to pinpoint the location of other friendly aircraft as well. Press the blue buttons to make your selecti~n.

Horizontal Situation Display The HSD provides you with your most efficient means of navigation. This display contains a NA V compass which

indicates your current heading. A bearing indicator on the NAV compass ring shows how to reach your next waypoint. Distance infonmation conceming that waypoint is also displayed. Finally, you are given airspeed data in both T AS and GS fonmats. See the section on the HSD in Chapter 4.

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DAMAGE This section deals with a subject that no one wishes to talk about- damage. Unless you spend your entire career in

Training mode, no matter how good you are, at some point your F-14 will suffer battle damage. In Standard Mode, you can withstand numerous hits (missiles seem to just bounce off your aircraft's fuselage). As the

level of difficulty is increased, the amount of damage you can withstand before being shot down is decreased. At Authentic

Mode, any hit is a potential show stopper.

Non-specific Structural Damage Each time your aircraft is hit by enemy fire, either missile or gunfire, it is liable to suffer two different types of damage.

The first type is non-specific structural damage. This is general damage resulting from shell hits (or near-miss missile

detonations) which puncture the fuselage but fail to hit vital areas. A running total of this sort of damage is kept throughout

your mission. When the accumulative effect of damage in this "pool" reaches a certain level, it can force an early end to

your flight.

Critical Systems Damage The second type of damage is known as critical systems damage. While you are less likely to sustain this type of damage,

the resu~ is far more serious. Critical damage is not cumulative, its effect is assessed against you immediately. You are able to determine the extent of this damage by looking at the Master Caution-Advisory Panel on both the

pilot and RIO's right hand console. Use the Look Right [§J from either seat. The areas of your F-14 affected by critical

systems damage are;

GEAR- Damage to the landing gear prevents it from being extended or retracted. If your landing gear cannot be

extended (for landing purposes) you may as well retum to the carrier group, slow down to 200 knots, and

"punch Elvis" next to an escort vessel.

HOOK- Once your arrestor hook is shot away or damaged, you cannot use it to land safely. You are said to suffer

from PBS (permanent bolter syndrome). You may as well retum to the carrier group, slow down to 200 knots,

and "punch Elvis" next to an escort vesse l.

BINGO- While not actual damage, the Bingo fuel lamp illuminates when you have reached a critical fuel state. Your

aircraft only has enough fuel onboard to retum home. If you don't tum back immediately, you are almost

guaranteed to go for a swim.

BRAKES- Damage to your speedbrakes prevents you from using them in flight. Your wheel-brakes will still function. This type of damage isn't too bad, unless you have to slow down in a hurry.

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HYDRAULIC PRESSURE- If you lose hydraulic pressure, the aircraft becomes very difficult to fiy. All of your fiight

controls are liable to give out on you at any moment You are an accident warting to happen, so RTB right away

before you are forced to "punch Elvis".

LEFT/RIGHT ENGIN ES- Engine hrts are very serious. While the Tomcat can fiy on only one engine, rt w asn't meant

to. You lose half your thrust and half your fuel when an engine is hrt. Of course, if both engines are hit ...

LEFT/RIGHT FUEL LOW- When your fuel state is w rth in several thousand pounds of reaching Bingo, these lamps

wi ll illuminate. Fuel tanks are always vulnerable to being pierced by shell fragments. If your aircraft suffers from this

type of hrt, leakage wi ll cause you to lose much of your fuel supply.

W ING SWEEP- Crrtical damage to the wings keeps them from being able to sweep forward and back They become

jammed in their current posrtion. You are therefore restricted to only certain portions of your fiight envelope.

DATA LlNK- Damage to your D ata Link system prevents outside data from being fed into your targeting system.

Data-linked infonmation is no longer shown on your TID.

AWG-9- Damage to the AWG-9 knocks on your radar. You are no longer able to search or use your radar to fire

missiles. Note however, that this does not prevent you from using heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles.

AWG-15- This is your aircraft' s fire control center. Damage to the AWG-15 prevents you from launching any

missiles or firing your guns.

NA V- Damage to your NA V system prevents you from using waypoint information to navigate.

EJECT .. EJECT .. EJECT! (BAILING OUT) Since the last section talked about damage, perhaps now is a good time to discuss ejecting (i.e. bailing out).

Both pilot and RIO are equipped wrth rocket-assisted GRU-7 A Martin-Baker Zero-zero Ejection seats. The zero-zero

rating means that the seat is designed to perform at zero knots and at zero altrtude (standing still on the ground) . Hey, if it ever foils, you can always toke it bock to the manufacturer.

When your aircraft suffers a fatal hrt, it will nose over and go into what's known as a "graveyard spiral". The aircraft is

essent ially uncontrollable at this point You cannot recover from this downhill spin so don't waste time trying. You have

only one task left and that is to get out before the aircraft hits something hard. In other words, it's t ime to "punch Elvis"

(i.e.- yank the ejection handles). In order to bailout of a crippled Tomcat, press the Eject I Sh ift IlIJ . There are two things which have an affect on

whether or not you get out safely. The first is airspeed. Punching out at too high a speed is fatal. In fact, anything over 350

knots is a show stopper. Stay in the aircraft until your airspeed drops below this number. Patience is a virtue. You may

have to "ride it in" for awhile.

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Unfortunately, once your aircraft begins its terminal dive rt: tends to pick up airspeed, not lose rt:. If you're going to get out rt:'s sometimes best to decide early.

Figure 3-6: "Green Shirts" getting the next aircraft ready for toke-off. It's not a glamorous job, but these are the guys that make it happen on the ffight deck

The second thing which affects bailing out is attitude. We're not talking about your attitude here- we're talking about the aircraft's. You cannot eject while the aircraft is inverted (i.e. upside down). Again, timing is everything. Once the aircraft begins spiraling down you must wait until it's right-side up before ejecting. If you eject downward, chances are you wil l not survive.

Once you have ejected, your mission is over. There's nothing left to do but wart: for the rescue helicopters to come and fish you out of the water.

Although the view instantly changes to a descending exterior perspective upon ejection, this is not meant to be a parachute view. If rt: was, you'd be spending a good deal of computer time floating to the ground. As it is, the exterior view follows your aircraft until rt: "augers in." Both the view and the aircraft reach the ground simultaneously. The mission ends and your final score for the mission is tabulated.

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CARRIER OPERATIONS In a way, FLEET DEFENDER is as much a simulation about air/sea combat as it is about air-to-air dogfighting. T he center

piece of this campaign environment is the aircraft carrier. It is in your best interest to help protect the carrier because after

each mission, you are required to retum to the ship and land, whether you win, lose, or draw.

FLEET DEFENDER revolves around your ability to successfully operate off an aircraft carrier at sea. You can be the top gun in your squadron, averaging three or four kills per sortie. You can be the best aviator aboard ship, always catching a

"three-w ire". None of that matters if your carrier is sunk It doesn't matter how good you are, nobody really cares. If a

multi-billion dollar ship is destroyed taking thousands of servicemen to the bottom in the process, don 't expect people to

shed tears over your career coming to an end. Fortunately, every precaution is taken to ensure the carrier remains in one piece. Your and your wing-man are just one

part of these precautions. A minimum of six F-1 4s are stationed around the carrier at al l times. Known as CAPs (Combat

Air Patrols), pairs of F-14s are positioned around the carrier so that they are able to intercept enemy aircraft approaching

from any direction. An additional pair of Tomcats is kept on the deck of the carrier in case a CAP would need immediate assistance.

Known as the Ready-Five, these aircraft are ready and waiting to go. They can be launched in well under ffve minutes should

the need arise. In addition to F-14s, all manner of friendly aircraft are continuously taking-off and landing.

THE CARRIER AIR WING E-2C "Hawkeye"

Next to the F-1 4, the E-2C "H awkeye" is perhaps the most

important aircraft aboard ship. It is an Airbome Early Waming (AEW)

aircraft, distinguishable by a large radome which houses a powerful radar used to scan the sky. It this respect it is much like its land-based cousin­

the AWACS. Despite its importance, there are on ly a few of t hese

aircraft on board a carrier. They are jealously guarded by at least one

CAP at all times.

THE HAWKEYE "PICTURE" In FLEET DEFENDER, the E-2C Hawkeye orbits the carrier keeping a

Figure 3-7: The E-2C Hawkeye is the Navy's principle eye-in-the-sky.

constant close watch on anything moving within 200 miles. It sends out frequent tactical reports to the various F-14 CAPs

so that nothing sneaks up on the carrier. These reports are known as Hawkeye "pictures". You may request a Hawkeye

"picture" at any time during a mission by pressing the Hawkeye Picture [Shift I [£J .

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The Hawkeye controller responds by reporting on the enemy aircraft nearest to you that it has detected. Its response always follows the same pattem of information.

If enemy aircraft are detected, the Hawkeye reports; CONTACTS- (the bearing from your aircraft) and (the range from your aircraft).

If no enemy aircraft have been detected, the Hawkeye reports; CLEAN.

HAWKEYE DATA-LINK In addition to providing you with a verbal "picture", the Hawkeye is able to send you tactical information direct via a data­

link system. You are able to actually target and engage enemy aircraft that the Hawkeye "sees" but your radar does not. Data-linked targeting information is displayed (where else) on your RIO's Tactical Information Display (TID). See the

section in Chapter 4 conceming on the TID for more information on the data-link feature.

STRIKE AIRCRAFT Not all of a carrier's aircraft are devoted to defense. A modem carrier packs an awesome offensive punch. After all, it's

the reason your carrier is at sea in the first place. Accordingly, strike packages are continually being assembled, readied, and launched with clockwork precision.

Because FLEET DEFENDER contains scenarios which cover a period of 20+ years, strike aircraft can range from venerable A-7 Corsairs to A-6 Intruder and F/A- 18 Homets. These ai rcraft carry a wide variety of bombs, rockets, anti-ship missiles, and even mines.

Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft. While the "Hawkeye" watches above the waves, ASW (Anti-submarine warfare) like the S-3 Viking keep watch below.

These aircraft, along with LAMPS helicopters, are constantly rotating to and from missions. Their ordnance ranges from standard depth charges to sono-buoys and homing torpedoes.

Figure 3-8: This is on route to another pickup. The response time on these missions is critical.

Search and Rescue (SAR) Helicopters Finally, SAR (Search and Rescue) helicopters are always on alert status should somebody go

down. Whenever a friendly aircraft is hit and forced to ditch at sea, these helos are immediately dispatched to pick up survivors. There may be times when you are called upon to escort these angels of mercy.

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FLIGHT RULES Just like the flow of automobile traffic is regulated to keep cars from crashing into one another, so too is air traffic. In

fact, it's even more important for pilots to follow certain established flight rules. If oircraft ore involved in 0 mid-oir collision the pilots just can't get out on exchange licenses. Certain flight regulations are in affect during the entire time you are airbome, but by far the most critical time for traffic control is during take-offs and landings (TOLs).

There's one man on board a carrier whose job it is to enforce the rules. This man is known as the Air Boss. You can

access his view perspective by pressing the Air Boss lEJ. Break even the smallest regulation and he'll take a personal interest in seeing that you stay below deck for the rest of the time you're at sea. If you don't want to end up "flying" a desk, play by the rules!

The Air Boss is responsible for choreographing all aircraft movement both on the flight deck and in the air. His word is law when it comes to traffic control. Nothing moves above deck or below without his express approval. Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) work directly for the Air Boss. They are on duty at all times to assist pilots and help the Air Boss ensure that nobody breaks the rules. Even with all these safeguards momentary lapses can occur and the result can be disaster.

FLEET DEFENDER makes things a little easier for you by always having the carrier tum to a heading of 3600

(directly north) when someone is landing or taking-off. This makes lining up on the carrier so much easier, especially during bad weather or night OPs. To make everyone's job easier, particularly the LSO's, read the following section on carrier flight operations.

The Carrier Flight Deck The flight deck of a modem aircraft carrier is a busy place to say the least. Air operations are maintained 24 hours a

day, seven days a week It's a place where even small mistakes can have a big impact. This frantic pace must be maintained in order to get aircraft into the air in a timely fashion. With all four of its catapults in operation, a modem carrier can launch one aircraft every twenty seconds. There's not an airport in the world that even comes close to this sustained level of activity on a daily basis.

Because the flight deck is such a deafening place to worlk, hearing protection is mandatory. Most communication is conducted visually through a series of intricate gestures. These often comedic-looking signals must be understood by everyone with access to the flight deck Any misinterpretation could cause a potentially fatal accident or loss of an aircraft.

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CARRIER TAKE-OFFS (CAT-SHOTS) Carrier take-offs are pretty straight-forward (no pun intended- well maybe just a little one) but they are also somewhat

dangerous. Loaded with fuel and weapons, your aircraft is the heaviest it will ever get during the mission at take-off

All take-offs from the carrier are assisted by a steam-powered catapult. You won't see it, but rt's there. Wrth the

catapult's assistance your 80,000 lb. aircraft will be hurled into the air in less than 400 ft. Even wrth the help of the catapult,

your aircraft will be flying just above stall speed. It will also be traveling extremely close to the ground with no reserve

momentum or energy reserve to call upon if needed. You are unable to trade altitude for airspeed in case of a stall so don't play around.

Although use of the aircraft's afterbumer is not mandatory for take-offs, we recommend that you use it. Your aircraft should begin every take-off at Full Military Power I Shift 10 as a minimum. But to be on the safe side, press the

Afterbumer Engage 0 to begin the mission. It'll take several seconds for your

engines to "spool up" to full RpMs. Once they reach the necessary thrust, the catapult will fire and your F-14 will start down the flight deck By the time you

reach the end of the flight deck, you will have gathered up enough airspeed

(hopefully) to get airbome.

From the moment the aircraft begins rolling, you had better be on your toes. T ake-offs can be very unforgiving if you are not 100% in control. Striking

an object on the deck or careening off the side of the carrier and into the

water can be fatal. If you see that this is going to happen, by all means, hit the Eject I Shift I [[] .

Figure 3-9: Another heart-pounding, adrenaline pumping cot-shot off the deck for this lucky naval aviator. As soon as you are clear of the carrier, raise your landing gear by pressing

the Landing Gear @]. Notice your airspeed jump up as the drag created by

having your gear extended disappears. Keep the nose of the aircraft pointed slightly above the horizon while your airspeed

continues to build. Extra speed (energy) will be necessary when you pull back on the stick to gain altrtude.

One thing you don't want to do while taking-off is lose either energy or airspeed. A stall at low altrtude is usually fatal.

There just isn't time to regain control before hrtting the ground. Examples of energy-losing maneuvers would be high G tums

(i.e. wings banked at 90 degrees) or sharp increases in your aircraft attitude. Avoid anything that might cost you forward airspeed when you're this close to the ground.

If the aircraft is moving fast enough, rt wi ll start to climb. Try to maintain a 5° to 10° angle of attack but keep an eye on

your airspeed. As you climb your airspeed will drop. If it dips below 150 knots you are in danger of stalling the aircraft. Play around with the Remote View m in order to get familiar with take-offs.

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Continue your initial climb to an altitude of 2000 ft. and then level off. At this point, it is probably safe to shut down the afterbumer. Press the Throttle Bock G once. The less fuel you consume on take-off. the longer you can remain at your patrol station.

Now that you are clear of the traffic pattem you can relax for a moment. Press the Automatic Pilot 0 . With the Auto Pilot engaged, take this time to look about the two cockpits (yours and the RIO's).

Repeat this Take-Off checklist before proceeding with the mission;

Toke-Off Check.1ist I) Check the position of your landing gear to insure that it has been retracted (raised). Landing Gear Toggle [g 2) Make sure the Afterbumer is disengaged. Throttle Bock G . 3) Tum the Master Arm Switch to On position. Moster Arm Switch Toggle @J . 4) Activate the AWG-9 radar. Radar OnlOffToggle ffiJ. 5) Set your NAV equipment to your first waypoint. Waypoint Toggle [[] . 5) Contact your Wing-man. Direct him to begin flying in formation with you. Formation ~ m . 6) Tum to the proper waypoint heading (you may have to disengage the Automatic Pilot) and begin your mission.

Congratulations. You've survived your first "cat-shot". Now you and your RIO are about to take on your very first mission. But don't get too smug. Now that you're up there, sooner or later you've got to get back down.

You've only got about 2-3 hours worth of fuel on board. That's just enough time to let the butterfiies loose in your stomach and read this next section on how to land. Good luck!

RETURNING TO THE CARRIER If there's one thing which separates naval aviators from regular pilots, it's the fact that they have to shoot a carner

landing in order to get home. All F-14 pilots must be qualified to land aboard a carner at sea before they're any good to the Navy.

Next to actual combat, carner landings or "traps" as they are called, are the most frightening part of a mission. You can be the "Top Gun" of your squadron, even fly rings around MiG-29s, but it all means nothing unless you can get back down safely.

Carner landings are extremely complicated affairs. They are the most individually challenging aspect of becoming a naval aviator. Ask any Navy flyer and he'll tell you that coming home to a carner is worse than air combat, especially at night or in bad weather.

Landing on a carner deck requires total concentration, a bit of luck. and a whole lot of skill. You can 't fake an approach. You're either "on the ball" or you will receive a wave-off from the LSo. If you get a wave-off. count on going around again and starting your approach over. A carner cannot afford to have a missed approach result in a crash on deck. There are just too many people and too much equipment aboard to allow that to happen.

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Every approach will end one of three ways. You will either score a "trap" meaning that you caught an arrestor cable and landed successfully or you will score a "bolter" meaning that you missed the wires and had to go around and try again. It's probably best not to think about the third altemative, namely- crashing. Crashing into the flight deck, or any other part ofthe ship for that matter, is fatal. Game over.

Being able to make safe carrer landings is crucial to your success in this simulation. If you can't master carrier landings, break out F-15 Strike Eagle III and ploy that for awhile. We're confident however, that given time, you wi ll be able to perfect your landing techniques. Therefore, the following section is devoted entirely to helping you get back down safely.

The Air Boss and Air Traffic Control Your missions do not take place in a vacuum. The airspace around your carrer is very likely to be crowded with other

aircraft, taking-off or retuming home just like you. This is the reason for having an Air Boss and air traffic controllers. It's their job to make sure everything runs smoothly and that everyone stays between the lines.

The whole point of air traffic control is making sure that aircraft don't bump into each other while in flight (or on the ground eitheri). This is often easier said than done. There are no paved roadways in the sky with nicely painted lane markers to keep pilots from straying into the other guy's flight path.

There is, however, an invisible oval (racetrack) shaped traffic pattem which surrounds the carrer and regulates all air movement in the vicinity. All pilots are required to stay within the flow of this traffic pattem unless given an express directive not to do so by the Air Boss or ATCs.

As aircraft retum from their missions, the Air Boss directs them into pre-determined routes so that he knows where they are at all times. His ATCs keep the aircraft at safe separation distances so that they don't run into each other. More importantly, however, aircraft are spaced so that only one aircraft tries land on the deck at a time.

Certain aircraft will have landing priority over others. Aircraft that are low on fuel need to get down in a hurry. They are obviously given top priority. The rest of the aircraft in a package are brought down next.

Damaged aircraft often have to wait until last. Why? Because damaged aircraft run the risk of fouling the deck should their approach go poorly. Of course if there are wounded crew members aboard a damaged aircraft the priority may change according to the severity of the wound.

No one is allowed to approach the carrer traffic pattem unless given clearance to do so. This is why each retuming pilot. including you, must request landing instructions from the control tower.

Landing Instruaions Each time you attempt to land back aboard the carrer, you are required to request landing instructions before

proceeding. In FLEET DEFENDER, this is done by pressing the Request Landing Clearance ~ W when you have reached a point within twenty (20) nm of the carrero

The A TCs in the "control tower" will either give you clearance to land immediately or delay your landing by redirecting you to some marshal point away from the carrero

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CLEARANCE TO LAND If the flight deck is clear and the traffic pattem is not too congested, the TOWER will give you immediate clearance to

land. You should already have the HUD in Navigation (NAV) mode at this time, if not, switch the HUD over to NAV Mode Tum by pressing the NA V mode @J .

Toggle the Vertical D irection Indicator (VDI) to VDI mode by pressing the VOI/TCS G'J if the monitor is showing TCS imagery. Pick up the Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) on the VDI and maneuver your aircraft so that it is centered. You are now on a direct course toward the carrier, though not necessarily lined up properly with the ffight deck

Continue to fly down this heading until you are approximately ten ( I 0) nm from the carrier. Check your distance from the waypoint (your carrier) on the HSD. At this time, you must begin your transition into the traffic pattem.

Because the carrier will be pointing north and into the wind, you want to be approaching it from the south. All carrier landings are conduaed from the rear of the ship. If you are approaching the carrier from astem, the CDI should be centered on the VDI while you fly a magnetic heading near 3600.

Although the TOWER has given you clearance to land, there still may be others ahead of you in the pattem. Caution must be exercised when entering the traffic pattem. You should stay 2-3 nm away from any traffic ahead of you. This gives them time to land safely and get clear of the nunway before you start your final approach.

MARSHAL POINTS Sometimes it is necessary for the TOWER to delay your landing. This

can be due to a number of different reasons such as; too many aircraft already in the pattem, down equipment or even a "fouled deck" situation.

In these cases, your request for landing instnuctions is met with a directive ordering you to go to a holding area known as a "MARSHAL POINT'. A Marshal Point is nothing more than a pre-set location in space where the A TCs can send you while they wait for the traffic situation to clear.

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MARSHAL POINTS Daytime Approaches

10 NM

10NM ~~ ~ 10NM

/-\ ~ 10N~ ~ A I I f \ J '- -

I '\ • B I I + , J - .,

Figure 3-1 0: When your landing is delayed the A TC will send you to a holding area known as a Marshal Point

If you receive a Marshal Point directive, the TOWER wil l also assign you a certain attitude. You must stay at this altitude or risk running into other aircraft. The ATCs may have "stacked" a number of aircraft at this Marshal point each one holding at a different altitude.

During Good Weather (Daytime) operations, a carrier will have three Marshal Points labeled A. B, and C. These three holding areas are located as depicted in the diagram, some 10-20 nm astem of the carrier. You wi ll be sent to one of the three until it's your tum to land.

LANDING PATTERN Crosswind Leg Good Weather (Daytime) 300 KIAS 600 ft. all.

Approach ~ ==============::::: ~ W'ND

Downwind Leg

250-200 KIAS 500 ft. all.

Gear lowered

, Bolter Pattem full throttle

Carrier Group maintains course "into the wind"

Takeoff

~ "Final" 135 KIAS 360-300

~ft . all.

AU Upwind Leg

400-350 KIAS 800ft. all.

Hook lowered

Base Leg ~--l, "",,~~~

200-150 KIAS 450-400 ft. all.

Figure 3-11: In good weather (daytime) approaches, pilots are required to (ollowa racetrack approach pattem consisting o( (our basic "legs". Each leg gradually has you fiying just a little bit lower and 0 little bit slower.

During periods of low visibility (bad weather or night), only the Marshal Point located directly behind the carrier B is ever used. This allows the pilots to transition from the Marshal Point to a straight approach with minimal course corrections.

To assist you in locating the Marshal Point your waypoint navigation system is automatically updated. Simply toggle the Waypoint @J until the message bar reads "Marshal Point".

Use the HSD to fiy a racetrack pattem around the Marshal Point until the TOWER gives you clearance to land. This usually takes several minutes, so cut your throttle back to 50% RpM to conserve fuel while waiting.

When the pattem clears, the TOWER wi ll send you a message indicating that it's your tum to land. You do not need to keep requesting landing instructions. The Air Boss knows you're out there.

CARRIER LANDING PATIERNS There are two basic landing pattems you are expected to

recognize and adhere to; good weather patterns and low visibility (bad weather or nighttime) pattems.

Good Weather (Daytime) Approaches The standard good weather (daytime) approach requires

that the pilot fiy a prescribed racetrack pattem consisting of four distinct "legs." As you can see by the Good Weather (Daytime) Approach diagram, your initial entry into the traffic pattem begins astem of (behind) the carrier. This is called the Upwind Leg because here you are flying directly into the wind.

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UPWIND LEG As you fiy the Upwind Leg, maintain a separation distance of approximately one mile from the carrier. Your speed

should be dropping to 350 knots. Use the Automatic Pilot 0 to hold your attitude steady at no less than 800 ft. You want excess energy and airspeed to "bleed" off so keep the nose of your aircraft pointed level with, or slightly above, the horizon. It's a good idea to lower your landing hook whi le fiying the Upwind leg. Press the Landing Hook Toggle [BJ.

When you reach a point approximately one mile in front of the carrier, it's time to tum into the second leg of the

approach- the Crosswind Leg. Tum into the Crosswind Leg at a 45° to 600 left bank angle.

CROSSWIND LEG The Crosswind leg is so named because you are now fiying with the wind at a perpendicular angle. Level off from

the tum and extend your speed brake brieffy by pressing the Broke Toggle lli). Keep it on long enough to bring your airspeed down to just below 300 knots. At the same time, you should be gradually descending to 600 ft. attitude. Hold at

600 ft. using the Automatic Pilot 0 . When you reach a point approximately one mile west of the carrier, it's time to tum into the third leg of the

approach- the Downwind Leg.

DOWNWIND LEG The Downwind Leg is so named because you are now fiying with the wind at your back (down the wind direction).

Level off from the tum and lower your landing gear by pressing the Landing Gear@ . Your airspeed wi ll immediately drop as soon as the drag affects of having your wheels down takes hold of the aircraft. Add

power as necessary to maintain an airspeed of at least 225 knots. Continue descending to an attitude of no less than 500 ft.

Upon reaching a point approximately 3/4 to I nm astem of (behind) the carrier make a 900 left tum onto the Bose Leg of the landing pattem.

BASE LEG The Base Leg is your last chance to make corrections before tuming "on final". Your airspeed should continue to

gradual bleed off to 160 knots with your landing gear extended. Your attitude should be no greater than 400 ft. You must hold this attitude yourself because the Automatic Pilot has difticutty being precise below 500 ft.

Once you are satisfied that you have the aircraft under proper control, steal a quick glance out the left side. Look for the carrier. When you see that it is lined up directly perpendicular to your fiight path, it's time to tum on final.

FINAL APPROACH From this point on, until your wheels touch on the deck, nothing you do will seem fast enough. You'll always be playing

"catch-up", one step behind the pace of events. You'll intercept the glideslope approximately 3/4ths of a mile from the carrier. At this point you should be flying at no

more than 145 knots and no higher than 360 ft.

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Line up your general approach with the vertical stripe painted on the stem of the carrier. It corresponds with the

centerline of the flight deck. When you are this close to the carrier- never bonk your wings. You want to touch down with

your wings level. Therefore, always use the rudder keys, Rudder Left Q and Rudder Right 0 to make minor course

adjustments.

"CALLING THE BALL" The "meatball" is a tiny light anray located on the port (left) side of the carrier, approximately halfYvay down the

flight deck. It is difficult to make out with all the other lights lining the deck. You generally cannot see the "ball" if you are

more than a mile from the ship. Do not mistake the red light atop the "island most" (to the right of the deck) with the boll. As soon as you level off from the Base to Final Leg tum, the Landing Signals Officer (LSO) takes over. The first thing he

will ask you, if you are on the proper glideslope, is to "CALL THE BALL". Your response will either be ''TOMCAT- BALL", if you see it or "CLARA", if you don't.

If you have visual contact with the ball, press the TOMCA T- Ball [6!D lID . This lets the LSO know that you are receiving visual reference cues from the ball.

If you are too low in the glidepath, the ball will appear as a dull reddish colored light.

If you are too high in the glidepath, the ball will appear as a bright yellow colored light.

If you are maintaining the proper 30 glideslope, the ball will appear as green colored light. This indicates that you are on slope.

APPROACH INDEXERS Figure 3-/2: The "meatball" is a visual landing aid which helps pilots assume the proper 30 glideslope during the final approach leg of the traffic pattem. In addition to the "meatball", your F-14 is equipped a tiny square light

located on the left HUD brace Gust below the Stall Warning indicator) This

light is known as the Approach Indexer. It is designed to help you maintain the proper airspeed while flying down the final

glideslope approach.

If you are flying too fast, the indexer lamp turns a bright yellow color.

If you are flying too slow, the indexer lamp turns a dull reddish color.

If you are in the glideslope and proceeding at the proper speed, the indexer lamp turns a bright green color. This

indicates that you are on speed.

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THE LANDING SIGNALS OFFICER (LSO) Every take-off and landing is carefully scrutinized by the Air Traffic controllers in the Tower and a Landing Signals

Officer (LSO) stationed on the fiight deck. It is the LSO's job to talk you through each and every landing. As you proceed down the final approach glide path, the LSO asks you to CALL THE BALL. Your response lets him

know whether or not you are able to visual inspect the "meatball". Either way, his responsibility is to get you down in one piece. He will give you landing guidance such as ADD POWER,

COME LEFT, or WAVE OFF. Do not ignore his instructions. He is actually in a better position to judge your approach than you are.

LSO RATING Once you have been successfully brought back aboard ship, the LSO must rate your approach. He is looking at things

like approach speed, proper descent rate, AOA, and wing position on touchdown. He wi ll give each one of your landings a score between one ( I) and four (4). A score of ( I) means you have some

serious work to do on your landings. A four (4) rating means you could probably land on the back of a postage stamp. The Carrier Landing difficulty setting (Standard, Moderate, or Authentic Mode) has a lot to do with how severely your

landings are crit iqued.

"TRAPPING A WIRE" The end result of this highly regulated approach pattem is to have your wheels touch down on the deck right where

you (and the LSO) want them to. If you follow the prescribed glideslope, your landing hook will catch the third arrestor cable (second to last wire). This is known as "catchin' a 3-wire". It signifies a perfect landing.

Trapping the first or second wire means your aircraft was a little low in the glidepath and hit the deck early. Trapping the 4-wire means you waited a little too long to touch down. Even so, hooking the 4-wire is better than a bolter (missing the wires altogether).

OPTIMUM LANDING CONDITION To receive the best possible LSO rating, you should attempt to achieve the following optimum landing conditions;

I. Wings Level 2. Airspeed: 135 knots maximum on touch down 3. Glideslope: 3° descent on final approach 4. Nose-high Flare: rear wheels should make contact first 5. Landing Hook should snag the #3 wire (second from the last arrestor cable)

Wasn't that easy! Good weather and daytime landings are a snap. Now let's try a few Low Visibility approaches -landings that take place during periods of bad weather or total darkness.

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Low Visibility Approaches Not every mission you are assigned is flown in good weather. Sometimes it can get downright nasty out there,

especially in the North Cape. Marginal weather conditions make just flying rather dicey, never mind trying to shoot a good landing. There are times when the carrier will be socked-in by low lying clouds that obscure the flight deck

When low visibi lity conditions exist, the normal approach pattem is not used. Instead, pilots are given clearance to make straight in approaches. Rather than fly a racetrack pattem around the carrier, pi lots

LOW VISIBILITY APPROACH line up with the stem of the carrier and are brought down immediately. Bad Weather (Nighttime) Approach

Bolter Pattern full throttle

WIND

u Because you won't have the luxury of being able to see the carrier, these approaches

require you to place an inordinate amount of tnust in your instruments. Without visual cues to guide yourself, you wi ll be at the mercy of your HSD and VDI's Course Deviation Indicator.

LOW VISIBILITY MARSHAL POINT

~ 1 Mile 135 KIAS

; 460ft. all.

3 Mile

Things take longer during periods of low visibility because aircraft are moved around more cautiously. The Air Boss and A TCs demand greater separation distances between aircraft for safety purposes. Therefore, poor visibility increases the likelihood that you will be sent to a Marshal point prior to landing.

Marshal Point B, the holding area directly behind the ship, is the only one of the three points used during low visibil ity OPs. It is positioned at least 15 nm behind t he ship. An additional mile is added for 1,000 ft. of altitude you are assigned. For example, if you are told to go to A ngels 5 (5,000 ft.), the center of t he Marshal Point will be positioned 20 nm from the ship. k ; Commence

/{ijb glide slope 200 knots

Figure 3- / 3:

/

10 Mile 250 KIAS

; 1200 ft . all.

+ B I

'\

I

+ J

Marshal Point B

\

The reason for only using the central Marshal Point during periods of low visibility is­simplicity. This procedure allows you to transition from the holding area directly into the landing approach by simply flying a heading of 3600.

Once you are given clearance to land from the TOWER, you wi ll be fiying a "straight in" approach aimed at the stem of the carrier. You can ffy this approach looking through the HUD, but we recommend that you change your view perspecdve. Press the Look Down View @ so that you're able to see both the VDI and HSD on the screen at the same time.

Now that you have both of these monrtors in front of you, your view to the outside world is limrted. It's unsettling, isn 't it- kind of gives you the willies. Welcome to the real world of low visibility flight. You should be getting some appreciation of what the real pilots must go through.

There's a reason for having you do this, however. In the first place, there's nothing to see outside, everything you need to look at is located inside the cockprt. Why not have rt all in front of you at one time? Having both the VDI and HSD monrtors at your disposal allows you to shoot your approach much more precisely.

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STRAIGHT IN APPROACH PATTERN The farther away you are from the canier when you begin lining up the more t ime you have to assume the

proper glide-slope. This is why low visibility Marshal Points are placed far away from the ship.

Assuming you have remained within your holding area, tum to a heading of 3600. You are now heading on a northerly course toward the stem of the canier. Perfect!

The Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) bar should be centered on the Vertical D isplay Indicator (VDI). If it is

not, put your aircraft on a heading that centers the bar. Because the CDI bar only points in the direction of the canier, you want to fly a heading that also lines you up with the flight deck as well.

Since the canier's flight deck always runs directly north-south (360°-1 8(0), you want to fly a heading aimed

at the canier as close to 3600 as possible. The closer you are to a heading of 3600, the fewer course corrections

you will have to make later on.

Press the Automatic Pilot [E] to keep you on the proper heading. From this point on you are required to

trust your instrumentation and "fly the needles."

Now it's time to check your approximate distance from the flight deck Look at the Horizontal Situation

Display (HSD) to get your waypoint distance (WPD). Your waypoint should remain toggled to CARRIER

throughout your approach.

Toggle off the Automatic Pilot [E] and begin a gentle descent At a distance of ten (10) nm, you should be flying

level at an altitude no greater than I ,200 ft. Maintain an airspeed of 350 knots and stay at this altitude until you

reach a point three (3) nm from the canier. Low visibility operations are inherendy more risky so you should keep your speed a litde higher than usual in case of emergency. An extra I 0 knots of airspeed should do the trick.

At three miles, tap the Brake [ID so that your airspeed drops below 300 knots. Extend your Landing Gear [Q} Don't forget to retract your airbrakes. During the next two miles, gradually descend so that at one (I) mile from

the canier your altitude falls to 460 ft and slow your approach to 180 knots.

At one mile you 're are considered to be on ~nal approach. Continue slow ing down until you are flying at approximately 150 knots. Begin your final descent The flight deck should become visible at th is point.

Peg the Vertical Velocity Indicator (VVI) at a spot on the flight deck and keep it there. As you get nearer to the

canier, you can fine tune this aiming point. Throtde Back G so that you are flying just a few knots above stall speed

(135 knots). Once again, when you are this close to the canier- never bonk your wings. You want to touch dow n

with your wings level. Therefore, always use the rudder keys, Rudder Left Q and Rudder Right 0 to make minor

course adjustments.

Okay- great job! If you followed these instructions to the letter you should catch the #3 w ire without any

trouble. Whooops! Nowhere in these instructions did it say anything about lowering your Landing Hook [BJ . You went to all that trouble just to bolter.

Don't panic. By sheer coincidence, the following section covers exactly what you should do in case of a bolter or missed approach.

9 1

STRAIGHT IN APPROACH

~ lONM

/--- "-\

• B I I t I / ,_ ......

Marshal Point B

Figure 3-14: The Straight In approach is used during periods of Low (or No) Visibility because it places less strain on the pilot

MISSED APPROACH PROCEDURES A "missed approach" is a landing attempt that for whatever reason, has gone wrong. Missed approaches can occur as a

result of excess landing speed, straying from the glideslope, even forgetting to put down your landing gear. But just because you miss an approach doesn't mean you're a bad pilot. It happens all the time. You must expect a few missed attempts. The point is that a pilot should know how to recover quickly and safely from a botched landing.

Figure 3-15: The LSO station. These guys are responsible for bringing you home safely. They also score each one of your landing attempts and post them for all to see.

The key to recovery is recognizing a missed approach for what it is early on. It's no sin to have to go around for another try. Just think of it as additional practice. Many pilots will continue to fight a bad landing past the point of no retum. The problem is that in trying to correct a bad approach you are likely to over compensate. Small problems rapidly become big ones the closer you get to the canrer.

Rule # I: Never waste time trying to correct a good approach gone bad.

The LSO Wove-Off If you fail to heed Rule # I and continue a bad approach, the Landing Signal Officer (LSO)

will signal a wove-off. A wave-off is your cue to forget about this landing and go around for another try. As soon as you get a wave-off call from the LSO, you should immediately begin following your "missed approach" procedures as described below.

If you ignore the wave-off and land anyway prepare to see your mission score reduced. This is the Air Boss' way of chewing you out. Disregarding a wave-off is a very serious offense and will be deah: with accordingly. Unless you are fiying on vapors, it's not worth ignoring a wave-off

Rule # 2: Unless you are low on fuel, and then only if you are down to fumes, never disregard a wove-off.

FOULED DECK Just as your F-14 is not the only aircraft in the sky, it's also not the only aircraft on the fiight deck Aircraft are

shuffled between the hangar deck and fiight deck as quickly as possible but sometimes this just isn't fast enough. It can take up to five minutes to taxi an aircraft, prep it for launch, then cat-shoot it free of the fiight deck When the fiight deck is full of aircraft waiting to take-off. other aircraft shouldn't be trying to land. This situation is known as a fouled-deck

In fact, any time the fiight deck is obstructed, it is considered fouled and landing operations are suspended. If the deck is fouled prior to you entering the traffic pattem, you are sent to a Marshal Point holding area until the situation is cleared.

If the deck is fouled while you are at any point in the pattem, including final approach, you are to implement the "missed approach" procedure.

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BOLTER Whenever your aircraft touches down but fails to hook any of the wires, it is known as a "botter." For example, an

aircraft which attempts to land at too high a speed may "float" and touch down beyond the last of the wires.

Pilot error is another reason for botters. In the excitement of the moment a novice may forget to lower his hook

Don't lough, it's happened to me. If you experience a botter, don't panic. Treat a botter the same way you would any missed

approach and refer to the missed approach procedures described below.

MISSED APPROACH PROCEDURES Missed Approaches are extremely hard to recover from. Why? Because in attempting to land you have configured

your aircraft to descend until it touches down on something solid. Your wings, flaps, trim vanes, spoilers and everything else

are positioned to set the aircraft down. Now all of a sudden, you are required to move the aircraft in a different direction -

up! It takes time to reconfigure, time you don't have when flying low and slow.

Obviously, the earlier you identify a missed approach, the easier it will be for you to recover from. The closer you are

to the flight deck the more difficutt your recovery will be. You'll be flying a near stall speed w ith a considerable downward

velocity. Halting the downward motion is going to consume energy (airspeed) and potentially push you below your

minimum stoll speed. The following Missed Approach checklist of procedures should be followed whenever a missed approach is declared

or wave-off received;

I) Power Up- immediately go to afterbumer by pressing the Afterbumer Engage 0. You are going need an immediate burst of power to arrest your descent and then climb out in order to re-enter the traffic pattern.

2) Gear Up- Retract your landing gear by pressing the Landing Gear @J. Do this second. If you are not quick

enough to hatt your descent you may touch down on the flight deck anyway. With your wheels down you still

have a chance to take-off again. If your wheels are up, contact with the flight deck usually resutts in a fatal crash. 3) Nose Up- keep the nose of the aircraft pointed no more than I Cf above the horizon. Nurse the aircraft back

into the sky. An abrupt pitch change wi ll kil l your forward airspeed and cause a stall.

4) Wings Level- Keep your wings level. Perform a straight forward climb out. Do not

bank your wings or you will kill off any excess Lift being produced.

The object of these missed approach procedures is to reconfigure your aircraft for normal

flight as quickly as possible. We recommend that you climb out to a minimum of 1500 ft. and then rejoin the traffic pattem at a 45° angle to the crosswind leg. Having to go around a second

(or even third) time sure beats having a crash landing end a promising career.

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Figure 3-1 6: Flight leader and wing-man being prepared for their mission.

YOUR WING-MAN As if fiying the F-14 in combat wasn't enough, FLEET DEFENDER gives you the opportunity (responsibility) to control

the actions of another F-14, that of your wing-man's. While this means added worK for you, it also allows for an almost

endless list of tactical possibilities.

Usually, the minimum number of F-14s sent on anyone particular mission is two (2). Known in the Navy as a section, a

formation of two aircraft consists of a fiight leader and wing-man. On each mission you (as the active player) assume the

role of fiight leader. As a fiight leader, it will be your job to coordinate the actions of both aircraft. This is not easy. It w ill

either double your effectiveness in combat or half it through miscommunication and poor coordination.

Although you are able to direct your w ing-man's responses in combat, if left alone, his own artificial intelligence will take

over. Otherwise, your wing-man is always be right where you put him. You'll never have to worry about him leaving a fight

early just to save himself at your expense.

In fact, when controlled by the computer, your wing-man is every bit as capable as you, sometimes, even more so.

The more missions you wing-man has under his belt, the more skilled he becomes. Actually, FLEET DEFENDER keeps

track of four separate areas of wing-man development general fiying skill, use of the radar, weapon employment and initiative.

GENERAL FLYING ABILITY: Your wing-man's expertise at performing ACM is based upon his general ability to

handle the aircraft. This rating improves as he gains experience.

RADAR USE: As your wing-man 's pilotJRIO skill level improves, hostile targets are located on radar faster. In

addition, it takes less and less time for your wing-man to sort and lock targets.

WEAPON EMPLOYMENT: Your wing-man's ability to use his weapons once a target is found, is judged according

to his skill level.

INITIATIVE: Each time your wing-man engages an enemy aircraft his AI routine attempts to gain a position of

advantage. The more initiative a wing-man takes the better able he is to achieve this position. If however, your

wing-man is forced to take up a defensive posture, he will call "ENGAGED DEFENSIVE".

ENGAGED DEFENSIVE is equivalent of you pressing the alt F5 Key which request assistance from your wing-man.

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WING-MAN CONTROL KEYS The addition of a second F-14 significantly increases the combat power at your disposal and gives you the ability to

perform multiple tasks simultaneously. But, having a wing-man along is only a positive thing if your are able to use him wisely, otherwise he's something else to worry about and get in the way.

Your wing-man has the ability to make reasoned decisions if left alone. (FLEET DEFENDER features stunningly competent AI routines.) However, you (as flight leader) are able to exercise a great degree of control. The following keys allow you to direct the actions of your wing-man;

Go Tactical ~ [IT] : Pressing this key releases your wing-man to attack targets independently. His response to you is either; Roger (indicating he is after a specific target) or "No Joy", indicating he has no bogeys in sight. In any case, by pressing this key you are releasing him to go find targets. If none are to be found, he will reform on your wing.

Target Directive ~ m : This command directs your wing-man to attack the target that you currendy have locked on your radar. This key must be pressed after your wing-man has received the Go Tactical ~ [IT] command. His response to you will be BOGEY TARGETED when he has achieved a radar lock on your target. You are free to choose a new target at this t ime.

Formation ~ m : Directs your wingman to assume one of three specific formations. Your options are: (I ) Parade, (2) Cruise, or (3) Combat Spread. Press the appropriate number key. Your wing-man responds by acknowledging your formation selection. Only Combat Spread allows your wing-man to independently target and engage enemy aircraft.

Bracket ~ [ED : Directs your wing-man to perform a bracket in conjunction with your aircraft. The options are: (I) Bracket Left, (2) Bracket Right, (3) High, (4) Low, and (5) Straight. Press the appropriate number key to select an option. Your wing-man responds by acknowledging the selected option. If you select either (3) High or (4) Low, you must then select an altitude differential of up to 10,000 ft.

Engaged Defensive ~ m : Directs your wing-man to come to your immediate assistance. He wi ll drop whatever he happens to be doing at the time to come to your aid. Such loyalty deserves repayment in kind.

Sanitize ~ m : Directs your wing-man to perform a radar sweep in the direction selected. Your options are: (I) Left, (2) Right, (3) Front, and (4) Back If your wing-man makes contact with an object in the area he responds with the number of contacts he has sighted, their range, and finally their altitude.

Sort ~ m : Directs your wing-man to report on the target he currently has locked-up. His response is either: Sorted None, Sorted Lead, Sorted Trail, Sorted Left, Sorted Right or Unknown. A report of UNKNOWN indicates that your wing-man is not sure of target's location within the formation. It does not mean to imply a response to an IFF check

Alibi ~ m : Directs your wing-man to report his current damage and weapon status.

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PARADE

Rejoin ~m: Directs your wing-man to rejoin with you. Watch for him to appear and sadd le up along side your aircraft.

Retum to Bose @D[F10! : Directs your w ing-man to retum to the carrier (base). H is response, "RTB", acknowledges

your command.

Delouse [Shift!§:] : Sends a message to your E-2C controller (or carrier) to send an F-14 two-ship to your location. This two-ship wi ll either come from the carrier (the Ready 5 aircraft) or it w ill be draw n from another CAP station nearby.

SECT!ON FORMATIONS In order for your section to function properly, fiight leader and wing-man must fiy and fight as a team. If you are only

interested in becoming a ''Top Gun" you can forget about forming an effective two-ship. In fact, if you don't know how to cooperate with your wing-man you might as well leave him back on the deck

One good thing you don't have to worry about is mid-air collisions, either with your wing-man or the enemy. This allows for some really tight formations as you may well imagine. It also keeps pilots from playing bumper cars or attempting to ram the enemy as a final gesture before going down. Nobody does this intentionally- nobody. Even if unintentional, the chances of a mid-air collision with an enemy aircraft are very small indeed. Ramming is just not a viable tactic anymore.

Formations @Dm

V, There are three basic formations that you and your w ing-man can assume; Parade, Cruise,

and Combat Spread. You can change your formation at any time, just by pressing the Formation @D m . Press the appropriate number key to make your selection.

PARADE FORMATION When fiying in parade formation, your wing-man takes up a position behind you, less than

100 ft away. Whi le fiying in parade formation your wing-man is unable to target or fire upon enemy aircraft. He is essentially under a "weapons hold" restriction until you free him by pressing the Go Tactical §:] or by putting him into a Combat Spread @J formation.

100 ft .

F-14 s "' , Overhead View

Figure 3-/ 7: The Parade formation

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CRUISE FORMATION When fiying in cruise formation, your wing-man takes up a position behind you, less than

200 ft away. While fiying in cruise formation your wing-man is unable to target or fire upon

enemy aircraft unless you release as previously described.

COMBAT SPREAD FORMATION When fiying in a Combat Spread formation your wing-man takes up a lateral (line

abreast) position off your wing. From this position he may target and fire upon enemy targets

of opportunity without your prior approval.

COMBAT SPREAD

F-14 s

.... 0------ 300 ft. -------., ...

Overhead View

Figure 3-/ 9: The Combat Spread formation.

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CRUISE

~ 200 ft.

F-14s ~

Overhead View

Figure 3-/8: The Cruise formation

BRACKET FORMATION ~0 The Bracket is more of a section tactic than a traveling formation. It is labeled a formation and included here only

because it deals with the tactical positioning of your wing-man. You may order your wing-man into assuming a Bracket formation at any time by pressing Brocket ~ 0 . Pressing

this key causes a secondary menu to appear which lists your Bracket options. Press the corresponding numeric key to assign your wing-man one of the following Bracket options: (I) Bracket Left, (2) Bracket Right, (3) High, (4) Low, and (5) Straight.

BRACKET LEFT/RIGHT

Wingman

F-14s

Overhead View

Flight Leader

Figure 3-20: Your wing-man assumes the various brocket positions as shown here.

Note that your own F-1 4 becomes the off-setting pivot point for the Bracket. The offset distance for a Bracket Left, Bracket Right, or Bracket Straight is 5 nm. When ordering a H igh or Low, you are required to select an attitude differential using the numeric keys from one( I ) to ten (0) thousand feet.

Tactically, the Bracket attack resembles a pincer movement, if conducted properly, enemy aircraft are sandwiched between you and your wing-man. The enemy is approached until he is forced to commit on either you or your wing-man. Once this commitment becomes apparent, the uncommitted (unengaged) friendly aircraft is then considered the "free" fighter.

The (ree fighter should immediately assume an offensive posture and convert on the enemy's "six." The committed fighter should break in a manner w hich facilitates the free fighter's attack.

If perfonmed correctly the two-ship will have caught the enemy between them. The enemy is vulnerable to the free fighter's attack unless he disengages from the committed fighter. If the enemy does disengage, he has lost any initiative he might have had and now faces a I v. 2 situation.

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We recommend that first time fiyers take the time to read this chapter and do some practicing in the Oceana Training theater. This way newcomers can get the hang of things and not have to face hostile aircraft right away. Eventually all this "pilot stuff ' will become second nature but for now let's concentrate on the F-14's fi ight instrumentation.

Each functioning gauge, dial, and indicator is described in detail so that you can tell at a glance just how well your aircraft is doing. It is divided up into the major instrumentation of both the front and back seat cockpits.

In addition, instrumentat ion on the pilot/RIO's side panels and console is also covered in separate sections.

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Figure 4-1: Smiling under all that headgear. this 'Tomcat" driver has just retumed from a successful mission.

PILOT (FRONT SEAT) COCKPIT Because you portray a F-14 pilot in this simulation, most of your time will be spent in the front seat cockpit. All the

necessary fl ight controls are located here. While you occupy the front seat you are in command of the aircraft, you make the decisions. The following section describes the various displays and instrumentation you have at your disposal.

HEAD-UP DISPLAY (HUD) Figure 4-2: The basic Head-Up Display (HUD) showing pitch ladder and Phoenix missiles in priority.

Waypoint Caret

Weapon Priority Indicator

The Head-Up Display is actually a transparent pane of "plexi-glass" situated directly in front of your field of vision. When you look directly forward, you are actually looking through the Head-Up Display (HUD). As the name implies, the reason for a HUD is simple. Flight and weapon symbology is superimposed on the "glass" so that you do not have to look down to read instruments. This allows you to keep your head upright when involved in combat so you don't lose sight of a bandit at an inopportune moment.

Standard HUD Information Much of the symbology on the HUD is standard infonmation which shows up regardless of the weaponry or mode

selected.

The Magnetic Heading Indicator Stretching across the very top of the HUD is the Magnetic Heading Indicator. This indicator is divided into I (J' compass

heading increments which are then further sub-divided into 2° increments. Your course is equal to the compass heading which occupies the center position of the indicator (directly above the

tiny cross). You can check the accuracy of the Magnetic Heading Indicator with the analog compass located to the right of the Vertical Display Indicator (VDI).

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WA YPOINT CARET Located undemeath of the Magnetic Heading Indicator is a waypoint reference cue known as a caret (pronounced

canrot). The caret resembles an inverted V and is positioned on the heading indicator according to the waypoint you have selected.

AIRCRAFT RETICLE The aircraft reticle depicts the position of your aircraft's wings (chond line). It appears on the HUD as two L shaped

characters that have been knocked over on their sides. This line indicates where the nose of the aircraft is pointing, relative to the horizon. The position of the aircraft reticle on the pitch ladder indicates your aircraft's relative pitch angle.

PITCH LADDER The pitch (up/down reference) angle of your aircraft is displayed by means of a pitch ladder. The pitch ladder is the set

of horizontal pitch lines in the center of the HUD which are anranged like the rungs of a ladder. The pitch lines of the ladder are divided into 10° increments, from 00 (level) to 800. The greater the pitch angle, the

more your aircraft wi ll be pointing up or down. Solid pitch lines indicate your aircraft is pointed upward. A small circle indicates that your aircraft is pointing straight

upwand in a sheer vertical climb. Dashed pitch lines indicate your aircraft is pointed downwand. A small circle with a X inside indicates that your aircraft is pointing straight down.

WEAPON PRIORITY INDICATOR Centered at the bottom of the HUD is symbology indicating which weapon system is cunrently in prioriity. (Being in

priority means which type of missile would be launched if you were to fire a missile right now. Even though the M61 A I gun is always ready to fire, there is a separate HUD mode for the gun system which displays a fioating gunsight.)

The letter codes which appear on the HUD are PH (Phoenix), SP (Spanrow), SW (Sidewinder) and G (Gun). Undemeath the letter code is displayed a number which equals the number of those missiles left onboard. If a zero (0) appears, none of that type of missile remains.

If the Master Arm Switch is in the Off position, an X is superimposed over the Weapon Priority Indicator.

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HUD Navigation Mode Symbology When you press the NAV Mode ~, special navigation symbology appears on the HUD to assist you. Notice that the

Weapon Priority Indicator is removed. It is assumed that you will not be engaging in combat while flying in Navigation mode.

Magnetic Heading Indicator

Pitch Ladder

Vertical Velocity Indicator

PITCH LADDER The pitch ladder has been changed from I 00 pitch increments to increments of 50. This allows you to fly the finer pitch

angles required for precision navigation.

VERTICAL VELOCITY INDICATOR (WI) A Vertical Velocity Indicator is placed on the HUD to assist you in visually determining your sink rate when landing. The

W I is the tiny circle with three tick marks protruding from it. It is usually located under the aircraft reticle.

The W I is normally used when making carrier approaches. It is an indication of where your aircraft is actually going.

Note that this is sometimes different from the aircraft reticle, which only shows where your aircraft is pointing. For example, in a carrier approach, the nose of the aircraft is kept pointed slightly above the horizon to maintain a

glide-slope flare. The W I, however, is located below the horizon indicating that the aircraft is descending (even though the

nose angle indicates a climb). On final approach, keep the WI aimed at the spot on the carrier deck where you wish to land. Use it as an aiming

stake. If you keep the WI on the deck, you can glide the aircraft down for perfect landings every time.

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Combot Mode Symbology Except for take-offs and landings (when the HUD should be placed in NAV mode), the majority of time your HUD

should be set to display Combat mode symbology. A Combat mode is one in which a weapon system has been put in priority (Gun or missile). Basically, the HUD is in Combat mode ifit is not in Nav mode.

Standard Combat Mode Symbology Some Combat mode symbology is standard on the HUD regardless of what weapon is placed in priority.

Figure 4-4: The Head-Up Display (HUD) with a target locked and AIM-7 Sparrows in priority.

Closure Scale

TARGET RANGE SCALE

Target Diamond

Range Scale

When the HUD is placed in a Combat mode, a vertical Target Range Scale appears on the right side of the display. The bottom of the scale always refiects a range of zero. The upper end of the scale varies according to the range of the target

In order for a target to appear on this scale, rt must erther be radar-locked (in PDSTT) or designated (in a TWS mode). A range caret (the V-shaped symbol lying on rt:s side) is located on the left side of the scale. As the name implies, this caret indicates the range of the principle target

Two tick marks extend from the right side of the range scale. The upper tick mark represents the weapon's Rmax, the maximum effective range of the weapon in priority. The bottom tick mark represents the weapon's Rmin, the minimum effective range of the weapon in priority.

CLOSURE SCALE When placed in a Combat mode, the vertical scale on the left side of the HUD shows the relative rate of closure

between your aircraft and the target A caret (a V-shaped symbol tilted to one side) is positioned on the right side of the vertical scale. This caret indicates your rate of closure. This scale registers closure rates of between -200 knots (at the bottom of the scale) and + I 000 knots (atthe top). A positive value means you are closing in on the target at the indicated speed. A negative value means that the distance between the two aircraft is increasing by the indicated amount

A negative closure rote indicates that the target is actually pulling away tram you

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TARGET DESIGNATOR DIAMOND When a target has been radar-locked or designated, a Target Diamond appears on the HUD corresponding to the

actual position of the target. If the target goes off the HUD, the diamond is peg-ged along the side nearest its point of exit.

SHOOT CUES When a target is brought within the Rmax and Rmin of the weapon system in priority, HUD symbology begins to flash.

This flashing symbology is your shoot cue telling you it's time to fire the weapon.

BREAK X When a target is within the Rmin range of the weapon system in priority, a large X symbol appears in the center of the

HUD. This X is known as the Break X indicat ing that you need to back off and increase the range between you and the target. Note that the M61 A I gun has no Rmin.

Gun Priority Symbology By pressing the Guns [D, the HUD symbology is changed to reflect that your M61 A I has been placed in priority. When the M6 1 A I gun is in priority, a fl oating gunsight reticle appears on the HUD. This gunsight automatical ly

computes the amount of lead angle needed to score a hit on a particular target. When fi ring the gun, you must maneuver the aircraft so that the floating gunsight is placed on your intended target.

AIM-9 Sidewinder Priority Symbology Figure 4-5: The Head-Up Display (HUD) with the fioating AIM-9 Sidewinder seeker-head loof<jng for a target

Floating Seeker Location Target Diamond

By pressing the Sidewinder ~, the HUD symbology is changed to reflect that your AIM-9 heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles have been placed in priority.

When your Sidewinder missi les are in priority, a floating seeker-head reticle appears on the HUD. This reticle floats about the HUD looking for a heat source to lock-on to (acquire). The seeker-head detection range is approximately 6 nm, therefore, the Sidewinder will not acquire a target on its own unless the target is within this distance.

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The seeker-head reticle wil l continue to float about the HUD until it acquires a target. Once a target is acquired, the reticle is superimposed on the Target Diamond Designator. The symbology will flash, your shoot-cue to fire.

Note that the Sidewinder missile does not require radar to engage a target You con even tum off the radar and acquire the target solely through the missile's seeker-head.

AIM-7 Sparrow Priority Symbology By pressing the Sparrow~, the HUD symbology is changed to reflect that your AIM-7 medium-ranged, radar-guided,

Sparrow missiles have been placed in priority. Sparrow HUD symbology is exactly the same as that of the Sidewinder with the exception that there is no floating

seeker-head. The Sparrow missile requires the aircraft's radar to engage a target and does not have a intemal seeker like the Sidewinder.

AIM-54 Phoenix Priority Symbology By pressing the Phoenix 0, the HUD symbology is changed to reflect that your AIM-54 long-ranged, radar-guided,

Phoenix missiles have been placed in priority. Phoenix HUD symbology is exactly the same as that of the Sparrow missile. The upper range limit (Rmax) of the

Phoenix missile is considerably greater than that of the Sparrow, however. This is reflected on the vertical range scale.

105

VERTICAL DISPLAY INDICATOR (VDI) The Vertical Display Indicator (VDI) is located in the front seat cockpit directly undemeath the HUD. In its primary role,

the VDI acts as a HUD repeater (a back-up) in case the real HUD is ever damaged in combat In addition to acting as a substitute HUD, the VDI monitor can also be toggled to display images produced by the Television Camera System (TCS).

Press the VDlfTCS Mode Toggle @J to altemate between the two modes. VOl Navigation Mode Symbology

Figure 4-6: The Vertical Display Indicator (VOl) in NA V mode showing the COl.

PITCH LADDER The pitch ladder on the VDI is a duplicate of the pitch ladder on the HUD. Solid pitch lines indicate your aircraft is pointed

above the horizon (i.e. upward). Dashed pitch lines indicate your aircraft is pointed below the horizon (i.e. downward).

AIRCRAFT RETICLE The VDI aircraft reticle functions exactly as the aircraft reticle on the HUD. The two L shaped characters indicate

where the nose of the aircraft is pointing relative to the horizon. The position of the aircraft reticle on the pitch ladder indicates your aircraft's relative pitch angle.

GROUND TEXTURE Ground texture appears on the VDI as a pair of light tone patches that appear to be continually revolving. (They look

like the dashed lines on a highway as you are driving post) These patches remain in motion even if your aircraft is stopped. They are merely aid in making the visual distinction between above and below the horizon.

COURSE DEVIATION INDICATOR The Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) is a vertical bar which moves left or right across your VDI. The purpose of the

CDI is to assist you in getting a more exact bearing on your aircraft carrier. It is not part of an Instnument Landing System and should not be used for precision approaches.

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The CDI functions in the same manner as the waypoint caret on the HUD's Magnetic Heading Indicator. It is a visual cue that you are heading toward your carrier. A~hough you are aimed at your carrier, it does not mean that you are properly lined up with the fiight deck You could be fiying directly at the carrier and still be perpendicular to the flight deck In this instance, the CDI would still be centered on the VDI.

VDI Combat Mode Symbology

Figure 4-7: The Vertical Display Indicator (VOl) in combat mode showing a locked target and target range bar.

Range Bar

AZIMUTH RANGE BAR

Steering Tee

The vertical bar positioned on the left side of the VDI is known as the Azimuth Range Bar. Th is bar is used to determine whether or not a target is within range of the weapon system currently in priority. It does not give you the exact range to target, however. You must estimate target distance for yourself

Estimating target distance is done by noting the scale of the bar and the position of the Target Range Mark The number located on the VDI beneath the Azimuth Range bar represents it's maximum range (in nm).

If a target is currently locked on radar, a tick mark (known as the Target Range Mark) appears on the left side of the bar. Note its location, (i.e. 1/3rd of the way up the bar, half the way up etc.) on the bar and compare this to the maximum range of the bar as indicated. A Target Range Mark. located halfway up a 100 nm bar would indicate that the target is approximately 50 nm away.

On the right side of the bar are two other tick marks. These are known as Rmax and Rmin indicators. If the Target Range Mark falls between these two tick marks, the target is within range.

Rather than having a Target Diamond Designator appear on the VDI, this display uses a symbol known as a steering tee. The steering tee is an inverted T-shaped symbol and functions exactly as a Target Diamond Designator does on the HUD.

ALLOWABLE STEERING ERROR (ASE) CIRCLE The dashed line circle in the middle of the VDI is known as the Allowable Steering Error (ASE) circle. For best resu~, it

is recommended that you maneuver the aircraft so that the steering tee is inside the ASE circle before you fire a missile. This is not a requirement, though. It just means that the enemy will have a more difficult time avoiding your missile because you have made the effort to line up a cleaner shot.

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Television Camero System (TeS)

Figure 4-8: The VDI can also be used to view targets by way of the Television Camero System (Tes).

Zoom Magnification

Camera Image

The F-14 has an onboard television camera system which is slaved to the AWG-9 radar. The camera automatically focuses on locked targets and continues to track them as long as the target remains within the gimbal limits of the TCS. The camera image is broadcast on the VDI and can be magnified up to 20 times.

The TCS functions differently according to the difficulty level setting. For details, consult the difficulty level section of Chapter I.

HORIZONTAL SITUATION DISPLAY (HSD) Figure 4-9. The Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) is your primary means of gathering navigational information.

Heading Indicator ---~-- Waypoint Distance

The Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) consists of a rotating compass dial with three lines of navigational text infonrnation inserted in the center. Like the VDI, it is multi-functional. This monitor can altemate between showing standard HSD navigational infonrnation and being a Target Infonrnation Display (TID) repeater.

To altemate between the displays, press the HSDITID Toggle [Shift I ffiJ .

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HSD Navigation Information COMPASS HEADING

Your direction of ft ight is indicated by the Command Course bar located at the top of the dial (12 o'clock position). Your ai rcraft 's heading is indicated by the compass reading which appears under the Command Course bar at any given moment.

WAYPOINT INDICATOR An small tick mark is placed on the compass heading indicating the direction of the waypoint you've selected.

WAYPOINT DISTANCE (WPD) The top line of text located in the center of the compass dial gives your current distance (in nrn) from the

selected waypoint.

TRUE AIRSPEED (T AS) The middle line of text gives your true airspeed (in knots). Since your airspeed indicator is calibrated to reftect your

airspeed at sea level, your actual airspeed at higher altitudes wi ll vary. True airspeed (T AS) takes this variance into account. To get a estimate of your true airspeed through the air, increase your KlAS reading by 2% per thousand feet of altitude.

GROUND SPEED (GS) The bottom line of text gives your actual over land ground speed (in knots). Note that for the purposes of FLEET

DEFENDER, it is the same reading as your Indicated Air Speed (KIAS).

Target Information Display (TID) Repeater Figure 4-10: The Horizontal Situation Display (HSD) can also act as a TID repeater. This lets paranoid pilots see exactly what their RIO is doing while their back is tumed.

Your Aircraft

Display Range

By pressing the HSDfTlD Toggle [Shift IlBJ the HSD monitor is turned into a TID repeater. This way, you can see all the information currently showing up on the RIO's TID. The range (in nm) of the display is shown in the upper right hand comer of the monitor.

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TACTICAL ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYSTEM (TEWS) DISPLAY Figure 4-1 I: The T aebcol Electronic Warfare System (TEWS) is port of your overall self-preservation effort

SAM Site SAM

SAM

The Tactical Electronic Warfare System (pronounced "T ooz") is an integral part of your aircraft's self-defense capability. It consists of an anray of sophisticated sensors and receivers located throughout the aircraft. The TEWS gives you the ability to locate enemy aircraft by the energy their radars emit. It also allows you to pinpoint the location of ground based tracking radars. In fact, any radar that is emitting energy, whether it be friend or foe, is detectable.

The TEWS display appears on your console as a series of four concentric circles centered on a pair of horizontal and vertical lines. Your aircraft is located at the intersection of the x and y-axis lines (in the center of the screen). The display itself is oriented so that the top of the screen always represents 12 o'clock (in front of your ai rcraft). The bottom of the display is your aircraft's 6 o'clock position (the rear of your aircraft).

The maximum display range of the TEWS is 40 nm. Each of the concentric circles represents a radius increase of 10 nm. Targets that are detected beyond 40 nm are peg-ged along the edge of the TEWS display. They could be located anywhere from 41 nm to as far away as 200 nm.

Ground-based Radars (square icons) When a ground-based radar is Searching for your aircraft the audio waming will "beep" or "hit" each time the radar's

energy passes over you. No icon appears on the screen, however. You receive audio wamings only. When an enemy ground-based radar is Tracking your aircraft, a square icon with a number inside from 1-9 appears on

the screen at the appropriate range and bearing. You also receive an audio alert cue. When an enemy ground-based radar has "Locked-ond launched" the square icon begins flashing. A smaller square icon

appears over top of the flash ing icon. This is a surface-to-air missile which the SAM radar is directing toward your aircraft. In short, it means trouble.

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Aircraft Radars (diamond icons) Enemy aircraft radars appear on the TEWS only after they have "Locked-On" to your aircraft. A diamond-shaped icon is

placed at the appropriate range and bearing. These icons do not flash when a missile is launched, just count one being fired anyway. Oust think how quickly you fire a missile once you achieve a "lock" Enemy pilots are just as eager to shoot at you).

Inside each of these icons is a number from 1-9 which signifies the type of radar emissions being detected by the TEWS. The numbers correspond to a particular type of radar as listed below;

Ground-based Radar Indicators (square icons) [I J Continuous wave Long-range SAM radars

SA-2, SA-3, SA-N-3A, SA-N-3B [2J Pulse-Doppler Long-range SAM radars

SA-5, HAWK, Crotale [3J Continuous wave Short-range SAM radars

SA-6, SA-N-7, SA-N-9 [4J Pulse-Doppler Short-range SAM radars

SA-8, CADS-N-I [8J AAA Acquisition and Tracking radar

T riple-A batteries [9J Long-range Search radars

Ground Control Intercept (GCI) Stations

Aircraft Radar Indicators (diamond icons) [I J Pulse-Doppler Multi-target Search and Track radar

F-14, F/A-18, Su-27, MiG-29, MiG-31 [2J Pulse-Doppler Single-target Search and Track radar

FA, F-16, Viggen, T omado MKJ [3J Multi-mode Search and Track radar

MiG-23, MiG-25, Mirage F-I [4J Single-mode Search and Track radar

MiG-21, Su-17, Su-22, F-5E [5J Range-only radar

MiG-27, Su-24 [9J Airbome Early Waming radar (AWACS)

E-2c' T u-126

III

SAM and MM Deteaion Radar missiles, both ground and air launched, appear on the TEWS as tiny unnumbered squares. If a SAM installation

or enemy aircraft launches a radar-guided missile, you can see it begin to head toward your aircraft. This should give you plenty of time to deploy counter-measures or maneuver to defeat it. Heat-seef<jng missiles, because they don't emit radar energy, never appear on the TEWS.

TEWSJammer In addition to detecting enemy radars, the TEWS actively attempts to distort, or otherwise jam their signal. The TEWS

jammer interferes with the ability of enemy radars to first; detect you, or having fai led at that, lock you in their beam. You may tum the Jammer ON or OFF by toggling the TEWS Jammer Toggle QJ ,what else! When the Jammer is ON,

the word "JAMMER" appears across the TEWS display screen. If tumed off, the word is removed. When actively jamming an enemy radar, the word JAMMER" flashes. This indicates that the jammer is blanketing the

sky with "white noise". While this makes you hard to hit with a missile, all that "noise" you are making makes you easy to detect. If steah:h is more important to you than missile avoidance, tum the Jammer off

RIGHT INSTRUMENTATION PANEL

Figure 4-/ 2. The Pilot's right instrument ponel.

Artificial Horizon

Vertical Velocity Indicator

Wing-Sweep Indicator

TEWS

The F- 14 has a computer-controlled variable wing sweep which allows the aircraft to take advantage of swept and straight wi ng characteristics. Swept wings reduce drag and produce good linear performance, straight wings give the aircraft a superior maneuvering ability.

This indicator lets you know at a glance the degree at which your wings are swept (00 to 700). FLEET DEFENDER does not allow you to manually adjust your wing configuration.

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Right Engine FIRE Lamp This light illuminates when your right engine has been damaged and is on fire.

Standby Attitude Indicator (Artificial Horizon) This gauge functions as an artificial horizon indicator. Use this gauge only in emergencies. Although the pitch lines are

legible, you would not want to use it for judging a landing approach.

Heading Indicator This gauge is a magnetic heading compass. It is useful as a back-up NAV device if your HUD is damaged.

G Meter This window displays a digital indication of the G forces currently being placed on the aircraft (and pilot).

Fuel Quantity Indicator The Fuel Quantity Indicator can be the most important instrument onboard the aircraft at times, especially when it's

dark and you're a long way from home.

TOTAL FUEL STATE INDICATOR The top five-digit window states the total amount of fuel currently onboard the aircraft. This figure represents your fuel

state as measured in pounds (not gallons).

BINGO FUEL INDICATOR The number directly below your total fuel state indicator is your Bingo Fuel mark. This number represents the

minimum amount of fuel needed your you to retum safely to the carrier. When you reach this number during the course of mission, it's time to tum around and head home- immediately!

LEFT/RIGHT ENGINE FUEL INDICATORS Your total fuel state figure is divided up among your two engines. The fuel is not transferable between engines should

one get knocked out.

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LEFT INSTRUMENTATION PANEL Figure 4-1 3: The Pilot's left instrument panel.

Vertical Velocity Indicator

Radar Altimeter

Angle-or-Attack Indicator (AOA) This gauge displays your current angle-of-attack in degrees of AOA.

Vertical Velocity Indicator

Air Speed Indicator

Altimeter

This gauge indicates your rate of climb or descent. The numbers represent 1000s of ft.l minute. For example if the needle was pointed at the number 2, this indicates you are climbing (or diving) at a rate of 2,000 feet per minute.

Air Speed Indicator Your air speed indicator displays your current speed in KIAS. Notice that as you increase in altitude, these numbers

make it appear that you are going slower. This is not the case. Check your airspeed indicated here with your true airspeed (T AS) displayed on the Horizontal Situation Display (HSD).

Radar Altimeter Th is gauge is a radar altimeter which displays your Above-Ground-Level (AGL) altitude. Note the subtle difference

between AGL and ASL (Above-Sea-Level). If you can't grasp the concept. don't fiy over mountains in the dark. Th is altimeter is connected to a Terrain Following Radar (TFR) and will register AGL readings as high as 3000 feet.

Altimeter Unlike the radar altimeter, your standard altimeter measures Above-Sea-Level (ASL) readings in hundreds and

thousands of feet. The large number (at the nine o'clock position on the dial) is your current altitude in thousands of feet. The smaller numbers (at all points on the clock) represent altitude in hundreds of feet.

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Engine Instrument Group The Engine Instrument Group consists of three main gauges; the RpM (revolutions per minute) indicator, the EGT

(Engine temperature) indicator and the FF (Rate of Fuel Flow) indicator. These three instruments are collectively known as

the Engine Instrument Group. They are used for monitoring purposes only.

RIGHT CONSOLE You can access the pilot's right hand console by pressing the Look Right [§J. You must first occupy a /Tont seat view. This

screen is informational only. There are no "hot" buttons or interactive keys available on this screen. The RIO has a

duplicate advisory panel available to him.

Figure 4-1 4: The Pilot's right hand console. In foreground is the column of lights known as Master Caution-Advisory panel. When these lights are On, you know you've got problems.

Moster Caution-Advisory Panel The main item on this screen is the column of red waming lights. These lights are collectively referred to as the Master

Caution-Advisory Panel. When a vital aircraft system is damaged, its conresponding lamp will illuminate.

Arrestor Hook Lever The lever to raise and lower your Arrestor Hook [EJ is located to the far left of this screen.

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LEFT CONSOLE

Figure 4-15: The Pilot's left hand console. The throttle is the prominent feature on this parocular view.

You can access the pilot's left hand console by pressing the Look Left 0. You must first occupy a front seat position (view).

Throttle Lever The main item on this screen is the throttle. You can watch the throttle advance and retreat as you press the throttle

G and G] .

Landing Gear Lever Positioned directly above the throttle handle is the Landing Gear lever. You can watch the lever move as you toggle

the Landing Gear @].

11 6

RADAR INTERCEPT OFFICER (REAR SEAT) COCKPIT The F-14 is far too complex a machine to ever be operated by a single human, no matter how well trained. Therefore,

in addition to a pilot, the F-14 features a Radar Intercept Officer or RIO. This individual provides the pilot with a second pair of hands and a second pair of eyes. It is the RIO's responsibility to anticipate, rather than react to events.

The RIO is given the task of operating the radar and weapon systems. Although the pilot has the ultimate say in when to pull the trigger, it's the RIO's job to find the bad guys and make it easy for his front-seater to shoot 'em down.

The two main displays he must operate are: the Detailed Data Display (DDD) and the Tactical Information Display (TID). These displays represent t he heart of the F-14's radar system and al low the RIO to locate and engage targets out to 200 nm away.

The back-seater has one major drawback though- he cannot fly the aircraft should the pilot become incapacitated. The Grumman design team that put together the F-1 4 evident ly choose to leave fl ight controls out of the RIO's reach.

STANDARD MODE DETAIL DATA DISPLAY (DOD) In Standard Mode, the Detailed Data Display (DDD) monitor is your radar screen. It is positioned (in the back seat) at

eye level, directly in front of the Radar Intercept Officer (RIO). Because it has a monochrome green background, it reminds you of a football field when viewed from above.

The DDD is oriented so that the top edge of the monitor is 12 o'clock (ahead of your flight path), the left edge of the monitor is 9 o'clock and the right edge, therefore, is 3 o'clock. Your aircraft is centered along the bottom edge of the monitor. In fact, think of your aircraft as being the central tick mark on this line.

The two vertical bars in the center of the monitor (each has 4 horizontal tick marks) are positioned at a 300 to your line of flight Radar blips outside these bars, therefore, represent aircraft that are 30° or more to your left or right The fu ll display width equals 1300. Note the tiny tick marks along the bottom edge. There is a 100 azimuth width between each one.

The radar range of the display is 200 nm in Standard Mode. You can use Zoom In/Out W and 0 to make the range numbers change above the display, but this has no real affect on the radar range. Even if the display is set to 5 nm, it is still detecting targets out to 200 nm. Range settings have no affect while playing with the radar set to Standard Mode.

Because of the display's orientation, the nearer target blips are to the bottom edge, the closer they are to your aircraft in actuality. This is only true in Standard Mode. Blip positions in Moderate/Authentic mean something entirely different

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Detailed Data Display (DOD) Modes Figure 4-/6: The Standard Mode Detailed Data Display (DDD) in SEARCH mode displays targets like a conventional radar screen.

When the radar is set to a Standard Mode difficulty level, the DDD has only two operational modes of operation; SEARCH and TRACK. Your current operating mode is shown undemeath the DDD monitor. The radar mode buttons located to the right of the display are used in Moderate/Authentic Mode only. You can ignore these buttons while playing in Standard Mode.

SEARCH MODE Search mode is the radar's normal mode of operation. You will spend 95% of the mission fiying around, looking for the

enemy wrth your radar set to SEARCH. In Standard Mode (difficulty leveO, targets in front of you are automatically detected when your radar is set to SEARCH mode.

When your radar is active (tumed On) and set to SEARCH mode, a vertical bar moves back and forth across the display. This motion shows the position of your radar beam as it sweeps the sky. In Standard Mode, your radar sweeps a full 1800 arc in front of your aircraft. When rt comes in contact wrth an enemy aircraft, a tiny, square radar "blip" is created. This blip is then placed on the display in its proper relationship to your aircraft.

Once you have detected a target, the next thing you' ll want to do is "lock" rt on radar. In Standard Mode, you can lock­up a target in one of two ways. The first way is by pressing the Lock/Cycle Target [Backspace I. This immediately locks-up the nearest target blip (friendly, enemy or neutral).

The second way of locking targets is done directly on the DDD monitor rtself Move your mouse pointer onto the DDD screen. Once the pointer moves across the monochrome display, it changes into two horizontal lines known as Acquisition bors or "Ack bars". Position these bars above and below the desired target blip (so that the blip is straddled). Now press the left mouse button to lock the target.

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TRACK MODE

Figure 4-1 7: The Standard Mode Detailed Data Display (DDD) tracks single targets by focusing the radar beam. Note that you lose sight of the other targets while you are in TRACK mode.

TRACK Mode is the DOD's second mode of operation. This mode is used w hen a target has been locked on radar.

The radar switches from Search to Track automatically. The word T RACK appears undemeath the DOD monitor w hen the radar has been switched to TRACK Mode.

The symbology on the DOD also changes when the radar is in TRACK mode. Because t he radar beam is now focused

(locked) on one particular target. only t hat target's blip appears. The radar beam stops its sweeping motion and remains fixated on the locked target

In addrtion, a horizon line and Allowable Steering Enror (ASE) circle are displayed. The horizon line allows you to orient

yourself vis-a-vis your prtch angle. This is particularly important when fiying at low altrtudes and occupying the backseat.

Ideally, the target blip should be inside the ASE circle before launching a missile. This is not a strict requirement, however.

MODERATE/AUTHENTIC MODE DETAILED DATA DISPLAY (DDD) The Moderate/Authentic Mode Detailed Data Display (DOD) w orlks very differently than rt does in Standard Mode.

Physically, however, it looks much the same.

Once again, the DOD is oriented so that the two vertical bars (each wrth 4 horizontal tick marlks) are posrtioned at a

300 to your line of fiight. Radar blips outside these bars, therefore, represent aircraft that are 300 or more to your left or right. Like the Standard Mode DOD, the full display w idth equals 1300.

In this mode, the position of the target blips on the display has nothing to do wrth range. We repeat; the posrtion of

the target blips on the display has nothing to do with range. The DOD, in this mode, shows azimuth (the horizontal location of the target in relation to your aircraft) and target closure.

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Target closure is displayed on the DDD vertically. The nearer to the top of the screen a target blip is located, the faster it is moving toward you. Note that running down both sides of the display are five tick marks. (fhe tick marks are directly undemeath the tiny T symbols in upper comers). The uppermost tick mark (directly under the T symbol) represents a closure rate of 1200 knots. The next t ick down represents a closure rate of 600 knots. The center tick mark indicates no closure, both of you are traveling at nearly the same speed.

Target blips located below the center tick mark are actually moving away from you. A target located parallel to the bottom tick mark is moving away from you at 1200 knots.

The range of the DDD is adjustable. You can use Zoom In/Out wand (2] to change the maximum range setting. The range numbers change above the display to indicate the current maximum range.

While the Standard Mode DDD worked just like a radar screen, in Moderate/Authentic Mode, the DDD functions very differently. Actually, putting the word "Detailed" in this display's name is a mistake. When you get right down to it, this display does not give you much detail at all. Most of the time you will be jumping back and forth between the DDD and TID to get the complete target picture.

Display Information and Symbology Figure 4-18: The Moderate/Authentic Mode Detailed Data Display (DOD) displays by the horizontal azimuth and rate of closure, not range!

Although the symbology displayed on the Moderate/Authentic Mode DDD is fairly similar to Standard Mode, the display itself is set up differently. Instead of giving you range and azimuth like a normal radar, the Moderate/Authentic Mode DDD gives you azimuth and closure rate.

Changing Radar Modes The buttons d irectly to the right of the DDD change you radar mode. Use your mouse pointer to press the desired

button or change radar mode by toggling the Change Radar Mode ~ Your current radar mode is displayed in the text window undemeath the DDD.

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You may also change the azimuth (width) of the radar beam by toggling the Azimuth Setting ~ Depending upon your mode, you have three choices, Nanrow, Medium, and Wide. Your cunrent azimuth setting is also displayed in the text window undemeath the DDD.

STANDARD MODE TACTICAL INFORMATION DISPLAY (TID) Figure 4-1 9: The T acticol Information Display (TID). In Standard Mode, the TID gives you an unfair advantage over the competition.

Display Range

Your Aircraft

The RIO's Tactical Information Display (TID) is located undemeath the Detailed Data Display. Some players have refenred to it as the "crystal ball", others are reminded of peering down into a fishbowl. In either case, the TID is a large circular display and is accessed by using the Look Down [gJ while occupying back seat.

Unlike the DDD, your aircraft is located in the center ofthe Tactical Information Display. This gives you a 3600 "God's eye" view of the tactical situation sunrounding your aircraft. The TID can also be range scaled between 10 nm and 200 nm.

Display Icons and Symbology Your aircraft, as well as other friendly aircraft icons are displayed in blue. Enemy and neutral icons are displayed in red.

The icons themselves are easily distinguishable. Appearing on the display are fighter, bomber, ship and SAM radar icons. When you lock a target on radar, a white box appears around its icon. This makes it easy to see your target it the

midst of a crowd. Your assigned waypoints also appear on this display as green triangles.

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MODERATE/AUTHENTIC MODE TACTICAL INFORMATION DISPLAY (TID) The TID no longer displays pretty colored icons for you in Moderate/Authentic Mode, In this mode, the TID resembles

a baseball diamond, with your aircraft positioned at home plate, Instead of icons, targets are depicted on screen as symbols

representing friendly, enemy, neutral, or unknown targets,

TID Target Icons -UNKNOWN

There are icons to represent friendly, enemy, or neutral aircraft, There is even

an icon to represent targets which are passed to you via data-link

n /\ n

-ENEMY

Pulse-Doppler Search (PDSRCH) - FRIENDLY The Tactical Information Display is inoperative when your radar is in PDSRCH

mode, When the radar is in PDSRCH, the TID screen remains blank o - LOCKED/DESIGNATED TARGET

Pulse-Doppler Single Target Track (POSIT) u - DATA-LINK UNKNOWN

When the radar is toggled to PDSn , the TID provides you with targeting

information specific to the target you have locked-up, Figure 4-20: Moderate/Authentic Mode

target icons, ASPECT ANGLE

13L

12L ~ ~130'

120:

4L

H

i 180'

0'

T

13R

130' /

40'

~ 4R

Figure 4-2 I: Aspect Angle is the angle at which you are looking at the target (i,e, the side o( the target (acing you). The angle con be either a single or double digit value, (For example, on angle o( 800 would be displayed as 8, on angle o( 1200 would be displayed as 12- the lost zero is always dropped)

The target's range (RA) is displayed at the top left side of the monitor, The range is given in nautical miles (nm),

The target's altitude (AL T) is displayed directly undemeath the target's range

indication, The altitude is given in thousands of feet

The target's aspect angle (T A) is displayed directly to the right of the target's

RA indication,

The target's closure rate (displayed in knots) is centered halfWay down the right

hand side of the screen, The greater the closure rate number, the faster the target is

approaching and the less time you'll have to deal with it,

Finally, located in the lower right hand side of the display is the Weapon Priority Indicator along w ith the number of missiles you have remaining, This symbol is

repeated on the HUD,

Track-While-Scan (TWS-M, TWS-A) The TID is most effective when toggled to one the T rack-While-Scan modes

(Manual or Automatic.) You do not receive the same level of information about

specific targets that you get with PDSn, but you are able to target and engage

multiple bogeys simultaneously,

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With the radar in aT rack-While-Scan mode, you can look over the entire battlefield, inspecting many aircraft instead of having to lock them up one at a time.

HIGHLIGHTING TARGETS [HT] In Standard Mode, you had to lock-up a target before you could IFF check it. The advanced modes allow you to highlight

a target instead of locking it up. This lets you IFF check an enemy aircraft without setting off his radar waming receivers. To highlight a target, simply use the mouse pointer to press the HT (Highlight Target) button located at the bottom of

the TID. Now move the mouse pointer over the target icon you wish to designate. Press the left mouse button. The target icon is now highlighted. Press the IFF ITl to identify this target

DESIGNATING TARGETS [DT] In TWS mode, you are able to aim your Phoenix missiles at more than one target at a time. This is done by designating

targets in a particular sequence or firing order (i.e. direct the order in which missiles are fired at specific targets. To designate a target. use your mouse pointer to press the DT (Designate Target) button located undemeath the TID.

The letters on the button will illuminate when the button is pressed. Once this has been done, simply choose the targets you wish to designate (add to the firing order). Move your mouse

pointer over the target icon and press the left mouse button. As each target is designated, a firing order sequence number is placed to the right of the target icon. You con only do this if you Phoenix missiles remaining on-board.

CLEARING TARGETS [Cl] If you change your mind about a particular firing sequence, use the mouse pointer to press the CT (Clear Targets)

button. The CT button is located under the TID monitor. When this button is pressed, all stored infonmation, such as target ID, firing order, etc., is erased.

Range-While-Search (RWS) The TID displays only target icons when toggled to this radar mode. Data link infonmation still appears however.

Data Link Targeting

Figure 4-22: The E-2C Hawkeye allows you to fire on targets based on information it provides you via data-link

Your F-14 has the ability to engage targets based on infonmation provided to you via a data-link with the E-2C Hawkeye. To display data-linked targets, use your mouse pointer and press the DL (Data-Link) button located at the bottom of the TID.

Once these targets appear on the TID, they are treated as any other target You may fire on them at your leisure, even if you radar is tumed off

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RIGHT CONSOLE You can access the RIO's right hand console by pressing the Look Right ® You must first occupy a backseat view. The

main item on this screen is the column of red waming lights. These lights are collectively refenred to as the Master Caution­

Advisory panel. When a system is damaged, its corresponding lamp will illuminate.

Figure 4-23: The RIO's right hand console.

Master Caution Advisory Panel

This screen is informational only and duplicates the pilot's panel in the front seat. There are no "hot" buttons or interactive keys available on this screen.

LEFT CONSOLE The RIO's left console contains a control panel with actual buttons and knobs needed to change the azimuth and bars

of the A WG-9 radar.

Figure 4-24.' The RIO's left hand console.

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o THE AWG-9 RADAR The radar system on the F-14 Tomcat is the AWG-9 (Air Weapons Group-9) radar. It is an integrated radar/weapon

system able to track up to 24 different targets at one time. Six of these targets can be attacked simultaneously using the AIM-54 Phoenix missile. The system can also use targeting infonmation provided by other aircraft through a data link

The AWG-9 does have certain drawbacks, though. This radar and its component systems represent 1960s technology, long before the tenm "user friendly" was ever heard of It shows. There is nothing friendly about the AWG-9 radar. The complexity of the AWG-9's displays requires a second set of eyes- and hands. Luckily, FLEET DEFENDER gives you the option of tuming over certain radar duties to your RIO by setting the level of RIO assistance.

If this is your first time in an F-14 cockpit, you can avoid a great deal of confusion by leaming how to operate the radar in Standard Mode first. This mode is the least difficurt level of operation. It represents a streamlined version of the more advanced modes. Only after you are completely comfortable with using the radar in Standard Mode should you begin to experiment with the more realistic (and complex) modes.

Moderate Mode radar represents a big step up from Standard Mode but it is still only an intenmediate level of difficurty. The urtimate challenge in FLEET DEFENDER is to play the simulation with the radar set to Authentic Mode. Authentic Mode is -well, authentic. Don't say we didn't wam you. Next to carrier landings, becoming proficient with the radar system is admittedly the most difficurt part of FLEET DEFENDER.

The term "mode" is used frequently in the following text to describe the various operative functions of the radar. It is importQnt not to confuse these "modes" with the different levels of difficulty; Standard, Moderate, and Authentic Mode. Difficulty levels and operative modes are two entirely different concepts. Therefore, the term "mode" is always used uppercase when referring to levels of difficulty and lowercase when describing radar functions

STANDARD MODE RADAR Modes of Operation

Standard Mode radar has two basic methods of operation, known as operative modes; Search and Track Your radar spends the majority of its time in Search mode. That is, the radar beam just sweeps back and forth looking for targets, sending out energy. This is the radar's nonmal mode of operation.

When your radar is operating in Search mode, it is detectable. In most cases it does not cause the enemy pilots to react with undue alanm. They are only aware that a radar is operating in their vicinity. Once a target enters a piece of sky being covered by your radar, the target is detected. Detected targets appear on the DDD as tiny green squares (radar blips).

The radar's other operative mode is known as Track mode. This mode is used when you wish to concentrate your radar beam on a particular target. Concentrating your radar beam (locking-up a target) is a necessary prerequisite for using radar-guided missi les. The radar switches from Search mode to Track mode when a target is locked. Enemy aircraft react to being locked-up. Don't you? Therefore, it is in your best interest to remain in Search mode for as long as possible.

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Note that Track mode is the abbreviated form of the phrase Single-Target-Track mode (STT) . The sn indicator light, located to the right ofthe DDD, illuminates when Single-Target-Track mode is in operation (i.e. when a target is locked).

Operating the Standard Mode Radar Step I : Tum the radar On (activate the radar).

Press the Radar On/Off toggle lli]. From the rear seat cockpit you can also tum on the radar by clicking the left mouse button on the cockpit switch marked RDR. A text message appears letting you know that the radar has been activated. The cockpit switch labeled RDR illuminates when the radar is on. Note that in Standard Mode, the radar is already switched on for you.

Step 2: Be sure the Master Arm switch is On.

Press the Master Arm Switch toggle ~ or move your mouse pointer over the Master Arm switch and press the left mouse button. When the Master Arm switch is activated the Master Arm light illuminates. Note that in Standard Mode, the Master Arm switch is already tumed on for you.

Step 3: Adjust the display range of your radar beam.

At the higher difficulty settings, you would normally adjust range of your radar here. In Standard Mode, your radar's display range is unimportant Your radar beam always searches out to a maximum range of 200 nm. You can change the range setting but this has no real affect on your beam. This step is only included as a reminder. This step is only used in the more difficult modes.

Step 4: Target detection.

In Standard Mode, your radar automatically detects any targets in front the 3/9 axis of your aircraft. As long as the target is even one foot in front of your aircraft, it is detected regardless of its ah:itude. Targets appear on the rear cockpit Detailed Data Display (DDD) as tiny green squares (or radar "blips"). Notice that your radar beam continues to sweep back and forth across the DDD, so information conceming the targets is continually updated. Read the DDD section in this chapter for details on DDD symbology.

Step 5: Select your weapon.

The F- 14 has the capability to canry three different types of AAMs and is also equipped with a muh:i-barreled 20 mm cannon. To select a weapon, press either Guns CD, AIM-9 Sidewinder [gJ, AIM-7 Sparrow @], or AIM-54 Phoenix 0 . Your weapon selection appears on the bottom of the HUD, along with the number of missiles (or rounds) you have remaining. If your Master Arm switch is off, an X symbol is placed over your weapon selection indication.

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Step 6: Obtain a radar lock

To lock-up the desired target, press either the Lock/Cycle Targets (Backspace Key). In Standard Mode, each additional press of this key cycles through all eligible targets.

You can also lock-up a target directly tram the DDD by moving your mouse pointer over the DDD screen. As the mouse pointer moves over the DDD screen it changes into an Acquisition symbol. The Acquisition or "Ack" symbol appears as two horizontal bars. Move the bars so that they straddle (above and below) the target blip and press the left mouse button.

Your radar stops sweeping after you lock a target It changes mode trom Search to Track It centers on the target aircraft you have locked and remains stationary.

Step 7: Perfonm an Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) check

Before you fire at a target, it is a good idea to conduct an Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) check You ore severely penalized for shooting down friendlies and neutrals.

In order to IFF check a target, the target must be locked. Press the IFF CD or use your mouse pointer to press the IFF button in the rear cockpit. If the target is friendly, you' ll hear a solid tone sound. If the target is an enemy or neutral aircraft you do not hear the tone.

When an IFF check is made on a friendly target, two horizontal lines appear on the DDD which bisect the target's blip. When neutral targets are checked a single line bisects the blip. When an IFF check is made on an enemy target, no lines appear on the DDD.

With your radar set to a Standard Mode level of difficulty you con always check the TID screen to see if the target is blue (meaning friendly) or red (meaning neutral or enemy).

Step 8: Retum to the front seat cockpit.

In the F-14, the pilot has the uh:imate responsibility for launching all ordnance, the RIO's job is done once a target is locked. Retum to the front cockpit to view the Head-Up Display (HUD). All the targeting infonmation you need appears on

the HUD when a target is locked. For example, a target diamond is superimposed over the locked target on the HUD screen. Read the HUD section in this chapter for details on HUD symbology.

Step 9: Receive a "Shoot cue".

Wait until the target is within range of your weapon. The maximum (Rmax) and minimum (Rmin) ranges of the selected weapon are displayed as tick marks on the HUD range bar. The uppenmost tick mark is the maximum range of your weapon, the lower tick mark is the minimum range of the weapon.

The target itself is shown as a caret positioned on the left side of the range bar. When this caret moves between the maximum and minimum range of your weapon, the HUD symbology begins to ffash. This is a shoot cue indicating that your target is in

range, and that you are ready to fire. Figure 4-25: Fox-2. A missile launch on a locked target

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Step 10: Fire the weapon.

Once you receive a shoot cue you can fire your selected weapon. To fire a weapon press the Pickle Button I Spacebar I or push Joystick button #2. After a brief delay, a missile leaps off the rail and heads toward your target. Your vision is momentarily obscured by the missile's smoke trail. Note that your inventory of that weapon, as indicated on the HUD, is reduced accordingly.

Quick note: If the missile is an AIM-7 Sparrow you must keep the target locked on your radar until the missile actually hits. You con only have one of these missiles in the air at a time.

How to Handle Multiple (Standard Mode) Targets Note that the detect, lock, and shoot procedure can be repeated very quickly if multiple targets are detected on the

DDD. Simply cycle through all the eligible targets using the Lock/Cycle Targets [Backspace I and fire a missile at each one. Repeat this cycle of lock-shoot, lock-shoot until you have fired on all the targets or have run out of missiles.

Be sure that you have selected either Sidewinder or Phoenix missiles when firing on multiple targets. Sparrow missiles require that your radar remain locked on a single target until the missile actually hits.

MODERATE MODE RADAR One of the biggest differences between Standard Mode and Moderate Mode is the addition of several new radar

operative modes. In Standard Mode, the radar was simplified and easy to use, you only had to worry about two operative modes: Search and Track. Now that you have graduated to the Moderate level of difficulty, the Search mode function has been divided into a number of new modes.

In addition to introducing new modes of operation, your radar no longer detects targets just because they happen to be in front of your aircraft. Moderate Mode gives your radar beam shape (an area of coverage). Targets must fly into this area of coverage (the radar's scan pattem) in order for you to detect them.

In Standard Mode, the horizontal coverage (azimuth) of your radar beam was fixed at a full 1800. The entire area in front of your aircraft was covered both vertically (from ground level on up) and horizontally. Moderate Mode introduces the concept of radar scan pattems (the conical area covered by the radar's energy). Your radar now has both vertical and horizontal limitations which vary according to the radar's mode of operation.

The vertical size of your radar scan pattem is measured in bars. The more bars a radar beam scans, the larger the area of vertical coverage. More bars means a greater difference between the upper and lower limits of the radar beam. The horizontal size (azimuth) of your radar beam is measured in degrees.

Moderate Mode also forces you to take the target's radar cross-signature into account. In Standard Mode, your radar was able to detect all targets out to a maximum range of 200 nautical miles, regardless of their size. This has now been changed to reflect a more realistic relationship between the size of the target and the distance at which it can be detected.

Radar cross-signatures are described in the radar training portion of the Oceana training theater section.

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Your radar mode also plays an important role in detenmining how far away it can detect targets. For example, Pulse Doppler Search mode (PDSRCH) is able to spot large-sized targets, like four engined bombers, out to a range of 200 nm. Track-While-Scan mode, because it has to monitor many radar retums, has a much shorter range (approximately 145 nm).

Modes of Operation PULSE DOPPLER SEARCH (PDSRCH) MODE

Pulse Doppler Search mode (PDSRCH) is the nonmal operating state of your radar in Moderate Mode. It functions much the same as Search mode did at the Standard Mode level of difficulty, but there are some important differences.

In Moderate Mode, the size of the PDSRCH scan pattem is adjustable. It can be set to one of three pattems: Wide (2 bar/65°), Medium (4 barJ4oo), or Narrow (8 bar/20°). The current widith setting is recorded undemeath the Detailed Data Display (DDD).

Read the TID sec(jon of this chapter for details on Target Information Display (TID) symbology.

PDSRCH provides you with rudimentary target infonmation only. It alerts you to the presence of other aircraft but does little to aid your situational awareness. For example, PDSRCH never provides target range infonmation. Targets appearing on the DDD could be 100 nm away or as little as 10 nm. As long as you remain in PDSRCH mode, you' ll never know. Therefore, once a target is detected, it is recommended that you quickly switch to another radar mode.

The Target Information Display (TID) does not func(jon while the radar is in Pulse Doppler Search (PDSRCH) mode.

2) RANGE WHILE SEARCH (RWS) MODE Range-While-Search (RWS) mode functions exactly as PDSRCH with

one exception, target icons show up your RIO's Target Information Display (TID) . Not only does the TID give you a top down view of the tactical situation, it also allows you to detenmine a target's approximate range.

The TID can be range-scaled from a maximum range of 200 nm to 10 nm by pressing the Zoom In/Out m and 0 . Target range is detenmined by comparing the position of the target within the display. If a target is near the middle of the display and the display is set to a range of 100 nm, the target is approximately 50 nm away from your aircraft.

Range-While-Search mode (RWS) allows you to check on the range of targets without having to lock them on radar. Like PDSRCH, RWS has three variable scan pattern widiths: Wide (65°), Medium (40°), or Narrow (200). The current widith setting is recorded undemeath the DDD.

Read the TID section in this chapter for details on Target Information Display (TID) symbology.

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Figure 4-26: The Moderate/Authentic Mode TID showing targets displayed in Range-While-Search Mode.

PULSE DOPPLER SINGLE-TARGET-TRACK (PDSTT) MODE Pulse Doppler Single-T arget-Track mode (PDSTI) functions much the same as Track mode did at the Standard Mode

level of difficu~. When a target is detected in Pulse Doppler Search (PDSRCH) or Range-While-Search (RWS) modes, it can be locked-up by changing the radar mode to Pulse Doppler Single-Target-Track mode (PDSTI).

To change the radar mode from PDSRCH to PDSn, press the Lock/Cycle Targets r=1 Bc-ac-':-k-sp-a-c-'e I . Alternatively, you can move the mouse pointer to the sn button (located to the right of the DDD) and press the left mouse button.

PDSlT gives you away, however. Locking-up a target using PDSn causes the enemy pilot's radar detector to start sounding-off in his headset Oust like yours does when on enemy pilot locks you up!) For this reason you may not want to use this rnode unless its absolutely necessary.

Once you have locked a target using PDSn, your TID provides you with specific details concerning this target Check the TID for range, altitude, and closure information.

POSIT only allows you to track and engage one target at a time. Although you can fire any of your missiles using this mode, POSIT is best used to fire AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. AIM-7s are semi-octive radar-guided missiles which require the full attention of the radar. You can only have one of these missiles in the air at a time, anyway.

TRACK-WHILE-SCAN-AUTOMATIC (TWS-A) MODE

Figure 4-27: A F-141ets an AIM-54 Phoenix go. Even traveling mach 5, with such 0 long range, it'll be several minutes before it hits its target

Track-While-Scan-Automatic mode (TWS-A) is the AWG-9's raison d'etre. The combination ofT rack-While-Scan and Phoenix missile is what makes the F-14 so deadly.

Track-While-Scan is pronounced 'Twiz" by those in the knOw.

TWS-A allows you to fire AIM-54 missi les at up to six (6) different targets at a time. Note that unlike PDSn , you do not lock-up individual targets using this mode, so the enemy is not alerted. Therefore, you can fire on targets in TWS-A mode and they may not even see it coming. This makes TWS-A the radar mode of choice when launching missiles at BVR (beyond visual range) targets.

In order to keep track of so many targets at once, the AWG-9 radar needs to be updated with fresh targeting information every two seconds. This means that the area covered by your beam must be smaller than usual so that it can be scanned more quickly. Accordingly, TWS-A allows for beam widths of medium and narrow size only.

To se lect Track-While-Scan-Automatic mode, press the Change Radar mode ~. Alternatively, you can move the mouse pointer to the TWSA button (located to the right of the DDD) and press the left mouse button. Once selected, TWS-A is indicated, along with the current beam width setting underneath the DDD.

Locking-up targets defeats the purpose ofTWS-A. The main benefit of this mode is the ability to engage multiple targets without them being aware that you are looking at them. The key to using TWS-A is the Target Information Display (TID). Be sure that you are familiar with the symbology on the TID especially the information dealing with target sequences.

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In TWS-Automatic mode, targets are automatically assigned a position on the launch sequence. That is to say, the radar detenmines which targets pose the greatest danger (those closest to your aircraft) and directs your missiles accordingly. Targets nearest to your aircraft are usually fired upon first.

The firing order is displayed on the TID by placing a number directly to the right of the target's icon. Numbers to the left of target icons indicate the target's altitude. A target with the # I next to it is fired upon first, the #2 target is fired upon next, up to a maximum of six, equally the maximum number of Phoenix missiles carned by the F-14.

As you fire your Phoenix missiles, targets move up in the firing order and are renumbered. The #3 target becomes the #2 target, the #2 target becomes the # I target, and so on. You can never have more targets occupying positions in the firing order than you have AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.

TRACK-WHILE-SCAN-MANUAL (TWS-M) MODE Trock-While-Scon-Manual mode functions exactly the same as Trock-While-Scon-Automatic, with one important

difference. Whereas TWS-A designated targets for you and assigned them a position in the firing sequence, Trock-While­Scan-Manual mode makes you responsible for prioritizing the targets, hence the term "manual".

Trock-While-Scan-Manual mode (TWS-M) allows you (forces you) to decide which targets you will fire on and in what order. To designate targets in TWS-M mode, simply move your mouse pointer to the button marked DT (Designate Target). The DT button is located beneath the circular TID screen. Press the left mouse button when the pointer is resting on the DT button. The DT button tums red signifYi ng that you are in the process of designated targets.

Once you have pressed the DT button, move the mouse pointer over to the target icon on the TID you w ish to designate. Press the left mouse button again. The target you have designated is assigned a number indicating its place in the firing order. If this is the first target you have designated, a number one ( I) appears to the right of the target icon.

You may continue to designate targets up to the number of AIM -54 Phoenix missiles you have remaining. TWS modes (Automatic and Manual) are only relevant when you are carrying AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. Without Phoenix missiles, Trock-While-Scan modes are a moot point!

BORESIGHT (BRST) MODE Boresight mode (BRST) is designed specifically to aid the pilot in the fast­

paced environment of modem air combat. Boresight mode allows you to lock-up an enemy without going through normal step-by-step radar procedures. It is a close-quarter dogfighting mode that allows you to instantly get a radar lock on any target that is directly in front of your aircraft.

To change the radar to Boresight mode (BRST), press the BoresightlVSL Toggle [E nd I As you may guess, this key toggles between Boresight mode and Vertical Scan Lock-On mode (VSL). Continue to press the toggle until the letters BRST appears in the window beneath the DDD.

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Figure 4-28: The Moderote/Authendc Mode HUD showing the Boresight circle.

Boresight mode focuses your radar beam along the heading of your ai rcraft. When your radar is in Boresight mode, a circular boresight indicator appears in the center of your HUD. In addition to the circular HUD boresight, the Boresight indicator in the pilot's cockpit illuminates.

Any aircraft (friendly or enemy) that ventures into or is maneuvered inside this circle is automatically locked-up on your radar. You do not have to press a key. The BRST circle automatically changes to a target diamond when the target is locked. However, the maximum range of Boresight mode is 5 nautical miles. That is to say, a target must be within 5 nm of your aircraft and within the BRST circle in order to be locked-up.

This mode is also very useful in picking a specific target out of a group of aircraft. If more than one aircraft is located inside the BRST circle, the target aircraft nearest your own is the one that is locked.

VERTICAL SCAN LOCK-ON (VSL) MODE

Figure 4-29: The Moderate/Authentic Mode HUD showing the Vertical Scan Lock-on (VSL) diamond.

Like BRST, Vertical Scan Lock-On mode (VSL) is another radar mode used almost exclusively in the tight tuming confines of a high G dogfight VSL causes the radar to sweep in an up and down motion rather than in the normal left. to right fashion. The gimble limits of your radar in VSL are -150 down and +550 up. In a tuming dogfight with your aircraft in a high G bank, being able to sweep at +550 almost gives your ai rcraft the ability to see around comers.

To change the radar to VSL, press the BoresightlVSL Toggle [End] This key toggles between Boresight mode (BRST) and Vertical Scan Lock-On mode (VSL). Continue to press this key until the letters VS L appears in the window beneath the DDD.

A diamond-shaped icon sweeps up and down on your HUD. This is not an actual target perfonming high speed loops, it is only an indication that your radar is in VSL mode. Like Boresight mode, when VSL sweeps across an eligible target, it automatically "locks" that target for you. No muss, no fuss. The only drawback to VSL mode is that the beam width is very narrow and

the risk of overlooking targets on either side is great. Again, li ke Boresight mode, VSL is range restricted to 5 nm or less. Note that you cannot further elevate the beam by pressing keys nonmally used to raise or lower the beam. VSL limits

the vertical scan parameters to _15° and +55°.

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Operating the Moderate Mode Radar Step I : Tum the radar on.

Press the Radar On/Off Toggle []] . From the rear seat cockpit screen you can tum on the radar by clicking the left mouse button on the cockpit switch marked RDR. A text message appears letting you know that the radar has been activated. The cockpit switch labeled RDR illuminates when the radar is on and the beam can be seen sweeping back and forth on the DDD.

Step 2: Be sure the Master Arm switch is on. Press the Master Arm Switch toggle [};D or move your mouse pointer over the Master Arm switch and press the left

mouse button. When the Master Arm switch is activated the Master Arm light illuminates.

Step 3: Adjust the maximum display range of your radar beam. To adjust your radar's maximum display range, you must be seated in the RIO's cockpit (back seat). Press the Zoom

Out 0 to increase the range or press the Zoom In m to decrease the range. You can select a radar range of either 5 nm, I 0 nm, 20 nm, 50 nm, I 00 nm, and 200 nm. The current range of the

radar beam is illuminated on the panel above the DDD. It is also shown in the tiny display window.

Step 4: Adjust the radar beam elevation. Your radar projects a conical beam directly ahead of your aircraft. If a target is above or below this cone (i.e. outside

the limits of the beam) your radar cannot detect it. In Moderate Mode you can adjust the beam's elevation by pressing Beam Elevation Up 2° [PgUP l or Beam Elevation

Down 2° [PgDn I You can inspect the radar beam's current elevation setting on the vertical gauge directly to the left of the DDD. The numbers 00, 20°, 40°, and 600 refer to degree of beam elevation or depression.

Hint Adjusting your beam elevation has tactical benefits. One is to ffy very low (wave-hop) with your radar beam pointed upwards. This makes it hard (or enemy aircraft to detect you (you'll be below their radar coverage!). Meanwhile, you'll be able to spot them just fine.

Step 5: Select a radar mode. This decision was made for you in Standard Mode. There were only two operative modes: Search mode to find targets

and Track mode to attack 'em. In Moderate Mode, however, there are several search modes and several "attack" modes. As you will come to understand, there are pros and cons to using each radar mode.

You have two search modes to choose from. They are;

I) the PDSRCH mode for general long range, wide area coverage, and 2) the RWS mode which functions exactly like the PDSRCH with the added benefrt of range information on the TID.

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After locating a target (or targets), it is a good idea to switch over to one of the several attack modes now available to you. These are as follows;

I) the PDSTT mode for locking-up and attacking single targets, or 2) the TWS-A mode for attacking multiple targets with Phoenix missiles, or 3) the TWS-M mode for manually designating multiple targets to be attacked with Phoenix missiles, or 4) the BRST mode for point-blank dogfighting (the proverbial knife fight in a phone booth), or 5) the VSL mode for hard tuming (banking) fights emphasizing vertical coverage over horizontal coverage.

Step 6: Target detection. Regardless of the radar mode you choose, a target must be physically located within the area covered by the scan

pattem of your radar beam in order to be detected. This is why bar and azimuth settings are important. They delineate how big an area your radar is covering. Beam elevation is also important because it detenmines where your radar is pointing.

Not only must a target be inside your radar scan pattem, it must also be large enough to refiect the radar energy back to your aircraft. Large targets have big radar cross-signatures and are detected at greater ranges than small targets. For example, cruise missiles like the Exocet or Kingfish, have very small radar signatures.

When targets are detected they appear on the RIO's Detailed Data Display (DOD) as tiny green squares (or radar "blips"). As long as you do not lock-up a target, your radar beam continues to sweep back and forth across the DOD, continually updating target infonmation.

Always allow several seconds for target information to settle on the display.

Step 7: Perfonm an Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) check Before you fire at a target (or group of targets), it is a good idea to conduct an Identification, Friend or Foe (I FF) check

You are severely penalized for shooting down friendlies and neutrals. To IFF check a target the target must be "highlighted" on the TID (if your radar is in a Track-While-Scan mode) or locked (if your radar is in Pulse Doppler Search mode).

If your radar is in PDSRCH or RWS, lock the desired target directly from the DOD by moving your mouse pointer over the DOD screen. Once the mouse pointer moves over the screen, it changes into an Acquisition "Ack" symbol. (The "Ack" symbol appears as two horizontal bars). Move the "Ack" bars so that they straddle (above and below) the desired target and click the left mouse button. The target is now locked. Note that your radar automatically changes to PDSTT when a single target is locked.

In order to IFF check a target. the target must be locked. Press the IFF CD or use your mouse pointer to press the IFF button in the rear cockpit. If the target is friendly, you' ll hear a solid tone sound. If the target is an enemy or neutral aircraft you do not hear the tone.

When an IFF check is made on a friendly target, two horizontal lines appear on the DOD which bisect the target's blip. When neutral targets are checked a single line bisects the blip. When an IFF check is made on an enemy target, no lines appear on the DOD.

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If your radar is in TWS-A or TWS-M you can IFF check multiple targets on the TID by highlighting individual target icons. On the TID, different target icons distinguish friendly, enemy, and neutral targets. See the TID section in Chapter 3.

To highlight a target, move your mouse pointer over the button marked HT at the bottom of the TID. Press the left mouse button. The HT button tums red indicating you can now highlight target icons on the TID screen. Move your mouse

pointer over the desired target icon and press the left mouse button. The icon changes to a lighter shade indicating that it

has been highlighted. You can now perform an I FF check on this target by pressing the IFF CD. The target icon changes its shape to indicate

its friendly, enemy, or neutral status. For multiple targets, simply move the mouse pointer to a new target icon and press the IFF CD. Repeat this procedure

as many times as there are unidentified targets present on the TID.

Step 8: Select the appropriate weapon. Having found a target (or group of targets), you must decide which type of weapon to use. The F- 14 has the capability

to carry three different types of AAMs and is also equipped with a multi-banreled 20 mm cannon.

To select a weapon, press either Guns CD, AIM-9 Sidewinder @, AIM-7 Sparrow @], or AIM-54 Phoenix 0 . Your

weapon selection appears on the bottom ofthe HUD along with the number of missiles (or rounds) you have remaining. If your Moster Arm switch is off on X symbol is placed over your weapon selection indication.

Step 9: Conduct the attack In Standard Mode, all the hard decisions were mode for you. All you hod to do was switch the radar to Track mode, thereby

"locking-up" the target. Once the target was locked, you Simply waited for it to get within range of your selected weapon. In Moderate Mode, your method of attack differs greatly from that used previously in Standard Mode. Now, you must

consider your tactical situation (including choice of weapon) and select a radar mode accordingly. You have a choice of the

following radar attack modes; POSIT, TWS-A, TWS-M, BRST, and VSL.

PULSE DOPPLER SINGLE-TARGET-TRACK MODE In PDSn, the target is locked (as in Standard Mode) so all you need do is wait until the target is within range, then fire

the weapon. Tactically however, it is unwise to use PDSn if other enemy aircraft are in the area. Your radar remains

focused on the single, locked target and loses track of all other potential threats.

All three missiles (Sidewinder, Sparrow, and Phoenix) can be fired using PDSn for guidance. Since the AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-54 Phoenix are "fire and forget" missiles, you can immediately break your lock after firing them by

pressing the Break Lock [8] if you desire. These missiles are self-guiding after launch. Only the AIM-7 Sparrow requires

further radar guidance, you must keep the radar focused on the target until the Sparrow actually hits (or is deemed a miss).

135

TRACK-WHILE-SCAN (AUTOMATIC AND MANUAL) MODE Track-While-Scan mode gives you the abilrty to target and engage several targets at a time. Targets are designated on

the TID and given a numerical position within the firing sequence. All you need do is insure that the targets are all within

range before firing. If you are carrying Phoenix missiles (the recommended load-out), you can ripple fire your missiles. They

automat ically guide themselves to their individual targets. TWS-M is a little more difficult. You must individually select and designate your targets on the TID using the mouse

pointer. The order in which you designate targets becomes the order in which they appear in the firing sequence. Once

you have finished designating your targets, you are ready to fire. As w ith TWS-A, all you need do is insure that the targets

are within range before firing. If you are carrying Phoenix missiles (the recommended load-out) you can ripple fire your

missiles. They automatically guide themselves t o the targets you have designated.

Step 10: Receive a "Shoot cue".

Obviously, you must wait until the target is within range of your weapon if you expect it to hit the target. In posn, the

maximum (Rmax) and minimum (Rmin) ranges of the selected weapon are displayed as tick marl<s on the HUO range bar. The uppenmost t ick mark is the maximum range of your weapon, the lower tick mark is the minimum range of the weapon.

The target itself is shown as a range caret positioned on the left side of the range bar. When this caret moves between

the maximum and min imum range of your weapon, the HUO symbology begins to flash. This is a "shoot cue" indicating

that your target is in range, and that you are ready to fire.

In the Track-While-Scan modes, because you are able to fire on more than one target, it is possible that some of your

targets will be in range whi le others will not. In these modes, you must pay close attention to the target icons displayed on

the TID to ensure that the targets are in range. If targets are in range of your selected weapon, their icons flash.

Step I I: Fire the weapon.

Once you receive a "shoot cue" you can fire your selected weapon. To fire a weapon press the Pickle Button I Spacebar I or push Joystick button #2. After a brief delay, a missile leaps off the rail and heads toward your target. Your vision wi ll be momentarily obscured by the missile's smoke trail. Note that your inventory of that weapon, as indicated on

the HUO, is reduced accordingly.

How to Handle Multiple (Moderate Mode) Targets In Standard Mode, multiple targets were handled easily just by switching to Track mode and cycl ing through all the

eligible targets using the Lock/Cycle Targets I Backspace I In Moderate Mode, you cannot cycle through targets. The best way to handle multiple targets in this mode is by switching

to a Track-While-Scan mode (either Automatic or Manual) and by making sure you have plenty of AIM-54 Phoenix missiles

along. TWS modes allow you to target and engage more than one aircraft at a time. Using POSIT when multiple bandits are present is not recommended.

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Data-Linked Targeting Moderate and Authentic Modes give you the ability to engage targets using information fed to you from other aircraft

via data-link A data-linked target is one that has been detected by a friendly radar other than your own. That radar information is then passed to your aircraft. Data-linked targeting allows you to launch missiles at enemy aircraft that you do not detect. (You can even have your radar tumed off, to avoid giving yourself away, and fire at targets which are data­linked to your aircraft.)

Because data-linked targeting is primarily a function of tracking targets on the Target Information Display, refer to the TID section in this chapter for more details.

AUTHENTIC MODE RADAR Authentic Mode is virtually identical to Moderate Mode, with one exception. In Authentic Mode, the vertical coverage

(number of bars) and width (azimuth) settings of your radar beam are adjustable. This allows you to tailor your scan pattem (within certain limits) to suit your own tastes.

At the Moderate Mode level of difficulty, you were allowed to altemate between three radar scan pattems: Wide (2 bar/65°), Medium (4 bar/4(0), or Narrow (8 bar/2(0) when your radar was toggled to PDSRCH or RWS modes. When your radar was toggled to a Track-While-Scan mode, you were allowed to altemate between Medium (2 bar/4CJl) and Narrow (4 bar/2(0) pattems only.

At the Authentic Mode level of difficulty, you are no longer able to select pre-set wide, medium, or narrow scan pattems. You are responsible for shaping the parameters of your radar beam. In case you forget, however, the Authentic Mode radar defaults to a radar scan setting of (2 bar/40°).

Selecting a radar pattem is not an easy decision. For example, you could conceivably create a radar beam with an azimuth of 65° and 8 bar vertical coverage. A scan pattem of this size would cover a tremendous amount of sky. The drawback to a beam of this size is the length of time the radar would need to sweep the area. It might take up to half a minute to completely sweep such a large pattem. An enemy aircraft can travel qurte a ways in that amount of time.

Likewise, you could create a scan pattem wrth an azimuth of 10° and I bar vertical coverage. Such a beam could sweep this small patch of sky like a laser, updating your radar almost instantaneously. The drawback is, of course, you're not likely to find any targets this way.

ADJUST THE VERTICAL COVERAGE (BAR SETIING) OF YOUR RADAR BEAM. To adjust the bar setting press the Adjust Bar Scan [Home) You can choose a bar setting of erther I bar (the shortest), 2

bar, 4 bar, or 8 bar (the tallest). Note that the only way you are able to distinguish your current bar setting is by looking at the EL bar indicator located on the RIO's left control panel. You can view this indicator on the RIO's left side by pressing the Left View []] .

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ADJUST THE HORIZONTAL COVERAGE (AZIMUTH) OF YOUR RADAR BEAM.

" 4 Bar/40'

\-----, , , , , , " .. , , , , .',

Figure 4-30: This diagrams shows the three most commonly used azimuth and bar settings. In Authentic Mode, you can change the scan pattem or your radar any way you like.

To adjust the azimuth of your radar beam press the Adjust Azimuth ~ You can choose between 100 (the narrowest), 200, 400, or 65° (the widest) scan widths. You can see the width of your radar beam change on the DOD. You can also view the cunrent azimuth setting on the AZ Scan indicator located on the RIO's left side by pressing the Left View []J.

Note: Track-White-Scan modes function onty if the scan pattem is changed to (2 bar/40°) or (4 bar/20°). Check the AZ and EL scan indicators to be sure that you are in compliance with this requirement

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CAMPAIGN MAPS NORTH CAPE THEATER

-I ,

..

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MEDITERRANEAN THEATER

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OCEANIA TRAINING THEATER

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F- 14 FLEET DEFENDER Campaign Notes and Commentary

MicroProse 180 Lakefront Drive, Hunt Valley. MD 21030

(41 0) 771-1 15 I

Al l rights reserved. Copyright ® 1994 MicroProse

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or photocopy or other means without penmission, with the exception of quoting brief passages for the punpose of reviews

CHAPTER FIVE HOW TO FIGHT ........................................................ .3

Missile Combat ................... .. .................................... 3 Missile Guidance .... .. ....... .. ...... ................ .......... ....... 4 Missile Selection ...................................................... .5 Choosing a Weapon Load-out ..................... 8 Missile Defense ................... ... ................................ 9

Guns ... Guns ... Guns! ...................... ............................ 3 The M61 A I 20 mm Vulcan Gun .. ............ 3 Offensive Gun Combat................................... 4 Defensive Gun Combat.................................. 5

Air Combat Maneuvering ............................ .. ........ 6 Energy Management.......................................... 6 Situational Awareness ....................................... 8

Combat Tactics ............ ........ ........................................ 9 Pursuit Angles ............................ ............................. 9 Basic Fighter Maneuvers (BFM) .................. 21 Advanced Fighter Tactics (AFT) ................ 25

CHAPTER SIX THEATERS OF PLA Y .......................................... .... 31 NORTH CAPE THEATER ........................ .......... 31

Theater Background .......................................... 3 I Neutral Forces ....................................................... 33 Campaign Scenarios ......................................... .. 34 Scenario # I Fighting Withdrawal ......... ........ ......... ... ... ........... 34 Scenario #2 Retum To Norway .. ........ .................................. .36 Scenario #3 Assault On The Kola Peninsula .................. 38

MEDITERRANEAN THEA TER .......... .. ...... ...... 40 Theater Background ...................... .................. ..40 Neutral Forces ...................................................... .42 Campaign Scenarios ........................................... 43 Scenario # I Powder-Keg ........................................................ ..... 4 3 Scenario #2 Operation EI Dorado Canyon .................. ..45 Scenario #3 Carrier Duel .............................................. ....... ....... 49

OCEANA TRAINING THEATER ................ 53 Fleet Readiness T raining .................................. 54 Radar Training ...................................... .................. 54 Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) Sorties .................................. ................. .59 Wing-man training ........ ....................................... 60

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APPENDIX A Aircraft ...... .................................... ......... .... ....... ..... ...... 61 Threat Aircraft ................................................ ....... 61 Friendly/ Neutral Aircraft .............. .................. 72

APPENDIX B Naval Vessels .............. ............................................ 79 Major Threat Vessels .............................. ........... 79 U.s. Aircraft Carriers .......................................... 82

APPENDIXC Air-to-Air Missiles ................... ... ...... .......... .... ...... 86 Threat Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) ........... 86 Friendly Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs) ........ 89

APPENDIX D Air-To-Surface Missiles (ASMs) .......................................... .............................. 92 Threat Air-to-Surface Missiles (ASMs) ..... ...... .. ...... ... ........................ ....... ................... 92 Friendly Air-to-Surface Missiles (ASMs) ......... ............................................................... 96

APPENDIX E Enemy Surface-To-Air Missiles (SAMS) .. .......................................................... ............ 98 Land based Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) ................................................ ........................ 98 Ship based Surface-to-air Missiles (NSAMs) .... ............ ... .. ......... .. ................. .... ............ 100

APPENDIX F Glossary ...................................................... ............. 102

Assuming that you have taken the time to read the instruction manual, you are now ready to "have a go" at the opposition. Well- it's a cruel world out there. You don't get any points for second place. The taxpayers have paid a lot of money for that aircraft of yours, so before you take on your first bandit there are a few more things you should know.

This chapter is designed to mold flying skills into practical combat techniques because it takes more than just fancy flying to make a fighter pilot. You have to be able to make snap decisions in the heat of combat. and live with the consequences. A wrong decision could ultimately cost you (and your RIO) the fanm.

MISSILE COMBAT

Before the invention of the air-to-air missile (AAM) , air combat was always "up close and personal". Combat was so close, in fact, that opposing pilots could often see each other seated in their cockpits. Pilots were tru ly knights of the sky, engaging in aerial jousts. Ideally, a dogfight was supposed to be a chivalrous contest between gentleman. Soon, very soon, all that changed.

The air-to-air missile revolutionized aerial warfare in the late I 950s by allowing a pilot to engage a target in any type of weather, day or night. without ever actually seeing it. Theorists were quick to conclude that the "human element" was no longer necessary in this "push-button" type of warfare. They sunmised that, given the

3

ability to destroy one's opponent outside of visual range, the last trappings of glory and honor surrounding the mystique of personal combat would disappear.

The theorists were wrong. Technology did not remove the pilot from the cockpit, in fact, it proved to do just the opposite. High-tech equipment made having a thinking, decision-making human onboard, al l the more necessary.

Although this section is primarily concerned with missile technology and hardware, it attempts to focus on the decision making going on inside the cockpit.

MISSILE GUIDANCE Modem air-to-air missiles come in two basic fiavors: radar-guided missiles, such as the AIM-54 Phoenix and the AIM-7 Sparrow, and

heat-seeking (or Infrared) missiles such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder. It is important to remember that tactics which worl<. well with one type of missile may be entirely inappropriate for another.

The enemy has access to the same type of missiles as you do.

Therefore, once you detect an incoming missile you must make an

effort to identifY how it is being guided. There are big rewards if you

guess right but even bigger consequences if you guess wrong. It doesn't make sense to dump ~ares out the bock when you're trying to defeat a radar-guided missile!

Radar-Guided Missiles Radar-guided missiles come in three sub-categories: beam riders,

semi-active radar-homing (SARH), and active homing.

Beam-riders are generally surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) launched

from either fixed sites or mobile launchers. The missile follows the

path of a laser beam directed from the designator and aimed at the

target aircraft. In order for the missile to score a hit, the beam must

be held on the target throughout the missile's fiight

Semi-active radar homing (SARH) missiles require that the

firing aircraft keep the target continually illuminated (painted) on

radar. The missile guides itself using radar energy refiected back off

the target. Like the beam-rider, a SARH missile requires the firing

aircraft (or SAM site) to maintain a radar lock on the target aircraft.

This means that the firer is essentially stuck with having to track the

target aircraft while the missile remains in fiight.

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The third type of radar-guided missile is active homing. These

missiles transmit and receive their own radar signals which allows

them to track a target without help from the firing aircraft. Because

of this, active homing missiles are the most deadly. They are also

known as "fire and forget" because after they are launched, the

firing aircraft can forget about them and is free to maneuver.

Being able to escaping from a radar-guided missile primarily

depends upon being able to break the controll ing radar's lock An

aircraft may accomplish this by passive means, like fiying out of the radar's envelope, or by relying on active measures like radar

jamming. Once a radar lock is broken, the missile simply heads off

in a straight line along its current trajectory. This is known as going ballistic. The missile is essentially unguided at this point.

Figure 5-1: The SA-2 "Guideline" is a prime example of a beam-riding surface-to-air missile.

Infrared (Heat-Seef<jng) Missiles Infrared (IR) missiles use radiated heat as a means of guidance

rather than refiected radar energy. These missiles are equipped with very sensitive cryogenically-cooled detectors able to distinguish minute differences in temperature. They are light-weight, compared to radar-guided missiles, and carry considerably smaller warheads.

In order for a pilot to use a heat-seeker, the missile's detector must first locate a heat source. This generally requires that the firing aircraft face the enemy aircraft so that there is a direct line of sight between the missile's seeker-head and the intended target. Once the seeker-head has "acquired" the target (known as "un­caging" the weapon) it is then fired. The seeker-head guides the missile toward the target by sending course corrections to

moveable fins on the missile's fuselage. Like active radar homing missiles, heat seekers are also "fire

and forget". Once launched, the firing aircraft may forget about them because the missile requires no further guidance from the parent aircraft. The missile's own IR detector within the seeker­

head takes over. Heat-seekers are completely autonomous, they often seem to

have a mind of their own. So use care when firing heat-seekers into a general engagement, these missiles have no friends. If a heat­seeking missile loses track of its original target, it will re-acquire the first heat generat ing object that enters its tracking envelope. In a

MISSI LE SELECTION AIM-54 "Phoenix" Radar-guided Missile

At first glance, choosing the AIM-54 Phoenix missile over the Sparrow is a no-brainer. Players will instinctively load up their aircraft with these missiles 90% of the time. The Phoenix is the undisputed missile of choice for engaging targets at ranges beyond their ability to shoot back With a maximum range of over 100 nautical miles, it easily outdistances all other air-to-air missiles. In fact, just as the A-I 0 tank­busting "Warthog" w as built around its GAU-8 gun system, the Tomcat was really made to carry the AWG-9/Phoenix combination.

5

twisting, tuming dogfight, your wing-man could quite possibly wander into the missile's envelope by accident Given the right conditions, your IR missile could begin to track him instead of an enemy.

Fortunatel y, the garden-variety IR missile is more easily countered than a missile guided by radar. Early models, developed in the I 960s, were often fooled by natural heat sources such as the sun or refiected cloud glare. They had trouble tracking targets at low attitudes because of background heat radiating from ground objects. These missi les had to be initially aimed at the hot exhaust of a target's engines. Because of this, early heat-seekers were refenred to as tail-ospea or tail-chasers. A few of these are still in service with Third World air forces. Later generations of heat-seeking missiles do not have this limitation. They can acquire and track a target from any angle. These missiles are refenred to as all-ospect heat-seekers.

Keep in mind that heat-seeking missiles are not actually tracking the target itself but rather the heat w hich the target is generating through friction or exhaust. Countering a heat-seeker is simply a matter of distracting the missile with a more attractive source of heat. Such sources are readily available. Generally, fighter aircraft deploy fiares, hot gas balloons, or other incendiary devices. Even so, the greater IR sensitivity of missiles buitt during the last two decades allows them to be far more discriminating and less easily fooled by ECM.

Figure 5-2: The AIM-54 Phoenix. Its long range and "fire and (orget " guidance make (or a deadly combination.

Putting the range advantage aside, for the moment, this mach 5 air-to-air missile has other useful benefrts in combat. The AIM-54 gives pilots a tactical advantage over opponents that happen to be equipped with semi -active radar homing (SARH) missiles. It possesses an active homing radar in its nose cone which makes the Phoenix a "fire and forget" missile. Once the missile is fired, t he launching aircraft is free to maneuver or even acquire a new target.

After the missile leaves the aircraft, rt fiies to a pre-set point in space which is detenmined by an onboard inertial guidance package. It then switches on its active radar, acquires the target and then tracks it on its own. The F-14 can carry up to six (6) AIM-54 Phoenix missiles. Since these missiles are able to home in on their targets independently, the F-1 4 could conceivably have al l six in the air simultaneously.

So let's recap. The Phoenix is an autonomou s "fire and forget" missile with a range far in excess of all the available missiles. W hat's not to like? Well , before you rush to answer first consider that selecting these missiles out of habit can lead to real problems down the road. The Phoenix does not come w ithout it's share of disadvantages.

First of all, these missiles are very heavy. The AIM-54C weighs in at a whopping 1020 Ibs., over twice the weight of the AIM-120A AMRAAM. Even though an F-14 can carry six of these missiles, a practical mission load usually never exceeds four (4). Carrying six of these missiles would be like getting into a fist-fight with a tire wrapped around your neck the extra 6, I 00 Ibs. is going to affect your maneuverability and speed. When six are carried, it's usually at the expense of something else (like fuel).

The second major drawback to the Phoenix is that, despite the literature, they are not designed w rth BFM in mind. The A IM-54 has a large minimum range (Rmin) . The exact Rmin of the Phoenix remains classified however FLEET DEFENDER has best guessed the AIM-54's Rmin (for practical purposes) at 6 nm. If an F- 14 find s itself in a tight BFM engagement. a pilot w ith only

6

Phoenix missiles wi ll spend most of the fight staring at a "Break X." These missiles are best used against level non-maneuvering targets like large strategic bombers.

The third drawback to the Phoenix missile is the enonmous cost of each of these missiles, over $1,000,000 a piece. The AIM-54 must be used sparingly. In fact, these missiles are so expensive that relatively few have been built. The Navy cou ld easily use up its entire inventory w ithin several weeks (if not days) of combat. Fortunately the cost of these missiles doesn't adverse ly affect game-play. FLEET DEFENDER does not require pl ayers to purchase their weapons. Even so, players who use Phoenix missiles indiscriminately may soon find the carrier has run out.

AIM-7 "Sparrow" Radar-guided Missile The A IM-7 Sparrow is the other type of radar-guided missile

carried by the F-14. It is a semi-active, radar-homing (SARH) missile which means that the missile requires continual updates from the aircraft's radar. The distinction between a SARH missile and a "fire and forget" missile like the Phoenix is an important one. The Sparrow requires that the launching aircraft keep its radar focused on the target throughout the missile's entire fiight time. A pilot who launches a Sparrow is committed to that single target. He cannot maneuver freely, drop his radar lock, or even acquire a new target until his first missile hrts.

<:1 (] Figure 5-3: The AIM-7 Sparrow. These missiles require the radar's complete attention.

The ramifications of firing SARH Sparrows as opposed to Phoenix missiles are not apparent until the first time a pilot goes up against two bandits at once. With AIM-54s, the pilot simply "Iocks­up" both targets, then ripple fires two missiles at once. Both missiles seek out their targets independently. With AIM-7s, the pilot must "lock-up" the leader, fire, and then keep the leader in his beam until the missile hits. Meanwhile, the leader's wing-man has closed to within range and has probably fired a missile of his own.

Like the Phoenix, the AIM-7 possesses a significant range advantage over most, but not all, of its Soviet counterparts. With a maximum range of 21.4 nm, however, the Sparrow can only fly about one-fifth as far as the Phoenix.

So, given all the disadvantages, who in their right mind would ever choose to carry a Sparrow over a Phoen ix? Well- the Sparrow is not without its own positive features.

First, the Sparrow weighs in at less than half of what a Phoenix weighs, 1020 Ibs. instead of 503 Ibs. This means that two Sparrows can be carried for the same aerodynamic penalty as one Phoenix. The Sparrow is also slightly faster. Granted, the extra 200 kts. might not be that significant over a long distance, but at medium ranges the difference is meaningful.

The Sparrow also has a shorter Rmin range than the Phoenix. It becomes an active missile after only two (2) nm as opposed to the six (6) nm for the Phoenix. In a close action BFM engagement a lucky pilot can usually separate, then break back into the fight and take a quick shot at just over the missile's Rmin.

Lastly, they're cheaper. Granted, this might not have meant that much back in the days of the $600 toilet seats but in FLEET DEFENDER there is less chance of running out of Sparrows in an protracted campaign.

7

AIM-9 "Sidewinder" Heat-seeking Missile (Infrared) The AIM-9 "Sidewinder" differs from the two previously

mentioned missiles. Unlike the first two, it is an Infrared missile, guided by heat rather than radar. The Sidewinder is so named because of its unique side-to-side jinking motion while in flight. During development, it was dubbed "Ground-winder" because of its tendency to track heat-reflecting objects on the ground. Early models of this missile were tail-aspect only and required that the target's heat-source (engine exhaust) be facing toward the missile's seeker head. These "tai l-chasers" were eventually replaced by more capable all-aspect models like the current AIM-9M.

cJ ~ 11"11 II II

Figure 5-4: The AIM-9 Sidewinder. These missiles ore inexpensive yet very efficient

Although the modem Sidewinders are all-aspect missiles, a straight head-on engagement should rightly be considered suicide. The missile has a maximum head-on aspect range of approximately 6 nm. Given the missi le's time of flight. it will be hitting the target just as you reach it. Not good. Your target always has a chance to get in a snap gunshot as it goes by. Sidewinders are best employed from a tail-aspect or at least a high angle-off deflection. Because of its severe range limitations the Sidewinder almost guarantees a BFM engagement.

The first thing you hear when placing the Sidewinder in priority is what's termed the "growl." This indicates that the missile's seeker­head is active but has not yet acquired a target. The "growl" wil l be replaced by a solid "tone" when the missile is ready to fire.

One of the main benefrts to using the Sidewinder is that the missile does not require radar guidance. This enables you to sneak

CHOOSING A WEAPON LOAD-OUT

up on an unsuspecting target with your radar turned off Your enemy, therefore, is not tipped off by a tell-tale radar spike.

No doubt you have heard actual cockpit transmissions where a pilot is saying that he "doesn't have a tone." In military jargon, "not having a tone" means that your heat-seeker has not yet acquired the target.

The first thing you need to consider before setting out on a mission is your weapon loadout. On an actual mission, your load-out would be assigned to you by the squadron SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). FLEET DEFENDER. however, gives you complete control over the types and amounts of missiles you can take along.

Thi s initial se lecti on of AAMs (Phoenixes, Sparrows, or Sidewinders) is usually done quickly; just grab six AIM-54s and head out the door. After all, who wants to spend time in the ARMING Screen when there's a mission to fiy. Right?

Wrong! Choosing the proper weapon load-out is not an easy chore, and since you have the luxury of selecting your own loadout, it's worth a moment or two of careful analysis. There's much more to it than just selecting the missiles with the longest range. Your armament selections w ill , to a large extent, decide which tactical approach you' ll be taking in combat. Each of the three air-to-air missiles in FLEET DEFENDER comes with its own advantages and disadvantages (Yes, there are disadvantages to using the Phoenix.D

Weapon load-outs are selected at the start of each mission from the ARMING screen menu. You are asked to choose from six different load-outs; three MiG CAP and three Fleet Defense configurations. Each of these configurations represents a slightly different mix of air-to-air missiles. (The M61AI gun with 675 rounds comes as a standard feature with each of these load-outs.)

Read the mission brief before selecting your mission load-out. It is always a good idea to tailor your weapons to the specific job you are being asked to do. For example, you don't want to be "caught short" hunting Soviet "Bears" with Sidewinders or having to waste precious Phoenix missiles against lowly helicopters.

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Fleet Defense Alpha MiG CAP Alpha

Fleet Defense Bravo MiG CAP Bravo

Sidewinder

~ Sparrow

Fleet Defense Charlie MiG CAP Charlie Phoenix

Reserve Fuel Tank

Figure 5-5: Before storting each mission, you are required to select one of six missile configurations.

MISSILE DEFENSE Depending upon the level of difficulty, every enemy missile, be it an AAM or SAM, demands your immediate attention. Missi les are a

serious threat to your aircraft. Each one is a potential show-stopper. You can't afford to let a single missile hit your aircraft. Missiles which do

not destroy your aircraft outright wi ll inflict crippling damage and knock out many of your systems. Having to fly a damaged aircraft

hundreds of miles to get back to home is no fun.

There are two ways of dealing with enemy missiles: passive

defense, which includes flying avoidance profiles which emphasize

stealth; and active measures, such as evasive maneuvering or

deploying electronic counter-measures (ECM).

Passive Defense Measures Passive defense measures are those things a pilot can do to

defeat enemy missi les that are both undetectable and effortless.

These measures include flight techniques designed to limit a radar's

ability to spot you (stealth) and practicing basic missile avoidance.

Obviously, you'll never have to worry about missiles being fired

at you if the enemy doesn't know you're in the area. This means

"keeping a low profile". In other words, don't fly directly over an

enemy SAM site at 25,000 ft. in broad daylight with your

afterbumers on. Low and slow is the way to go to avoid being

spotted. Passive measures are designed to keep SAMs on their pads

and fighters in their hangars. The best passive defense is to remain alert at all times. When it

comes to flying defensively, the same rules apply as when driving the

family car. Watch out for the other guy, and expect the unexpected.

This requires that you maintain a high state of situational awareness.

Anticipating what is going to take place I minute, 5 minutes, even 10 minutes from now is the key. It costs you nothing and allows you to

stay one step ahead of the competition. If you're not aware of what

is going on around you, how can you be prepared to react to it?

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Active Defense Measures Passive measures are not always 100% effective. Despite your

best efforts, the enemy will eventually find you and get a shot off

Once the waming lights start going off in your cockpit it is too late

to devise a strategy. You must fly with an "active" defense plan

already in mind. Active measures require that you, as a pilot, do something. Let's explore your options.

Figure 5-6: Your TEWS jammer is an integral part of your aircraft's ability to defend itself

Jamming Enemy radars The first active measure to consider is radar jamming. This is

done by the Tactical Electronic Warfare System or TEWS. The TEWS jammer is tied directly into the detection equipment and is activated by pressing the Jammer Activate QJ Key. This key puts the jammer in a "standby" mode. Once on mode, it automatically counters any radar emissions directed at the aircraft. You do not have to press the key each time a radar lock is detected, the TEWS jammer functions independently.

Jamming interferes w ith radar signals in two ways; either by overloading the signal w ith "white noise" or by deceiving the radar w ith ghost images and false retums. "White noise" jamming acts much the same way as background conversation. It makes it hard to hear anyone particular person talking.

For example, let's say you're at a night club and you (assuming you're a guy) spot two pretty girls talking to one another on the other side of the room. One girl looks up, notices you and immediately says something to her girlfriend. Now you're curious. You would like to know what they're saying. If the room were quiet you'd be able to hear what the girls were saying but because of the loud music and conversation going on, you can't hear a single word.

Of course, as you move closer you're now able to pick-up bits and pieces of their conversation in spite of the background noise. If you w ere to go over and stand near them or even join in, you'd hear everyth ing they w ere saying with little difficulty. Jamming worlks the same way. It is more effective the farther away the radar is from its target.

When a radar gets so close that it is no longer bothered by jamming it is said to have bumed through. The exact distance at w hich a radar is able to bum through jamming is a function of the strength of the radar signal versus the pow er of the jammer. Obviously, a strong radar, like the AWG-9, wi ll bum through enemy jamming at a greater range than a weaker radar suite.

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The other way in wh ich jamming affects radar is through deception. Deception jamming takes the energy emitted by a radar, alters it, then retums it for collection. A radar can be deceived by the spurious images or false retums created by deception jamming. The radar "sees" a target in one location when it is actually somewhere else. A pilot may spend time chasing after a ghost retum when the actual enemy aircraft is sneaking up on him from behind. A pilot may become confused, believe he is outnumbered, and waste all his precious AAMs on targets which are not therel

This method of jamming is more effective than simply saturating a w ide band of frequencies w ith noise but it requires that the jammer be matched exactly to the type of radar encountered. This makes deception jamming a "hit or miss" affair. If the two are not properly matched the jamming wi ll have no affect.

Regardless of which form the jamming takes there is one big drawback The excess "noise" generated by the jammer makes it detectable at long ranges. In fact, the jammer shines like an electronic beacon and has a tendency to attract a lot of unwanted attention. Using the jammer is therefore a trade-off It can keep enemy radars from getting a good enough fix on you to launch a missile but it gives your position away. Continuously jamming enemy ground radars just allows enemy fighters to be vectored right to your position.

Evasive maneuvering The same BFM (Basic Fighter Maneuvers) used in dogfighting

can also be used to defeat enemy missiles. The job is somewhat more difficult because a missile is faster and can withstand higher G forces. But without a human pilot onboard, a missile only has to be fooled once before it goes ballistic.

Put geometry to work for you. Just as small guys can use leverage to defeat an attacker who happens to be bigger, a pilot can use a missile's faster speed against it. Although missiles are extremely fast, they sometimes tum like a truck, especially the larger SAMs. Even so, because the closure rate is so high, you may only have time to perform one maneuver. If you are not successful, chances are you will not have time to perform another.

The best way to defeat an in-coming missile's tracking solution is to keep it at a 90 degree angle to your direction of fiight. When a radar-guided missile is in-bound you are ab le to follow its progress on your TEWS display. Watch the small squares (indicating radar-guided missiles) and tum so that they close on you down your 3/9 axis. Only the last 5 nm of a missile's fiight are important to you in terms of evasion. Th is is when you should begin your evasive maneuvering and combine it with active ECM.

II

T

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Figure 5-7: These diagrams show how playing the angles con defeat the tracking solution of on in-coming missile.

g+-- ---I.~ 3

Figure 5-8.' The 3/9 axis

Electronic counter-measures Like air-to-air missiles, electronic counter-measures (ECM)

come in two basic t ypes, those designed to fool radar-guided missiles (chaff) and those used against heat-seekers (flares). It is important to identify the type of missile tracking your aircraft so that you are able to deploy the appropriate counter-measure. Your supply of electronic counter-measures is limited so use them sparingly. At the same time though, don't be shot down in an aircraft with chaff and flares still onboard. It is never a good idea to trust ECM entirely. It is always better to be maneuvering while dumping chaff and flares out the back.

Chaff is stored within dispensers located inside your F-14. It is used to defend your aircraft against radar-guided missiles. A cloud of radar reflecting metal strips is released each time you deploy chaff The strips of metal serve to confuse the enemy's radar retum by cluttering it with hundreds of false images.

The classic technique for deploying chaff is to release a bundle as soon as your RWR alarms. To release a bundle of chaff, press the Release Chaff @) Key. Wfth luck, the chaff has a chance of breaking the contact. If the missile continues to guide, wait to deploy additional chaff until the missile is within three to five kilometers.

Even if you deploy chaff be sure to alter your flight path. Missiles are ballistic and will continue to track along its last heading. If you remain on your original course, the missile may re-acquire your aircraft once it passes through the chaff

12

Flores For defense against IR homing (heat-seeking) missiles, the F-14

is equipped with heat producing devices, commonly known as Flores. Flares are used to decoy heat-seeking missiles away from your aircraft. Like chaff, your aircraft carries only a finite supply of these flares. To release a flare, press the Release Flare ~ Key.

A Flare bums for only a short time (5-10 seconds). During this time, the IR missile hopefully is lured away from your aircraft. Once the Flare bums out, however, the missi le is free to re-acquire a new target. It may re-acquire your aircraft if you have not maneuvered out of its view.

Heat-seeking missiles are hard to deal with because they do not appear on the TEWS display. You do rece ive an audio warning, however. Since the range of most "heaters" is limited, begin kicking out flares as soon as you receive the warning. Chances are very good that the launching aircraft is already within the 5 nm envelope.

Figure 5-9: An F- 16 being pursued by a heat-seeking missile, probably an AA-2 Atoll, kicks a rare out the back and begins maneuvering.

GUNS ... GUNS ... GUNS! At the beginning of the Vietnam era, certain USAF fighters namely the FA Phantom II went to war without a cannon or gun. Believing

that the missile age heralded a new era in air combat theorists considered a gun unnecessary. To destroy an opponent a pilot needed only to detect a target on his radar, select one of a number of missile options and push a button. The target would be destroyed moments later.

Air combat was intended to be very clean, very scientific now that pilots could carry AAMs. Missile proponents were quick to point out that

guns were useless except at very close range and that the speed of modem aircraft made close engagements unlikely. Furthermore, enemy

aircraft were to be kept at missile range and destroyed beyond visual range (BVR). Pilots were told not to expect the type of twisting and tuming

"fur-ball" engagements which were a common occurrence during Korea.

Well- history proved the theorists wrong. During the Vietnam war, MiGs proved to be very effective because our AAM technology

wasn't yet good enough to insure a high first-round kill percentage. Navy pilots unlucky enough to be driving certain model Phantoms went

to Vietnam without a gun and got creamed. Consequently, a gun was hurriedly redesigned back into the FA and since Vietnam, no front­

line U.s. fighter aircraft has been designed without a gun.

THE M61 A I 20 MM VULCAN GUN The F-14B is equipped with a single General Electric M61 A I 20 mm (0.8 inch) Vulcan gun mounted under the cockpit and offset slightly

to the left. The M61 A I is a six barrel, Gatling-type gun able to fire up to six thousand rounds per minute or about 100 shells per second. At this rate, the F-14 will expend all its ammunition in less than seven seconds (675 rounds). Keep in mind that although these statistics seem

impressive, the M61 A I is essentially 1950's technology.

The M61 A I has an effective range of 0.6 ki lometers (less than half

of a mile) with a maximum range of 3 kilometers (for strafing attacks).

This pitifully short effective range is actually a benefrt The M61 A I gun

can operate well within the Rmin range of most missiles. Two factors which influence the relative effectiveness of an

aircraft's gun are its rate of fire and the size of the round being

fired. Usually these two factors are at odds with one another.

Larger caliber shells (i.e. those with more mass and kinetic energy) have lower rates of fire. Guns which fire smaller bullets can get

them out of the barrel faster. Most Soviet-made aircraft you encounter are packing either a

23 mm or 30 mm gun. French-made 30 mm DEFA guns are found on Libya's F-I s. Let's make some cursory comparisons between

these weapons and the 20 mm gun your F-14 is carrying.

13

The 20 mm M61 A I has a higher rate of fire than those carried

by your opponents. The shells leave the gun quicker and travel at a

higher velocity. Therefore, more of your shells w ill impact the

target area and have a tighter dispersion (shot grouping). Many bullets will be striking in rapid succession, making the chances of

scoring a hit greater than those of a larger caliber gun. However,

these rounds are relatively small and often lack the individual kinetic

punch necessary to inflict crippling damage. The opposition's big 23 mm and 30 mm guns have no such

problem. These larger caliber guns pack an enormous punch even

though their rounds are traveling much slower. These rounds lack

finesse, they simply batter down an opponent. Their pattem of dispersion is greater, however. The slower rate of fire allows too

much time to elapse between firing cycles so there will also be

fewer of these rounds hitting the target area.

To summarize the differences, the faster firing but smaller rounds of the F-14's 20 mm gun have a better chance of hrtting the target but a lesser chance of causing critical damage. Enemy guns are completely opposrte. They have less of a chance of hitting you but have a greater capacity for causing fatal damage if they do.

One thing FLEET DEFENDER takes into account that has not been covered in this section, is the structural ability of aircraft to absorb damage. The same materials and construction techniques that al low an aircraft to sustain multiple G forces also give it an inherent resistance to battle damage. Unlike hrts from missiles which cause catastrophic structural failures, damage produced by gunfire

OFFENSIVE GUN COMBAT

results from the sum total of accumulated hrts. An aircraft has a better chance of remaining airworthy under these condrtions, when damage is being done to rt piecemeal, rather than all at once.

With this in mind, U.S. aircraft have an advantage over their Soviet counterparts. Soviet aircraft are mass produced, their quality is derived from quantity. The philosophy is that their aircraft will fly three or four missions before being shot down. The Soviets tend to factor in their eventual loss when considering operations. Materially, Soviet and western aircraft are similar. Structurally, however, Soviet aircraft have design limitations which make them more susceptible to non-catastrophic damage.

The use of gunfire in air combat has not changed since its inception during the early days of World War I. It is still a matter of maneuvering to get in close to your enemy and then pumping lead into his aircraft until it goes down. The trick is to stay out of your opponent's forward arc so he cannot fire back

The element of surprise is very important in gun combat situations. Sneaking up on your opponent undetected presents your best chance of inflicting critical damage before he can escape. This usually requires you to come in from behind your enemy and stay in his blind spot until you are ready to shoot. This six 0' clock area directly behind the enemy is known as the "Slot position."

Once you are in the Slot posrtion the enemy pilot cannot see you, cannot fire at you but at the same time, has to shake you off his t ail before you can shoot him down. You command the fight once you reach this position of advantage.

There's another reason for getting directly behind your enemy. The Slot posrtion also gives you an opportunity to score muh:iple hits on a target. By directing your gunfire along the target's line of flight the enemy aircraft remains in the path of your gunfire for a longer period of time, thus increasing the percentage chances of scoring a hit. As the fo llowing diagram illustrates, more of your rounds likely to hit the target when fired along the "grain."

14

FIRING FROM "THE SLOT"

DEFLECTION SHOOTING (ANGLE-OFF FIRING)

~ . (Ii~e of ,.;) ~ . .. "::'G-29 ~

Figure 5-1 0: The chances of scoring multiple hits on a target are increased by shooting along its line of ffight Deffection shooting (against the groin) is much more difficult and produces far fewer hits.

Even though a head-on attack would also be conducted along a target's line of flight. this type of attack is not recommended. For one thing, the target is able to shoot back when you approach it head­on. Head-on attacks also give you much less time to aim because of the high closure rate.

The next best firing position (a far distant second) is the de~ection shot (firing from a rear quarter). These shots are far less likely to score hits because, unlike a tail aspect shot. both the firer and the target are moving relative to each other. Since the line of fire in a deflection shot runs against the target's grain, fewer bullets have a chance to hit. Deflection shooting allows a target to fly between the bullets like a child running between raindrops.

Deflection shooting, 0150 known as high ongle-off shooting. gives you less time to line up the shot. Often it is best just to fire a

DEFENSIVE GUN COMBAT

stream of rounds ahead of the enemy. This way you are creating a wall of shells for him to fly into. While effective, this technique is also wasteful and you only have 675 rounds to play with.

On the positive side, gunfire has an almost instantaneous effect on the target. Rather than having to wait up to half a minute for a missile to hit, 20 mm shells begin striking your target in miliseconds. This feature cuts down on a target's abi lity to escape.

For best results, the enemy aircraft should fill your canopy windshield before you open fire. Unfortunately, because of the speed and maneuverability of modem aircraft, waiting this long to open fire could easily cause you to overshoot. If this happens, be sure that you have careful ly studied the following sect ion on defensive gun combat.

Basically, defensive gun combat is a repetition of the tactics used in offensive gun combat- only now the roles are reversed. Instead of you being concemed with lining up on an enemy, he's lining up on you. The object of defensive gun combat is to make the job of shooting you down more difficult. Skillful maneuvering is the essence of close-quarter combat, t ry to avoid being shot down while seeking an opportunity to tum the tables on your opponent.

There is a simple and fool-proof way to keep from being shot down by gunfire. All you need to do is stay more than 3 kilometers away (the maximum gun range) from enemy aircraft. That's all there is to it, just stay out of range. If you can manage to do th is, you'll never need have to worry about being shot down by a gun. With all the airspace available to you in each theater, this should be easy, right?

Okay, maybe not Some enemy aircraft are faster than your F- 14 so staying out of their reach may be difficult. There may be t imes when you are taken by surprise or forced into a defensive fight with multiple bandits. Under these circumstances, staying more than 3 krn away may present a problem. Well, if you can't stay away from them, you're gonna' have to fight 'em.

If you find yourself on the defensive in a guns engagement you must constantly look for an opportunity to transition to an

15

offensive stance. Even a temporary neutral position of parity w ith your opponent is better than remaining strictly defensive throughout a fight. The longer you remain defensive the greater chance you have of making that one fatal mistake.

Having an enemy tucked neatly in your "six" is not a good way to start a dogfight. Depending upon your opponent's level of expertise, it may take you awhile to tum the tables on him. In the meantime, if you can't shake him, at least force him into taking difficult shots with low hit percentages. Never fly straight and level for more than a couple seconds. Those few seconds may be all an enemy pilot requires to saddle up to you and get in a burst of fire along your line of flight. Play the angles and altemate your speed to throw off his attempts to target your aircraft.

AIR COMBAT MANEUVERING Modem air combat is a fast paced, violent. and confusing affair. A sky filled with dogfighting aircraft one minute can be vacant in the

next. A player in the midd le of a such a fight might think that an air battle goes on essentially without rhyme or reason. Nothing could be further from the tnuth. This section is designed to help the novice fighter pilot better understand what is going on around him because in FLEET DEFENDER, unlike other fl ight sims, there's a lot going on.

The art of Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) is very much a technical skill. It is not unlike the thoughtful positioning of pieces on a Chess board. Brains beat brawn in ACM. Finesse and style are essential. The following section is a quick look at some fundamental rules of air combat maneuvering. It describes standard fighter tactics that all players can use to defeat the Soviet and Soviet-trained opponents you'll meet during the course of a nonrnal campaign. It is offered as a brief overview and quick look into the world of modem air combat.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT Energy Management is the art of balancing the four dynamic forces which act on all aircraft during flight; Uft, Drag, Thrust and Gravity

(weight). When a pilot manages energy he is merely attending to that balance. Just as personnel managers like to get the most from their people, energy managers want to get the most from their available energy. They do this by manipulating the manner in which the principle forces of flight act upon their aircraft. Good pilots are by necessity, good managers.

The principle of energy management is being able to maximize the benefits derived from the Big Four. Used properly, the Big Four can give you distinct advantages in combat. ignoring them only leads to trouble. Not only do you need to remain aware of your own aircraft's energy status, it is always a good idea to pay attention to what the other guy is doing with his aircraft. If your opponent has run his aircraft out of energy, you need to be in a position to capital ize on his mistake.

Your Energy State Simply put, your aircraft's energy state is the sum total of its

positional plus its kinetic energy.

Positional energy can be defined as the weight of the aircraft multiplied by its current altitude. In a contest between two aircraft

of equal weight and speed , the one flying at the greater altitude is said to have more positional energy. It is sometimes called Potential energy because it represents energy that is potentially available any time a pilot wishes to make use of it.

16

Altitude, in this respect, is a measure of the energy which an aircraft has on-call. The higher an aircraft travels the more potential energy it will have to call on in the future. Aircraft flying at lower altitudes have less positional energy because they cannot convert as much 'altitude into energy. To make up for this deficiency, an aircraft must increase its speed to replace Positional energy with kinetic energy.

Kinetic energy deals with the energy derived from speed (i.e. motion). An aircraft which is traveling at a high rate of speed has a wealth of energy. This energy can be spent perfonrning maneuvers or used to gain altitude. The former option, performing maneuvers, bleeds off the energy by increasing the load factor of the aircraft, the latter method, gaining altitude, is a good way of trading kinetic energy for positional energy.

As you can see, a pilot who is caught flying both low and slow is a poor energy manager. If he should encounter trouble his only option is to open up the throttle. Gaining energy in this manner takes both time and fuel. The secret of good energy management is not to get caught in this predicament in the first place. Unless a pilot is escorting a group of slow-movers (like ASW helicopters), a F- 14 should never fly at slow speeds down on the deck. (Of course, when you're trying to avoid radar detection, low and slow is your best bet. Just don't get caught flying low and slow when enemy aircraft are about).

The Bonk Energy to an aircraft is like having money in the bank Although

gliders are able to fly quite well without engines, no aircraft, not even a glider can fly without energy. When fl ying, energy is accumulated, saved up and then spent throughout the entire flight. Th is process is repeated over and over again until the aircraft lands. The secret of flight is knowing when to deposit and when to withdraw.

Flight makes constant demands on your aircraft's bank account. Energy is spent whenever you pull back on the stick, whether it be climbing for altitude or making a high G tum. Unlike the federal govemment , your aircraft will not let you continue spending once your bank account is gone; flight doesn't allow for deficit spending. A good pilot w ill t ry to minimize maneuvers which drain his bank account but there are times when this is impossible. Once your savings are used up, the aircraft wi ll stop flying (stall). At this point, you wi ll have to make a quick deposit of fresh energy or go down.

Creating new energy to maintain flight is known as ''going to the bonk." Usually, energy is created by simply pushing the throttles forward (adding power) or by trading in altitude. Either way, pilots usually try to minimize the number of trips to the bank they're forced to make.

17

One sure way to win a dogfight is to catch your opponent "going to the bank". Why? Because going to the bank is an indication that your opponent does not have the energy necessary to perform a desired action. In this condition, his ability to maneuver wi ll be limited and his ability to climb will be nil. If you can prevent your opponent from renewing his energy, he's as good as gone, and you win the fight w ith style.

The Energy "Egg" It used to be that the term performance envelope was a fairly

esoteric concept Today, it has become common practice to use the term to describe everything from automobiles to tennis shoes. Hardly anyone is left scratching their head w hen the phrase is used in day to day speech. When describing aircraft, the term performance envelope simply refers to a set of specific flight characteristics and parameters. How high can a particular aircraft fly, how far, how fast, and under what conditions?

One thing to remember when considering a particular aircraft's overall performance is that it varies widely according to the flying environment Even though air is invisible (at least it used to be before the industnal age) it is thick stuff While it appears that air is nothing more than empty space, an aircraft must wade through the atmosphere like a fish must swim through water. Air is not homogenous. It actually acts more like soup. Just as soup is thicker at the bottom of the bowl; so too, is air thicker the nearer it gets to the surface of the earth. For this reason, an aircraft's performance envelope takes on a peculiar egg shape. This is known as the energy egg.

In the horizontal plane, an aircraft will fly a perfect circle if it maintains a constant G force and speed. Think of the flight path as the waist of the energy egg. When the same aircraft tries to fly a perfect circle in the vertical plane, it is distorted by gravity into an egg shape. At the top of the egg, an aircraft will be nearing the end of its energy. It will be traveling slowly and have a very tight tum radius. Near the bottom of the egg, the aircraft will have picked up speed during its descent and have a much longer and flatter arc.

The shell of this egg is the area of maximum flight performance and fuel efficiency. Aircraft chasing around the outer edge of the egg are wasting energy by performing maneuvers which can be accomplished more efficiently at a lower power setting, Those aircraft flying without enough energy are said to be flying "inside the egg." Such aircraft will be unable to perform critical maneuvers when necessary,

"Corner" Velocity There's a point in every fight where the adage "Speed is life" is

counter-productive and can get you into trouble, Some pilots think that the faster they go, the better dogfighters they become, These guys try to buy their victories at the cost of some jet fuel. This brute strength approach to air combat misses the finer point to

SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

ACM, Pilots cannot shove the throttles all the way forward and expect to maneuver crisply, Speed is a fine thing to have when making slashing attacks, but when the enemy knows you're coming, it's also nice to be able to swing the nose of your aircraft around at a decent rate,

This balance of speed and maneuverability is known as an aircraft's "comer velocity," It is the speed at which an aircraft makes its quickest, tightest tums, A good energy manager will avoid the temptation to peg his throttle open, Instead of powering through a fight he will use the energy egg to give him a superior tuming ability (rate of tum) and tight tuming radius as well. A pilot that blows through a dogfight at 600 knots is just being a high speed cheerleader, He is flying way outside the energy egg and he'll be lucky if he gets close enough to wave as he goes by,

Although the phrase situational awareness has only recently become fashionable, the concept of SA has been around since the birth of air combat Situational awareness is the ability of a pilot to mentally process the entirety of what is going on around him. It means knowing where your wing-man is at all t imes and what he may be doing. It means keeping an eye on your "six" while going after the MiG in front of you,

One thing that separates veteran pilots from novices is SA New pilots fall into the trap of focusing in on only their little part of a battle, For example, a novice pilot might bear in for an easy kill on one aircraft only to be taken out by another that he didn't see, Like a detective arriving at a crime scene, a pilot must be able to observe the whole setting while concentrating on just what is important to solving the case,

A pilot with a good situational awareness can mentally place h imself in his wing-man's cockpit, A pilot with really good situational awareness will place himself in the enemy's cockpit as well. A significant part of SA is knowing what the other guy is getting ready to do, Two-seat aircraft, like the F-14, have the advantage of a second pair of eyes when it comes to SA In retum for the free ride, a RIO must be able to spot enemy aircraft that the pilot may have missed.

18

In FLEET DEFENDER, the best way to improve your situational awareness is by being familiar with enemy formations, Know what to look for so you can recognize it when you see it on radar, Practice, practice, practice! There is an entire training theater included in this simulation, It is here to help you, Use it

The AWG-9 radar gives you a distnct range advantage over your opponents, The Iranians used their F-14s as mini-A WACS early on in their war with Iraq, Again, use this range advantage to determine what is going on around you, Don't become fixated on a single target

The next best way to enhance your situational awareness is by simply looking out the window from time to time, (You know, just like they did in the old days.) FLEET DEFENDER gives you a number of different view perspectives, Use them all. Sometimes peering out the side of the cockpit can payoff in big dividends, You might just spot a bandit sneaking up on you that didn't show up on radar,

COMBAT TACTICS

PURSUIT ANGLES The ultimate objective in every air engagement is to reach a position of advantage from which you can shoot at the enemy without him

shooting back. This usually means getting behind an enemy and pursuing him long enough to shoot your guns or launch a missile. Maintaining the proper pursuit angle whi le you close in for the kil l is tricky business. Getting behind your enemy (i.e. getting in his "six") is only the beginning, now you have to stay there. At the same time, your opponent wi ll be doing everything within his power to get away. His wild maneuvering and abrupt speed changes are designed to throw you.

Choose a pursuit angle that allows you to close on an enemy regardless of his maneuvers. Two th ings to consider when deciding on a pursuit option are the relative disparity of energy between the two aircraft and the engagement envelope of your air-to-air weapons.

Judging the target aircraft's energy level will be difficult when initially entering the engagement. Be careful. The worse thing you can do is jump into a fight with a high level of energy, assume a lead pursuit, and then proceed to overshoot the target.

Begin every pursuit involving closure in a pure pursuit profile. Keep your nose pointed directly at the target until you get a feel for the target's energy state. Once a stable closure rate has been established, you can increase the rate of closure by pulling into the target or fall back into a lag pursuit at your leisure. Remember, it's easier to loosen the screws than tighten so don't use up all your energy assuming a pursuit profile you can't maintain.

19

The weapons you carry also have a great deal to do with pursuit situations. For example, if you are out of AAMs and equipped only w ith guns, you must position your gunsight ahead of your target. This means that you wi ll want to assume a lead pursuit profile. A pilot equipped with rear-aspect missiles only will generally prefer a log pursuit. His object is to reach a position within the six 0' clock arc of his target. This is the classic ACM "kill" position. (Fortunately, you do not corry such limited weapons. Toil-chose heat­seekers are only found on older model fighters belonging to Third World notions.)

Ah:hough a pilot can best bring his weapons within constraints from behind his opponent, all-aspect missiles give pilots greater latitude in determining pursuit options. Pure, even lag pursuits can be used effectively.

Lead Pursuit A Lead Pursuit situation is one in which the pursuing aircraft

keeps its nose pointed ahead of the target throughout the tum. Lead pursuits provide the pursuing pilot with the fastest means of affecting closure. This is a dangerous chase position because the pursuer is not always able to see his target. In tight tums, the line­of-sight (LOS) to the target wi ll be blocked by the pursuer's own aircraft. If the pursuer is not careful, this could lead to the target being able to reverse on him.

In order for a pilot to maintain a lead pursuit situation he will have to continually increase his turn rate. At the same time, narrowing spatial distances (closure) will cause the pilot to fly an ever decreasing tum radius. Bear in mind that the G forces in this situation are greater on the pursuer than the pursued. As the two aircraft come together, the gap in G forces experienced by the pilots can be significant. There's no point in getting right up on the enemy if you're going to be asleep when you get there.

Pure Pursuit A Pure Pursuit situation is one in which the pursuing aircraft

keeps its nose pointed directly at the target throughout the tum. If you can keep aimed at the target as he tums you must be doing something right. You won't be able to affect a guns kill from a Pure pursuit but you will be able to boresight a missile.

These pursuit situations generally occur during transition periods between Lead and Log pursuit profiles. A defender who sees an attacking aircraft in Pure pursuit will undoubtedly be spurred to begin out of plane maneuvers like climbing, diving, jinking, or making slicing tums.

Let him. All that maneuvering will begin to eat up his store of energy. Meanw hile, you can continue to close in. Your rate of closure won't be as fast as a Lead pursuit so use this extra time to position yourself wel l. Your RIO will appreciate the few additional moments to play with the radar.

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Figure 5-/ /: Lead, Pure, and Lag pursuit curves

Lag Pursuit A Log Pursuit situation is one in which the pursuing aircraft

keeps its nose pointed behind the target throughout the tum. This type of pursuit is the easiest of the three for the pursuer. The chase aircraft can alter (and even stop) the rate of closure by making minor adjustments in nose-angle. It can be used to slide into a Pure or even Lead pursuit profile as the range decreases. This type of pursuit is also used to prevent a possible overshoot if the pursuing aircraft is traveling faster than its prey. Should the situation warrant it, the Log pursuit also affords you the best chance to disengage from the fight.

BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERS (BFM) Although the F-14 was intended merely as a platform for launching missiles, its swept wing design gives it a dual mission capability. Not

only does it launch missiles, but it is able to hold its own in a dogfight.

This section on Basic Fighter Maneuvers outlines some simple tricks to use against the enemy. You should also be on the look-out for when the enemy decides to use these tricks on you.

Break Turn A Break tum is merely an abrupt change of direction made in

response to an opponent's attack It is usually made in the direction of the enemy aircraft to spoil his firing solution. If conducted

properly, the Break tum forces the enemy to take a high "angle-off'

gun shot. Even if your opponent is able to stay on your tail, his

aiming perspective makes you a difficult target. This maneuver is

also used to get inside the tuming arc of approaching missiles.

A Break tum is made with wings inclined at 90 degrees. It is a high G maneuver which, if sustained, leads to a rapid loss of

airspeed. This may cause your opponent to overshoot, so be

prepared to take advantage of his mistake. In a sustained tum, your wings will sweep forward if too much energy bleeds off. Use this as

an indication it's time to relax the stick

If you are "bounced", Break tums give you time to recover from

your initial surprise and start your own maneuvering. You cannot win

air combat by remaining in a defensive posture. Use the Break tum to

begin your offensive stradegy.

Figure 5- I 2: The Break or "Bot" tum. T ums like these expose the pilot to extreme G forces.

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Early Turn

F-1 4 is turning toward MiG's tall

F-14 , #1

#4

~4 #3~t #2 ~~

II #3

#2 Jt.

F-14 begins early turn

Figure 5- I 3: The Early (or Lead) tum. This is a tricky maneuver. It tokes a delicate sense of timing to perform properly.

If the closure battle for position has resulted in a stalemate, your opponent may decide to barrel straight in to bring about an engagement. The early tum maneuver is used to counter this head to head confrontation. A s shown in the diagram, it is a transitional maneuver used to get behind your opponent from a head-on aspect. The trick to performing the early tum is to anticipate your opponent's future position in relation to your own.

Inexperienced opponents usually fail to react to this maneuver in a timely fashion. They are soon caught in a tuming battle they can't win. The Early (or Lead) Tum depicted above is actually the prelude to a "One Circle Fight." The winner of this battle wil l be the first pilot able to bring the nose of his aircraft to bear on the enemy.

Scissors A Scissors maneuver is actually a series of tums and counter­

tums in which the opposing aircraft are each attempting to get behind the other. This naturally causes both pilots to fly as slow as they dare in order to tighten their tums. Whichever pilot forces the other to take the lead in this type of battle comes out the winner. Speed brakes and flaps help to slow you down, but as your airspeed continues to drop the hard tuming will eventually lead to a stall situation. Before that happens, disengage from the scissors and reposition yourself

D isengaging from a scissors battle takes careful timing. Wait unti l you are pointing away from your opponent in an outward tum, roll inverted and dive away to increase the separation distance. Your opponent's airspeed wil l be low as well, giving you time to escape.

22

#5

F-1 4 in firing pOSition #7 ~------- -

~// / t--- 'If;- MiG sees enemy behind,

#6 turns toward him

~ ~ F-14 ignores difficult

(

~ passing shot and

)

reverses again

F-14 sees MiG reacting , ~ reverses again to

#4 ~ / #4 close scissors

F-14 reverses, opening scissors

\

.4 #3

#3~ ~ '\. \\ F-14 turns toward enemy,

#2 ~ ti:~ him into a turn

\\ #1 A MiG behind F-14 ~ but moving faster

Figure 5-14: Despite its size, the F- 14 has proven itself to be a master at the scissors fight

Split-S The Split-S is a reversal maneuver combining a half-roll and dive

to increase speed. It is a quick way of changing your direction 18oo and is usually begun from level flight or slight climb. To perform a Split-S, simply roll inverted. Once inverted, pull sharply back on the stick to enter a dive. This maneuver causes you to lose considerable altitude, so make sure you have at least 5,000 ft. to play with.

As you enter the dive, reduce your airspeed in order to keep from losing too much altitude. The nose down attitude will provide you with more than enough energy. Continue to pull back on the stick until you are once again level with the horizon then shove the throttles forward. You are now heading I 80° from your original heading with a reservoir of stored energy.

After years of watching old war-movies depicting WVV I air combat, most of us continue to think of the Split-S as a defensive maneuver. Actually, if you have an enemy fighter on your tail, going into a Split-S is tantamount to suicide. If the bandit happens to be low on energy and having trouble maintaining a pursuit, following you through a Split-S solves that problem.

Smart pilots recognize that a Split-S is really an offensive maneuver. It is used to transition into an attack profile, converting altitude into energy for a low slashing attack.

Half roll

====}>

Figure 5- 1 5 The Split S.

23

Immelmonn Tum The Immelmann turn is named after its inventor, Max

Immelmann, a German World War I ace. It is the exact inverse of the Split-S. The Immelmann is a climbing half-loop used to get on the tail of an enemy coming head-on. Speed is the critical factor in performing an Immel mann tum. Check your air speed to insure that you have enough to perform this maneuver without stalling.

An Immel mann is best performed when begun from level flight or a slight nose-down attitude. Simply pull back on the stick, applying pressure until you reach the vertical plane. As your ai r speed continues to drop off, you must judge for yourself when to complete the pull-over. Once in level flight, a simple half-roll returns you to a normal flight profile heading in any direction you choose.

Like a Split-S, the Immelmann is also a conversion maneuver used to transition into an attack. Don't ever use an Immelmann to shake an opponent on your tail. In this instance, an Immelmann just gives your opponent an early Christmas gift. Even a Yak, not normally noted for its dogfighting prowess, can take advantage of a Tomcat dumb enough to pull an Immelmann in front of it.

Figure 5-1 6: The Immelmonn Tum.

Loop By now, you undoubtedly will have noticed that a Loop is

nothing more than combining a Split-S with an Immelmann, or vice versa. Eithe r half of the maneuver can be performed first depending on the circumstances. Loops are performed to avoid an enemy in your six 0' clock while trying to aim your guns at his tail at the same time.

If you are traveling fast and wish to slow down, pull into an Immelmann. Continue to apply constant back pressure while reducing your throttle. Once the nose comes over the top, your speed increases as you come down the back side of the Split-S. Add or subtract power as needed.

If you do not have enough energy to perform an Immel mann immediately start your Loop with a Split-S. Determine how much altitude you wish to lose and adjust your throttle accordingly. This provides you with additional energy for when you pull into your climb. Note that you end up flying inverted along your original heading.

24

Figure 5-1 7: Although popular at air shows, the missile has rendered the Loop obsolete as a defensive maneuver.

ADVANCED FIGHTER TACTICS (AFT) One Circle fights

A One Circle fight occurs w hen you and a single enemy aircraft meet head-on at the merge, pass each other, then break to the same direction. When this happens the dogfight becomes a series of nose-to-nose engagements resu lting in ever shrinking concentric circles. Each of you w ill be attempting to convert this head-on aspect into a tail chase position of advantage. Energy management is critical in this type of fight because you're trading energy for nose angle with each subsequent pass. One Circle fights easily stagnate into a fiat scissors reversals. Once there, the pilot able to make the sharpest, tightest tum wi ll drop behind the other. Less maneuverable aircraft would do wel l to avoid this type of fight. One Circle fights are usually stationary. The merry-go-round effect locks the two aircraft in one piece of sky. This makes it easy for additional aircraft to find the dogfight.

25

f Mig-29

Mig-29 f \~ F-14 , F-14

\ ~ Mig-29

~

AF-14

AF-14 Figure 5-18: The object of Q One Circle fight is to force the enemy to overshoot It's Q race to see who con be the first to go slowest

Two Circle fights The altemative to a One Circle fight is- you guessed it -0 Two

Circle fight A Two circle fight occurs when you and a single enemy aircraft meet head-on at the merge, pass each other, then break in opposite directions. The paths your aircraft take resembles a figure eight (or two adjacent circles) when viewed from above. Again, the object of a Two Circle fight is to convert a head-on approach aspect into a tail chase situation. Initially, both you and your opponent go to your respective comers. At this point it is easy for one or both aircraft to disengage. Should you chose not to disengage, it becomes a matter of getting the nose of your aircraft around in time to point at the enemy first.

Speeds are generally kept higher than those in a One Circle fight because the physical area of a Two Circle fight is greater. Both you and your opponent are trying to speed around the circle and wind up in the other guy's "six." Aircraft equipped with all-aspect missiles will have an advantage. If you can get the nose of your aircraft around, you can shoot a missile from across the figure eight.

Two Circle fights are far more difficult to manage. Most of the time the aircraft involved will be pointed away from each other so get used to looking over your shoulder or keep the enemy in sight by using Padlock View m Key.

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6 F-14

6F-14

Figure 5-19: The Two Circle fight is a race to see who can be the first to tum and fire.

Envelopment An envelopment (also known as a Pincer ottock) is normally used

by a flight of enemy aircraft traveling in a Wall formation. It is actually the preferred method of attack because the aircraft will already be spread out in a linear fashion. The flight leader can immediately execute this attack without having to bother with pre-attack positioning. His aircraft will already be at their jump-off points.

~ MiG-29s !

I

\;~~,

~,> \~./

F-14s

MiG-29 s

Figure 5-20A: Here a four-ship of enemy aircraft split into two pairs for the attack. No matter which way the target tums, at least one of the four attackers is guaranteed a position of advantage.

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The envelopment attack only works when the enemy has the benefrt of surprise. If they are able to approach undetected, they will break off into two pairs and attempt to overload a target by attacking from many directions at once. The inner aircraft of the formation wi ll pass by then reverse on the target's "six". The ourter aircraft first separate from the fight then reverse to engage the target from the flanks.

If, on the other hand, the four-ship is detected w hile still in its Wall formation, its first response wi ll be defensive. As you can see by the following diagram, each aircraft separates into a different profile. Such a maneuver might well be termed a shot­gun approach.

The MiG positioned second from the right has just detected an enemy radar lock, it begins a post-hole spiral downward. The flight leader calls for a "break" which causes the other aircraft in the formation to separate. Some will go high, others wi ll go low. The idea is to sucker an attacker into remaining fixated on the spiraling target he has locked. The target itself hopes to draw the attacker in while the other aircraft in the formation surround it.

II

--- !J ~-=-- ----

Figure 5-20B: The shot-gun approach sends each of the four aircraft off on its own. Communication will be the key to reuniting this force.

The Champagne

2 MiG-29 s

F-14 s

3 MiG-29 s

~ I v V

~ ~

~G-29 ~

11 F-14 s

MiG-29 s

MiG-2~ ~

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The Champagne is a tactical maneuver performed by an enemy four-ship in Box fonmation. As depicted in the series of diagrams, the Champagne is a double envelopment. The two trailing aircraft swing outward in an attempt to sandwich your two-ship. The leading aircraft maintain their heading but slow down to give you time to enter the trap. If viewed from above this maneuver takes on the appearance of a champagne glass, hence the name, Champagne.

4

, ,

~ :J {\ f '-

Figure 5-21.' The Champagne features a two-pronged attock One pair of enemy fighters continues down the middle while another two attempt to catch you in a pincers.

The Storburst The Starburst is a tactical maneuver perfonmed by an enemy four-ship in Ladder fonmation. As soon as one of the aircraft detects your

radar attempting to "lock-on" it will begin a post-hole spiral downward. The other aircraft in the fonmation break in various directions as

depicted in the diagram. They will attempt to sneak up on you w hile your attention is focused on the post-haler.

MiG-29s in Ladder Formation

MiG-29s Begin Starburst Maneuver

u Post-Hole Spiral

~ Break High

~

t1 ~reakLow

F-14 s

Figure 5-22: The Storburst is aptly named. Even on radar, it is a fascinating maneuver to watch unfold.

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The Wheel Formation The Wheel is a self-defense maneuver used by a formation

when attacked by superior numbers of fighters. This maneuver, also known as a Lufberry, calls for the defending formation to begin fiying in a tight circle. Pilots take up a nose-to-tail position with the aircraft in front so that each member of the formation has his "six" position covered by the pilot behind. This tactic was often used in WW II and Korea. These "guns-only" envi ronments required that an attacker actually fall in line behind a member of the formation in order to attack. As soon as an attacker lined up to fire he also would be engaged from behind. The Wheel made it suicidal for an attacker to engage a member of the formation.

Now that most fighters are equipped with medium to long­range all-aspect AAMs the Wheel formation is far less effective. An attacker is not required to enter the formation in order to fire a missile. It can remain well clear of the circle and still attack.

Another drawback to the Wheel is that it roots the formation to one point in space and makes it easy to spot. Even so, the Wheel is still used by Third World nations because it gives the fiight leader some measure of control over his aircraft.

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((

--~~,;.,:,-----, '

) ) '-'. ~"',

" '. " '.

Figure 5-23: The Wheel is a classic defensive formation. Each pilot is responsible for protecting the aircraft in front of him. As you can see (rom the arrows, no aircraft con be attacked (rom outside the Wheel without expOSing the attacker's "six".

NORTH CAPE THEATER

THEATER BACKGROUND In the two great world wars of this century, the German army overran millions of square miles of European territory. Yet, in the end

Germany found itself being gradually worn down and defeated by fresh men and material shipped across the Atlantic from the United States. Unable to prevent war supplies from reaching Europe by sea, Germany could merely watch as her enemies gathered strength. Control of the Atlantic allowed the nations allied against Germany to draw upon their colonial empires.

In both WVV I and WVV II, control of the Atlantic gave the United States time to build up its forces then conduct an invasion of Europe at a time and place of its choosing. During the I 980s, this strategy was continually dnummed into Soviet naval officers. Their Northern and Baltic Sea fieets would be expected to sever the sea lanes connecting western Europe with the United States. It was no secret that NATO exercises periodically tested the ability to move troops and supplies from the U.s. to Europe in case of war.

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These maneuvers were known in military parlance as REFORGER (Return Forces to Germany) exercises. In case of a Soviet attack. REFORGER troops would move by air and then marry up with pre-positioned stocks of equipment. Preventing these forces from reaching western Europe would be the Red Air Force's worry.

Airlifts alone would be unable to move enough of the supplies needed to sustain combat operations, however. Heavy equipment, POL (petroleum, oil and lubricants) and the majority of combat vehicles would have to be moved by sea. This is where the Soviet navy was expected to step in. Preventing NATO convoys from ever reaching Europe was paramount. If the Red Banner Northern fleet could stop NATO from receiving sea-bome reinforcements, Soviet ground forces wou ld sweep across Genmany in weeks, perhaps days.

To this end, the Soviets starting holding exercises of their own. Large scale naval maneuvers showed that they were indeed capable of operating in the North Atlantic. It drove home the message that NATO's hold on the Atlantic was tenuous at best. The new Soviet Navy demonstrated just how easily it could disrupt the Atlantic. Tens of surface ships and submarines surged out from the(r home ports during these exercises. Lavish amounts of naval air support including everything from reconnaissance platforms to tactical coordinators and strike aircraft also took part.

Impressive as these exercises were to NATO officials, the key to their success lay in whether or not NATO's carrier battlegroups could be located and destroyed. NATO's abi lity to dominate the sky over the Atlantic would ultimately prevent the Soviets from conducting serious anti-sh ipping campaigns south of the GIUK (Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom) gap. Even north of this line, an extended Soviet campaign in the face of NATO air power would prove very costly indeed. Eliminate the carriers, however, and the situation changes dramatically in favor of Moscow. Removing carrier-based air power from the region almost guarantees Soviet air supremacy.

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Establishing air superiority would actually be just the first phase of a more grandiose plan. The next phase would have long-ranged Soviet bombers operating far out into the Atlantic. From thei r bases on the Kola peninsula these aircraft would pose a serious threat to NATO convoys. One way to further compound the danger to NATO would be to move the bases closer to the action. Unfortunately for the Soviet Union, the Kola peninsula is a long way from the Atlantic shipping routes. The only way to get bases closer to the action would be to use captured ports and airfields in Scandinavia, particularly Norway.

,

..

North Cope Theater Mop

Situated on the left flank of the European theater of operations, Norway is somewhat isolated. Its proxi mity to the Soviet Union leaves it exposed and vulnerable to an overland attack. The Soviets could conceivably conquer Norway just as Germany did in 1940 if they coupled their land invasion with a strong air/sea campaign. Soviet bombers would then be in a position to challenge NATO convoys in the mid-Atlantic by staging sorties from captured Norwegian airbases.

The time is the mid- 1980's and World War III has broken out Political pressure on the top Soviet leadership has been mounting in recent months. The sluggish nature of the Soviet economy fai led to live up to the rosy expectations of the latest Five-Year plan drawn up in Moscow. In the Ukraine, another poor harvest has added to the rising discontent. Feeling the heat, party bosses within the Kremlin have ordered the state security apparatus to go into operation but even this has failed to stem the increasing tide of open dissent

Only one thing has historical ly united the Soviet people and guaranteed their blind obedience- the threat of foreign invasion. The Soviet Central Committee has decided to stage a national crisis believing that the people will rally behind it. Accordingly, those in power have engineered the conflict and blamed the west for jeopardizing the security of Soviet citizens. The political in­fighting and diplomatic intrigue behind this conflict are beyond the scope of th is simulation but suffice it to say that the purveyors of power in Moscow are wi lling to risk starting World War III in order to preserve their station in Soviet society.

NEUTRAL FORCES

Figure 6-1: MiG-29s "Fulcrums" heading toward Norway in a tight Cruise (ormation.

The three North Cape scenarios in depict a powerful Soviet campaign to capture Norwegian ports and airfields. The overall objective of the assault is to secure operating bases on NATO's weak northem flank If all goes well, these bases will cut down on wasteful transit time and al low Soviet ships and aircraft to roam far out into the Atlantic. Eventually Norway may be used as a springboard for an all-out attack on Iceland. If this happens, westem Europe might be cut off completely from the United States.

Your squadron is one of the two F-14 equipped squadrons assigned to the canrier in these scenarios. You are tasked with assisting friendly ground troops in Norway. The carrier group must still be defended at all times, however. Note that the three scenarios can be played separately or linked together into one gigantic campaign lasting for weeks.

The United States, United Kingdom, and Norway are the principle nations at war with the Soviet Union in this theater. Two additional Scandinavian countries, Finland and Sweden, are neutral to the conflict. Unfortunately, these nations may not preserve their neutrality for long.

Finland and Sweden will not enter the conflict as long as their territorial sovereignty is not compromised. However, because these nations lay between the major wanring parties, numerous violations of their airspace are expected to occur. Accordingly, both nations have scrambled a limited number of interceptors to act as a deterrent to would-be intruders. As neutrals, these countries are obligated to intercept aircraft belonging to both NATO and the Soviet Union. Because neither country seeks a confrontation intruders wi ll be escorted out of neutral airspace. Violators that refuse to comply with their escorts wil l be fired upon.

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Finnish interceptors are usually Soviet export MiG-21 s. Although the "Fi shbed" is an older model aircraft, they carry relatively modem (AAMs) air-to-air missiles. Swedish interceptor squadrons are made up of SAAB Viggens as wel l as some exported Soviet aircraft. They are known to use Sparrows, Sidewinders, and Sky Flash AAMs.

Players that find themselves over neutral territory should immediately turn around, Avoid unpleasant confrontations by leaving the area- before an interception takes place. If intercepted, players should take no hostile action and follow the instructions of their escort. Do not fire on neutral aircraft! A player never receives points for shooting down neutral aircraft. Leave that to the Soviets.

CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS

Scenario # I Fighting Withdrawal

Figure 6-2: Pictured here, a U.S. corrier at anchor inside a Norwegian liord in the days just prior to the Soviet attock

Since early this moming, Soviet troops have been carrying out a massive air, sea and land assault on members of the NATO alliance. The Soviet Union was given no choice but to undertake this unilateral action in order to preempt an attack by NATO. At least this was the story being told to the Soviet people. No longer are the Soviet people to be held at bay by the evil forces of capitalism. The moral superiority of the "New Soviet Man" is about to be proven in combat.

The Iron Curtain has been peeled back at last, only to reveal a snarling monster. Tube after tube of Soviet arti llery- pre-registered on their targets since 1945 -have begun belching forth a steady rain of steel. Every yard of the FEBA (Forward Edge of Battle) has been turned into a private Verdun. Behind this banrage of high explosive shells Soviet anmor is advancing at great speed. All throughout Europe long lines of T-72s and APCs are racing over the border separating East and West Genmany. Overlhead, waves of Soviet fighters and bombers can be seen traveling west- their contrails plainly visible.

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For the third time in this century, the Atlantic has become a battleground. As before, the stakes are mortal. The success or failure of the Soviet ground offensive depends on whether the lifeline between Europe and United States can be severed. If the U.s. can establish reliable sea routes for its reinforcements and supplies, the Soviet gamble will almost certainly fail. If. on the other hand, the Northern Red Banner Fleet can close down the shipping routes, England wi ll be blockaded and Soviet land forces will sweep forward to the French border. Most importantly, the Communist Party leadership wil l remain intact. Basking in their military victory, the Soviet people can be persuaded to forget their empty bellies and barren store windows.

The Kremlin's plan for dealing with Norway is simple. Because of its proximity to the Kola peninsula (and Soviet bases located there), Norway is to be inundated by non-stop tactical airstrikes, followed by a division-sized airbome assault. All airfelds in northem Norway are scheduled to be overrun by paratroopers within the first 36 to 48 hours of the operation. In addition, Spetznatz commando teams have been inserted by submarine at various critical points along the coast. Other submarines are to disrupt Norwegian naval activity by laying mines off its principal anchorages.

While Soviet paratroopers descend over northem Norway like snowfakes the airbases at Banak and Andoya are to be overrun by a combined assault of naval infantry and Special Forces units. These troops are to hold on to these key positions until reinforced by airbome troops belonging to the 76th Guards Airbome Division.

The main assault on the ground is to be carried out by a reinforced mechanized division pushing overland from Pechenga. Once the Norwegian border town of Kirkenes has fallen, the spearhead of the attack is to link up with various pockets. The road-bound assault column of T-72 tanks is to push forward relentlessly. Threats to the fianks of the column are to be ignored. Instead, groups of Mi-8 "Hip" helicopters will transport lightly equipped ainmobile units to deal with critical areas as needed. Helicopters will provide much needed mobility that the tanks lack

At sea, the Soviets intend to move a powerful surface action group (SAG) made up of ships of the Red Banner Northem Fleet down the coast of Norway in support of the ground operation. It is to assume a position off the coast and prevent reinforcements from reaching Norway by sea. Because Norway is geographically isolated from the rest of Europe, command of the surrounding seas is critical. NATO's carrier based air power must be eliminated early in the confiict before it has a chance to escape. This, in a nutshell, is the Soviet plan of operations in Norway.

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A single U.S. ai rcraft carrier is currently conducting joint exercises with ships belonging to ST ANAVFORLANT (Standing Naval Forces Atlantic). If and when war breaks out, this carrier will be caught well forward of the GIUK SOSUS network It will have to hurriedly retreat in the face of any detenmined Soviet onslaught. Wamed that the current political situation has made a Soviet attack likely, NATO planners have decided against prematurely mobilizing their forces. Such an event could exacerbate the situation, so NATO ministers have been content to merely monitor Soviet preparations by satellite. Therefore the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) has decided to allow the single U.S. carrier in Norwegian waters to remain where it is for the moment.

You are an F-14 pilot assigned to one of the two fighter squadrons onboard this carrier. As the scenario begins your battlegroup is tempting fate by steaming several hundred miles off the Norwegian coast. It is hard not to think of this tiny show of force as a sacrificial lamb. Twenty Tomcats are all that stand between your carrier and the full weight of a surprise Soviet attack Regardless of how well you do personally, how many aircraft you shoot down or missions you complete, in order for you to win this campaign, the carrier must remain operational -signifying a successful escape. (Operational in this case is defined as being afioat and able to launch and recover aircraft.) Good luck!

Figure 6-3: The Soviet BeGN f<jrov pictured here with on escort at anchor just prior to the start of the operation.

Scenario # 2 Return To Norway The all-out Soviet assault on Norway outlined in Scenario # I

has been largely successful, although the majority of the country south of Orland remains in friendly hands. The small Norwegian navy, consisting mainly of frigates and coastal defense vessels, has been either sunk or forced to retreat along with the rest of NATO's forces. Vessels able to make the trip to ports in the UK have been saved. The rest of Norway's navy now lies at the bottom of various fjords.

A small portion of the Norwegian air force has also escaped to the United Kingdom. Norwegian airfields came under heavy attack from the outset. Banak and Bardufoss stood little chance once the Soviets knocked out the HAWK batteries surrounding them. Only the airfield at Andoya, separated from the mainland, was able to hold out for long. It , too, was eventually stormed, though a heavy toll of naval infantry was extracted.

Of the airfelds in northem Norway only Bodo -located on a tiny peninsula, was able t o remain operational for long. F- 16s were able to fiy from its cratered runway for several days into the war. Its garrison surrendered only after Soviet tanks pushed onto the high ground overlooking the airfeld. While the Norwegians were being taken prisoner, a huge explosion rocked the peninsula. It seems that the Norwegians were able to detonate an underground cache of munitions pre-positioned beneath the airstrip itself. Tons of high explosives went up simultaneously completely chewing up a 120 ft. section of runway. Clearly, Bodo would be out of action for some time to come.

O n the ground, N orwegian army units were involved in fierce fighting around population centers and key choke points along the roads leading south. The ferocity displayed by Norwegian troops during the heroic rear-guard action at Kirkenes surprised the Soviets and disrupted their timetable. Although the defenders at Kirkenes were ovenrun in the end, the Soviet drive never recovered the

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momentum it had lost. Even so, following the battle at Kirkenes all organized NATO resistance above battalion level ceased. NATO forces that remained in country fought a series of hit and run engagements trying to wear down the Soviet troops.

Logistics proved to be far more of an impediment to Soviet plans than any active resistance offered by NATO. In fact, there was nothing keeping Soviet troops from occupying the rest of Norway except the inability to supply their troops once the operation was concluded.

With NATO lines in central Europe falling back under severe pressure, very little can be spared to defend so-called "secondary fronts." Despite its importance, Norway has been placed in the category of a secondary front, a sideshow, if you will. The eNO in Washington disagrees strongly with this decision. He knows that in order to maintain his "bridge" of ships across the Atlantic NATO must not only hold its current position but retake the territory in Norway previously lost.

After the initial retreat U.s. and NATO forces reorganized their strategic positions along the GIUK (Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom) line. In general, the line held but a number of Soviet attack boats did manage to slip past and enter the Atlantic. On the ground, the Soviets were limited to occupying only the northernmost territory in Norway. This territory included some major airfelds as far south as Bodo. The Soviet drive also overran Narvik -an important port and key to supplying any further drive south.

The Soviets must not be given time to consolidate their gains. The captured N orwegian fac il ities have sustained some battle damage, but will be operational again shortly. Those airfelds that survived the initial strike have been overrun intact by Soviet airbome units. It has become apparent from satellite intelligence that these airfields are now going to be used to stage further raids on the UK and far out into the Atlantic.

NATO depends upon its Atlantic lifel ine. Reinforcements from the US must travel the Atlantic either by sea or by air. If this "bridge" between Europe and North America is severed even for a short time, the West will lose the war in Europe. The U.s VII Corps in Bavaria is being pushed steadily back. There are just too few of the latest M- I Abrams tanks to stop the flood of T-72s pouring through the Fulda Gap. As Soviet anmor and mechanized divisions pour across the plains of northem Genmany, the urgent need for reinforcements is painfully evident.

With Norwegian airfields finmly in Soviet hands, a knife is being held to the throat of NATO forces in Europe. NATO ports of disembarl<ation in southem France are now open to attack from long-range naval aircraft. If the Soviets are allowed to complete their preparations, it is anticipated that the bulk of Soviet naval aviation based on the Kola peninsula will be transferred to Norway. From these new staging areas, the distance to targets in the United Kingdom is literally quartered.

To preempt this eventuality a large force of U.s and Royal Marines is to conduct a surprise amphibious operation designed to retake Narvik. Once this is accomplished, the beachhead will be rapidly expanded to cut off Soviet forces farther south. A single carrier battlegroup is all that can be spared. This meager resource, one carrier with its air wing of 90 aircraft, has been tasked with providing air cover for the invasion.

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Figure 6-4: A Newport Class LST off-loads vehicles in the harsh weather conditions near Narvik Actually, the low clouds and snow fall prevented some Soviet airstrikes tram targeting these ships.

In this scenario, you assume the role of an F-14 pilot in one of the two fighter squadrons onboard. Your carrier battlegroup is steaming just off the Norwegian coast so that it can provide the required close air support. Being th is near to the coast, however, is li ke placing your head in the lion's mouth. Your ships are well within range of hundreds of Soviet fighters and bombers. Your squadron has a two-fold mission: protect the carrier group and assist friendly amphibious forces on the ground. If this operation succeeds it will be the first step in retaking all of Norway.

Scenario # 3 Assault On The Kola Peninsula Within days of war breaking out. northern Norway was

decisively ovenrun by the Soviets in a mutti-divisional assautt. The stubbom defense of Kirkenes, however, delayed the early stages of the invasion. For many crucial hours, the heroic last stand around the Kirkenes roadblock gave the rest of NATO time to retreat in good order. Norwegian forces rallied quickly despite suffering a continuous pounding from the air. The front line eventually stabilized just south of Bodo. The Soviet drive had run out of steam. Southem Norway was safe for the moment

The war in Norway now entered a new phase, as outlined in Scenario #2. It became obvious back at higher headquarters in Murmansk that Soviet troops, their ammunition and supplies exhausted, were occupying a dangerously exposed position. Fortunately, from their perspective NATO forces in Norway were in equally bad shape. Just the same, Soviet officers fearec that the entire campaign might tum into a snowy guenilla action. They desperately wanted to avoid this type of fighting, after all they had a previous bad experience with it during the Winter War of 1940. (The Red Anmy suffered grievious losses at the hands of Finnish ski troops.)

U.s. and Royal Marines in southem Norway called it "Injun fighting." All along the front. ski-patrols were inserted behind Soviet lines to wreak havoc. Anything smaller than a reinforced platoon was immediately ambushed by Marines as it tried to move. Nothing was safe. Truck convoys were shot up, communication lines destroyed and large numbers of prisoners were taken. Soviet morale plummeted. The troops sought out protective shelters then remained there. More and more, Soviet units became immobilized and isolated pockets of resistance in a sea of lightly equipped NATO forces.

The Soviets were not without successes of their own during this period. One notable victory came as a pair of Su-2S "Frogfoot" aircraft caught a company of Norwegian infantry out in

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Figure 6-5: A friendly column of NA TO anti-tonk vehides moves out over snow­covered roods. These hard-hitting but lighdy equipped forces are headed for "Injun country" and another ambush behind Soviet lines.

the open. The company had just assembled for rations when the two fighters made a single pass overhead. In a matter of seconds, the Norwegian unit was reduced to a handful of screaming survivors. Hundreds lay dead and dying, their supply vehicles buming heaps of wreckage.

The heaviest combat of the campaign took place not along the front, but near Narvik, some 100 miles behind the lines. After weeks of stagnant and stalemated fighting, Marines from the United States and UK came ashore in a bold amphibious operation. Immediately, the Soviets recognized the danger their troops were in as a resutt of this move. They threw everything they could at the beachhead in an attempt to keep the Marines pinned down. After suffering heinous casuatties, greater than anything experienced in the Pacific during WW II , the Marines that landed outside Narvik finally took the town. When this war is studied by future historians, favorable comparisons will be drawn between MacArthur's landing at Inchon and the Narvik operation. Both proved to be turning points.

Figure 6-6: Amphibious assault croft come ashore near Narvik. These landing croft are getting ready to off-load supplies desperately needed in-land.

Soviet forces unlucky enough to be caught south of the city were instantly isolated by the operation. Cut off from their source of supplies, they yielded territory easily and surrendered. After days of intense combat Soviet resistance collapsed, NATO forces pushed northward to link up with the Marine beachhead. The counter-offensive paused briefly to take on additional supplies at Narvik The attack quickly resumed, however, although by this time it was more of a foot race than an assault. Soviet troops reeled back toward Kirkenes with our forces in hot pursuit.

Assisted by carrier-based air power the Marines retook all but the north em most sliver of the country. Bled white by their refusal to discard dubious and outdated tactics, the Marines managed to push the Soviets back as far as Kirkenes before grinding to a halt. The hard-fought campaign for Norway was over. The effectiveness of Soviet forces had been reduced in Norway by a general lack of supply. They had no choice but to give ground slowly. As the assault neared the Soviet border, however, resistance grew steadily and a deadlock ensued.

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Figure 6-7: U.S. Marines in snow comouffage toke cover in a frozen trench near Narvik as a plume o( smoke rises (rom a near miss. Soviet airstrikes took a heavy toll o( NA TO (orces in the beachhead.

This stalemate condition does not extend to the war at sea A single U.S. carrer battlegroup has been moved to within striking distance of Soviet bases on the Kola peninsula The war has now come full circle, For the first time NATO air power will be used to prosecute an extended campaign against the Soviet Union itself The carrier will be taking the fight to the enemy, attacking the Soviets on their doorstep.

As an F- 14 pilot you are assigned to one of two fighter squadrons onboard the carrier. You wi ll be participating in a series of air strikes against a wide range of industrial and military targets. The objective of this air campaign is to destroy the war making potential of Soviet facilities in this region. Fonmer Secretary of the Navy John Lehman once referred to the Kola peninsula as "the most valuable piece of real estate on earth,"

Your job is to help tum this valuable piece of real estate into a low-rent zone. The F-1 4's role in this campaign will be to escort friendl y aircraft on strike missions as we ll as establishing air superiority over this critical airspace. This high risk venture will expose the carrier group to enormous danger but if the mission is successful, Soviet forces in Norway will whither on the vine.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER

THEATER BACKGROUND When people gather to debate modem air combat one analogy is made quite often. A close-quarters dogfight between supersonic

fighters is referred to as a knife fight in a phone booth. Despite the fact that this well-wom cliche has become tiresome, it remains an accurate enough representation. Taking it one step farther, the military situation in the Mediterranean can be likened to a knife fight in a phone booth inside a bathtub. Naval officers transferrng from the Pacific Seventh Fleet often find themselves suddenly suffering from claustrophobia when called upon to conduct tactical maneuvers in "the Med."

Supersonic aircraft can make a north-south trip across the Med in under an hour. Many single engine strike aircraft have the ability to cross the Med and retum w ithout refueling. Th is means that the air defense of naval surface groups must contend w ith the large numbers of less capable aircraft owned by the Third World nations in this region. A 360 0 air defense zone surrounding a battlegroup is mandatory because there 's nowhere to retreat to that the enemy can't reach.

The short distances involved make attacks from any direction equally likely. The difficuh:ies of maintaining an adequate air defense posture are further magnified by the preponderance of civilian aircraft in the region. Sorting all these radar retums must make life aboard an AWACS or A8N aircraft somewhat hectic. Presumably in time of war civilian flights would be canceled or at least re-rDuted out of the combat zone. However, one cannot always count on this. Mistakes do happen. One need only recall the tragic Vincennes incident in which a U.s. cruiser downed an Iranian Airbus over the Straits of Hormuz.

It is not unheard of for an attacking aircraft to mask its approach by using a marked civilian route. By masquerading as a civilian airliner following a scheduled flight plan an enemy aircraft could easily get close enough to a group of ships to launch a cruise missile. Smart pi lots have also found ways to beat enemy radars by " piggy-backing" with large wide-body jets when necessary. F-1 4 pilots have to use extreme care when engaging BVR targets in the Med. The inability to positively identify targets at long ranges may hamper the use of the AIM-54 Phoenix in certain instances.

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As you can see the Mediterranean Sea is very nearly a lake. Naval forces not indigenous to this region can only enter or exit at one of three points. Each of these entry/exit points also happens to be a natural choke point, a narrow sea-lane which can be easily be denied to a hostile fleet in time of war.

Mediterranean Theater Map

The most commonly used entry point for European based navies is the Strait of Gibraltar, located at the Meditenranean's far westem end. The Bosphorus and Dardanelle narrows, known collectively as the Tuoosh Straits, is another common entrance to the Meditenranean. This body of water divides Turkey into two parts and connects the Black Sea with the Med. Soviet ships are effectively cut off from the Med unless Soviet ground forces are able to occupy the adjacent land mass. This has kept the Black Sea fleet bottled up and vexed Russian naval strategy for centuries.

The third and final entrance point is the Suez canal. This route into the Med is even more important to global trading partners than the Panama canal in the westem hemisphere. It links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea and makes the long sea voyage around southem Africa unnecessary. The Suez canal facilitates the transfer of military forces between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The Persian Gulf War in 199 1 dramatically proved the practicality of such transfers.

This region of the world is a powder keg ready to ignite at any moment. No less than 15 nations border on the Meditenranean Ocean. Such political congestion has caused this region to become a diplomatic morass. Most of the world's great religions have overlapping and competing interests here which keep this area in constant turmoil. It has been a battleground throughout human history and remains volatile today.

Fortunately for the United States and westem Europe, the Soviet strategic position in this region has never been very good. Syria and Libya have proven to be the only two nations willing to allow the Soviets to regularly make use of their facilities. With Turkey controlling access through the Dardanelles, Soviet warships wishing to enter the Med must usually do so through the Strait of Gibraltar. Supplyi ng these same ships would be impossible in time of war making free access to foreign ports crucial to Soviet planning.

The Soviet air force must contend with the same problems of access and resupply as the navy, albeit to a lesser degree. In time of war, Soviet aircraft will have to fight their way through hundreds

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of miles of hostile airspace just to reach the Med. Once again only Syria and Libya have proven to be steady allies. Even so the eastem Med is well within range of Soviet bombers based in the Crimea. These powerful aircraft could potentially block air/sea access to Israel in time of war.

Three Meditenranean campaign scenarios accurately portray a mix of strategic and tactical challenges. The first features US. canrier operations in the central Med. This set of missions assumes that Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon (Operation Peace (or Galilee) has touched off a wider Syrian involvement. Having won the initial rounds, Israel is pushing slowly on two Arab capitals simultaneously, Beinut and Damascus. The Arab world has tumed to the Soviet Union for help.

Embarrassed by the failure of their military equipment and pushed into a political comer, the Soviet Union has decided to intervene. As expected, this controversial move is vehemently opposed by both Israel and the United States. Both sides are hastily preparing for battle. Predictably, Libya has joined with the Soviets and Syria and hopes to embarrass the US for the downing of its jets the previous year. With on ly one canrier battlegroup currently on hand the U.s. Sixth Fleet has been tasked with preventing Soviet forces from reaching Israel by sea.

The second campaign scenario is Operation EI Dorado Conyon and contains historical missions actua lly fiown during the 1986 airstrikes on Libya. These raids were meant to send a message to Libya's ruler, Col. Qaddifi, that the Un ited States would respond aggressively to terrorism. You'll be participating in the joint USAF- Navy air operations calling upon canrier-based F- 14s to protect F-I I Is fi ying in from thei r bases in the United Kingdom. Forced to fiy a tortuous route around the Iberian peninsula, the tired "Aardvark" crews are depending upon your squadron for air cover. You'll have to escort them to their targets in Libya and then stand by to defend the canriers in case of retaliation.

The third and final Meditenranean campaign. Carrier Duel. is a futuristic scenario set early in the next century. This hypothetical conflict is intended to ill ustrate the tactics of modern carrie r warfare from now until well into the next century. It is a "what-if' campaign that if fought in reality would represent the first true carner vs. carrier battle since the Second World War. Although the equipment and weaponry have evolved dramatically. the tactics of air/sea combat have remained relatively unchanged (as you will soon discover).

Carner Duel assumes that the 1989 break-up of the Soviet Union never occurred. The attempt to oust Gorbachev from power w hile he vacationed on the Black Sea was successful. Hard-line communists. along w ith their KGB mentors. retum to power in Moscow and immediately begin a crack down on reform minded

NEUTRAL FORCES Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia

These nations are neutral parties to the Meditenranean confiicts described in the scenario briefs. In time of war. however. there is no doubt the Soviet Union would be able to exercise a great deal of political infiuence over them. Bulgaria and Roman ia. in particular. are vulnerable to a military response from the Soviet Union should their govemments displease officials in Moscow. Because of the threat posed by Soviet troops these nations have granted Soviet aircraft free passage through their airspace. This right of passage has not been extended to U.s. or NATO aircraft.

Should your F-14 stray into their airspace expect to be treated as a hostile intruder. The Soviet MiG-2 1 "Fish bed" is the main interceptor flo w n by these nations. Their pilots are trai ned according to Soviet doctrine and will use standard Soviet tactics. Instead of MiGs. the Yugoslavian Federal Air Force (remember. these scenarios take place prior to the present day Bosnian crisis) has a number of J-22 Orao and Soko GA Galebs. These aircraft are probably not well maintained.

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Ye~in supporters. With Gorbachev in Lefortovo Prison and Ye~in in hiding. opposition to the coup has been cowed into submission. Outside Russia. the various republics show no signs of declaring independence. In fact. there is some measure of support for a retum to the Stalinist methods used to maintain law and order. At least in those days the country was strong and there was food to eat

All this takes place with the military's blessing. As a reward. the military has been given a carte blanche to purchase whatever equipment they deem necessary to hold on to eastem Europe. Armed with an almost unlimited budget, the military has renewed its interest in acquiring big-ticket items. For the Soviet navy, this means completing the three aircraft canriers begun in the mid­I 980s. In this scenario, you have a unique opportunity to meet these ships in battle.

Greece, Italy, Turkey Despite being members of NATO, Greece, Italy and Turkey

have in the past refused to get invo lved in U.S. political entanglements. In the case of Greece and Turkey. they are much more likely to fight amongst themselves then assist the U.s. against a third party. Unless directly threatened these nations prefer to stay out of foreign affairs involving the use of military force. Fear of international terrorism is enough to keep the respective governments of these nations from joining in any retaliatory operation against Libya. Likewise, these nations w ill also stay out of any Middle Eastem crisis involving either Syria or Israel.

As far as these three are concemed neither country is worth confronting the Soviets. Because they are members of NATO, the U.S . has demanded that these nations offer at least a token resistance to any Soviet aircraft that stray into their airspace. Therefore, Soviet aircraft which overfiy these nations wi ll be met by FA and F-I 6 fighters. Authorization to fire must be given on a per case basis due to the sticky political situation.

Egypt Egypt, while not a member of NATO, has cast its political

future with the United States and westem Europe since casting out its Soviet advisors in 1972. Desprte Egypt's participation in the Yom Kippur War against Israel, relations have remained good. Egypt's help in Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-91 was greatly appreciated by the U.s. and Muh:i-national forces. Egypt has been equipped with F-16 fighters but may have some Soviet equipment still lying around. Be sure to use your IFF when fiying near Egypt. You may find yourself confronted by Egyptian pilots fiying MiGs or Libyans fiying French buih: Mirage F-I s! Air combat can get to be very confusing at times!

CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS Scenario # I Powder-Keg

Tunisia Like Egypt, Tun isia has the misfortune to be one of Libya's

closest neighbors. It is also the home away from homeland for the PLO, so don't expect rt to help the U.s. defend Israel. Tunisia is a neutral party in all the Med scenarios ah:hough rt wi ll intercept US and allied aircraft. For political reasons, Tunisia chooses to pretend not to see Libyan or Soviet aircraft that accidentally venture into rts airspace. Fortunately for the United States, F-S "Tiger lis" are the best fighter aircraft rt can muster. Stay away from Tunisia and it'll remain a non-player.

On June 6th, 1982, Israel sent a muh:i-divisional task force into southem Lebanon for the purpose of clearing out the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) sanctuaries located there. This move came in response to repeated cross-border provocation during the preceding months. Prior to the invasion, PLO guerri llas bombarded Israeli settlements in northem Galilee with rockets and heavy artillery on numerous occasions.

Israel 's answer to these terrorist acts was characteristical ly quick in coming, but because there was no wish to provoke Syria it was limrted to a few airstrikes only. The raids caused many civil ian casualties and leveled a few villages, but did little to stop the shel ling. Palestinian attacks actually intensified, emboldened by the lack of Israeli success in stopping them.

In desperation the Knesset (Israel's Cabinet) approved a plan drawn up by Israel 's military leaders in which Israeli ground forces would enter southem Lebanon and drive the guerrillas out. Once this was accomplished a semi-permanent "security zone" would be established and policed by "Free Lebanese" troops under command of Major Sa'ad Haddad. Known as Operation Peace (or Galilee, the Israeli plan called for a limrted incursion only, no farther than 40 kilometers from the border. As it tumed out Israeli troops would be required to go all the way to Beirut.

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The original plan envisioned a brief three-day engagement. Elements of seven Israel i divisions would charge across the Lebanese border in a massive frontal assault. As usual, the attack would be supported by lavish amounts of self-propelled artillery and backed up by total air superiority. An amphibious landing would be made halfway up the coast to Beirut just in case PLO guerrillas managed to escape the initial attack. At the end of the battle all of southem Lebanon up to the Awali river would be free of PLO guerrillas and safely under Israeli control.

In the meantime, Israeli communiques would make rt clear to the Syrians that this operation was intended only to eliminate the PLO infrastructure in southem Lebanon. Syria's position inside the country was not going to be jeopardized by Israel's invasion. But, Damascus was wamed that if its forces moved to interfere they would be deah: with accordingly.

The plan looked promising on paper and in fact did clear the PLO from southem Lebanon. Military equipment was captured from the guerri llas but the cost soon soured the victory. If anything, the Israeli plan fell victim to rts own success. Such overwhelming force was used that the PLO was discouraged from standing and fighting. Instead, with its leadership in fiight northward, organized guerrilla resistance collapsed within the first 18 hours of the operation. Fearing encirclement, PLO fighters simply melted away in small groups or as individuals.

Many guerrillas fied north seeking safety in Beirut but most retumed to the densely populated refugee camps dotting southem Lebanon. Once among the civilians they became difficult to dig out. The Israe lis would have to choose between using firepower indiscriminately or sending in ground troops and risking protracted street-fights.

Although Syria received assurances from Israel (and U.S. envoy Philip Habib) that the Israelis had no desire to widen the war, on June 7th Syria moved to reinforce its troops in Lebanon. These reinforcements unfortunately included three additional SAM batteries which brought the total number of batteries to 19. To Israel, the establishment of such a strong air defense zone, parts of which actually extended into northem Israel was a virtual cousus belli. Until now the two sides had only been involved in minor incidents, light skinmishes or desultory artillery exchanges. Now that the Syrians were moving fresh men and equipment (including the 3rd Armored Division) into the area all that was about to change.

On June 9th, Israeli aircraft and long-range artillery began a serious of airstrikes on the Syrian SAM installations which amaze and confound military analysts even today. Using mainly F-15C " Eagles", F-4E "Phantoms" and A-4 "Skyhawks", Israel destroyed 17 out of the 19 SAM sites in the Bekaa valley. An air battle involving hundreds of aircraft soon developed. Within hours, Israel had won an astonishingly one-sided victory, shooting down 30 Syrian MiGs. All Israeli aircraft retumed safely.

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Here the Powder-keg scenario departs from the actual events In 1982 and hypothesizes that the Israeli-Syrian confrontation in Lebanon escalates into a full scale war involving both the United States and Soviet Union. Events depicted in this scenario closely mirror the real-life situation in 1973 when late in the Yom Kippur War Israel pushed across the Suez canal opposite Cairo and was simultaneously advancing on Damascus.

Having won the initial exchanges, Israel is busily chasing the escaping PLO remnants northward into Beirut. Now that the Syrians have entered the conflict, large scale tank battles have broken out not only among the hills of southeastem Lebanon but along the Golan Heights "cease-fire line" as well. Well supported by the IAF (Israe li Air Force) now that the SAM network is destroyed, Israeli tanks have caught the Syrian 3rd Armored division strung out along the Beirut-Damascus highway. Hundreds of latest Soviet-supplied T -72s have been left buming.

Along the Golan, hunter-killer teams of Israeli attack helicopters have broken up columns of advancing armor. Stung by the magnitude of their losses, the Syrians are falling back followed closely by Israeli mechanized unrts. With Israeli forces pushing slowly on two Arab capitals simultaneously, the Arab world has appealed to the Soviet Union for help. Clearly embarrassed by the poor performance of their equipment the Soviet Union has been pushed into a political comer by rts Arab allies and decided to intervene militarily.

Planeloads of men and equipment are off-loading at Syrian airlbases around the clock. The bulk of the Soviet forces being sent to the Middle East must travel by sea, however. Accordingly, aircraft based in the Crimea and ships of the Soviet 5th Eskadra have been tasked to insure the safe passage of a huge amphibious t ask force. Over 35,000 Soviet naval infantrymen are boarding various transports along with all the supplies needed for an extended operation.

Figure 6-8: Men aboard the U.S.S Ticonderoga watch their Aegis radar screens for any new developments off the coast of Israel and Lebanon.

A strong Soviet SAG (surface action group) consisting of the Kiev-class camer Minsk, the helicopter-cruiser Moskva (Moscow) and several guided-missile cruisers has just transrted the Dardanelles and entered the Aegean Sea. Now clear of the strarts, this group has been ordered to rendezvous with other Soviet surface ships now forming up south of Crete.

The few Soviet vessels remaining in Syrian ports have been directed to form their own action group southeast of Cyprus. In the Crimea, a large force of Soviet bombers and support aircraft is assembling at various strongly defended airfields. Backed by the additional Soviet aircraft in Syria, the amphibious force is well defended along its entire route.

Predictably, Libya has joined the Soviet-Syrian coalition and hopes to embarrass the U.s. for the downing of rts two jets the previous year. It is situated squarely on the flank of our SLOC (Sea­Lane of Communication) leading through the Medrterranean. Its air and naval forces have been put on a high state of readiness. Wrth all our attention focused on the Soviet threat. the Libyans hope to catch our ships by surprise.

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Presently, the Sixth Fleet has only one carrier group in the Mediterranean. Due to the nature of this crisis, it has been decided to confront the Soviets with the forces on hand rather than awart reinforcements.

Ah:hough, your camer will be fighting outnumbered the CNO has calculated that the odds remain in our favor. The mission: prevent the Soviets from reaching Syria by sea. They are not to be allowed to land ground troops and equipment in erther Syria or Israel. Failure to stop this move using conventional means will force the United States into a comer. It will have no recourse but to use nuclear weapons.

Scenario #2 Operation EI Dorado Canyon One of the United States' most steadfast and vociferous

opponents in the Mediterranean is Libya's Colonel Muammar Qaddifi, head of that country's Jamahiriya (Greater State of the Masses) movement Not only has Libya been hostile to the U.s., but Qaddifi has at one time or another threatened most of his Arab neighbors.

As a national leader Qaddifi has not always been the most stable of individuals. Known for wearing high-heeled shoes and lipstick to state functions, Qaddifi's erratic nature has both frightened and angered the West on many occasions. For example, in 1973 he personally ordered the captain of an Egyptian submarine to attack the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth II as it made for the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The submarine left Tripoli to intercept the QE II as it sailed eastward across the Mediterranean. Tragedy was narrowly averted at the last moment when the captain decided to radio home for confirmation. Egyptian officials immediately countermanded Qaddifi's orders and instructed the captain to retum to Alexandria.

Since 1973, Qaddifi has insisted on claiming the entire Gulf of Sidra for Libya. The U.s. has challenged this contention on numerous occasions. This diplomatic struggle over the Gulf of Sidra has led to several shooting incidents between U.s. and Libyan aircraft. In 1980, an unarmed U.s. C-130 "Hercules" transport barely avoided being shot down by a pair of Libyan fighters over the Gulf That same year another C-I 30 was surrounded by Libyan MiGs and had to be rescued by F-14s.

In August 1981, a carner group consisting of the US.S. Nimitz and U.S.S. Forrestal challenged Qaddifi's contention that the Gulf of Sidra was Li byan territorial water. Over sixty Libyan aircraft were intercepted on the first day of the exercise. They were escorted away from U.s. ships by F-14s without a single shot being fired. The next day, however, two 'Tomcats" from VF-41 "Black Aces" were attacked without waming by a pair of Su-22s. The lead "Fitter" fired an AA-2 Atoll which missed. Both "Fitters" were then immediately shot down after a brief BFM engagement. Almost ovemight bumper stickers sprang up proclaiming, "U.s. Navy: 2, Libya: 0",

Although Libya lost this round, it soon counter-attacked using terrorism as a weapon against the U.s. and western interests around the world. Libya's role as a sponsor of international terrorism in the 1980s was undeniable. The entire country was opened as a training ground for terrorist groups opposed to Israel and the West. Using profits from the sale of oil, Libya's enratic leader Muammar Qaddifi bank-rolled many extremist groups throughout the Middle-East.

In 1985, a TWA airliner was hijacked with 153 people on­board. The incident was resolved 17 days later but a young Navy diver was ruthlessly murdered and dumped on the tarmac in Beirut. The rest of the passengers were released unharmed. The terrorists escaped into Beirut.

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The Ital ian cruise-ship Achille Lauro, was likewise hijacked several months later (Oct 1985). Again the matter was resolved but only after an elderly handicapped passenger was murdered. Taken from his wheel chair, he was shot twice then thrown overboard. One month later a Boe ing 737 carrying the mastermind of this operation, Abu Abbas, and members of his group was intercepted by four F-14s belonging to VF-74 "Be­devilers" off the USS Saratoga , The airliner was then diverted to the military airfield at Sigonella, Italy. Unfortunately, the Italian government refused to extradite the terrorists to the U.s. and allowed them to go free.

Also in November 1985, another Boeing 737 belonging to EgyptAir was hijacked on a fi ight from Athens to Cairo, A gun battle erupted in mid-air between the hijackers, believed to be part of Abu Nidal 's network of terrorists, and Egyptian security officers aboard the fiight. At least one bullet penetrated the outer skin of the fuselage, forcing the airliner to make an emergency landing at Luqa airport on the island of Malta. Egyptian commandos later stormed the airliner but failed to surprise the hijackers, Almost sixty civilians died in a hail of bullets as the terrorists ran through the airplane's cabin throwing hand-grenades,

In December 1985, Abu Nidal's shadowy network struck two airports simultaneously, Rome and Vienna. Many civilians were killed and injured in the twin attacks. After being blamed for the attacks, Libya wamed the U.S. that "suicide squads" were poised to take the war "into the streets of American cities."

By 1986, the United States was spoiling for a fight. Americans were frustrated over the govemment's seeming inability to protect its citizens from terrorism. The villains were hard to find and even when caught they always seemed to get away. Foreign govemments were reluctant to cooperate with the U.S. for fear it would only make them a target for future terrorism.

In March, ships of the Navy's Sixth Fleet conducted a "freedom of navigation" exercise similar to the one in 1981 . Code-named "Prairie Fi re", rt was intended to reestablish the right of maritime traffic to operate wrthin the Gulf of Sidra. It is equally likely that the operation was designed to goad Q addifi 's air force into coming out to play. Wrth three carriers in the area, USS Coral Sea (CV-43), US.S. J<jtty Hawk (CV-63) and US.S. America (CV-66) there was more than enough air power on call.

On the moming of March 24th a three ship SAG consisting of the USS Ticonderoga (CG-47), US.S. Scott (00G-995) , and USS Caron (00-970) crossed the 32° 30' N latrtude across the Gulf of Sidra, Libya's so-called "Line of Death." Overhead, F-14s from the carriers maintained a constant CAP. Libya's response was to fire SA-5 missiles at the F-14s and dispatch fast patrol boats to attack the U.s. SAG. Strike aircraft from the carriers attacked and destroyed the offending surface-to-air missile srtes near Sirte. The patrol boats were also quickly sunk before becoming a threat to either the SAG or the carriers.

On March 24th, the Libyan Guided-missile patrol craft (PTG) Waheed was attacked and sunk by two A-6s belonging to VA-34 "Blue Blasters". The Waheed, a La Combattante-class patrol vessel, was struck by at least one Harpoon and several Rockeye munrtions. The next day (March 25th), three additional patrol craft were attacked by VA-55 'Warhorses" and VA-85 "Black Falcons." After inflictng these losses, the U.S. called off the operation early. U.s. ships wrthdrew from the Gulf two days later, having made their point.

On April 2nd, a bomb exploded aboard a TWA fiight en route from Rome to Athens. The bomb caused four passengers to be blown out of the aircraft. Autopsies perfonmed on the bodies detenmined that three of the four survived the explosion only to fall to their deaths. The fourth was killed in the explosion. The incident was linked to Libyan supported tenrorists.

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Three days later another bomb exploded inside a crowded Berlin nightclub killing two American servicemen. The April 5th bombing of La Belle discotheque provoked a stonm of outrage. Messages between Tripoli and its embassy were intercepted by U.s. intelligence assets. They confinmed who was behind the attack

The attack on the TWA fiight and the nightclub bombing in Berlin galvanized the Reagan administration into taking direct action against Libya. On the moming of April 14, 1986, the Unrted States attacked a number of strategic targets inside Libya. The targets included command centers where Colonel Qaddifi was likely to be found. Operation EI Dorado Canyon was an attempt. in President Reagan's words, "to make the world smaller for the tenrorists."

The principal strike aircraft in this attack were twenty-four F-I I I s and five EF-I I I s. These aircraft took off from bases in north em England . They were supported by two aircraft carriers; the US.S. Coral Sea and US.S. America located in the Medrtenranean at a patrol point known as Mad Dog Station. F/A-18s and A-6 aircraft from these carriers were ordered to attack various targets in eastem Libya while the F-I I I s struck Tripoli.

Covering the entire operation were F-14 "Tomcats." They were tasked wrth "delousing" the strike packages during their post­strike egress from Libya. The procedure was simple. Retuming strike packages would pass through a cordon of F-14s charged wrth ensuring that no bandrts were tailing them.

Because the F- I I I s were refused penmission to overfly France, they were forced to take a circuitous route around the Iberian peninsula. This fiight path added hours and many tedious mid-air refuelings to the mission. (Twenty-eight refueling tankers accompanied the F-I I I s.) By the time the F-I I I s reached their targets, they had already fiown over 2,500 nautical miles.

Figure 6-9: An F-I I I "Aardvark" on a low level pass drops high drag Mk 82 "Airs" the old-fashioned way.

The fact that EI Dorado Canyon was a joint Navy/Air Force operation put inter-service coordination at a premium. All were afraid that any deviation from the operation's split-second schedule could alert the Libyans prematurely. According to the plan, five military targets inside Libya were to be hit in an operation lasting less than twelve minutes. Sixty tons of bombs would be dropped before the Libyans knew what hit them.

The most important of the five targets was Qaddifi's command center within the Bab al Azziziyah army compound outside Tripoli. Nine F-I I I s attacked the site in three waves of three. Each wave was given its own code-name: "Remit", "Elton", and "Karma." The only aircraft lost in this operation was an F-III ("Karma-52'). Qaddifi was not home. He escaped the raid apparently no worse for wear.

Two other targets linked to tenrorist activity were struck near Tripol i. U.S. intelligence had identified the Sidi Bilal naval base as being a training ground for tenrorist commandos. Three F-I II s (code­

named "Jewel") struck the base causing slight damage. The final target near Tripoli was the Intemational Airport Six F-I I I s ("Puffy" and "Lujac") dropped the bombs which would be seen later on newscasts around the world. Twelve of their Mk 82 bombs were filmed landing amongst five Soviet-built 11-76 "Candid" transports.

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These three attacks took place in and around Tripoli in westem Libya. In eastem Libya, aircraft from the U.s.s. Coral Sea and U.s.S. America attacked two military targets near the port of Benghazi. The first of these was the Jamahiriya army banracks. This compound, like Sidi Bi lal, was being used to train tenrorists. It was destroyed by twelve A-6 "Intruders". Four MiG-23s were also destroyed at nearby Benina airfield. Military planners believed these interceptors would be used to attack the strike packages.

EI Dorado Canyon was over within the allotted twelve minutes. The actual damage caused by this attack was negligible; a few buildings were demolished, a few aircraft were destroyed. Like the "Doolittle raid" on Tokyo in 1942, the psychological impact of the raid was enormous, however. Americans believed they had finally struck a meaningful blow against state-sponsored tenrorism. The raid received widespread approval back home.

Qaddifi managed to survive the attack Only a fraction of the bombs meant for his command post were actually dropped. Visibly shaken, he appeared on Libyan television hours later to denounce the raid which allegedly killed one of his adopted daughters. Despite his threats and posturing, Qaddifi remained relatively quiet following the raid. The level of Libyan support for tenrorism was dramatically curtailed.

Figure 6-1 0: This F-I 4 spots its own shadow on the sand. Does this mean six more weeks of bombing?

The following order of battle lists the three aircraft carriers involved in "Prairie Fire." The U.S.s. Saratoga, listed here, left the Mediterranean on April 5th. It was present for "Prairie Fire" but could not be recalled in time for Operation EI Dorado Canyon.

USS. SARATOGA (01-60) Carrier Air Wing-I 7 F-14 Squadrons: VF-74 "Be-devi lers", VF-I 03 "Sluggers" A-7E Squadrons: VA-S I "Sunliners", VA-S3 "Rampagers" A-6E Squadron: VA-S5 "Black Falcons" E-2C AEW Squadron: VAW-125 "Tigertails" EA-6B EW Squadron: VAQ-137 "Rooks" S-3A ASW Squadron: VS-30 "Diamondcutters" SH-3H ASW Squadron: HS-3 "Tridents"

USS CORAL SEA (CV-43) Carrier Air Wing-I 3 2F/A-IS Squadrons: VFA-131 "Wildcats", VFA-132 "Privateers", VMFA-314 "Black Knights", VM FA-323 "Death Rattlers" A-6E Squadron: VA-55 "Warhorses" E-2C AEW Squadron: VAW-127 "Seabats" EA-6 EW Squadron: V AQ-I 35 "Black Ravens" SH-3H ASW Squadron: HS-17 "Neptune's Raiders"

USS. AMERICA (01-66) Carrier Air Wing-I F-14 Squadrons: VF-33 "Tarsiers" (Starfighters), VF- I 02 "Diamondbacks" A-7E Squadrons: VA-46 "Clansmen", VA-72 "Bluehawks" A-6E Squadron: VA-34 "Blue Blasters" E-2C AEW Squadron: VAW- 123 "Screwtops" EA-6 EW Squadron: VMAQ-2 "Playboys" S-3 ASW Squadron: VS-32 "Maulers" SH-3H ASW Squadron: HS-II "Dragon Slayers"

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The Operation EI Dorado Canyon scenario in assumes that Libya responds much more aggressively to the U.s. raid. With the Saratoga gone, only two F-14 squadrons (from the America) remain to protect the fleet. Will they be enough? Because the Coral Sea is unable to carry F-14s it has been removed from this scenario also. This leaves you with only one carrier to worry about.

Libya has a large airforce and many airbases protected by modem air-to-surface missiles. Ah:hough their pilot training is poor in comparison to ours, used properly, their air force can pose quite a danger. As a ''Tomcat'' pilot your mission in this campaign is escort the various strike packages. Once they hit their targets, you are to defend your battlegroup from the expected Libyan counter-attack

Scenario # 3 Carrier Duel Up until the mid-seventies Soviet naval doctrine dismissed our

emphasis on naval aviation and the need to maintain expensive aircraft carriers. Aircraft carriers were overly vulnerable in time of war. Because U.S. carriers attract so much attention, their presence in a region is difficuh: to conceal.

So much of a carrier's air wing is devoted to self defense that little room is left over for staging offensive missions. If this is the case, Soviet naval observers argue, why invest so much when cheaper means exist to accomplish the same thing? Of course the Soviets have a point but the question really must be answered in terms relative to each of the respective navies.

As a superpower with global responsibilities, the United States after WW II required a navy that would allow for unlimited force projection. This mission could only be fulfilled by possessing fast­moving aircraft carriers able to "go anywhere and do anyth ing." Through its carrier battlegroups the United States could inte~ect friendly air power into a region without regard for the availability of land-based facilities.

The Soviet Union, on the other hand, had an entirely different set of national objectives. Although the Soviets proc laimed themselves to be a superpower, in truth this status was merely contrived. Stalin's empire in 1945 was a regional powerhouse and nothing more. It dominated eastern Europe, but could do little if anything militarily in other parts of world. Its primary concern was holding on to the territory it gained in VVW II.

The Soviet navy reflected this priority. Built for coastal defense Soviet surface ships could perfonrn only local operations close to home under cover of friendly land-based aircraft.

Since 1945 it has become an accepted practice among career officers of the Soviet navy to disparage the military effectiveness of our carriers. Soviet officers must denigrate carrier-based aviation. Such thinking allows them to ignore the fact that their own naval forces could never perform missions such as those routinely performed by the U.sN. Aircraft carriers have provided the U.S. w rth a sea-based striking power that the Soviets lack.

Rather than build aircraft carriers the Soviets took a different track. It has historically emphasized submarine warfare instead of naval aviation. Although the submarine is usually linked to Genrnany and its U-boat campaigns against England, it is important to remember that the Soviet navy actual possessed 3 times as many submarines as German y in 1939. Today, this reliance on submarines is in keeping with the primary mission of the Soviet navy, sea-denial and interdiction.

While the Unrted States developed carrier warfare after VVW II, the Soviets cultivated the art of undersea warfare and cruise missile technology. Is there substance to past Soviet claims that our reliance on big, expensive aircraft carriers is a military liabil rty? O r were our detractors merely jealous of the technological superiority needed to produce and maintain such vessels. Can our aircraft carriers be defended or are they just obvious and vulnerable targets?

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It becomes hard to see the Soviet commentary as anything more than just sour-grapes. In the late 1960s the Soviet Union suddenly d id an about-face on the need for naval aviation. Construction began on several new vessels able to carry and operate aircraft at sea. Did aircraft carriers all of a sudden become less vu lnerable for some reason or was this change in Soviet thinking due to a change in mission?

The Cuban Missile Crisis proved to the Soviets that a strong independent navy was required if it was ever going to compete w rth the United States on a global scale. The ease at which the U.s. carrier-led naval forces cut them off from their Cuban ally in 1962 was embanrassing. It also showed how close the world could get to nuclear Anrnageddon if it tried.

Wrth the U.s. deployment of a new generation of missile-carrying submarines the Soviet Union suddenly found rtself vulnerable to a nuclear first strike. At the same time, without a means of deploying air power at sea the Soviets could not adequately defend their coast from the under water leg of the U.s. nuclear triad.

Figure 6-/ /: What's this, a near miss on one of our corriers? No -just a routine shock-test conducted by the Navy.

The Soviets began their commitment to naval aviation by producing "aircraft carrying ships" for the express purpose of conducting ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare). Two tear-drop hulled vesse ls, the Moskva in 1967 and Leningrad in 1968 were constructed at the Nikolayev Ship Yard on the Black Sea. Armed as standard cruisers fore with a clear helicopter deck aft, these hybrid ships were labeled "anti-submarine cruisers." Although they could carry up to 18 helicopters these Moskva-class ships were unable to operate fixed-wing aircraft.

In 1970, construction began (also at Nikolayev) on a new class of vesse l. The keel was laid for a second generation of ship devoted to naval aviation. Six years later, the first of four Kiev-class "aircraft carriers" (Kiev, Minsk, Novorossiysk, and Baku) was in service with the Soviet navy. With the deployment of the Kiev, the Soviet Union finally could boast of having a ship capable of operating fixed wing aircraft at sea. On closer inspection, however, the Kiev-class of ship is hardly the equal of what we, in the West, would consider a true aircraft carrier. It is only able to carry an air wing consisting of 20 helicopters and 15 VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) aircraft.

The Kiev-class vessels like their predecessors, the Moskva-class helicopter-cruisers, are primary intended to conduct ASW operations. Yak-38 VTOL aircraft give the Kievs only a marginally better strike capability than that derived from the SSMs they carry on-board. As interceptors go, the contingent of "Forgers" is hardly imposing. Still, the Kiev-class vessels represent a first step for a nation who has made the move to sea-based air power late.

The Kiev class CVH vessels, are in keeping with the old saying that in order to run, one must first leam to walk. Operating these ships has given the Soviets much needed experience in deck handling and recovery operations. At the start of the I 980s, all that remained was for the Soviets to begin construction on a full-sized aircraft carrier.

51

Figure 6-/2: A Soviet J(jev-dass CVG. This picture is actually the Novorossisk. sistership to the J(jev. Note the heavy anti-surface and ASW weaponry forward of the superstructure.

In 1983 the Soviets began building the first of three fieet carriers vaguely comparable in size if not striking power to our own. The 65,000 ton Admiral Kuznetsov was launched five years later and began sea trials in 1989. The Kuznetsov was not equipped with a catapult. Instead of power-assisted launches it utilizes a 12° ski-jump ramp to get its complement of nearly 60 fixed wing aircraft airlbome. In addition to operating Yak VTOL aircraft as expected, naval versions of the MiG-29, Su-27, and Su-25 have been confirmed.

Following the launch of the Kuznetsov in 1985 her sistership, the Varyag, was laid down. After most of the hull structure was complete, work. on this vessel was halted due to the break-up of the Soviet Union. Legal ownership of the Varyag has since been contested by Ukraine. It is likely that the ship will be offered for sale to foreign buyers or scrapped. (The Chinese have expressed an interest in purchasing the vessel intact)

The largest of the three planned fleet carriers, the 76,000 ton Ulyonovsk, was never completed. Again, construction of this vesse l was interrupted by the 1989 revolution. The hull was scrapped at Nikolayev shipyard after only 40% of the work was done. Had this carrier been launched it would have had a complement of approximately 75 fixed wing aircraft and been the closest thing to a U.S. style carrier yet produced by the Soviet Union.

By the year 2000, over fifty years will have elapsed since the last great carrier battles. Many within the naval community (in both nations) believe that the day of the aircraft carrier has passed. They point to the introduction of the long-range cruise missiles as proof of the carrier's vulnerability.

FLEET DEFENDER gives you the opportunity to discover for yourself w hether or not the aircraft carrier remains a viable weapon into the next century. Carrier Duel assumes that the 1989 revolution in the Soviet Union never occurred and that the three fleet carriers entered service as scheduled. Having made these admittedly ahistorical concessions we can now proceed to set up the following imaginary carrier vs. carrier battle.

Figure 6-13: The Kuznetsov. The Soviet Union's only ~eet corrier to conduct operational trials. Note the angled ski-jump ~ight deck. The Soviet designers were obviously in~uenced by the success of British corriers in the FalkJands­Malvinas War.

52

Figure 6-14: Your wing-man ~ashes by as reports of hostile action begin to come in. It's time to see just how good Ivan really is!

You are assigned to an F-14 fighter squadron aboard a carrier that has been patrolling an area north of the Gulf of Sidra. You have been at sea for some weeks and everything has gone routinely well. The constant pattem of take-offs and landings has continued with mind-numbing regularity. Suddenly, reports of a clash with Soviets fighters are coming in. Soviet fighters .. .this far out to sea? What's going on here?

Your carrier goes to Battle Stations just as a burst of ELF traffic is received on the bridge. The Soviet Union and the United States are apparently at war. The Soviet surface action group that passed through the Turkish Straits 18 hours ago has been spotted by satellite moving toward your carrier battlegroup at high speed. It is thought to contain at least two aircraft carriers plus numerous other ships. Soviet intentions are unclear at this point but the CAP surrounding your carrier has been doubled just in case.

Despite being outnumbered 2-1 in aircraft carriers and at least 130-90 in aircraft, the men of your group are ready. If the Soviets are looki ng for a fight they' ll get it. Officers on the bridge are clearing for action because somewhere over the horizon a Soviet carrier force is fast approaching. In the next couple hours the sky will fill with ai rcraft and missi les. Once again, all eyes w ill be looking to the few available F-14s on-board to see them safely through the battle.

OCEANA TRAINING THEATER Welcome to Oceana Naval Air Station, Virginia Beach, Va. Oceana is the training base for the Navy's east coast F-14 squadrons. In

FLEET DEFENDER, Oceana is a training theater also. There are no campaigns to fight here. Instead, this theater gives you the opportunity t o study various tactical problems and cultivate the flying/fighting skills you'll find necessary later on.

Select the Oceana training theater as you would either of the other two campaign theaters. You are then given the option to select the type of training that you believe you need most; Radar Training, Wing-man training, DACT, etc. There are eight training options for you to choose from.

Figure 6-15: An F-14A landing gear extended, coming in (or a landing. Carrier qualifications are the biggest part o( a naval aviator's carrer in the Navy.

53

•

Oceana Training Theater map

FLEET READINESS TRAINING After graduating from a basic flight school, prospective aviators are sent to Oceana for Fleet Readiness Training. In order to considered

ready for sea duty aboard a carrer, they must demonstrate their proficiency by perfonming a number of successful carrer landings. To a naval aviator, being able to perfonm a carrer landing is a little like leaming how to parallel park a car to you and me.

Fleet Readiness Train ing (FRT) allows you to practice your landing techniques to your heart's content in a simulated combat environment. There are no hostile forces to be encountered, only lots of friendly aircraft taking off or retuming from missions. You can fly both day and night approaches in all types of weather conditions.

RADAR TRAINING

Target Identification Being able to identify targets on radar is e xtremel y

important, after all, yo ur F-14 is equipped with a powerful air-to­air m issi le able to hit a target at ranges exceeding 100 nm. It would be a shame to waste such a sophisticated system by waiting until you have a positive visual ID. That defeats the whole purpose of the AIM-54.

When your radar beam detects other objects in the sky, the retum echo fonms small rectangles on your radar screen. These images (or bl ips) are difficult to identifY because one bl ip looks li ke every other, you could be looking at anything from a DC- I 0 to a cnuise missile. As part of your overall radar training it is necessary for you to distinguish what you are seeing on your radar display.

One method of target identification is through a process of elimination. If a target is moving fast or flying high you can nule out he li copters with a fair degree of certainty. Another means of identifYing targets is by size. Large targets are more easily spotted on radar and at greater ranges. For example, a four-engined bomber has a radar signature like a proverbial bam door. Your AWG-9 should have no trouble detecting these aircraft several hundred miles away. But your radar is hard pressed to detect a fighter-sized aircraft at the same range.

Fighter-sized objects will begin to show up on your radar display only as the range decreases. Cruise-missiles are even smaller still. From a head-on aspect, their tiny cross-section makes them almost undetectable except at very close range.

54

As part of your radar training, you are given a chance to practice identifYing various objects on your radar. In each sequence a number of different objects have been placed directly in front of your F-14. The objects begin several hundred miles away but because the objects are headed at you, you have only a limited amount of time to distinguish between them.

The figures on the following table are modeled on a MiG-21 or comparable-sized target. Targets this size represent a radar cross section of approximate ly 5m2 (54 ft2). This table should be used as a guideline on ly. The actual range at which your radar can detect a particular target depends upon its size, altitude, and speed.

Radar Mode Detection Range

Pulse Doppler Search (PDSRCH) li S nm Pulse Doppler Single Target Track (PDSTT) 95 nm Range While Search (RWS) 90 nm Track While Scan (TWS) 90 nm Boresightl Vertical Scan Lock-On (VSL) 5 nm

Formation Identification The next step in your radar training is being able to identify

enemy flight formations on radar. Because enemy aircraft perform ACM based in part upon their formation configuration, recognizing these various formations gives you distinct tactical advantages in combat.

In each sequence, an enemy formation has been placed directly in front of your F-14, just outside its maximum radar range. You are to identify the enemy formation then use that knowledge to your advantage in any subsequent combat. Since your F-14 is considerably outnumbered in these sequences, it has been made impervious to enemy missiles and gunfire for the purposes of this training.

Enemy Formations Here is a brief look at the four common enemy formations

that are encountered in. They are the Wall, Box, Ladder, and Cruise (Echelon) formations.

WALL FORMATION The Wall formation is a flight of aircraft brought on line.

Seemingly unsophisticated, this formation requires good radar co-ordination and discipline to be effective. The Soviets often anrange fl ights of MiG-3 1 s in Wall formations to take advantage of their powerful Foxhound radars. Third World air forces generally lack the level of training necessary to make the Wall formation work properly. Nevertheless, these nations use the Wal l for command and control purposes.

A typical Wall formation may extend up to 8 nm horizontally and as much as 10,000 ft. vertically. It is easy to mistake a Wall formation on radar at ranges between 25-50 nm. Unless your radar is beaming at a very wide azimuth your radar may not detect aircraft on either end of the formation.

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OVERHEAD VIEW

..... 1-------- 6 - 8 nm. -------l .. ~

FRONT VIEW

10,000 k.

j

Figure 6-/6: The Wall is one of the easiest formations for a ffight leader to maintain. It is a line-abreast formation which staggers aircraft at variaus altitudes.

BOX FORMATION The Box formation consists of four aircraft flying in a

rectangular fonmation. The leading aircraft are positioned 8- 10,000 ft higher than the two trailing aircraft so that the trailing aircraft can keep an eye on the leading pair's blind zones. Because of the difference in altrtude, your radar may miss one or the other pair of aircraft. What seems to be only a single pair of bandits may surprise you and suddenly tum into a four-ship. To keep this trom happening, it is important to adjust your radar's bar setting in order to scan the entire (ormation.

f 1 E

MiG -295 c (0

, .;.

! ...... 1----- 2-3 nm. -----•

Aircraft flying in a Box fonmation use a tactic known as the Champagne. When a member of the fonmation detects an enemy aircraft or radar the fonmation splits up in an attempt to encircle the attacker. A detailed description of the Champagne maneuver is outlined in Chapter Five.

~ -~

t 8 -10,000 ft. MiG -295

~ -~

Figure 6-1 7: The Box Formation consists o( (our aircraft able to respond quickly to a variety o( threats.

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LADDER FORMATION The Ladder formation is simply a vertical stack of aircraft. The

Lead ing airc raft assumes the highest altitude. Each successive aircraft in the formation is positioned I nm behind and 3,000 ft beneath the one in front. The biggest danger in confronting a Ladder formation is not knowing how high or how low rt: extends. When attacking a Ladder rt: is always best to engage the upper half of the formation first.

MiG-29s

2-4nm.

Aircraft fiying in a Ladder formation use a tactic known as the Starburst. When a member of the fonnation detects an enemy aircraft the formation breaks apart in order to overwhelm and confuse an attacker. A detailed description of the Starburst maneuver is outlined in Chapter Five.

I ~ MiG-29s

10,000 ft.

I Figure 6-18: Because of the vertical separation between aircraft the Ladder formation is frequently mistaken for something else. It is hard to detect all the aircraft in a vertical stack with just one radar sweep.

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THE CRUISE FORMATION Cruise formation is used when the flight leader does not

expect to encounter enemy aircraft. It is a tightly bunched formation which is difficult to spot on radar. Once detected, however, the close grouping of aircraft is unmistakable. This formation is often adopted by Third World air forces because it allows the flight leader to keep a close eye on his aircraft.

500 ft.

j

When aircraft in Cruise formation enter combat, they usually break into two pairs. Each pair wil l attempt to encircle an attacker by converging on him from opposite flanks. This pincer-like movement can be effective but it is an act of desperation. It is hard for a group of fighters to begin a combat sequence from Cruise format ion.

~~~------------- 1000ft.------------~~~

Figure 6-1 9: Cruise formation is a common traveling alignment used by aircraft when not in combat It is designed for ease of command and control.

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DISSIMILAR AIR COMBAT TRAINING (DACT) SORTIES Dissimilar Air Combat Training (DACT) missions are designed to test your combat skills against a variety of different aircraft. (The F-14

has been included in these DACT missions just to see how well you'd do against another Tomcat.) You are given a chance to take on not only enemy aircraft, but some of our own models as well. Even though you can shoot at friendlies during these sorties, it's all right. No one gets hurt and no one will hold anything against you if you happen to down a few.

There are four categories of DACT sorties: Advantaged, Disadvantaged, Neutral and Miscellaneous. Each group refers to the initial starting position of your F-14 vis-a-vis your opponent(s). Within each category are two types of sorties: I v. I (one versus one) missions which test your skill versus a single opponent and I v.2 (one versus two) missions. You may be faced wrth three or more in the case of miscellaneous sorties. All of these sorties are considered over once you have destroyed your opponents or have been shot down yourself Simply exit the sortie to start the mission over or choose a new one.

Advantaged DACT Sorties Advantaged DACT sorties begin with your F-14 holding

some sort of tactical advantage over your opponent. In some cases you are given an altitude advantage while in others you are given an energy (or speed) advantage. A few of these sorties start out by placing your F-14 in the enemy aircraft's "six o'clock" firing arc.

Regardless of what type of advantage you begin wrth, it is in your best interest to finish off your adversary quickly. If these sorties do nothing else they will demonstrate just how fast an advantage can be lost in ACM. Your adversary(ies) wil l be attempting to evade you from the very beginning of the fight. If they can successfully escape, the tables will suddenly be tumed. You wi ll be put on the defensive. Don't play around. Finish off your opponent(s) early.

In the I v. 2 sorties, the second adversary means double­trouble. You must decide for yourself how best to engage one enemy while keeping the other at bay. Don't become so focused on getting a ki ll , however, that you allow the other guy to get the upper hand.

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Neutral DACT Sorties Neutral sorties are once again designed to test your combat

skills only this time you start from a neutral position (parity) with the enemy. Both you and your adversary(ies) start at exactly the same altitude, speed, and tactical placement.

You must start maneuvering for advantage from the very start of play. The enemy(ies) will be trying to do the same. The first pilot to get a drop on the enemy will usually win. Don't let these fights get away from you. It is very hard to recover once you are placed on the defensive.

Disadvantaged DACT Sorties The most difficuh: situation you can face in air combat is to be

put on the defensive by a competent enemy pilot. It is almost impossible to get away, and for this reason disadvantaged sorties have been included as part of your readiness training. Be forewamed, however, that these fights are not much fun. In most cases the enemy should win rather quickly. To have an even chance at winning you must evade the enemy immediately or spoil his opening attack at the very least.

Figure 6-20: A Soviet Tu-95 "Bear" out to locate our carrier group and prove a point This Bear came up short Two F-I 4s are making sure this Bear finds its way back home.

WING-MAN TRAINING

As if being bounced by one enemy aircraft wasn't bad enough, how about two? Some of the sorties have both a ~ight leader and wing-man boring in on you for the kill. If you win one of these matches, you should count yourself very lucky indeed.

Miscellaneous DACT Sorties These miscellaneous sorties test your reaction to a variety of

combat situations not normally encountered by F-14 pilots. Each sortie requires that you to be on your guard at all times. Who knows what you may run into out there. Since the element of surprise is important to these missions you'll just have to ~y 'em if yo u want to find out any more. They should prove very interesting- not just your run-of-the-mill interceptions.

Your wing-man is an important contributor to the overall success of your mission but too often he is overlooked in the heat of battle. During campaigns your wing-man's skill level increases as does your own. Using up wing-men as bait or cannon fodder negates this important advantage.

The ten wing-man missions are designed to get you in the habit of using your wing-man to his full potential. Each mission presents you wrth a different tactical challenge requiring you to consider the deployment of your wing-man. You cannot win these missions per se. There are no winners or losers. The one thing you can do is evaluate your own performance and that of your wing-man.

Before you tackle these missions, be sure to review the wing-man section of this manual. This section outlines the various commands you'l l need to know in order to control your wing-man and complete these missions.

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THREAT AIRCRAFT

An-22 "Cock" The Antinov n "Cock" was first displayed in public at the 1965 Paris air

show. It is classified as a strategic heavy-l ift transport and features a split tail ~ design facilitating On/Off loading through the rear cargo doors. The An-n has ~

a crew of 5 and can carry up to 28 passengers plus cargo totaling a maximum ~ 0 0 (~ • of 175,000 Ibs. Its rear doors can open in flight for large scale air drops if ~ required. The An-n is able to carry al l Soviet MBTs plus some mobile SAM systems. Until the U.S. C-5 "Galaxy" entered service, the An-n was the largest aircraft ever built. It has a cruising speed of 350 knots and a maximum range enabling it to reach any of the world's trouble spots unrefueled.

An-26 "Curl" Like the An-n, the Soviet Union's Antonov-26 was first shown in public at

the 1969 Paris air show. It is classified as a light tactical transport much like our C­I 30 "Hencules." It is the standard transport used by the Soviet Union and its allies for conducting airbome operations. This aircraft is able to transport up to 12,000 Ibs. of palletized cargo or 40 passengers plus their gear. The An-26 is designed to operate from unpaved, rough strips common among Third World nations. It is equipped with an electric winch and conveyor system for rapid on/off loading. The An-26 has a crew of 5 and boasts a cnuising speed of over 300 knots.

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8e-12 "Moil" The Beriev-12 "Mail" is one of the world's few remaining military fioat-planes

and is classified as a maritime patrol and ASW aircraft. To rt.s Soviet crews, it is known as the Tchoik.o or seagull because of its gull-shaped wings. These wings give the Be-12 an impressive lift capacity which rivals that of the An-26. This aircraft normally carries ASW weaponry including bombs, torpedoes, and sonobuoys. In calm sea conditions, the Be-12 can conceivably land on the water's surface and search with its own sonar. Although the "Mail" is getting a little fang in the tooth by contemporary standards, it will likely remain in service for some time as a SAR platform. It is currently used only by the Soviet Union Northem and Black Sea fieet. This fiying boat has a cruising speed of 350 knots and a maximum range of 2,500 nm.

G-4 Super Galeb (SeagulO The G-4 Super Galeb is designed and constructed by the Yugoslavian firm

SOKo. These two-seat light attack aircraft are left over from the Yugoslavian national air force. They are now being operated by Serbian pilots. The Super Galeb is very restricted in the amount of ordnance it is able to carry. It can carry a maximum bomb load of only 1,800 Ibs. on each wing. In addition, the Super Galeb usually carries a centerline 23 mm GSh-23 gun pod. Although it is not billed as such, the Super Galeb is capable of counter-insurgency (COIN) operations. It is perfect for use against guerrilla or para-military forces deployed in mountainous terrain found throughout Yugoslavia. It is not, however, a good choice for precision bombing. The Super Galeb is a nimble aircraft but slow (500 knots). It does not have the ability to fight other aircraft nor the speed to run away.

1/-38 "May" The Ilyushin-38 "May" is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare

(ASW) aircraft like the U.S. P-3 Orion. While it probably does not have all the sophisticated systems inherent in the Lockheed P-3, it does feature a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) boom. This device can be seen protruding aft of the fuselage. Surface searches are conducted using the "Wet Eye" radar mounted in a radome under the nose. Development of the IL-38 took place in the mid­sixties and coincided with the deployment of increasingly capable U.S. submarines. This aircraft probably represents an intermediate step in the evolution of Soviet ASW aircraft. It certainly is an improvement over the Be-12 but is overshadowed by the T u-142 "Bear F" The 11-38 has a crew of at least nine, included technicians. It has a modest cruising speed of 350 kts.

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)-22 Orao (Eagle) The J-22 Orao is a single seat ground support aircraft designed and built

jointly by Yugoslavia and Romania (SOKO). While its main role is that of reconnaissance and light attack the J-22 Orao doubles as a low level interceptor. In FLEET DEFENDER, all of the J-22 Orao aircraft encountered are J-22D Orao I models. These aircraft are the Yugoslavian equivalent to Romania's IAR-93B. They feature two GSh-23L cannons each with 200 rds per gun. There are five external stations for mounting ordnance. The total weapons payload for this aircraft is less than 3,500 Ibs. As an interceptor this aircraft is outmatched by most (if not all ) fighter aircraft at medium altitudes. The J-22 can potentially beat a larger and more capable opponent down low, especially over mountainous tenrain. Although the single seat versions are equipped with an afterburner, the maximum sustained speed this aircraft can manage (with ordnance) is roughly 500 knots.

Ko-25 "Hormone" The Kaminov-25 "Hormone" is a twin engine helicopter deployed on most

Soviet naval vessels. Its principle role is that of aerial over-the-horizon (OTH)

Figure A-I : The Kaminov-25 anti-submarine warfare helicopter. Note the chin-mounted radar radome and Yogi ESM antennae.

reconnaissance. In this role, the Ka-25 acts as a radar picket which can be off­set from the mother-ship. There are two main variants of the "Hormone." The "Hormone-B" appeared first in 1961 and is a OTH targeting platform for missiles launched from other aircraft or surface vessels. The "Hormone-A" appeared afterward. This variant is an ASW platform which features a dunking sonar, MAD device, and one, possibly two, ASW torpedoes carried intemally. The Ka-25 has two stacked co-axial rotors and two 900 shp engines. Despite its compact size the Ka-25 is underpowered and can only manage a cnuising speed of 120 knots. These helicopters have a maximum range of less than 400 nm. If spotted at sea, you can count on a Soviet surface vessel being in the neighborhood.

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Ko-27 "Helix" The Kaminov-27 "Helix" is designed as a replacement for the older Ka-25. The

"Helix" has the same basic design as the Ka-25 but features an extended cabin and ~ greater weapons outfrt. Like the "Honmone" there are numerous "Helix" variants. The "Helix A" model is an ASW platfonm which carries a dunking sonar, MAD ~, 1- 0

device, and search radar. These helicopters usually operate in pairs; one tracking the ~

submarine, while the other deploys ordnance. The "Helix B" has been redesignated Ka-29. It is a heavily anmored version of the Ka-27 used for seabome transport of assauh: troops. The Ka-27 was exported to Yugoslavia during the 19S0s and was redesignated Ka-2S. h: is believed these helicopters are the "Helix A" ASW variants. The Ka-27 features a crew of three and has a sustained cruising speed of approximately 120 knots.

MiG-21 "Fishbed" Known in Soviet circles as "Eagle", the MiG-21 is a testament to Soviet

engineering. This ubiquitous delta-winged fighter aircraft is still in service after 25 ~ years. In the I 960s, this aircraft was the Soviet Union's principle interceptor. It rem,in, in ,e",ice with m,ny Thicd World mtion, tod,y de,pite it, limited ~ [lUi ,9 avionics because of the ease at which it can be maintained. The delta wing gives ~ ~ ~ ~ the MiG-21 good low speed control but causes a rapid loss of energy due to the increased drag. All "Fishbeds" encountered in FLEET DEFENDER are assumed to be MiG-21 bis-B ( "Fishbed N"). The single-seat MiG-21 bis features a GSh-23 23 mm cannon and up to four AAMs. Both radar-guided AA-2s and heat-seeking AA-2 or AA-S missiles can be carried. The MiG-21 bis mounts a "Jay Bird" search radar along the centerline. The single T umansky turbo-jet engine gives the MiG-21 a maximum speed of725 knots in a clean configuration.

MiG-23 "Flogger" The MiG-23 "Flogger" is a single seat swept-wing fighter/bomber. It was first

displayed at Domodedovo Airport nea r Moscow in 1967 and entered ~ operational service with the Soviet airforce in 1973. It was the first Soviet fighter to demonstrate a "Look down-shoot down" capability. To a large extent, the ~I g MiG-23 has been replaced by MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter aircraft. Outside the Soviet Union, export versions of the MiG-23 still remain in service with several Third World air forces. In fact, the lion's share of Libyan air force is comprised of "Flogger E" and Flogger F" variants. Almost 100 MiG-23s are based throughout the country. The "Flogger E" is a single seat export version of the "Flogger B" with a "Jay Bird" radar adaptation. The "Flogger F" is a single attack fighter/bomber equipped with a laser rangefinder and AS-7 "Kerry" ASMs. The MiG-23 carries a GSh-23L 23mm gun in addition to four radar guided or heat-seeking AAMs. Its afterbuming T umansky turbojet gives this aircraft a maximum speed of almost 700 knots.

64

MiG-25 "Foxbot" The MiG-25 "Foxbat" was the tirst Soviet aircraft to really scare Westem

military experts. It was produced to combat the intended deployment of a mach 3 high altitude bomber by the U.s. in the early I 960s. By 1964, the Soviets had produced a MiG-25 prototype capable of mach 3 even though the U.S. bomber program was long dead. By concentrating on altitude and speed, the Soviets had to sacrifice in other areas. As a result, the MiG-25 has impressive straight line perfonmance but can't dogfight worth beans. Therefore, the "Foxbat" is classified as an interceptor rather than a true fighter. It seeks to avoid close combat and, like the F-14, relies on long range missiles to shoot down opponents. The MiG-25 is at its best only when flying within a narrow perfonmance envelope (i.e. speeds above mach 2.5 and altitudes greater than 50,000 ft). Once the aircraft is forced to fly outside this envelope, it perfonms like a "truck." Because of this, the MiG-25 has been relegated to high altitude reconnaissance duty, and is rarely seen as a tighter.

MiG-27 "Flogger D" The MiG-27 "Flogger" is identical to the swept-wing MiG-23 except for a

protruding nose window which houses an air-to-ground radar. This radar is used ~ for precision targeting. There is also a covered radome which contains a laser ~ sight for LGB delivery. Intemally, the MiG-27 has been restructured to withstand ~ g '_

higher buffeting at low levels. Its G tolerance is still limited to 8 Gs, however. The~ lack of an all-weather strike capability or air intercept radar limits the effectiveness of the MiG-D. It does carry a GSh-6-30 30 mm Gatling gun, however. While this gun is primari ly used to strafe ground targets, it could easily be tumed on an unsuspecting air target. The "Flogger D" also cannes up to four heat-seeking missiles on extemal hard points for self­defense. The MiG-27's single afterbuming turbofan gives it a maximum sustained speed approaching 700 knots.

MiG-29 "Fulcrum" The MiG-29 "Fulcrum" is a single seat, all-weather fighter with a limited

ground attack capability. Two versions of the MiG-29 are represented in FLEET DEFENDER. The tirst version is the land-based MiG-29 "Fulcrum A." The "Fulcrum A" is the standard production model which entered service in 1985. It features a GSh-30 30 mm gun in the right wingroot and can also carry up to six AAMs mounted on pylons, three per wing. The usual weapon configuration for this aircraft is four AA-I 0 "Alamo" and two AA-I I "Archer" missiles although it can also carry AA-9 "Amos" and AA-8 "Aphid" missiles as well. The other version of this aircraft is the naval variant "Fulcrum K." The "Fulcrum K" has been redesigned to allow it to operate off the Soviet Union's fleet canner, Admiral Kuznetsov. Both versions have impressive perfonmance records and a maneuverability which rivals the F-16 Falcon. The MiG-29's two afterbuming Klimov turbofans give it a sustainable top end speed at sea level of 750 knots.

65

MiG-3/ "Foxhound" The MiG-31 "Foxhound" is a two-seat, all-weather, high-altitude strategic

interceptor based on the earlier MiG-25 design. The "Foxhound" is said to have a "look down- shoot down" capability. Its "Flash Dance" radar is able to engage

Figure A-2: The MiG-3 I, was the last front line, production fighter to be produced by the Soviet Union prior to the 1989 break-up.

Mi-8 "Hip"

multiple targets simultaneously. The MiG-31 retains the MiG-25's basic outward appe arance but has been significantly strengthened to enhance its performance at low altitudes. Despite the changes the MiG-31 retains some of the negative attributes of the MiG-25. Instead of carrying the AA-6 "Acrid", the MiG-31 carries the more capable long range AA-9 "Amos." With better missiles and a more powerful radar, the "Foxhound" can remain far away from a dogfight and still infiict casualties. MiG-31 s are sometimes used as substitute AWACS aircraft. A number of "Foxhounds" get on line and use their "Flash Dance" radars to cover an enormous amount of airspace. These aircraft pack a single GSh-6-N23 23 mm gun with 260 rounds. If used correctly, these aircraft should never get close enough to enemy aircraft to use it.

The Mi l-8 "Hip" is a multi-purpose utility helicopter first fiown by the Soviet Union in 1961. The standard production model features two I ,500 shp engines which drive a five-bladed single shaft rotor. The "Hip" has a maximum forward speed of 145 mph and an average cruising speed of 125 mph. The Mi-8 has a crew of three and can cany up to a platoon (32 men) of heavily armed troops or almost five tons of equipment. As an assault platform, the "Hip" carries twin racks for 57 mm rockets. It can lay down suppressive fire to keep a defending force pinned down as it lands its troops. The Mi-8 was widely used by Arab anmies throughout their wars with Israeli. Th is helicopter was instrumental in the 1973 Egyptian crossing of the Suez canal. In FLEET DEFENDER, the "Hip" is used to transport Soviet assauh: troops and Spetznatz commandos behind our lines in Norway. In Libya, the Mi-8 is used to move men and equipment around the country. If you're lucky you may even catch Qaddifi on a sight seeing trip.

Mi-/4 "Haze" The Mil-14 "Haze" is nothing more than a float-equipped Mi-8 with a boat hull

undercarriage. h:s weight, appearance and performance are similar. h:s role is that of dedicated ASW. The fioats give the Mi-14 an amphibious capability that the Mi-8 lacks. h: also features an ASW radome undemeath its nose, dunking sonar and an magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) device. The "Haze" carries a crew of four plus a full array of sonobuoys, torpedoes, and depth charges. It has a cruising speed of 120 knots.

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Mi-24 "Hind 0 " The Mil-24 "Hind D" is a heavily armored attack helicopter tirst deployed by

the Soviet Union in 1975. It is intended as an anti-tank platform much like the AH-64 "Apache." However, unlike westem attack helicopters, the Mi-24 is larger, heavier, and can also canry a squad of troops. Al l versions of the "Hind" have multi-barrel Gatl ing type guns mounted under the nose. The "Hind D" also carries four anti-tank missiles and up to four 57 mm rocket pods. The "Hind" has ~ o 0

been nicknamed the "flying tank" because it is so heavily armored. There are even two tandem armored glass canopies for both pilot and co-pilot. All this armor drives the loaded weight of the helicopter over 22,000 Ibs. In FLEET DEFENDER, the "Hind D" can be found

escorting flights of Mi-8s or conducting raids on our armor concentrations. It has an average cruising speed of 140 knots but can manage a maximum speed of almost I 80 knots.

Mirage F-/ The Mirage F-I is a single seat al l-weather tighter/bomber. The French built

Mirage F-I is a new generation in Dassault aircraft design. It represents a departure from the familiar delta-wing configuration of the earlier Mirage aircraft. This retum to a more traditional w ing design has created a more stable platform. The aircraft has better short-field TOl characteristics as well as an improved dogfighting agility. Surprisingly, many Th ird World nations seem to prefer the delta winged Mirage III or Mirage 5 over this aircraft. Even so, over 500 Mirage F-I s were delivered to foreign buyers prior to 1974. Since that time sales of the F-I have been eclipsed by the newer Mirage 2000 although the F-I made something of a name for itself during the Iran-Iraq war. The F-I became Iraq's principle air defense tighter and tigured prominently as an attack platform during the "Tanker War" campaign. It was a Mirage F-I which hit the U.S.S Stork in 1987 w ith an Exocet missile. The F-I 's Atar 9k-50 turbojet gives it a maximum sustainable speed of 650 knots at low to medium altitudes.

Su-/ 7 "Fitter" The Sukhoi-17 " Fitter" is a single seat tighter/bomber tirst displayed at

Domodedovo airport near Moscow in 1967. The Su-17 differs little in extemal appearance from an earl ier Sukhoi design, the Su-7. However, the Su-17 has a tuming radius almost half that of the Su-7 plus better low speed handling and endurance. Its l yulka AF-2 1 F-3 afterbuming turbojet engine gives the Su-1 7 a maximum speed of 700 knots at low altitudes. As an interceptor, the " Fitter" is somewhat outclassed

by newer Soviet designs, especially t he Su-27 "Flanker." Still, there is something to be said for quantity and there are hundreds of Su-17s assigned to Soviet Naval Aviation units. The Su-22 "Fitter D" is the designation given to the Su- 17 when contigured for export. The avionics in the export version are inferior to the standard Su-17 "Fitter C' used domestically. However, the Su-22 does seem to be relegated to an air-to-ground ro le. As a strike tighter in the hands of Third World nat ions, the Su-22 is probably limited to dropping free-fall bombs.

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Su-24 "Fencer"

aircraft. It was first displayed publicly in 1971 . The Su-24 entered operational The Sukhoi-24 "Fencer" is a very capable two seat. all-weather ground attack ~

service in 1977 and represents the first Soviet aircraft since 1945 to be designed~1 ~i"'1'J"S'9 -fi;S solely as a tactical strike aircraft. In time of war the "Fencer" is expected to strike ~ !JiMtp NATO airfields in throughout westem Europe. Using a Hi-Lo-Hi flight profile, this aircraft is quite capable of performing this mission from its bases inside the Soviet Union. Because of the "Fencer's" all-weather capability, it is likely to replace the MiG-27s remaining in Soviet inventory. This capable aircraft is almost certainly a copy of the F-I II design. It even duplicates the same tandem seating design error. It probably cannot perform the same type of low level penetrations expected of the F-I I I, however. The Su-24 packs a GSh-23 23 mm gun and a wide range of air-to-ground ordnance. It lacks an air-to-air capability and must rely on speed to escape would-be attackers. A maritime reconnaissance version exists known as the "Fencer E." Operational service began in 1985. It will eventually replace the Baltic Fleet's T u-16s.

Su-25 "Frogfoot" The Sukhoi-25 "Frogfoot" is the Soviet equivalent of the USAF's AI 0 tank- #

killing "Thunderbolt II." As a ground attack aircraft the Su-25 is heavily armored ood feature; a titan;,m "bath-t,b" mckpIT. Be""e th;; a;cccaft ;peod; mo;t of " ~ I time in close proximity to enemy ground fire, crew survivability is put at a ~CJ . : premium. Like the "Warthog", the Su-25 is primarily used to attack enemy armor ~ formations. It carries a panoply of munitions including AT missiles, rockets, and armor piercing cluster bombs. While it is feared by enemy ground troops the "Frogfoot" has little air-to-air capability. Lacking an air intercept radar, this aircraft is limited to heat-seeking self defense missiles (usually AA-8 "Aphids"). Though this aircraft is slow by fighter standards, it is very maneuverable even when loaded. The "Frogfoot" loves to fly at low altitudes and uses the tenrain for cover very well. A naval version of the Su-2S is assigned to the Soviet carrier Admiral Kuznetsov . In FLEET DEFENDER, the naval version is used to provide air support to Soviet amphibious forces.

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Su-27 "Flanker" The Sukhoi-27 "Flanker" is a single seat all-weather interceptor which entered

service in the mid- '80s after a difficult developmental period. It is perhaps the ~ most capable air-to-air platfonrn in Soviet inventory. Like the F-14, it is very large, ~ over 50% larger than the MiG-29. It carries a track-whi le-scan Doppler "Iook- ~ -§

down- shoot down" radar of great power plus all the latest Soviet AAMs. The - 0 Su-27 has been deployed to the Kola peninsula in substantial numbers. Despite its size the "Flanker" remains an excellent dogfighter with demonstrated slow speed maneuverability. Its ability to tail slide at air shows has impressed audiences. The Su-27 carries a GSh-30 30 mm gun with 150 rds in the right wing root. It has a combination of pylons and hard points able to accommodate 10 AAMs. At least some of these missiles are slaved to a target designator in the pilot's helmet. A naval version ofthe Su-27 has been built for operations off the Soviet Union's fieet carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov.

Tu-I 6AIDIG/HijiL "Badger" The venerable T upolev-16 "Badger" is an intenrnediate range bomber which

has been converted to perfonrn a number of specialized maritime tasks. It first fiew in the early I 950s. Shortly afterward, the T u-16 was declaned obsolete with the introduction of the more capable T u-22 and T u-22M aircraft. Most were

Figure A-3 The T u- I 6 "Badger viewed trom a toikhase position. The twin 23 mm toil­mounted guns would make an interception from this aspect unhealthy.

transferred to Soviet Naval Aviation during the I 960s. It became the Soviet Navy's first missile carrying aircraft in 196 1. Since that time the T u-16 has since been exported to many of the Soviet Union's client states. The "Badger A" is the standard production model strategic bomber. It is able to carry conventional or nuclear fneefall bombs. The "Badger D" is a maritime reconnaissance platform notable for the three tandem radomes undemeath the fuselage. The "Badger G" is a strike version similar to the "Badger A" yet able to carry two stand-off ASMs. The "Badger H" can usually be found accompanying a strike force. It is an ECM aircraft which carries up to 20,000 Ibs. of chaff The "Badger J" is an ECM active jammer which also accompanies a group of bombers. In FLEET DEFENDER, the "Badger" Hand J models will be found in most large groups of T u-16s. They will be using their specialized functions to protect these bomber groups. The "Badger L" is yet another electronic neconnaissance platfonrn outfitted much like the T u-95 "Bear D."

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Tu-22 "Blinder" The T upolev-22 "Blinder" is a twin engined supersonic strategic bomber with a

crew of three. Development of this aircraft began in the late I 950s when it became apparent. that the subsonic T u-16 was nearing the end of its usefulness. In 1961 , a Tu-22 was seen carrying a missile during a Moscow fly-by. Like its predecessor, the T u-I 6, the "Blinder" has been overtaken by technological advances. Again the majority ofT u-22s were transferred to maritime duties or sold to the Third World.

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The "Blinder" is one of the few post 1950s bombers to actually participate in combat. Libyan "Blinder A" models have dropped bombs in both Tanzania and Chad. A second variant, the "Blinder B" is configured to carry a single ASM (usually an AS-4 "Kitchen.") The most common variant is the "Blinder C" used by Soviet Naval Aviation as a maritime reconnaissance platform. The T u-22's normal cruising speed at mission altitude is approximately 400 knots. It features a tail mounted radar controlled NR-23 23 mm gun used for self defense.

Tu-22M "Backfire" The T upolev-22M "Backfre" is a twin engine swept-wing strategic bomber.

Development of this aircraft began in the late 1960s but it wasn't until 1970 that prototypes began being spotted near Kazan. This aircraft has been the subject of much heated debate. U.s. officials consider the "Backfire" a nuclear-capable intercontinental strategic bomber able to reach targets throughout the United States with in-flight refueling. The Soviets, on the other hand , look upon the T u-22M as an intermediate range strike platform. In 1980, the Department of Defense stated that the "Backfre" bomber was more of a threat to trans-Atlantic shipping than the Soviet submarine fleet. The T u-22M normally carres one or two AS-4 or AS-6 anti-ship missiles. It has a crew of four and a comprehensive ECM suite. For self defense, there are a pair of tail-mounted radar controlled 23 mm guns. The "Backfire" is designed for low level penetration at supersonic speeds.

Tu-9S0/G/F "Bear" The Tupolev-95 "Bear" is a four engined turbo-prop strategic bomber and

maritime reconnaissance aircraft. It has had the longest production run of any combat aircraft in history. The T u-95 was declared operational as early as 1956. Since the time, the "Bear" has undergone several major modifications. The "Bear D" is an unanmed reconnaissance and OTH targeting variant. It can be recognized by the large ventral radome (Big Bulge) and smaller chin-mounted search radar. The "Bear G" is the missile carrying version of the same aircraft. It is configured to carry two AS-4 or AS-6 missiles. The T u-142 "Bear F" is a dedicated ASW aircraft and has a second stores release point aft of the wings. The T u-95 has a remarkable endurance and a combat radius of almost 4,500 nm. They are sent ahead of a main strike force to pinpoint targets and coordinate attacks. Their tell­tale "Big Bulge" radars are a dead give-away. Certain "Bear" aircraft are used as T ACAMO platforms and trail numerous VLF antennas.

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Tu-126 'Moss" The T u-I 26 "Moss" is a Soviet AWACs aircraft based on a T u-I 14 fuselage.

A rotating saucer above the fuselage houses a "Flat Jack" radar believed to have a ~ m<D<im"m «mge of 250 em. Accmuieg to NATO "'""5 thi, "doc i, ieeffective r ~ over land and only slightly better over water. While this mayor may not be true ---e:= --Vli@ [I eF£ ~ the T u-126 is certainly less capable than our own AWACS aircraft. The "Moss" carres a crew of 12 including technicians. Its four turbo-prop engines give it a cruising speed of 350 knots. This ai rcraft is intended to work with a specific group of fighters. It is probably not able to bind a defense together like our E-2C "Hawkeye." Fewer than 10 of these aircraft remain in service today. Taking out one of these aircraft would be a major accomplishment for an F- 14.

Yok-38 "Forger" The Yakovlev-38 "Forger" is a single seat VTOL (vertical take-off and

landing) fighter/bomber. The "Forger" was first deployed in 1976 when it was spotted on the deck of the Soviet CVH Kiev. This ai rcraft is designed for light attack, reconnaissance, and limited air-to-air operations. It is equipped with two pylons on each wing for mounting up to 8,000 Ibs. of extemal ordnance. The "Forger" has no ai r intercept radar. For self defense, two AA-8 "Aphid" heat­seeking missi les are generally carred along with a GSh-23 23 mm gun. Although the "Forger" appears to mimic the British Hanrier, the Yak-38 is far less capable. It wil l be hard pressed to hold its own agai nst a t rue fighter aircraft. The "Forger" has a maximum speed at sea level of only 525 knots.

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FRIENDLYI NEUTRAL AIRCRAFT

A-6E "Intruder" The Grumman A-6E "Intruder" is a carner-based, all-weather strike aircraft. The

cunrent production model is known as A-6EfTRAM (Target Recognrtion Attack Multi-sensor). The TRAM allows the bombancier/nav officer to acquire the target on radar then use the system's FUR to visually identi1j it. Once identified, the TRAM can laser designate the target for precision bombing. The A-6E has 5 extemal hanc points and can mount a variety of weapons including Harpoon missiles. These aircraft make up the heavy attack squadrons of a carrier's air wi ng. Three types of A-6 configurations are represented in FLEET DEFENDER There is the standanc attack A-6E, the EA-6B "Prowler" electronic jamming aircraft, and finally the KA-6D refueling tanker. The Prowler is unarmed except for HARM missi les cunrently frtted on some models. The KA-6D tanker carnes no weapons. Instead the KA-6D carnes up to 2,000 gallons of fuel which can be transfered in-flight. At the start of each campaign, there are ten (10) A-6Es, four (4) KA-6Ds and five (5) EA-6Bs on board your carner.

A-7E "Corsair" The Vought A-7E "Corsair" is a single-seat carrier-based, light attack aircraft.

The "Corsair", based on the Navy's F-8 "Crusader", was produced to replace the Navy's aging A-4 Skyhawk in 1964. The first models were built to carry heavy

Figure A-4: Two A-7s overfly the U.S.S. Nimitz (CVN -68). This picture was taken in 1985, probably during one of its Mediterranean deployments.

payloads for very long distances. They had no all -weather capability. The E models have been upgraded with the addrtion of a FUR. The A-7E mounts the same gun as the F-14 and can carry twice as much ammunition. There are three pylons on each wing plus a fuselage mount for a total of eight weapons stations. The maximum load for the aircraft including fuel is approximately 9,500 Ibs. When fully loaded the aircraft is limited to 5 Gs or less. At sea level, the "Corsair" can manage a sustained level speed of almost 700 knots. Throughout the I 980s, the A-7 has been gradually replaced by the F/A-18 "Homet." In FLEET DEFENDER, A-7Es will be present only in those campaigns taking place prior to 1985. Two squadrons (24 aircraft) are assigned to your carrier at the start of each pre- 1985 campaign scenario.

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B-52G "Strotofortress" The Boeing B-52 "Stratofortress" is one of the oldest aircraft in the USAF

inventory. Generally they are older than the men who fly them. The basic B-52 "Stratofortress" is a long range strategic bomber able to canry both conventional and nuclear payloads. These aircraft though aging, have kept pace with technological advances. Periodic modemization programs have upgraded their avionics as well as their ECM suite. They carry a crew of six; pilot, co-pilot,

o 0

navigator, radar operator, ECM tech and dedicated gunner who operates a 20 mm Vulcan gun mounted on the tail. In FLEET DEFENDER, only the B-52G model is represented. The B-52G is used as a maritime reconnaissance and cruise missi le launch platform. Besides ALCM (Air Launched Cruise Missiles) the B-52G also is equipped to fire Harpoon missiles at naval targets. In some scenarios, they will be equipped with conventional bombs. These aircraft have a service ceiling of 55,000 ft. and a maximum speed of 500 knots. Low level penetration runs can be made at 400 knots.

C-130 "Hercules" The Lockheed C-I 30 "Hercules" is a tactical transport aircraft which has

taken on numerous other roles over the years. Almost 2,000 of these aircraft have been produced. The C-130 is in service throughout the world. It is rugged,

reliable, and inexpensive which are three things that make it attractive to the 1::~~~~a~;~~~~ Third World. In FLEET DEFENDER, there are three different models of ;. "Hercules" present. The most common version is the standard C-I 30H --....:rr!;l:...=""'b~""5--=-'~ transport. This version is able to drop men and equipment with pinpoint accuracy. The second variant an EC-130Q T ACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out), is responsible for coordinating and orchestrating battlefield operations. The third variant found in FLEET DEFENDER is the EC-130H Compass Call. Compass Call is a jamming platform which is directed at disrupting enemy Cll. All three of these models are unarmed and travel very slowly. They are easy kills for enemy fighters unless given adequate fighter escort. The C-130's average cruising speed while transporting cargo is approximately 350 knots.

E-2C "Hawkeye" The Grumman E-2C "Hawkeye" is a carrer-based Airbome Early Waming

(AEVV) aircraft. It entered service aboard the US.s Saratoga in 1974. This aircraft normally carres a crew of five. The heart of the E-2C is its ANI APS-145 radar which can cover up to 2,000 targets simultaneously out to a range of 250 nm. Both surface vessels and air targets (incl. cruise missiles) can be detected with up to forty contacts processed at one time. The E-2C can make passive detection of air targets out to almost 500 nm. Five (5) of these aircraft are normally carred aboard an aircraft carrer. One of these is aloft continuously. In FLEET DEFENDER,

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the "Hawkeye" is your best means of detecting incoming enemy aircraft. It acts as a pair of all-seeing eyes which bind the various CAP formations into a single cohesive defense unit. It will generally fiy to a pre-determined point off-set from the carrier so that its radar emissions do not disclose the carrier's actual location. From there it can direct the "outer air battle" going on around the battlegroup. In this respect, the E-2C is the single most important aircraft onboard an aircraft carrier. It has an endurance time of up to 6 hours at a normal cruising speed onoo knots.

F-4 "Phantom" The McDonnell Douglas F-4 "Phantom II" is arguably the most recognizable

tighter aircraft in the history of air combat. It is one of those classic aircraft that has managed to capture the imagination of air enthusiasts the world over. Like the confrontation between Spitfire and Me-109 during the Battle of Britain in 1940, the F-4 has come to symbolize the cold war air battles fought against Soviet MiGs. In the I 980s, the F-4 "Phantom" was surpassed as a front line tighter/interceptor but remains in service as a "Wild Weasel" SAM suppresser and jammer. Hundreds still remain on active duty as fighters with NATO and allied nations. In FLEET DEFENDER, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Greece all use the F-4 to supplement their force of F-16s. Their "Phantoms" are equipped with both AIM-7 Spanrows and AIM-9 Sidewinder missi les. All are equipped with a 20 mm Vulcan in the nose. The F-4's maximum air speed for high altitude interceptions is approximately 700 knots.

F-SE 'Tiger II" The Northrop F-SE "Tiger II ", although built in the United States, was never

adopted for service with the USAF except in specialized "Aggressor squadrons." It is characterized as being an economical light attack tighter with the emphasis on the word economical. The F-S lacks the expensive avionics which would drive the cost up. For Third World nations, the F-SE represents an aerodynamically clean platform which can be expanded upon. They carry a 20 mm gun plus

_~I:nt21 Sidewinder AAMs for self defense. While their main role is that of ground attack, F-SEs are fiown as tighter/interceptors by some neutral nations. They are difficult to spot in combat because of their size. They are nimble and better than average dogfighters despite the lack of an air intercept radar. The United States uses these aircraft to simulate combat with Soviet MiGs. In FLEET DEFENDER, the F-SE will be encountered in the Mediterranean and Training theaters.

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F-I 6 "Falcon" The General Dynamics F-16 "Falcon" is a single seat fighter considered by

many to be the preeminent dogfighter in the world. Nicknamed the "electric jet"

because of its fly-by-wire controls, the F-16 easily outperforms most fighter aircraft

when rt comes to ACM. The first prototypes were ordered in back in 1972. By

1975, four European nations (in addrtion to the USAF) had placed orders for the

F-16. The first operational "Falcon" was delivered in 1979. The F- 16 has many

features which make it a pilot's dream machine, including a Head-up D isplay and HOT AS (Hands on Throttle and Stick) technology. It has a 3600 degree bubble canopy which gives the pilot unlimrted visibilrty. These

aspects of aircraft design are crucial pilot aids yet often overlooked. The F-16 has a positive thrust-to-weight ratio which gives it a

remarkable ability to make sustained climbs. It can tum on a dime and give you back change. The F-16 does have limitations, however. It is

not a BVR (Beyond Visual Range) platform. It is good in close but lousy at long range combat. In FLEET DEFENDER, F-1 6s are an int egral

part of campaigns flown in both combat theaters.

FIA- IB "Hornet" The McDonnell Douglas F/A- 18 "Hornet" is a single seat (A model) mutti­

role aircraft which combines excellent fighter and strike characteristics. Atthough

not as maneuverable as t he F- 16, the FI A- 18 is capable of delivering a variety of

air to ground ordnance. In the 1980s the Navy began replacing t he A-7E aircraft with the F/A- 18. The "Hornet" can carry a wide assortment of air-to-ground

ordnance including Harpoons. In FLEET DEFENDER, twenty (20) F/A- 18s are

assigned to your carrier at the start of each post- I 985 campaign. These dual role aircraft are invaluable. Not only can they perform strike

missions but they can provide their own escort as well. The "Hornet" has nine external hard points for mounting ordnance. In addit ion to a

M61 A I 20 mm gun w ith 570 rds the "Hornet" also carries both Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles.

F-I I I "One Eleven" The General Dynamics F-I I I "One Eleven" began its career back in the 4

I 960s. tt was billed as an aircraft that could do everything, fight like a fighter, bomb =

like a bomber and have the range of a heavy transport. In trying to be all these ~' things the F-I I I design got caught up in Congressional procurement squabbles. --::::::::: ~ d @ I,%? I

The on-again off-again nature of this aircraft's production didn't help, either. Defense Secretary McNamarra had tried to save money by having one aircraft perform many tasks but in the end he was accused of "buying

the second best aircraft at the higher price." The F-I I I became the first aircraft able to penetrate enemy airspace using tenrain fol lowing radar

(TFR). In this respect, the F-I I I can be looked upon as the fore-runner to the B-1 bomber. In FLEET DEFENDER, F-I I I s are based in the Unrted Kingdom. They will be conducting low level strikes on Soviet troop concentrations in Norway as well the historical 1986 Libyan strikes.

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CH-53E "Super Stallion" The Sikorsky CH-53E "Super Stallion" is a heavy-lift transport helicopter used

by the Marine Corps for amphibious assault operations. It features a crew of three and can accommodate up to 55 passengers plus their equipment. A hydraulic ramp in t he rear of the helicopter can be lowered for quick loading/un loading. In FLEET DEFENDER, these helicopters are used to move troops from ship to shore. They are also useful in removing damaged aircraft from the fi ight deck of your ai rcraft carrier. The CH-53 is unanmed and has a nonmal operating speed of 130 knots.

Nimrod The British Aerospace (BA) Nimrod is a maritime reconnaissance platfonm

simi lar to the U.S. P-3C "Orion." It is intended to remain in service with RAF Strike Command into the next century. The Nimrod has a crew of twelve includ ing technicians. It carries the latest in ASW sensory equipment. With its MAD equipment the Nimrod can both detect and attack enemy submarines. Up to nine ASW torpedoes can be carried intemally along with a number of active sonobuoys. The Nimrod combines medium altitude perfonmance with outstanding low level handling characteristics. The Nimrod has four turbofan engines and can remain on patrol station for up to twelve ( 12) hours. It can carry Harpoon ASMs as well as heat-seeking AAMs for self defense.

P-3 "Orion" The Lockheed P-3 "Orion" is a lan d-based, long range maritime

reconnaissance and ASW aircraft. It nonmally carries a crew of ten including technicians. The "Orion" carries a variety of ordnance; everything from Mk. 82 bombs, ASW torpedoes, to sonobuoys and nuclear depth charges. These aircraft have a mission radius of almost 1,500 miles and may stay on station for almost 3 hours. Nonmal patrol speed for these aircraft is 300 knots. The "Orion" has good medium altitude handling but it is particularly adept at low level operations. Two heat-seeking Sidewinder AAMs are usually mounted for self defense. There have been four major upgrades to the original P-3C since 1974. In FLEET DEFENDER, all P-3Cs meet Upgrade IV standards and feature the latest sonobuoy receivers, an IRDS (Infrared Detection System) for tracking targets, and Harpoon missi les.

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S-3 "Viking" The Lockheed S-3 "Viking" is a carner-based ASW aircraft. It replaced the

Navy's S-2 "Tracker" in 1986. FLEET DEFENDER assumes that the S-3 has already replaced the S-2 in each scenario. Ten ( 10) of these aircraft serve aboard your aircraft carner. The "Viking" carnes a variety of anti-submarine ordnance including torpedoes, Mk 82 500 Ibs bombs, and depth charges. They can also carry a pair of Harpoon ASMs for light strikes. The "Viking" has no air-to-air capability. These aircraft will perfonrn routine ASW duty throughout your campaign. If a submarine is spotted, additional S-3 aircraft or helicopters are automatically vectored to the area. These aircraft will need the protection afforded them by having F-14s around. At sea level, their maximum speed of 525 knots is not fast enough to evade enemy fighters.

SH-2F "Seasprite" The Kaman SH-2F "Seasprite" is a ship based multi-purpose helicopter. Its

principle duties inciude SAR (Search and Rescue), ASW, missile targeting and ~ observation. The "Seasprite" was first deployed in 1971. Since that time the SH-2F has been brought up to Mk I LAMPS (Light Airbome Multi-Purpose System) fl . :_ . standards. In this configuration the SH-2F can carry up to two ASW torpedoes, ~_

DIFAR and DICASS sonobuoys. The SH-2F has been upgraded and redesignated SH-2G. The SH-2G "Super Seasprite" has a better avionics fit than the F model. The G model includes a FUR This helicopter began service in 1987. In FLEET DEFENDER, the SH-2G appears in the later scenarios only. Both the F and G model Seasprite helicopters have a maximum operating speed of I 30 knots.

SH-3A "Sea King" The Sikorsky SH-3A "Sea Ki ng" is based on an earlier Sikorsky design, the S-61 ,

first flown in the I 950s. The S-61 was redesignated the SH-3 in 1962. The "Sea King" is both an ASW and SAR helicopter. It has a crew of four; pilot. co-pilot, and two sonar operators. It is equipped wrth a dipping sonar along wrth a number of active and passive sonobuoys. In addition, a MAD boom runs the length of the fuselage. A automatic hover system is used when conducting sonar operations. The "Sea King" is anrned with two ASW torpedoes or depth charges. It has a maximum operating speed of 140 knots. The watertight boat­hull, retractable landing gear and flotation pontoons allow this helicopter to land on the surface of the water. In FLEET DEFENDER, these helicopters are used in ASW, SAR and transport operations.

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SH-60B "Seahawk" The Sikorsky SH-60B "Seahawk" began development in 1982 after winning a

Navy competrtion to replace the LAMPS II. It is an ASW and anti-ship targeting helicopter able to operate in adverse weather conditions. The "Seahawk" is similar to the UH-60 "Blackhawk" used by the U.s. Army. It is able to undertake SAR operations and act as a communications picket and relay if necessary. The "Seahawk" can data-l ink its displays with those on-board the mother-ship. It is equipped with a MAD "bird" and armed with two ASW torpedoes. These helicopters are found on several classes of U.s. Frigates, Destroyers, and Cruisers. They can remain on station for more than an hour longer than the LAMPS I hel icopters they are replacing.

Tornado GR. I, Mk3 The Panavia T omado GR I is a twin engined, all-weather strike fighter. It is

designed for low level supersonic battlefield penetration. The Royal Air Force received its first T omado GR I in 1982. It features a variable swept wing and a precision TFR (Terrain Following Radar). The Tornado GR. I is a versati le platform allowing for a variety of mission configurations. Its maximum speed w hile mission loaded is just over 600 knots. The T omado Mk3 ADV (air defense ~ o 0

variant) is equipped with the very capable pulse-Doppler Foxhunter radar. It carries up to four radar-guided Sky Flash missiles plus two heat-seeking Sidewinders. In FLEET DEFENDER, the GR.I will be conducting low level strikes on milrtary installations while the Mk3 wi ll be assigned to air defense duties.

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APPENDIX B: Naval

MAJOR THREAT VESSELS

Kuznetsov closs (Aircraft. carrier) The Admiral Kuznetsov represents the fonmer Soviet Union's first attempt at deploying a true fixed-wing aircraft carrier. The ship's keel

was laid down in 1983 at the Crimean shipyard of Nikolayev. Thereafter, construction was watched closely by interested observers in the West. With the addition of this vessel the Soviet Navy was making a transition from coastal defense force to one capable of sustained global operations. The Adm. Kuznetsov, (and her sister ship Voryog) compare poorly to aircraft carriers belonging to westem navies. The Soviets have yet to gain practical experience operating their carriers under wartime conditions. This ship has had few sea trials since joining the Northem Fleet in 199 I . Its four steam-driven turlbines give it a maximum speed of 32 knots.

Kuznetsov class carriers have a 1000 ft. flight deck which ends at the bow in a 12° "ski jump" ramp. A below deck hangar is able to store up to 60 ai rcraft. Nonmally these ships can operate 24 naval versions of the Su-27 Flanker or MiG-29 Fulcrum. This mix of fixed-wing aircraft seems more suited for interception rather than strike missions. If a heavy strike wing is needed Yak-38 Forger and Su-25 Frogfoot aircraft can be substituted. The real offensive potential of these ships lies in their SS-N-19 "Shipwreck" missi les. For ASW and targeting purposes up to 18 Ka- 25/27 helicopters are also carried. Air defense is provided by multiple batteries of SA-N-9 and SA-N- I I missiles.

Complement: est. 2200

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Kiev closs (V/STOL Aircraft carrier) Kiev class V/STOL carners are not be considered true aircraft carriers by Westem standards. The four ships of this class (f<jev, Minsk.

Novorossiysk. and Baku) are more correctly designated as anti-submarine carriers and are equipped with numerous ASW weapons (including torpedoes!) These ships normally carry 15 V/STOL Yak-38 aircraft plus another 15-17 helicopters. All aircraft can be stowed in a large below deck hangar. The Kiev class features an angled deck with the island located to the right of the flight line. The deck is level and is usually marked with landing spaces for seven helicopters. Kiev class carriers also carry SS-N-12 Sandbox missiles, a twin SUW-N- I ASW launcher and two RBU-6000 ASW mortars. These carriers also carry a formidable array of SAM launchers (including SA-N-3, SA-N-4, and vertical launching SA­N-9s). Each ship is steam-driven by four turbine engines which can generate a maximum speed of 32 knots.

The Kiev, flagship of this class, was first seen on her maiden voyage in 1976. Deployed to the Mediterranean in July of that year the ship was subsequently moved to the Murmansk area. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, two ships of th is class (Minsk and Novorossiysk) are being broken up and sold for scrap.

Complement: I ,600

Moscow closs (Cruiser-helicopter carrier) The Moscow class helicopter carrier was originally designed as a counter to the U.S. Navy's submarine program. Alarmed by the

advances made in submarine-launched strategic missile technology the Soviet Union built two ships of th is class (Moscow and Leningrad) before abandoning the effort. Moscow class helicopter carriers should rightly be classified as hybrid ASW cruisers. Forward of the superstructure they are configured as cruisers. The aft section consists of an open flight deck to designed to accommodate helicopters. They feature a poorly designed hull which causes the ship to ride down in the bow. The elongated tear-drop shape hull reaches its widest point aft of amidships.

The aircraft component of these ships consists of 12-15 helicopters, usually Ka-25 Hormones. The elevators cannot accommodate larger aircraft. Mi-14 Haze have been spotted aboard these ships but must be serviced on the flight deck The normal mission for the helicopters aboard the Moscow is ASW although SSM targeting missions are possible. In addition the ship is also equipped with a twin SUW-N-I ASW missile launcher and a pair of RBU-6000 ASW mortars.

Following the break-up of the Soviet Union only the Moscow remains in service. With the development of the Kiev class carriers, the Moscow class hel icopter carrier has been rendered obsolete and will likely be scrapped in the mid-1990s. The Moscow first put to sea in 1967 and by today's standards this sh ip would be a liability to its battlegroup. Its air defense is limited to two twin SA-N-3 batteries. Even when operating at peak performance (un likely) its two steam-turbines only give it a top speed of 30 knots. This means other ships in the battlegroup will have to slow down to remain with it.

Complement: 850

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Kirov closs (Bottlecruiser) Except for aircraft carriers, Kirov class battlecruisers are the largest surface warship buitt since World War II. Two of these battlecruisers

(Kirov and Frunze) entered service during the mid-1980s. These ships represent the best of Soviet naval engineering and design. Two pressurized water nuclear reactors combine with conventional oil-fired boilers to produce a maximum speed of 32 knots. These ships have an almost unlimited cruising range but resupplying the ship with normal supplies and ammunition will hamper extended operations.

The deck of the Kirov class battlecruiser is literally jammed with weapon systems of all types. It carries two 100 mm guns (130 mm in the Frunze) for shore bombardment or surface engagements. The main striking weapon is the SS-N-19 missile. These ships are outfrtted with twenty launchers and have the distinction of carrying the largest number of anti-ship missiles carried by any warship afioat. SS-N- 14s, torpedoes, and RBU mortars are carried to conduct anti-submarine warfare. Three Ka-25129 helicopters are kept aboard for ASW and targeting purposes. The anti-aircraft defenses of these ships are impressive. The Kirov has both SA-NA and vertically launched SA-N-6 missiles. The Frunze is equipped as the Kirov except that the SS-N-14s have been removed to make room for SA-N-9 launchers.

Complement: 800

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u.s. AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

Forresto/ closs (Aircraft Carrier) The Forrestal was the first class of aircraft carrier to be

constructed after the demise of the Navy's plans for a fiush-deck "super-carrier." Congressional budget constraints caused the Fonrestal class to be dramatically scaled back from the original 100,000 ton design that the Navy had originally hoped for. The Fonrestal class of ships really owe their existence to the fall-out from the "admiral 's revo lt" in 1949. They are the first post 'WW II

carriers to be built from the keel up and are named after James V. Fonrestal, former Secretary of the Navy. Four Fonrestal class aircraft carriers are cunrently in service with the USN. Three of the four are present in FLEET DEFENDER, the US.s Forrestal (CV 59), US.s Saratoga (CV 60), and USS Independence (CV 62). The fourth ship US.S Ranger (CV 61) is currently on duty with the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific and home ported in Yokosuka, Japan.

Fonrestal class carriers have a overall length of 1,039 feet and a beam width of 130 feet. They have a draught of 37 feet and displace 79,000 tons when fully loaded. The ships are powered by four Westinghouse steam turbines which generate over 260,000 shp. Steam for the turbines is created by eight conventional (non-nuclear) Babcock & Wilcox boilers. This propulsion system

Figure A-5: Shown here, the U.S.S. America gives these carriers a maximum speed of 33 knots and a sustained cruising speed of 20 knots. To at anchor.

put things in perspective, the rudder alone weighs almost as much as an M-I tank (45 tons). The greatest change to accompany the Fonrestal carriers was a move to an angled fiight deck Most of the problems associated with

o perating high speed jet aircraft were immediately solved by this new fiight deck configuration. Now if an aircraft overshot the runway it would not endanger the rest of the ship, it would simply go around. The angled portion of the fiight deck is 250 feet long on the Forrestal, 270 feet long of the other three ships of this class.

The air wing aboard these carriers is comprised of over 85 aircraft. Four elevators move these aircraft between the fiight deck and below deck hangar area. The port side elevator is positioned poorly so that it blocks the two port side catapults when in use. These design fiaw has been conrected on Kitty Hawk class carriers. There are a total of four catapults on the fiight deck which are capable of launching four aircraft per minute.

Each ship in this class has gun and missile systems for use in destroying incoming missiles. Originally they were equipped with eight 5-inch DP Mk 42 guns. These were subsequently removed and replaced by three Mk29 Sea Spanrow launchers and three Mk 15 20 mm ClWS guns.

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Figure A-6: The stately U.S.S. Independence (eV 62) with most of her aircraft on deck. pictured here in 1982.

Kitty Hawk closs (Aircraft carrier) The Kitty Hawk is the second major class of aircraft carner to

be designed following WW II. The design concept. though similar to the Forrestal class, shows some major revisions. For example, the flight deck is somewhat larger, allowing for more aircraft to remain top-side. The port elevator, which had interfered with catapult operations on the Forrestal carners, was placed aft of the catapults. These ships were originally designated as Aircraft Carner­Attack (CVA). They were subsequently redesignated as multi-mission carners (CV) in 1974-75 following modifications which allow them to conduct anti-submarine warfare.

Following the Korean War, aircraft carners had to be designed to accommodate jet aircraft. Kftty Hawk class carners have a total length of

Figure A-7: Namesake of the Kitty HavvI<. dass, the US5. J<jtty Hawk pictured here in 1992. Note the two parked F-I 45 on Ready Five.

I ,045 feet and draw 37 feet of water. Fully loaded these carners displace almost 8 I ,000 tons, a significant increase over the Forrestals. This increase represents the ability of Kftty Hawk carners to store more aviation fuels and munitions. There are four Kftty Hawk carners currently in service. Three of these carners are represented in FLEET DEFENDER; the U.S.s /(jtty Hawk (CV 63), U.S.S. America (CV 66), and the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy "Big John" (CV 67). The fourth carrier USS. Constellation is currently stationed in the Pacific.

Like the Forrestals, Kitty Hawk carners have four catapults and four elevators. As previously stated, they have been arranged differently on the flight deck The superstructure has been moved aft so that only one elevator is forward of the island. The ships are powered by eight 1,200 psi Foster Wheeler boilers connected to four steam turbines. These turbines produce 280,000 shp giving these ships a maximum speed of 33 knots.

The air wing of Kftty Hawk carners is roughly the same as that of the Forrestals. There are over 25 pumping stations on the flight deck and inside the hangar so that aircraft can be rapidly refueled. The angled portion of the flight deck is 251 feet long (266 feet on the Kennedy). The hangar area is considerably larger (740 ft.) than that of the Forrestals. Each ship in this class is equipped with three Mk29 Sea Sparrow launchers and three Mk 15 20 mm CIWS guns.

The Kennedy has been officially designated as a separate one ship class though it is usual ly lumped in with the Kitty Hawk carriers. "Big John" is longer than the other th ree but more F' A 8 Th U 5 5 J h F K d Igure -: e ... 0 n . enne y narrow in the beam. The hangar deck is much smaller, only 688 ft long and 25 ft high. One pictured here at anchor in 199/.

notable external difference is the smokestack canted to starboard to keep smoke from interfering with flight operations.

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Nimitz closs (Aircraft Carrier) There are two Nimitz class aircraft carriers represented in

FLEET DEFENDER; the US.S Dwight D Eisenhower "Ike" (CVN 69) and the U.S.S Theodore Roosevelt "Big Stick" (CVN 71). This class of carrier was ordered as a replacement for the Navy's aging Midway class carriers in the mid-I 960s. The first Nimitz class carrier, U.S.s Nimitz (CVN 68) took seven years to complete. It finally entered service in 1975 after much Congressional wrangling.

There are a total of six Nimitz carriers currently in service. These vessels are the largest warships ever built, with a length of almost I, 100 feet and a beam width of 135 feet. When fully loaded these ships have a draught of almost 38 ft. and a displacement of 94,000 tons. Nimitz class carriers are powered by two Westinghouse A4W pressurized water nuclear reactors. Connected to these reactors are four steam turbines producing the equivalent of 280,000 shp. Despite their immense size, Nimitz class carriers are able to sustain 32 knots.

Figure A-9: Stem view of the "Big Stick" An F-14 is about to be cot shot off the deck of the US.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 7 I). Note the blast deffector being raised.

Calling these ships fioating cities is no small exaggeration. There are over 6,200 people on-board at anyone time. This requires the ship's mess to cook almost 19,000 meals and produce 400,000 gallons of distilled water every day. To make sure everyone stays in touch there are over 2,500 telephones spread throughout the ship. The angled fiight deck on the Eisenhower is 253 feet long (258 feet on the Roosevelt). The total length of the flight deck is I ,092 feet. Undemeath the flight deck is a large hangar/ maintenance area over 680 feet long. Between the fiight deck and the hangar, over 85 aircraft are parked, serviced, and stored. Four elevators are used to move aircraft from the hangar deck to the flight deck and vice versa. Three of the elevators are located along the starboard side, one on the port side. The four steam catapults are capable of launching one aircraft every twenty seconds.

The carrier relies primarily on its component aircraft for self defense. Even so it is equipped with gun and missiles systems for knocking down the incoming missiles that manage to get through. Each Nimitz carrier has three Mk. 29 Sea Sparrow SAM launchers as well as three Mk. 1520 mm Phalanx ClWS (Close-In Weapon System).

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-;::

ill

Figure A-I 0: Displayed here are the three classes of United Stotes aircraft corriers which normally corry F-14 squadrons for self-defense.

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FOrTestal class deck plan

Kitty Hawk class deck plan

Nimitz class deck plan

THREAT AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES (AAMS)

AA-2 Atoll The M-2 Atoll was originally designed and produced during the I 960s. It was a

repmduction of the early AIM-9B Sidewinder heat-seeking missile. Since the missile has been periodically upgraded. There are now two versions of this missile; the improved heat-seeking AA-2D and radar-guided AA-2C. Despite the impmvements, the M-2D may only track targets from a tail-chase aspect only. The M-2D uses a solid pmpellant and has a maximum range of 2 nm. The M-2C incorporates a semi-active radar homer and has a maximum range of 4 nm.

AA-6 Acrid The M-6 Acrid is a Soviet-made missile which entered service in the early

I 970s. It is one of the largest air-to-air missiles in the world. There are two versions of the M-6; the radar-guided A model with a range of 22 nm and the heat-seeking B model which has a range of 14 nm. Both models use a solid propellant. The Acrid-A uses a semi-active radar guidance although impmved models may contain an active radar seeker. Production of these missiles stopped in 1982. The M-6 was specifically designed for use aboard the MiG-25 Foxbat but many have been exported to Iraq, Libya, and Syria. In foreign countries the AA-6 is carried by Su-22 Fitters.

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M-7 Apex The AA-7 Apex was first detected by Westem sources in the mid- 1970s.

this missile; the AA-7 A radar-guided version and the heat-seeking B model. <:JC:@ I I I 0, It is a third generation Soviet medium range missile. There are two versions of ~

Both have a maximum range of 10 nm. The radar-guided Apex is superior in (J performance to the U.s. A IM-7 Sparrow and boasts a "Iook-down-shoot down" capability. The missile is equipped with a semi -active J-band radar seeker w hich is very effective against low fiying targets. The warhead represents approximately 15% of the missile's overall weight and is fitted with an active radar fuze. The heat-seeking version is an all-aspect missile with improved ability to ignore counter-measures.

Like other advanced AAMs the Apex has been exported to most client states of the former Soviet Union.

M-8 Aphid The AA-8 Aphid was designed as a replacement for the aging Soviet inventory

of Atoll missiles. earned in pairs by most Soviet fighters, the Aphid is a heat-seeking missile with a maximum range of 4 nm. Although radar-guided versions of this missile have been reported, to date only the IR model has been seen on Soviet fighters. Early Aphid models had only a tail-chase engagement aspect but later repnoductions have been frtted with an electno-optical fuze. This addition gives the missile a much bnoader tracking envelope. Aphid missiles are found in the inventory of many Third World states. The former federal air force of Yugoslavia is known to have purchased a number of these missiles.

M-9 Amos The AA-9 Amos is a fourth generation Soviet AAM intended to perform a

mission similar to that of the AIM-54 Phoenix. An obvious design infiuence is also noticeable in the physical appearance of the Amos. Development of this missile began in the mid-1970s when the need to counter U.s. carrier-based AEW aircraft became apparent. Like the Phoenix, these missiles are able to engage targets at extremely long ranges. The Amos has a range of 55 nm making it the

I~ I

second longest ranged missile in the game (next to the Phoenix). Four AA-9s are carned by the MiG-31 . The Foxhound's powerful I-band radar pnovides mid-course corrections to the missile during its fiight. Unlike the Phoenix, it is not a "fire and forget" missile.

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AA-IO Alomo The AA-I 0 Alamo is a fourth generation Soviet AAM. There are actually six

different Alamo missiles although only the three major versions are represented

in FLEET DEFENDER. The three AA-I Os in the game are the semi-active radar- ~ II ( 0 0 :~ guided AA-I OA, the heat-seeking AA-I OB, and a longer range radar-guided ~ . r version known as the AA- 10 Alamo C. The A and C models have ranges of 26 nm and 45 nm respectively. Both have semi-active J-band monopulse radars. An active seeker for this missile is currently under development and can be expected to enter service shortly, The heat-seeking Alamo B version has a range of 21 nm. This is extremely long for an Infrared tracking missile. It features an improved IR head which is less susceptible to counter-measures.

AA-I I Archer The AA-I I Archer is also a fourth generation missile. The Archer is an

Infrared (heat-seeking) missile which entered service with the Soviet Air Force in

the late I 980s. The Archer is carried by only the most advanced Soviet fighters. It <=c I g II :=:=3 has been selectively exported to only a small number of client states since the 1989 break-up. In the MiG-29, the missiles are slaved to the pilot's helmet-mounted designator, This allows the pilot to engage targets at a high off-angle. The Archer has a short range, all-aspect engagement envelope and is able to track fast-moving, highly-maneuverable targets. It canres a large warhead equipped with an active radar fuze. The maximum range for this missile is believed to be around 12 nm.

AA-X-12 The AA-X-12 is the CIS's (fonrner Soviet Union) latest AAM. This missile has

not as yet entered service. It is so new that details on its perfonrnance are hard to obtain. It has been included in FLEET DEFENDER so that players can get an opportunity to look at the next generation of AAM technology. You will actually be the first in the west to go up against this missile. The AA-X-12 is believed to be powered by a two stage solid propellant engine. Its maximum range is estimated to be 40 nm. The missile is guided by a mid-course inertial system which switches to an active radar seeker for tenrninal flight guidance. It this respect it is much like the AIM-54 Phoenix. Delivery date for this missile is believed to be 1994.

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FRIENDLY AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES (AAMS)

AIM-9 Sidewinder The AIM-9 Sidewinder heat seeking AAM is the most w idely used AAM in

the westem world. Over I 10,000 of these missiles have been produced and are ~ 8 currently in use by 28 different nations. In fact, the Soviet Atoll is believed to have a II; ,II II I II been designed using the AIM-9 as a model. The missile was named Sidewinder

because of the snake-like side-to-side motion it makes whi le tracking a target.

Early Sidewinders were given the name "Groundwinder" because of their inability

to track targets near the ground. Some estimates have placed the Sidewinder's hit probability as low as 40%. Subsequent modifications have eliminated many of the

problems which plagued this series. The AIM-7 has even acquired an all-aspect sensitivity. The current A IM-9M production model features

an improved resistance to electronic counter-measures and an ability to track targets against a hot back-drop. Since the Vietnam War

Sidewinder missiles have used a reduced smoke propellant making aerial detection more difficult. The maximum engagement range for this

missile is 4.5 nm.

AIM-7 Sparrow The A IM-7 Sparrow is a medium range, radar-guided missile. The origin of the

Sparrow family of missiles dates back to the late I 950s. The first Sparrow used by ~ ~ the U.s. Navy was the AIM-7C Since the '50s numerous improvements have c:II ==~E§~===:§~====~==~=1 been made to the Sparrow. Each successive change has been given its own letter

designation. The AIM-7P model depicted in some scenarios features a mono-

pulse, semi-active seeker head which allows it to operate in a heavy ECM

environment. It has a 39 kg. warhead and a range of 24 nm.

These missiles are designed to intercept low flying aircraft against a backdrop of ground clutter. In particular, the AIM-7P model is able to track sea-skimming anti-ship missiles. To fire the missile the launching aircraft must first obtain a radar " lock" Once the target is " locked"

the missile is fired. The launching aircraft must continuously illuminate (or "paint") the target with its radar. If the target is able to maneuver

out of the launching aircraft's radar envelope the missile will miss. A surface-launched variant, known as Sea Sparrow, is currently in service

with the U.s. Navy.

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AIM-54 Phoenix The AIM-54 Phoenix is a long-range air-to-air missile developed in the late

1960s for the US Navy. The AIM-54A entered front line service in 1974. It has a ~

CW semi-active radar homer and an active homer used during the missile's ~ II I ~[II tenminal flight phase. If the missile encounters ECM jamming it is designed to '------- %~ home-in on the source of the jamming. The AWG-9 radar carried by the F-14 allows up to six of these missiles to track independent targets simultaneously. Although the F-14 can physically carry six AIM-54s, it rarely does. At $1 million each, the Phoenix is an expensive missile. It is nonrnally employed against non-maneuvering targets such as high altitude bombers or reconnaissance craft. The AIM-54C features an active radar fuze, solid-state components, and improved ECCM. It uses inertial guidance during its flight to back-up the semi-active homer. Both the "A" and "C" models have a maximum range in excess of SO nm. The Phoenix is a "fire and forget" missile and does not require the aircraft's radar to "paint" the target after launch.

AIM-I 20A AMRAAM The AIM-120A Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM)

began development ;n 1975. Pmdoruon beg,n ;n the "te 1980,,, ""ond 180 ~ @ missiles per year. It entered service with the US Air Force in 1991 followed by <::::: 1 =1111 1[-___ ) the Navy in 1993. The AMRAAM represents a generational improvement over the AIM-7 Sparrow it was designed to replace. Unlike the Sparrow, the AMRAAM does not require post-launch guidance from the launching aircraft. It is a "fire and forget" missile which relies on inertial guidance. When a target is within range (26 nm) the missile goes into tenrninal mode and switches on its own I-band active radar. The AMRAAM is faster than the Sparrow and more resistant to ECM. The missile also features a low smoke propellant which allows it to go unnoticed in combat. The AMRAAM warhead weighs approximately 22 kg. and contains an active radar proximity fuze. When the fuze detects a target within a pre-set distance the warhead detonates.

In FLEET DEFENDER, your F-14 is not equipped to carry the AMRAAM. Other friendly aircraft, like the F/A-IS and Norway's F-16s do carry this missile. In fact, Norway is experimenting with a land based version of the AMRAAM to replace its existing HAWK batteries. It is the most modem AAM deployed by the U.s. Air Force and was designed to replace the AIM-7 Sparrow. No doubt the Gulf War in 1991 speeded the development process somewhat. This missile has figured prominently in the air battles that have been taken place over Iraq. Three of these missiles have been fired in combat. two have hit their intended targets. US F-16C fighters downed a MiG-23 on 17 Jan 93 and a MiG-25 on IS Jan 93.

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Sky Flash Development of the Sky Flash AAM began in 1973. This missile is essentially

a retooled AIM-7E although numerous modifications and improvements have been made outside the U.S. The Sky Flash entered service with the U.K's Royal Air Force in 1978 and with the Swedish Royal Air Force in 198 I. The Sky Flash missile is J-band, semi-active radar-guided missile designed specifically for use against fast, low fiying aircraft. It has a maximum range of 27 nm and a minimum range of 2 nm. It is faster than the U.s. Sparrow and less susceptible to enemy counter-measures. In FLEET DEFENDER, the Sky Flash is used by Sweden's Viggen aircraft as well as the UK's Mk 3 T omado fighter.

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THREAT AIR-TO-SURFACE MISSILES (ASMS)

AM-39 Exocet From time to time a piece of military hardware gains a notoriety which extends into the civilian world. The Exocet ASM is one

such weapon. It became the United Kingdom's great boogey-man during the Falklands-Malvi nas War in 1982 even though Argentina possessed only five of these missiles. Outside the military community the Exocet became something of a wonder weapon, something that the manufacturer, France's Aerospatiale, did little to discourage. In real ity, the air launched Exocet is an early generation ASM which entered service back in 1979. France exported these missiles widely during the 1980s especially to countries in the Middle East. A pair of Exocet missiles (accidentally) struck the U.s.S. Stark in 1987. Note that while the ship was heavily damaged it did not sink.. These missiles are sea-skimmers with a maximum range of 38 nm. They hug the surface of the water and only "lock-on" to their target in the last (terminal) phase of fiight.

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AS-4 "Kitchen" The AS-4 "Kitchen" is an air-to-surface missile originally designed in the 1960s to carry nuclear warheads. In the I 970s a newer version of

this missile appeared which was believed to carry a large conventional 1000 kg. HE warhead. The AS-4 is released from the parent aircraft at a

very high ah:itude. The missile stays at this ah:itude so that it consumes less fuel. Once it reaches the vicinity of the target the missile tips over

into a steep dive. It then plunges into the target from a near vertical angle. The anti-ship version of this missile relies on inertial mid-course

guidance followed by a passive radar-homing seeker. h: has a maximum range of 220 nm. These missiles have been spotted on T u-9 5 "Bear

G' and T u-22 "Backfire" bombers belonging to Soviet Naval Aviation.

AS-5 "Kelt" The AS-S "Kelt" is an anti-ship missile which was developed in the 1960s as a successor to the AS-2 "Kipper." The Keh: is capable of

delivering both nuclear and conventional payloads out to a maximum range of 180 nm. Nonmally carried by T u-I 6 "Badger" strike aircraft,

the AS-S uses a temperamental liquid fuel propellant rather than the more stable solid propellant used in later models. The Soviets have

been gradually phasing th is missile out of service over the last two decades. It has been exported to Soviet allies in the Middle East and was

used by Egypt to attack Israel in 1973. The Keh: can operate in a sea-skimming mode like the AM-39 Exocet or use a high altitude flight

profile like the AS-4.

AS-6 "Kingfish" The AS-6 "Kingfish" is an anti-ship missile similar to the AS-4 in appearance and mission perfonmance. Like the Kitchen, the AS-6 has

both nuclear and conventional configurations. In its conventional fonm the Kingfish carries a 1000 kg HE warhead. The missile is released

from the launching aircraft at a very high altitude. It remains at this ah:itude until reaching the target whereupon it enters a tenminal dive. The

AS-6 uses solid fuel as propellant and has a range of approximately 180 nm. The conventional anti-ship version of this missile has an active

radar homer but receives inertial guidance for its mid-course conrections. It is carried by Badger and Backfire bombers belonging to Soviet

Naval Aviation.

AS-7 "Kerry" The AS-7 "Kerry" is a short-range missile able to be carried by a number of single engine fighter aircraft. It is command-guided using a

radio data link and flown by means of a joystick The pilot must keep the missile (and target) in sight until impact. This means that the

aircraft is committed and cannot evade once the missile is launched. A flare on the missile itself aids the pilot in tracking it. The range of this missile is only 2.5 nm. In practical tenms, using this missile is tantamount to suicide. Any aircraft forced to close to within this missile's

effective range w ill likely be destroyed by the target's CIWS guns. No longer used by Soviet aircraft, the AS-7 is still operational in some

Third World air forces, like Libya and Syria.

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AS-9 "Kyle" The AS-9 "Kyle" is a medium range anti-radar missile. It is designed to home-in on shipboard radar systems, especially those radars

associated with fire control. Tactically, these missiles would be launched just ahead of the main strike to "take away the eyes" of the fleet at

the critical moment when an attack is in progress. The Kyle resembles the AS-4 in outward appearance. It uses a liquid fuel to give it a

range of almost 50 nm and carries a conventional 2000 lb. warhead. On radar, it mimics the flight profile of other ASMs. It has been

exported to both Iraq and Libya in large numbers and can be easily adapted to frt a variety of strike aircraft.

AS-IO "Koren" The AS- I 0 "Karen" is merely an improved version of the AS-7 "Kerry." Like the "Kerry" it is short-ranged (5.5 nm) and may be carried

by single engined fighter aircraft. The warhead of this missile is smal l by comparison, weighing in at only 250 lb. of high explosive. However, it may be guided to the target by laser if designated by the firing aircraft. This is a distinct benefrt over the "Kerry" when used in a high ECM

environment. Unfortunately, the launching aircraft must still close to within dangerous proximity to its target. An attacker would be better

off using LGBs and delivering them from a higher ah:itude. These missiles are cunrently in service with a number of Third World air forces.

AS-I 2 "Kegler" The AS-12 "Kegler" is a anti-radar air-to-surface missile designed to be launched from a low level flight profile. It is likely that the AS-12

is viewed as an eventual replacement for the AS-9. The "Kegler" entered service in the late I 970s. It has been mounted on fighter aircraft

such as the MiG-27 and Su-17. The AS- 12 is also carried by larger bomber aircraft such as the T u-16 "Badger" and T u-22 "Backfire." These

missiles are guided by the target's own radar emissions. If the target shuts down its radar the missile can continue to guide itself by homing

in on the target's last known location. The "Kegler" can carry a 250 lb. fragmentation warhead out to a maximum range of 25 nm.

AS-I 5 "Kent" The AS-IS "Kent" is an intermediate range nuclear cruise missile similar in mission performance to the U.s. Tomahawk. Although not

much is known about this missile it is believed to carry a 200 kiloton nuclear warhead. The "Kent" can be carried by a variety of multi­

engined bombers as well as the "Bear" family of reconnaissance aircraft. It is propelled by a single turbo-fan engine and has an estimated

range in excess of 1600 nm. The "Kent" uses inertial guidance with periodic updates provided by a TERCOM tenrain-matching radar

system. It is a sea-skimmer, meaning that it hugs the surface of the water (or land) during its flight. Immediately after launch the missile drops

to around 300 ft. AGL and stays there until it reaches its target.

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Kh-3/ P The Kh-31 P is a medium range, anti-radar missile designed to perform a mission similar to the AS-9. It has only recently entered seNice

after being publicly displayed in 1991. It has an uncharacteristic appearance for a Soviet designed missile which suggests that the Soviets may

have been aided by espionage. The missile is estimated to have a 500 lb. HE warhead and a range exceeding 80 nm. The guidance system,

therefore, probably has an inertial back-up in case the target stops emitting radiation. Normally, the missile guides itself by means of a

passive homer which detects operational radars. These missi les w ill likely be launched just prior to the main attack forcing the target to shut off its radars to preserve them.

AS-/6 "f(jckbock" The AS-16 "Kickback" is a long-range, radar-guided missile canred by the "Backfre" bomber (and perhaps the "Bear H "). The Backfre

stores these missiles on a special rotary launcher mounted intemally. The missile itself entered service with Soviet naval aviation in the late

I 980s. The "Kickback" is fueled by solid propellant giving it a range of over 100 nm. It can carry either a conventional 650 lb. HE warhead

or a 350 kiloton nuclear warhead. The missile uses inertial guidance while in fiight. It is unclear whether these missiles possess a terminal guidance feature. An anti-radar version may exist.

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FRIENDLY AIR-TO-SURFACE MISSILES (ASMS) AGM-62 "Walleye II"

The AGM-62 is actually an unpowered glide bomb, not a missile. It is nicknamed the "Walleye" because of the large lV camera lens in

its nose gives it a fish-like appearance. The "Walleye" is linked to the launching aircraft by a data link pod. The operator locks-on to the target visually then releases the ordnance. The bomb steers itself as it glides toward the target image. The range of this weapon depends, of

course, upon the distance it is able to glide. Since this bomb is unpowered the glide distance is a function of altitude. The "Walleye II" has a

I ton (2,000 Ibs.) high explosive warhead. In FLEET DEFENDER, the "Walleye II" is carried by A-6E and A-7E strike aircraft.

AGM-84 Harpoon The AGM-84A Harpoon is an air launched, medium range, anti-ship missile

with a maximum range approaching 60 nm. It is designed as a sea-skimmer, flying

very low over the surface of the water using inertial guidance. Once in terminal

mode, the missile activates a phased-anray J-band radar seeker in order to acquire its target. The missile is usually fired after the range and bearing of a target is

known. However, the Harpoon may be launched using a technique known as

Bearing Only Launch (BOL). In this case the missile is simply launched along a

particular bearing with its radar seeker looking for any target within a 45 degree

search arc. Its 220 kg. warhead is more than enough to cripple or sink a medium

sized warship with a single hrt:.

AGM-86C ALCM

Figure A-I I: Next to the Swcet the Harpoon is one of the more famous and-ship missiles to enter service during the I 980s.

The AGM-86C ALCM (Air Launched Cruise Missile) is an intermediate range cruise missile. The C model ALCM is a conventionally

armed adaptation of the nuclear tipped AGM-86B. In FLEET DEFENDER, the ALCM is carried by B-52G bombers and used to conduct

strategic airstrikes on both air and sea targets. The missile has a maximum range exceeding 1000 nm. It uses a turbofan engine and follows

a low level flight profile. Once launched the ALCM is inertial guided with periodic updates from its GPS (Global Positioning System). Six of these missiles can be canried by a single B-52G.

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AGM-88 HARM The AGM-88 HARM (High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) is currently replacing both the Shrike and Standard ARMs. It entered service in

1983 and was first used in combat during the 1986 strike on Libya. HARMS are used exclusively to suppress or destroy enemy radar

installations. The AGM-88A can be programmed to attack pre-selected targets or launched on a set bearing to engage targets of

opportunity. Used extensively during the Gulf war, over 1,000 were fired mainly by FAG Wild Weasels. The HARM causes hostile radars

to cease emitting radiation or risk a direct hit. They carry a 66 kg. fragmentation warhead and has a range of 15 nm. In FLEET DEFENDER, some aircraft out of each strike package may release HARMs to knock out enemy radars ahead of the main strike.

Sea Eagle The Sea Eagle is a long range, sea-skimming air-to-surface missile developed by the United Kingdom. This missile entered service with the

RAF in 1985 and is normally carried by T omado GR.I strike aircraft. The Sea Eagle uses inertial mid-course guidance then switches to a J-band active radar during its terminal phase of flight The missile is a sea-skimmer which means that it hugs the surface of the water after launch making

detection difficult h: can carry a conventional 230 kg. armor-piercing high explosive warhead out to an impressive maximum range of 60 nm. In

FLEET DEFENDER, T omado GR.I s in the North Cape scenarios carry the Sea Eagle.

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LAND BASED SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES (SAMS)

Crotale Self-Propelled SAM The French-made Crotale is a mobile surface-to-air missile system designed for all-weather operations against low flying aircraft. A

typical Crotale battery consists of a single radar acquisition unit and three missile launchers. The acquisition radar is an E-band pulse­Doppler system w ith a maximum detection range of 20 nm. Up to twelve targets can be tracked at one time. The missile launchers are equipped with J-band monopulse tracking radars and four missiles in the ready-to-Iaunch position. The Crotale missile has a maximum range of 5 nm. It is highly maneuverable and can withstand a load factor exceeding 25 Gs. In FLEET DEFENDER, Libya is equipped with a number of Crotale batteries stationed near its military installations.

SA-2 Modified "Guideline" Fixed-Site SAM The SA-2 "Guidel ine" is one of the oldest SAM systems still in service. It was a "Guideline" which shot down Gary Power's U-2 spy

plane in 1960. During the Vietnam war, the SA-2 was nicknamed the "flying telephone pole" by U.S. flight crews. The missile is a beam­rider and may be command guided by an E-band Fan Song radar. The SA-2 has a slant range of 25 nm and can engage targets up to IS,OOO feet. Accuracy has always been this missile's greatest problem. Therefore, these missiles are generally fired in salvoes forcing the target aircraft to at least react to each launch. The Guideline has terrible acquisition problems at low altitudes and lacks the ability to make drastic course corrections. The warhead is command detonated once the missile comes w ithin proximity of its target. The first U.s. aircraft lost during the Persian Gulf war was an F/A- IS downed by an SA-2 over westem Iraq. In FLEET DEFENDER, the SA-2 is deployed in belts of

SAMs stretching across likely avenues of approach.

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SA-J "Goo" Fixed-Site SAM The SA-3 "Goa" is a two-stage SAM designed as a point defense system for use against low fiying aircraft. The SA-3 uses an I/J band

radar for fire control and a C-band acquisition radar known by the NATO code name Flat Face. It has a range of I 0 nm and an operational ceiling of 13,000 feet. Targeting data is provided by a Low Blow radar system able to guide two missiles simultaneously. The Low Blow radar has been retrofitted with a back-up TV camera for command guidance when jammed. U.s. intelligence analysts got a first hand look at the SA-3 when a number of Egyptian batteries were captured intact in 1973 by the Israeli army. The SA-3 carries a 60 kg. high explosive fragmentation warhead which can be detonated when the reaches proximity to the target. The lethal blast radius is less than 50 feet.

SA-5 "Gammon" Fixed-Site SAM The SA-5 "Gammon" is a medium to high altitude surface-to-air missile

system. It was designed as a long range area defense system to combat the latest generation of U.s. strategic bombers in the late I 960s. The number of missile sites inside the Soviet Union grew to a peak of 130 sites in 1985-1986. An SA-5 battalion is comprised of an E-band Barlock radar search and acquisition radar backed up by a H-band Square Pair fire control radar. The "Gammon" has a maximum range of 125 nm and a minimum range of 20 nm. Mid-course corrections are provided by the Square Pair radar. Terminal guidance provided by an active radar homing seeker. Syria received four battalions of SA-5 missiles in 1982 following the disastrous confrontation with Israel in the Bekaa Valley.

SA-6 "GainfUl" Self-propelled SAM

Figure A-12: In 1985, Ubya received three full brigades ofSA-5s just in time to launch a few at u.s. aircraft during EJ Dorado Canyon.

The SA-6 "Gainful" is a self-propelled surface-to-air missile system designed to engage targets at low to medium altitude. Each launch vehicle carries three missiles mounted on an ASU-85 chassis data linked to a Straight Flush radar. A SA-6 regiment consists of a single Thin Skjn radar, two Long Track radars and five SA-6 batteries. Each battery consists of a Straight Flush radar and four launch vehicles. The Straight Flush radar is equipped with a back-up optical TV camera with a range of 16 nm in case of jamming. Initial target acquisition is made at long range by Long Track E- band surveillance radar. Targeting information is then developed by the Straight Flush radar assisted by height information provided by the Thin Skjn radar. The missile has a maximum range of 12 nm. Final guidance to target is provided by a semi­active homing seeker in the nose of the missile. Like the SA-5, the Gainful was also used in 1982 by Syria and again in 1986 by Libya.

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SHIP BASED SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES (NSAMS) CADS-N-I "Close Air Defense System- Novol"

The CADS-N-I is the latest in naval based air defense. It features a missile and gun combination like that of the land-based 2S6 mobile SAM. The gun portion of this weapon is a new multi-barrel 30mm "Gatling" type ClWS. Straddling the gun are two (possibly four) missiles wh ich have been designated as SA-N-I I s. Not much is known about this system beyond that which can be determined from aerial surveillance (T ARPS missions). The CADS-N-I system has been installed on the aircraft carrier Kuznetsov and certain Kirov class battlecruisers. There are eight CADS mountings on the Kuznetsov and six on the Kirovs. The SA-N-I I missiles have a maximum range of 5 nm.

SA-N-3 "Goblet" The SA-N-3 "Goblet" is the first Soviet SAM designed purely to fulfill a naval air defense role. It is an radar-guided area defense missile

which was first deployed in the early I 960s. The "Goblet" remains in service on Kiev and Moscow class helicopter canrers. Various guided­missile cruisers are also equipped wrth this SAM. There are two versions ofthis missile, the SA-N-3A and SA-N-38. The 3A model is found on most ships and has a range of 16 nm. The 38 model, installed on Kiev class vessels, has a range of 30 nm. The "Goblet" has a speed approaching mach 2.5 and an altitude envelope which reaches as high as 70,000 feet. The target is first acquired by a D-band Top Sail radar. The missile is then guided to the target by a F/H band Head Light fire control radar.

SA-N-4 "Gecko" The SA-NA "Gecko" is a point defense SAM system found on most Soviet warships. After entering service in 1970, the missile

was widely exported to Third World client states. The missile was designed to engage fast moving aircraft at extremely low altitudes. It has a slant range of 8 nm and travels at a speed of mach 2.5 nm. A Pop Group fire control radar acquires the target then guides the missile to the target. The "Gecko" is used on a number of Soviet vessels including the Fleet Replenishment ship Berezina. It is currently in service on Libyan Koni class frigates and Nanuchka corvettes as well as Split class frigates owned by the former Yugoslavian navy.

SA-N-6 "Grumble" The SA-N-6 "Grumble" is an area defense SAM system. It is a naval version of the SA-I 0 "Grumble." The missile is expected to

perform the same tactical mission as the SA-N-3 "Goblet" long range coverage of a multi-ship task group. It has a slant range out to 50 nm if used against targets at high altitudes. Against sea-skimming targets, 100 meters AGL or less, it has a range of only 15 nm. On the Kirov, 96 SA-N-6 missiles are slaved to a Top Steer fire control radar. The missile itself has a solid fuel propellant and a 90 kg. HE warhead. Once the missile nears the target a semi-active radar seeker acquires the target and guides the missile during its terminal phase.

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SA-N-7 "Godffy" The SA-N-7 "Gadfly" is a point defense SAM system pattemed after its successful land-based cousin, the SA-II. The missile is fueled by a solid

pmpellant and can reach speeds in excess of mach 3. The "Gadfly" has a 70 kg. HE warhead and a maximum range of I 0 nm. As you can see this weapon is designed for point blank local defense. After the target is detected by search radar it is then passed to a Front Dome fire control radar. The Front Dome tracks the target while the missile is in flight The missile then switches on its semi-active seeker during its terminal phase.

SA-N-9 TOR-MI KJinok Like the "Gadfly," the SA-N-9 is a point defense SAM system. It is designed for local air defense of individual ships or small surface

groups. Once a target is detected it is passed on to a pair of Cross Sword fire control radars. The missiles are first ejected vertically from sealed containers then the missile's solid propellant ignites once it is clear of the ship. The SA-N-9 is then command guided to the target. Electro-optical devices are available ifthe missile is fired in a heavy ECM environment. These missiles have a maximum range of 6 nm. They have small high explosive warheads, only 15 kg. However, this is more than enough to deflect or destroy in-coming missiles.

101

A AM: Anti-Aircraft Artillery or T riple-A

ACLS: (Automatic Canrier Landing System)

ACM: Air Combat Maneuvering (dogfighting)

ADA: Air Defense Artil lery

A8N: Airbome Early Waming

AGL: Above Ground Level (referring to ah:itude)

A IM: Air Intercept Missile (i.e. A IM-120A, AIM-54)

Air Boss: officer responsible for all fiight deck and hangar

operations

ASL: Above Sea level (referring to ah:itude)

Angle of attack the angular difference between the aircraft's

mean chord line and the relative wind

ARM: Anti-radiation missile

ASM: Air-to-Surface missile

Aspect angle: angle between defender's fiight path and

attacker's flight path (measured from defender's

six o'clock) usage: A IM-9L is an all-aspect missile.

ASW: Anti-Submarine Warfare

AWACS: Airbome Waming and Control System

AWG: Airbome Weapons Group

102

B Bandit: an enemy (hostile) aircraft

BDA: Bomb damage assessment (or ah:ematively Battle

Damage Assessment)

BFM: Basic Fighter Maneuvers

" Bingo": radio call that aircraft only has enough fuel remaining

to retum to base

" Blow Thru": high speed closure with enemy fonmation

indicating no intention of tuming to engage

Blue Water O ps: canrier operations taking place out of range

of altemate recovery sites on land

" Bogey": a radar/ visual contact of unknown identity

" Boh:er": an aircraft which fails to hook the anresting cable on

landing

" Break": radio call indicating an immediate high G tum,

an evasive maneuver

" Buster" tenm used for Full Military Power, means to hurry up

or expedite

BVR: Beyond Visual Range

c C31: Command, Control, Communications and

Intelligence (read as Cee Three Eye)

CAG: Commander Air Group

CAP: Combat Air Patrol

CAS: Close Air Support Cat shot: catapult assisted take-off from a canrer deck

"Catching a three wire": a perfect canrer landing

CBU: Cluster Bomb Unit

Cell: Two or more tankerslbombers flying in formation

Chaff: passive form of electronic countermeasure, usually

canred in a pod or dispenser aboard an aircraft and

released to disrupt radar tracking andlor acquisition

ClC: Combat Information Center

ClWS (pronounced See-Wiz): Close-In Weapon System "Phalanx" multi-barreled 20 mm chain gun with a

extremely high cyclic rate of fire

Closure: relative rate at which approaching aircraft draw near

to you "Cold Nose": term meaning your radar is tumed off, KA-6

Tanker crews get upset if you refuel with the radar

on.

D DASH: flight profile maximizing speed, usually a very high

altitude straight line flight "Double-Nuts": aircraft number 100 or 00, usually belonging

to the CAG

"Double-Ugly": less than fiattering nickname for the less than beautiful FA Phantom II , a.k.a " Rhino" , "Smokin '

Thunderhog"

Down: a broken or usable part

103

E ECM: Electronic Counter-Measures

"Electric Jet": nickname for the F-16 because of its Fly-By-Wire

flight controls

Elevator: portion of flight deck which transports aircraft

between decks

EW: Electronic Warfare

F "Flying Telephone Poles": SA2 surface-to-air Missiles

FM: F***ing Magic, a difficult concept that is hard to

understand, naval equivalent of the Air Force term "cosmic"

FOD: Foreign Object Damage- a loose object w hich is sucked

into an engine causing damage F-Pole: distance from launching aircraft to the target at

the time its missile impacts Fouled Deck any situation in which the flight deck is unready

to land aircraft

Fox 1/11: launch of radar guided missilel infrared missile

"Furball": multiple aircraft engagement (a dogfight)

G G force: measurement of gravity force; two Gs would be

twice normal gravity GIUK: Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom

Glidepath: the descent path of an aircraft while landing

"Gomer": an enemy pilot Green Shirt: flight deck crew-member responsible for

readying aircraft for take-off

H Hard Deck an imaginary altitude restriction used for

safety reasons during training exercises

"Hawk" : staying above an engagement

HAWK: (Homing All the Way Killer) a US made surface-to-air

missile

Helo: Navy tenm for helicopter

Hook arresting hook which is deployed from the aircraft on

landing

Hot Pump: refueling an aircraft whi le the engines are

nunnlng

IR: Infra-Red

JBD: Jet Blast Defiector

Jinking: erratic defensive maneuver designed make a firing

solution difficu lt, looks to an observer that the aircraft is

"fishtailing"

K Ka: Kaminov, fonmer Soviet design bureau

KIAS: Knots indicated air speed

"Knock It Off': tenminate fighting maneuvers immediately,

usually used only in training

104

L LAMPS: Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (helicopter)

Lawn Dart: refers to the F-I 6 because of the high accident

rate during development

"Long lines-Little hooks" : the proper method of dogfighting

LSO: Landing Signals Officer

Lufberry: a circular track fiown by opponents who cannot

close with one another to achieve a firing solution

M

Manking: leaving contrails or otherwise making aerial detection

easy for opposing aircraft; (FA Phantom was a famous

case, nicknamed the Smokin' Thunderhog)

"MeatBall": carrier landing aid set to produce a 30 glideslope

MiG: Mikoyan-Gurevich, fonmer Soviet design bureau

Mi: Mil, fonmer Soviet helicopter design bureau

MSA: Minimum Safe Altitude

MSL: Mean Sea Level

Mule: small tow vehicle used to move aircraft around the

hangar and fiight decks

N NFWS: Navy Fighter Weapons School (the Navy's TOP

GUN course)

nm: nautical mile

No Joy: opposite of Tally, no visual contact with opposing

aircrew

"Nugget": freshman aviator on his first tour

o Oh-dark.-thirty: very early in the moming OTH: Over-The-Horizon (targeting) overshoot: potentially dangerous posrtion of being forced out

in front of an opposing aircraft

p

Package: group of aircraft combined to perform a single mission

"Padlocked": crew cannot take eyes off of target without losing it

Pickle: releasing ordnance Picket: a ship positioned on the outer edge of a task

force designed to provide early radar information Pipper. small dot in the center of the target reticle.

represents the line of sight "Pit": the back-seat ofthe F-14 Pk: probability of kill Pucker/Factor. method of rating particularly hazardous

missions or activities Purple Shirt: fiight deck crew-member responsible for fueling

aircraft

R Ready (or Alert) Five: manned aircraft in alert status which are

able to be airbome within 5 minutes Red Shirt: fiight deck crew member responsible for arming

aircraft RIO: Radar Intercept Officer- the F-14's back seater ROE: Rules of Engagement RWR: Radar Waming Receiver

105

SAR: Search and Rescue SAM: Surface to Air missile

s

SARH (semi-active radar-homing) radar guidance provided to a weapon by illuminating the target with radar

Scramble: quick take-off Shooter. designated aircraft that will release ordnance Slick: the aircraft is fiying wrth no extemal equipment to create

drag "Smash": power. juice. energy Snap Shot: high-angle gun shot Sortie: one fiight mission by one aircraft SOSUS: Sound Surveillance System "Speed Jeans": nickname for a pilofs G-suit "Speed 0' heat": fiying wrth the afterbumer Irt Splash: air to air kill or weapons impact on ground target SSM: Surface-to-Surface Missile Su: Sukhoi. former Soviet design bureau

T

T ally-Ho: sighting of a confirmed target. opposite of No Joy Target Rich Environment: area of operations has many

eligible targets T ARPS: Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Pod System TLAR: method of bombing. shooting. or landing; acronym

meaning (That Looks About Right) Top Off fill tanks wrth fuel Trailer. last aircraft in a formation Trap: successful canrer landing Tumbleweed: a request for information. no Tally. no contact T u: T upolev. former Soviet design bureau Two-ship: standard fiight of two aircraft. lead and wingman

v V/STOL: Vertical/ Short Take-off and Landing Vmax: maximum possible speed for that altitude Vuh:ure's Row: obseNation deck on the island

w Wave-off: an order from the LSO telling pilot to not to land White Shirt: fiight deck crew-member responsible for

inspecting aircraft prior to a cat launch Winchester: no ordnance remaining, essentially unarmed WOW switch: weight on wheels switch which disables

various systems while the aircraft is on the ground

y

Yak former Soviet design bureau Yakolev Yellow Shirt: director responsible for aircraft movement on

the fiight deck

z Zulu time (i.e. 0455 hrs Zulu): Greenwich mean time

106

COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright ©1994 by MicroProse Software, Inc. ,

all rights reserved.

This manual and the computer programs and audiovisuals on the accompanying floppy disks, which are described by this manual , are copyrighted and contain proprietary information belonging to MicroProse. No one may give or sell copies of this manual or the accompanying disks or of listings of the programs on the disks to any person or institution, except as provided for by written agreement with MicroProse. No one may copy, photocopy, reproduce, translate this manual or reduce it to machine readable form, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of MicroProse. Any person/persons reproducing any portion of this program, in any media, for any reason, shall be guilty of Copyright Violation, and shall be subject to civil liability at the discretion of the copyright holder.

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180 Lakefront Drive, Hunt Valley, Maryland, 21030 (410) 771-1151

107

108

INTRODUCTION Klaxons wake you from a well deserved rest. Crewmen begin to scramble

outside your quarters. You jump to your feet and begin to stumble into your fl ight suit. Your wingman bursts through your door and motions for you to hurry up and get ready. With one final zip, you're ready for action. You bolt through your door, bounce off the far wall, and run up the ladder to the flight deck.

You r RIO is already being hooked in when you climb up into the cockpit. Men are running back and forth across the flight deck, catapulting planes into the air as quickly as possible. To your right you see the redshirts of the arming crew swarming around a Seahawk - antisubmarine weapons. "Simple," you say to yourself as you settle into your seat and wait as members of the flight crew strap and hook you in. Your mission is to protect the Seahawk so it can destroy the incoming subs.

After a few nervous minutes, the blast shield lowers and a yellowshirt signals for you to taxi into position on the steam catapult. The final checkers walk down both sides of your vision, scanning the fuselage for any problems. They skirt the intakes as you taxi forward, and you can almost feel them doubling back underneath once they reach the rear of the aircraft. All the while , at the command of the Cat Officer, your engines are spooling up. Yellowshirts are standing by the cat, just in case.

You can't see him, but you know that the greenshirt under your nose has hooked you to the catapult; another has attached the tension bar to the rear of the aircraft. When they give the Cat Officer the first thumbs up, he signals for you to go to full military power (the greenshirts bolt out of the way) . When the final checkers complete their walk, they give their first thumbs up, and the Cat Officer signals you again - time for the control wipeout. You stick forward and back, moving the rear stabilators up and down to the limits of their range, then stick side to side. You kick the rudder all the way back and forth, then pop the flaps and spoilers all the way out.

If the Cat Officer gets the second thumbs up from the checkers, he motions you to afterburner. You run it through all five stages, knowing that the final checkers are back there watching for trouble. If their thumbs stay up, the Cat Officer in his khaki pants looks up at you. You're more than ready, so you give him the traditional salute. (At night, you would turn on your lights.)

He gives you the final thumbs up and turns toward the man with his hands raised over his head - the man on the firing button. That man double-checks that your way is clear; the final checkers huddle behind your aircraft, holding their thumbs in the air. The Cat Officer drops his hand, the man at the button drops one hand to the control panel, and the checkers cover their heads. By the time the hand on the firing button is raised into the air again, you're riding a column of superheated steam straight at the end of the deck.

2

In seconds, you're in the air, climbing slowly as the extended wings grab air to give your fighter some lift. At 300 knots and 7,000 feet, you turn and circle the carrier to see if the Seahawk has lifted off from the deck yet. It has and is on its way.

Ten miles away from the carrier, your HUD picks up multiple targets coming in from the north . You ID them as four MiGs, coming in white-hot. Your RIO deals with the necessary controls, locking up one of the MiGs, and you immediately let loose with an AIM-54. Watching the missile trail jet off to the horizon gets your adrenaline pumping, even as you maneuver for a better position on the other three MiGs. What a great day to be flying!

Welcome back to F-14 Fleet Defender. Now you can return to the pilot's seat feeling refreshed, because the F-14 Scenario Disk is here with new missions for you seasoned pilots. What's so new in this disk? For starters, there are the Pacific Squadrons. Also, we've included two new theate rs in which to campaign. Do you think you can keep North Korea from invading South Korea, or prevent India from regaining the land now known as Pakistan? Lastly, you can create all sorts of new, custom missions in any theater with the Mission Builder.

Be prepared for what awaits you in the skies over India and Pakistan. Keep the peace - with a big stick - in Korea. Take a crack at the kind of missions that are dreams and nightmares for actual F-14 pilots and, most of all, have fun!

3

GETTING TO THE NEW STUFF

As stated in the Introduction , there are several new features in the F-14 Fleet Defender Scenario Disk for your use. The first of these is the Pacific Squadrons.

PACIFIC SQUADRONS On the Squadrons screen, you'll find a new button: Pacific. To change

over to the new Pacific squadrons, click on this button (the text on the button will change to Atlantic).

To see and choose from the west coast squadrons, click the LMB on the Squadrons button. This brings the Squadron Roster to the screen. You can do everything with these new squadrons that you could with the original Atlantic groups.

NEW CAMPAIGNS

There are two new theaters: Korea and India/Pakistan

There are two new combat theaters. You can fly these two theaters -Korea and India - only using the new Pacific Squadrons.

To begin a campaign in either of these new theaters, click the LMB on the Campaigns button in the Squadron Roster for one of the Pacific Squadrons. The names of the two theaters are listed at the top of the screen. Click on the desired theater to view the campaigns available for that theater. (Note that, unlike some of the Atlantic campaigns, none of the new campaigns are linked

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together to form larger situations.) Click on the campaign you want to experience, then leave the screen by clicking OK. You are now ready to play in the new campaign.

Also, in the briefing map of a mission, it is possible for you to see which objects are which. To do this, click the LMB on the desired object. This brings forth a window with the names of all the craft represented by that object. If you want to see the path for a specific object, click the LMB on the objects name in this window. You can now see the paths and waypoints for that object.

THE MISSION BUILDER The final feature that has been added to F-14 Fleet Defender is the

Mission Builder. This util ity allows you to create your own missions in any of the combat theaters, then fly them yourself or have your friends test drive them for you. (Note that this friend must also have the Scenario to be able to load and fly the missions you design.)

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NEW THEATERS

To activate the Mission Builder, simply click on the Mission Builder option at the Main Menu.

Two entirely new theaters of operation have been added to F-14 Fleet Defender - the India/Pakistan and Korea areas. Each of these situation theaters includes three new campaign scenarios - six in all - and every one of these scenarios will have you flying several challenging missions. The briefings that accompany the new campaign scenarios provide all the information you need to successfully complete your duties, of course, but only that. For those of you who'd like a more detailed background, we've prepared an in-depth briefing on the tense situations with which you 'll be faced. Those briefings follow.

INDIA In the past century (among others), religious differences have been the

cause of much bloodshed in the nations of India and Pakistan. Pakistan was, in fact, a part of India until 1933. The idea of separation was first brought up by Muhammed Ali Jinnah, the head of the Muslim League in India. He proposed that a new, independent state should be created that would be predominantly Muslim in religion . It was not until after World War II that Britain, the long­time colonial ruler of India, separated India into two independent and distinctly different countries. These new countries became India and Pakistan.

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A mass exodus of over fifteen million people - Muslims leaving India for Pakistan and Hindus leaving Pakistan for India - began with the separation of the two countries. Along with this exodus came much fighting between the two groups. Many hundreds of thousands of Hindus and Muslims were killed in the religious clashes that occurred during the long marches of emigration. Following the news of these deaths, members of the two religions became even more intolerant of each other. In the I 960s, India was further aggravated when the Chinese - seized by the "need" for expansion - invaded India and captured much territory.

Soon after their invasion, the Chinese withdrew from the newly conquered lands. Still, India was left in a state of paranoia. This paranoia led to a large military buildup and to a new policy of strength - in direct contradiction to the nonviolence accords of the revered Mahatma Gandhi. During the military buildup in India, border clashes between Pakistani and Indian forces became more frequent. India, with its new-found strength, initiated a dispute over an area of land in East Pakistan, saying that it had been wrongfully taken during the post-war separation of the two nations. Over time, these border disputes led to the beginning of the Indo-Pakistani War. The fighting that made up this sporadic war (it took place over 1965, 1971, and 1972) allowed India to regain portions of the disputed land . Later, this territory was to become the sovereign state of Bangladesh.

Currently, the Indian subcontinent is becoming more and more a land sharply divided into conflicting political, economic, and religious regions. With the detonation of its first nuclear explosive in 1970, India proved to be a force that could be a serious threat to what little stability there is in world politics. India is also one of the few countries in the world that has significant carrier­based forces at its disposal. All this, combined with the history filled with religious clashes between the Hindu and Muslim forces, makes this volatile area a perfect, realistic campaign theater for F-14 Fleet Defender.

There are three campaigns that take place within the Indian Theater. Khyber Rifles, 90s Style posits a religious confrontation with the added complication of modern day aircraft. The second campaign, Indian Ocean Cruise ... The Kasimir Sweater, begins with an Indian task force loitering near the coast of Pakistan -you can imagine where it goes from there. The last of the Indian theater actions, Indian Rope Trick starts when a MiG Fulcrum decides to fire on a U2 surveillance aircraft in suborbital flight.

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Friendly, Enemy, and Neutral Forces The United States, Pakistan, and India are the principal forces active in the

Indian campaigns. No other NATO forces take part in any of the missions or campaigns. The United States and the Pakistani forces are considered Friendly, while the military of India is treated as the Enemy. No Neutral forces exist in any of the three campaigns.

The base map for the Indian Theater, including ground targets

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Scenario # I Khyber Rifles, 90s Style For centuries, the area that today includes India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and

southern China has been plagued by bitter, religious and political border disputes. The weapons have changed with advancements in technology, but the character of the conflict has not. In fact, this area has proven to be an excellent test-bed for new weapons developed by various military powers.

The Ganges and Indus rivers have always been natural sources of life and destruction for this volatile area. A severe cyclone has devastated much of southern India, and the swollen Ganges has flooded most of the central portion of the country. Border skirmishes have been on the rise between the Pakhtyn tribal forces of Peshawar and Pakistani regulars. In fact, newly acquired F-16s have been used to strafe the advancing tribesmen. Military supplies from Russia and North Korea have been arriving almost daily, via Bombay, in massive shipments. These are supposedly relief shipments, aid for the flood and famine victims.

Pakistani and U.S. foreign affairs spokesmen have expressed their unease with the inclusion of military supplies in the overtly humanitarian endeavor, and security officials have recently become concerned over the increased activity at the nuclear plant at Murandnagar, northeast of New Delhi.

In response to rising suspicions, the U.S. 7th Fleet has begun its Indian Ocean cruise by staging a joint exercise with the Pakistani Air Force. This exercise is code named Southern Calm; it is a barely covert watchdog force with some political Significance. The Eisenhower and its battle group are making for the Strait of Hormuz. Under the guise of escort for a convoy of relief supplies, an Indian Glory class carrier, its contingent of Kashin class destroyers, and several Kil class submarines are shadowing the American battle group.

At 0915 hours, Pasha 0 I - a Pakistani EC-121 from Islamabad on its daily monitoring run near the frontier - noted an increase in the air activity at Adampur. This northern Indian airbase is where several newly-acquired MiG-29 Fulcrums are known to have been recently stationed. Mongoose 32, a flight of Pakistani F-16s from Sargodha, was also on the monitor, on their way to one of the tribal staging areas. Without preliminaries, Pasha 0 I reported tracers being fired across his nose and the leader of a flight of Fulcrums (presumably Indian) motioning him to descend and vector northwest back to Ahmadabad.

The nervous pilot of the EC-121 reported compliance, turning the lumbering aircraft toward home. Two minutes later, the Fulcrums disappeared as qUickly as they had come. Pasha 0 I immediately turned around and resumed course, and it detected several Emergency Location Transmitters (EL Ts) . Mongoose 32 was nowhere to be found.

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The Fulcrums are all vectoring southeast toward home. It is 0921 when the Hawkeye 22 reports to CIC that two Pakistani F-16s have been splashed. Ready five is launched. Southern Calm has been disturbed.

In this scenario, you assume the role of an F-14 pilot in one of the two fighter squadrons onboard the carrier Eisenhower. Your battlegroup is taking part in the Southern Calm exercises when it receives the splash message from Hawkeye 22. Your objective throughout is to protect the carrier group from any form of Indian attack and, hopefully, to help prevent India from invading Pakistan.

Scenario #2 Ind;an Ocean Cru;se ... The Kas;m;r Sweater The disputes between India and Pakistan have been a blister on the skin of

international politics for most of the twentieth century. With the recent influx into this region of refugees from the Afghanistan and Persian Gulf wars, the food and land resources have been strained to meet the requirements of the increased populations in both countries.

India has long struggled with the conflicts between Hindu teachings and the realities of modern-day life. The strong friendship this nation has forged with the former Soviet Union has definitely placed India on the opposite side of the fence from the U.S. India, once its ties to the British Empire had been severed, wanted as little dealings with the West as possible. In fact, India has viewed itself as the major superpower of southern Asia ever since acquiring nuclear capability.

Since Desert Storm, the strong U.S. presence in the Indian Theater of Operation (ITO) has precluded any forceful actions by India against Pakistan. However, with the death of Kim II Sung in North Korea, India has begun to detect an air of distraction in the U.S. forces, as if the plodding India/Pakistan situation was no longer their primary concern. The Eisenhower task force seems to be at a low-level defense posture and has been operating well out to sea.

An Indian task force has positioned itself just outside the coastal waters near Jamnagar and has begun exercises which appear amphibious in nature; they are running games that are reminiscent of the Falkland Islands War. Air cover is provided by Fulcrums from Adampur, deployed to Ahmadabad. Su-15's are running air-to-ground missions from Jodhpur in conjunction with Harrier attacks from the sea. MiG-21 fighter aircraft from Jamnagar are providing much of the defensive force. Curious, the American task force has launched an E-2C Hawkeye and the "Recce" Tarps F-14s to monitor the Indian exercises.

Pakistani Airways Flight 210 from Dhahran was vectored for a standard approach into Karachi International. The air traffic controller, overwhelmed by the airspace congestion, allowed this crowded aircraft to stray too far south - into the airspace where the combat exercises are taking place. Two MiGs - one Pakistani, the other Indian - were sent out to escort the off-course airliner out of danger. Unfortunately, both planes got in much too close -

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dangerously close - to the airliner, forcing it to make a violent and potentially catastrophic maneuver. In the process of repositioning his fighter afterward, the rookie Indian pilot fired a few errant bursts from his 23mm cannon. Whether accidental or not, no one will ever know. The bit of gunfire was more than enough provocation for the seasoned Pakistani pilot. A well placed Aphid missile put a quick end to the Indian's short career. The controllers on the Hawkeye quietly looked at each other; their weekend leave in Karachi was about to be put on hold.

As an F-14 pilot, you are assigned to one of the two fighter squadrons located on board your carrier. Your objective in this campaign is to protect the carrier group from any Indian attack. Also, you have the secondary priority of ensuring that the Indian armed forces do not gain an advantage over those of the Pakistani government.

Scenario #3 Indian Rope Trick The Indian acquisition of MiG-29 Fulcrums has caused the scales on the

balance of power to quiver. The deployment of these assets in a perennial hotbed has caused considerable consternation in Washington. Although the Chinese are seemingly friendly on the economic front - having retained their "most favored nation" status - they still hold their cards close to the chest when it comes to military intelligence.

The recent failure of a solar shield on one of the U.S. military spy satellites has created a temporary gap in their observation of India ' s military development. The Black Cats, a squadron of U2s deployed at Osan Ab, Korea, that would normally fly patch missions to fill in the hole, requires that one of their planes go in for maintenance. The closest facility capable of working on the U2 is in Diego Garcia. A power projection exercise, code-named Trolling Lance, has been launched from Kadena AB, Okinawa. This is an exercise designed to dissuade any sort of military exercise in the ITO while the hole in U.S. intelligence coverage exists. The Trolling Lance force includes eight F-I 5s, two DC-lOs, and one RC- 135 Rivet Joint. These aircraft are working in conjunction with the Navy and staging out of Diego Garcia for the next several weeks.

The Eisenhower battle group has been working with the Pakistani Air Force, developing MiG sweep tactics and intercept procedures with the F-14s. The CVBG is on station several hundred miles west of Karachi. The Indian SAG has been monitoring this training exercise from a position off the coast of Bombay. Indian MiG-29 aircraft have been working in concert with the SAG on intercept training for their MiG-25s, flying from Bareilly and recovering into New Delhi .

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Constant border overflights and high speed passes of Pakistani MiG-19s from Kamra and Indian MiG-21 s from Bhuj have been disrupting skirmishes along the frontier. The U.S. Moxie 44, an RC-135 from Diego Garcia, has been picking up some very interesting communicat ions traffic from India . Maintenance on the Black Cats' U2 was quickly completed , and a flyover mission ordered. At 0645, the sleek surveillance aircraft began its steep, slow climb northeast out of Diego. Two Tomcat CAPs were launched at 0745 with no particular mission - just carrier operations as normal.

One MiG-25 was out at 25,000 feet (FL250). As in every training flight for the past few days , the pilot was playing the role of the mouse while an incoming flight of MiG-29 Fulcrums played the hungry cats . As he passed FL350, the MiG-25 pilot saw that the training flight was running an extremely cold intercept that would miss him by several miles. By FL450, he knew that he was no longer the target of this exercise. Indian Ground Control Intercept (GCI) crackled through the UHF; there was a U2 approximately 40 miles away to his right, heading 020, altitude FL670.

Moxie 44 kept the U2 informed of the intercept's position and vector from the time the Fulcrum flight came into radar contact. The U2 flew a defensive posture while the Fulcrums ran a less-than-optimum intercept. Frustrated, the Fulcrum pilot powered up his radar, locked up the U2, and wildly pulled his airc raft's nose 20 degrees in order to obtain a firing solution. This violent maneuvering flamed out the Fulcrum's starboard engine, and the aircraft quickly departed from controlled flight.

The young wingman in the Fulcrum flight saw the flame from the compressor-stalled aircraft engine and (conveniently ignoring what his radar told him) assumed that his leader had been fired on. He immediately ripple­fired two missiles at the U2, both of which went wide, but set off the U2's Radar Warning Receiver (RWR).

The U2 pilot calmly nosed over, turned 30 degrees left, and made a radio call which set the rest of the situation into action . "Missiles inbound from intercepting fighters ," the call read. At FL250, the lead Fulcrum pilot got his engines restarted, vectored southward, and he and his wingman headed for home. Two Tomcats at his 3 o 'clock. traveling at 550 kts. are up around FL I 00 loaded for bear. It's just not a good day to be a Fulcrum pilot.

You are a pilot in one of the two squadrons on the carrier. You are going to be involved in the coming battles between the Indian and the Pakistani governments. Your objectives include protecting the carrier and making sure that the Indian government does not take any of the "lost" territory from Pakistan.

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KOREA Korea, like India, was a colony before World War II. The two Koreas had

been a single colony of japan for 32 years before the outbreak of the second World War. With japan's surrender came the liberation of the Korean Peninsula. It was decided by the United States and the Soviet Union that the U.S. would accept the japanese surrender south of latitude 38 - the 38th parallel - and the Soviet Union would accept it north of the parallel. It was difficult for the Koreans to accept this plan, for they had fought 36 long years to gain their independence from their colonial rulers.

Shortly following the surrender of japan, the United Nations met to discuss the formation of a national government for a united Korea. Communications were sent out about this plan to both the North and the South Korean military commanders. The South replied favorably, while the Soviet commander in the North refused to acknowledge that he had received the communications at all. Since communications with North Korea remained impossible, it was decided by the United Nations to hold free elections in South Korea, which resulted in the creation of the Republic of Korea. In answer to this development, North Korea created its own Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim II Sung was the president.

The United Nations responded to the creation of a North Korean government by recognizing the Republic of Korea as the only legitimate government of all Korea. Early on the morning of june 25, 1950, North Korean forces crossed over the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea. By june 28th, Seoul, the capital of South Korea, had fallen to the Communists; they continued their march southward. The United Nations decided to give the Republic of Korea as much military assistance as they would need to repel the invaders. What they started with that resolution was the "Korean Conflict" -the Korean War - that lasted until july 27, 1953. The end result of this conflict was that the two countries remained separated by the 38th parallel , exactly where the United States and the Soviet Union split the country after World War II.

Korea is not likely to remain a divided nation. The populations of these countries are the same historically, ethnically, and culturally. The question is how the two halves are going to become a whole, something both sides desire. North Korea, which has the resources and the labor, needs South Korea for their industry, technology, and ports of call. South Korea, on the other hand, needs those iron ores and precious metals that the North Koreans possess.

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Reunification can come about for Korea in several different ways. The first possibility could begin in South Korea. When the older generation of leaders of the Republic of Korea retire from government and the younger generation become the law makers, the new leaders of the South may try to create better relations with their northern cousins. Proof that this sort of thinking is prevalent among the younger generation was clearly demonstrated during the violent riots staged by college students in the late I 980s.

A second way that reunification might occur is in the hands of the North. With the death of Kim II Sung in 1994, there is a new leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Kim 's son. This man may choose to reform his communist government and create a more stable and popular democratic republic. Changes that hint that this may be a workable possibility can be seen in the newly-reunified Germany and the Commonwealth of Independent States, formerly the Soviet Union.

Most of the possibilities involve peaceful negotiations between the North and South, but the rest are not so peaceful. Three of these remaining plans are the situations that the campaigns for Korea in the Fleet Defender Scenario work from. The first campaign, titled Return To The ROK, is based largely on the North Koreans' defiant refusal to allow nuclear inspectors into some of their facilities . The second campaign, entitled Push 'EM Back, Push 'EM Back, Way Back!, deals with a sudden invasion of South Korea. The last campaign, entitled Pick A Card ... Any Card, starts with military exercises by the United States and the South Koreans that become more than your standard drill .

None of these campaigns are interlinked, meaning that each one is meant to stand alone. Though based on fact, these campaigns are fiction; they in no way represent any actual plans on the part of any U.S. military agency. Enjoy!

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Base map for the Korean Theater

Friendly, Enemy, and Neutral Forces The United States and the South Korean (ROK) forces are considered

Friendly for the three Korean campaigns. The Soviet Union and China are considered Neutral most of the time, but they do become possible enemy targets near the beginning of the third campaign. The constant Enemy force in these missions is the North Korean military.

Scenario #1 Return To The ROK North Korea has begun to flex its muscles in light of the complexities of

the current world situation. The only superpower, the United States, has proven in recent years that it is a country unwilling to make strong decisions on a course of action regarding the peninsula. The U.S. acted without resolve during the Somalian Civil War, spoke out loudly and reacted slowly to the outbreak of fighting in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The military coup in Haiti proved that a country near U.S. waters could become a threat without fearing any form of retaliation, and the civil war in Yemen was practically ignored by the United Nations. Under these seemingly uncaring eyes, North Korea has decided to put the resolve of the United Nations to the test.

The first nuclear reactor in North Korea was built in the ancient city of Yongbyong. It was supplied by the Soviet Union and became fully operational in 1967. Twenty years after that first reactor came on line, two more reactors were completed . All three of these reactors are of the old-fashioned gas/graphite type, which can be used to reprocess fissionable materials into weapons-grade plutonium and enriched uranium.

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For years preceding the time when North Korea obtained their first nuclear reactor, the United Nations, under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, tried to curb the spread of nuclear technologies. This treaty allowed the newly-formed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to all nuclear reactor sites. North Korea was induced to sign this treaty by the Soviet Union in 1985. In return for their cooperation, the USSR gave them their nuclear power plant at Simpo.

As is typical of Stalinist regimes in Asia, all information on the reactors was shrouded in secrecy. However, many reliable defectors brought international attention to North Korea's nuclear program. Although the North claimed that all their research was for peaceful purposes, the United Nations did not believe their story. Forced into the open, North Korea must now either allow the IAEA inspectors into their reactors or deny them entry and prepare for possible retaliation. In anticipation of hostilities, the U.S. has positioned a second carrier task group in the area - one in the Sea of Japan and the other in the Yellow Sea. Quietly, yet with great interest, China and the Soviet Union watch.

At the moment, all parties are jabbing at each other as two boxers in the beginning round of a prize fight. The aging heavyweight champ, the U.S., is set against the bantamweight North Korea with a horseshoe in his glove. Diplomatic attempts to open the nuclear plants to inspectors have been fruitless. The U.S. has decided to heighten Team Spirit exercises with South Korea and increase U2 flights over the North. The North counters with a provocative exercise of its own that aggressively wards off American observation.

As an F-14 pilot, you are assigned to one of two fighter squadrons onboard your carrier. You will be participating in a series of air strikes against a wide range of industrial and military targets. The objective of this air campaign is to ensure that North Korea and their allies do not retake South Korea as they almost did early in the Korean Conflict. As always, you must protect the carrier group from any inbound attacks.

Scenario #2 Push 'EM Back. Push 'EM Back. Way Back! With the demise of the Soviet Union, South Korea's establishment of full

diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, and an economic situation bordering on desperation, North Korea is starting to feel all alone in a big world. China, who once championed their cause in the conflict with the South, is now on a cash-only basis for technology and equipment sales. The North Koreans are a desperate people, and some of their leaders feel they have nothing left to lose. With their nuclear program stepped up, as well as their missile technology, this is their final hope for financial growth - nuclear proliferation.

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The U.S., in anticipation of some sort of move, has positioned a second carrier task force in the area and has stepped up the Team Spirit exercises with South Korea. The exercise had been postponed when the North labelled it as an act of war. The U.S. initially complied, but has since decided to bring the operation to full scale. The United Nations is riddled with indecision and totally absorbed in the civil wars in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Daily, the U.S. forces in and near Korea fly many sorties and hundreds of hours of observation. This morning, the 0130 DMZ flight of the Army OV-I Mohawk Chesty 69 was not routine. The UHF radio call blared out in the Tree House, "Hot Dog. Hot Dog. Aircraft heading south, bear ing 360 fo r 60, authenticate Whiskey Zulu." Everyone on the carrier knew that whatever was flying 60 nautical miles away was not the Chesty 69. Moments later, explosions silenced the klaxon alarms that were going off at Kunsan. The alert birds that were ready to take off became just so much scrap metal. More explosions destroyed the runway at Osan. The North Korean Special Forces had done their job, and the next battle for South Korea had commenced.

As an F- 14 pilot in one of two squadrons onboard the carrier, your objectives are to protect the carrier from all possible threats and protect your South Korean allies.

Scenario #3 Pick A Card ... Any Card The Korean peninsula has become a veritable time bomb, now that the

North Koreans are seriously developing their nuclear potential. This has caused the U.S. to maintain a constant presence in the Korean Theater. The South has been making attempts to open diplomatic relations with the Chinese, but to no avail. The failing Soviet Union views North Korea as its last vestige of hope for the continued proliferation of the communist political experiment. In another war with the South, North Korea would be backed up by China and the Soviet Union in much the same way as Viet Nam was backed up in their war. Unfortunately for North Korea, state of the art weapons and aircraft are sparingly given because of the North Koreans' stubborn refusal to let any of the larger powers' troops land in their territory.

To add to North Korea's anxieties, the time has come for the Team Spirit exercises to commence in South Korea. This annual source of irritation has gone on long enough, they've decided. This year, the North has been able to exert enough international pressure to assure that the U.S. had to succumb and start the exercises a few months later. This afforded the North the preparation time that was needed for their ambitious plan to take effect. As Team Spirit kicked off, North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union began an unprecedented joint exercise called Red Orchid. Red Orchid included an

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amphibious operation on the China/North Korea border. Also, naval and air exercises were coordinated with the Soviet SAG out of Vladivostok. With these operations going on, North Korea added maneuvers along the DMZ between them and South Korea.

Meanwhile, CAPs from the U.S. carrier America were kept busy keeping track of the increased Soviet activity associated with the SAG forces involved in the Red Orchid operation. CAPs from the Eisenhower have been vigilantly watching the amphibious operations. P-3 aircraft from Iwakuni have been constantly monitoring submarine activity from the Koreans, the Chinese, and the Soviet Union. Needless to say, both exercises were watched very carefully by all forces .

As the two sets of exercises approached the third day , intercept complacency began to set in . AWACs were in a routine phase, and the Tree House monitored ai rcraft movements on a regular basis. Felix 33, a U2 from Osan, took off on its regular run . The SAM sites were inordinately active, but the patrol was to continue on schedule. Two hundred nautical miles northeast of Osan, over the Sea of Japan, two Soviet-made SU-I 5s began what looked like a standard pushoff of the U2.

An observant LTJG on the Aegis cruiser in the America task force noted what appeared to him to be an intercept and warned the U2, meanwhile vectoring in a flight of Tomcats. The SU-I 5s were 40 nautical miles north of the U2 and closing, while the Tomcats were 60 nautical miles to the south. The forewarned U2 - at 70,000 feet - began a slow arcing turn to the southeast. Just then, the lead SU-15 fired an AA-3 Anab missile. Twenty-five seconds later, that same aircraft was destroyed by an AIM-54 Phoenix launched by one of the incoming Tomcats. The AA-3 went ballistic without a lock and eventually tumbled aimlessly to earth. The fourth day of the exercises would be a whole different ball of wax.

You will assume the role of an F-14 pilot in one of the two fighter squadrons onboard the carrier. Your objectives are to protect the carrier task force and prevent the combined forces of North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union from overrunning South Korea. If full-blown hostilities commence between these various nations, a nuclear confrontation may be the end result of the fighting.

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THE MISSION BUILDER You've completed all of the predesigned missions in both the original

Fleet Defender and the scenario disk. You 've shot down more enemy aircraft than you care to think about. What now? Well, why not design your own missions?

There is a Mission Builder feature included with the new campaign scenarios. Using this, you can renew the challenge of the game by creating your own, original F-14 missions - tougher than the canned missions, just like you are.

The new Main Screen

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AT FIRST GLANCE The primary Mission Builder screen is broken up into several areas.

There is a map of the world, used for determining the geographic positioning of forces and objects. In the upper, right-hand corner of the screen is the Mission Information Window, which gives you a quick summary of what's already in the mission you're designing. Below this are three buttons: Files, Mission, and Objects. These activate several features vital to the design of your missions.

The theater map and Mission Information Window

MISSION INFORMATION WINDOW This useful little window helps to remind you what you've put into a

mission. It's a simple, quick reference that you should find handy. Listed in this window are:

• the number of objects already on the map, along with the total number of objects the mission builder allows;

• the number of ground targets on the map, along with the total number of ground targets allowed;

• the number of paths (complete sets of waypoints) you've set, along with the total number allowed;

• the number of waypoints you've set, followed by the total number allowed; and

• the number of actions you 've commanded , versus the total number allowed.

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Any time you add an object or command to a mission, the amount in that particular category goes up automatically. Once the total number for any category has been reached, the category is highlighted in the window, and you cannot add any more of that category to the mission. (For example, there are 70 objects allowed per mission in the India theater; therefore, you could not add the Light Brigade to this mission, as there are too many of them.)

THE MISSION MAP One of the most important tools used in the creation process is a visual

representation of what is to be created, a blueprint, a sketch, or just a mental image. To help with your mission building, maps of the Indian, Korean, Oceana, North Cape, and Mediterranean campaign areas are displayed on the screen for you to use. Anyone of these can become the backdrop for one of your missions, but first you need to know a little about reading the Mission Builder version of these maps.

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The player's always in the center of these rings

Distinguishing between the friendly and enemy forces and commands is probably a good place to start. Friendly forces are always blue, while the enemy forces are red . Neutral forces, if there are any, are displayed as tan icons. The paths you have set for these forces are green for friendlies, pink for enemies, and yellow for neutrals. Note that the color of any path will change to white when you are editing that path.

Along each path are little triangles called "waypoints". A waypoint is a marker for a place where you've commanded that the force following the path do something - an "action" in mission builder terminology. Examples are: beginning a CAP pattern or changing direction.

You' ll be able to spot the F-14 that the player is to fly by the two rings surrounding it. These rings are for your convenience. The first one marks a 100 nautical mile radius, and the second marks off 200 nm. Any object that lies within the first ring is a possible target for the weapons systems of the F- 14. Objects within the second ring are potential threats to the integrity of the player's aircraft.

The Show Menu A little further on, you' ll find out how to place objects onto the map, and

thus into the mission. Before you get there, though, there's a useful little utility menu - the Show Menu - on the map that can help you to stay organized when building complex missions . Since it's part of the Mission Map, it's explained here.

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The Show Menu lets you dec/utter the bulder screen

To call up this menu, click the RMB on the map when there are no other menus open. The Show Menu includes the following options (Note that whatever text is displayed on a line denotes the current state of affairs, not what will happen if you click on that line.):

Show (Hide) Moving Objects: To hide all of the moving sea and air objects on the map, click the LMB on this option. To uncover them once hidden, click on this line again.

Show (Hide) Ground Targets: To hide all of the ground targets on the map, click the LMB on this option. To uncover them once hidden, click on this line again.

Show (Hide) Allied Objects: To hide all of the allied (friendly) sea, air and ground objects on the map, click the LMB on this option. To uncover them once hidden, click on this line again.

Show (Hide) Enemy Objects: To hide all ofthe enemy objects on the map, click the LMB on this option. To uncover them once hidden, click on this line again.

Show (Hide) Neutral Objects: To hide all of the neutral objects on the map, click the LMB on this option. To uncover them once hidden, click on this line again.

Show (Hide) Waypoints: To hide all of the waypoints on the map, click the LMB on this option. To uncover them once hidden, click on this line again.

Show Object Class with Name (Hide Object Class): By clicking the LMB on this option, you can hide the class listing of all the objects on the map. An object's class will then only be displayed when that object has been selected for viewing. Click on this option again to redisplay the object classes.

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Hide An Object: Sometimes, you might want to remove only one or two

objects from the map, not all of a particular type. To do so, click on this option. Once you've done this, you'll be prompted to choose an object to hide. Click the LMB on the object of your choice. To cancel hiding an object, click on an area where there are no objects. To redisplay the hidden object, choose to show all of the objects of that type.

Show (Hide) One Path: To hide a single path on the map, click on this option . You will be prompted to select a path to hide. Click on any waypoint on the path or the object associated with the path to select the

path. To cancel hiding a path, click on an area where there are no paths, waypoints, or path-associated objects. To redisplay the hidden path, choose to show all paths by pressing the LMB on this option again.

Show (Hide) Summary Information: To remove the Mission Information Window from the screen, click on this option. To return the window to the screen, click on this option again.

When you've finished hiding and uncovering things. click on the Done button at the bottom of the menu. This will close the menu and return you to the map.

The Object Window Another source of information available to you on the map is the Object

Window. Click on any object on the map to open this window. This handy reference lists all of the objects in the area on which you clicked. Each object listing includes the number, name, and type of object. This is especially useful when several objects overlay each other in one small area of the map.

The Object Window

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You can also click on any of the object listings to view the ordnance carried on board that object. The type of guns, number of missiles, name and type of missiles, and minimum and maximum ranges of the listed missiles will all be noted. Click on the OK button to close the ordnance list.

THE BUILDING BUTTONS Knowing how to read and manipulate the map is only a part of the process

of creating a mission. The rest of the mission set-up is covered by the "Building Buttons": Files, Mission, and Objects. Each of these activates a full menu of mission design options.

Files Click the LMB on the Files button to open the Files Menu. There are

three options on this menu, all concerned with mission files. To use an option, select it, then click on the OK button. To leave the menu without doing anything, click on the Cancel button.

NEW MISSION This is the option you want if you ' re ready to begin work on a new

mission. Once you've clicked on OK, the Mission Theater selection appears. You must choose a theater in which the mission will take place. You can select the North Cape, the Mediterranean, Oceana, India, or Korea. The map of the theater you choose will replace the existing map.

Note that if you were in the middle of editing a mission and did not save it before you chose to begin work on a new mission, you will be prompted to save your old mission.

As soon as you 've selected a theater, you must place the home aircraft carrier on which the player's F-14 will be based. A red box appears on the map where the carrier was stationed during the original missions in this theate r. Click and hold the LMB on the box, then "drag" the carrier to its new position. Release the LMB to place the carr ier. Once you've done this, you can begin placing other objects on the map at your own discretion. For more on that part of mission building, read the Objects section below.

LOAD MISSION You can, of course, load previously saved missions and edit them. This is

the option that allows you to do so. In the Load Mission Window, select the drive and directory in which you store your custom-made missions. Then select the mission you wish to load from the displayed list.

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You can load existing missions or any you have created

If you prefer, you can simply type in the path and filename of the mission instead. To do this, click on the File area, then enter the name of the mission. No matter how you select a mission, once you have done so, click on the Load button. The mission will be loaded into the Mission Builder.

SAVE MISSION To save changes to a mission that you have been building, click on the

Save Mission option, then on OK. If the mission is one that you loaded, the default save name will be the existing name of the mission. Simply click on the Save button to save your changes.

To save the mission under another name, select the drive and directory in which you want to save the mission file. Click on the file name near the top of the window, then enter the name you wish to give this mission. Click on Save to save the mission.

Missions After you've created a new mission or loaded an existing one, what's left is

the meat of mission building - setting up the mission information. To begin, click on the Mission button. The next thing you see will be the Mission Info Menu.

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The Mission Information Menu

This menu is your primary tool for setting the important features of any mission. The options are Description. Time. Weather. Time Aloft. Edit Briefing. Edit Objective Text. and Edit Mission Objective. To change anyone of these from its default setting. click on the option to highlight it. then click on the Change button.

DESCRIPTION The description is simply the name of the mission. which will be displayed on

the top of the mission briefing. Edit the text of the name using the keyboard. then click the OK button or press I Enter I . The new name takes effect immediately.

TIME You can choose a specific time for the mission to begin . Use the

chronometer to set the exact time of day you want. or click on the red button to have a random time chosen for you. (When the random time feature is active. the button will light up with an "R" in it.)

To specify a time. click and hold the LMB on the clock hand. "Drag" the hand to the time you want. then release the LMB. Repeat this for the other hand. You can also set the time using the up and down arrows on your keyboard. Click on the OK button to accept the mission starting time or use the Cancel button to leave the time unchanged.

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WEATHER As is the case with time, you also must specify some sort of weather for

the mission. The weather setting switch allows you to make things Stormy, Clear, Overcast, or Random for your mission. Click on the type of weather you want, then on the OK button. (You can also use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to set the weather.) To cancel your weather selection, use the Cancel button.

TIME ALOFT In some missions, what is important is merely to remain aloft long enough

to fulfill your mission orders. To design this limit into a mission, you must set a minimum time aloft using this option. When you click on this, a chronometer will appear.

To specify a time, click and hold the LMB on one of the clock hands . "Drag" the hand to the time you want, then release the LMB. Repeat this for the other hand. You can also set the time using the up and down arrows on your keyboard . Click on the OK button to accept the minimum time aloft or use the Cancel button to leave the limit unchanged.

EDIT BRIEFING This is where you enter the text of the mission briefing the player pilot will

see. (Note that some information may be pre-entered for you:) Edit this text as you see fit, deleting and adding whatever information you like. To switch back and forth between pages, use the red arrows (up or down) . You can also use the keys (Home I and [End I to go to the beginning and end of the text, respectively. Once you have entered all your changes, click on the OK button to verify the new briefing text.

EDIT OBJECTIVE TEXT The mission objective, as it is presented to the player pilot, is completely

under your control. (Of course, it should probably be relevant to the actual objective of the mission.) This information is editable text, and this is the option you use to edit it. When your changes are complete, click on OK. To cancel your changes, use the Cancel button.

EDIT MISSION OBJECTIVE This is the option you can use to change the actual mission objective. There

are three types of mission objectives, and which type you choose to use will in great part determine the overall personality of the mission. The three are:

Must Live ..... . . .. . player must protect something(s) Must Die .. . . . . . .. . player must destroy something(s) Must Reach Goal .. . player must make sure that circumstances allow one

or more objects to reach specified goals

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Click on the type of mission you want to create, and you will be presented with the Add Objectives Window for that type of objective.

Add Objectives Window

At the top of this new window, the number of the current page and the total number of pages in the entire objective list are displayed. You can turn the pages by clicking the LMB on the arrows to the right and left of these page numbers. Each page represents a group of objects.

Below the page numbers are two totals for the current page. The first is the total number of objects on this page that you have added to the objective. The second is the total number of objects on the page. You can use the arrows to the right and left of these totals to change the number of objects on the page that are part of the objective. For example, if there are six Harriers on the page, but only four need to survive the mission, you should click twice on the left arrow to make the total read, "4 of 6 must live."

You may sometimes feel that it would be easier to recognize specific pages in the objectives list if they were named. Thus, you can name the pages of these lists. The name that you choose appears in the pilot's debriefing. To give a page a name, click on the Description line. Edit the name as you see fit, then press [Enterl to accept the new name.

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Included at the bottom of this window are four buttons, as follows:

Clear . . . .. .. . . . .. . click twice to remove all objects in the current page Add . ... ... .. ..... . select objects from a list to add to the objectives

(note that objects already on the Must Live or Must Die list will not be available for inclusion on the opposite list)

Delete ... .. ....... remove selected objects from the list of objectives OK . . ... . .. . .. .... accept the list of objectives as modified

When you choose to add an object to the objectives list, you might be presented with a Weapons Load-Out Selection Window. This window appears if there is more than one group of the type you selected. Double-click on the load-out that matches the group you want to add to the objective list.

Different groups are differently armed

Must Reach Goal objectives entail one further complication. You may only add objects to this list which have a specified goal at one of their waypoints. For details on goals and actions at waypoints (and on creating the objects that you may eventually add to any of the objectives lists), see the next section - Objects.

Once all the objectives on every page are to your satisfaction, click on the OK button to return to the mission map.

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The Objem Menu is important for making interesting missions

Objects "Objects" are the things that make missions interesting, things like enemy

planes, friendly planes, SAM sites, etc. Without them, every mission would be a boring, monotonous CAP. When you click on the Objects button, you 'll see the Objects Menu. Use the options on this menu to manipulate the objects you want to include as active parts of the mission (or just sprinkle around the theater, to add an atmosphere of realism).

ADD OBJECT This option allows you to add an object to the theater. The first thing you

must do is choose the type of object you wish to add. The Pick Object Type Window contains every type of object available for missions, and it lists the category of each type. These categories denote what sort of duty each type is capable of performing.

A Fighter is an object used for destroying air targets, such as other planes or cruise missiles.

Attack objects are responsible for bombing ground and sea targets. Transports are objects that are used to carry cargo or people from one area

to another. Helicopters are objects that have multiple functions , including transport,

defense, attack, and escort. A Radar Plane is used to make observations of enemy targets, as well as to

keep all friendly objects in constant contact.

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Ships are objects that are sea-based. Missiles are cruise missiles used to destroy land and sea targets. (Note: you

should only add missiles as objects if you want to start a missile in the air.)

The designation code for ships is:

CG Cruiser BCG Large Cruiser CGH Cruiser with helicopter pad DDG Destroyer FF Frigate FFG Frigate with guided missiles LST Landing Ship, Tank Raft Raft SSN Submarine CY Aircraft Carrier CYH Helicopter Carrier PTM Patrol Boat with Missiles AFS Resupply ship Yirat Indian Aircraft Carrier

Those ships with a SOy prefix to their designation belong to the Soviets. Names that end with an SK belong to South Korea, and objects with an NK suffix belong to North Korea. If the name is followed by a PK suffix, the object is under Pakistani control. Objects with an IN suffix belong to India. Finally, objects with a CH at the end of their name belong to China.

Use the More button to page through the view to see all of the available objects. Clicking the LMB on this button moves forward through the list, and clicking the RMB moves backwards.

To choose an object to add to the mission, click the LMB on it. After that, click on the OK button (note that double-clicking on the object will also work) . You'll be presented with the Weapons Load-out selection. Click on the load-out you want to assign to this object, and you will be returned to the mission map.

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The Add Object Window

You now must place the object where you want it to start at the beginning of the mission. Click the LMB on the position where you wish to place the new object. If you want to have the object follow or otherwise stay near another object, you can set its position to an "offset" position from another object. Do this by moving the new object to the target object and then clicking the RMB. Next, you must select the target object that you want the new object to follow. The offset map that appears next allows you to place the new object at the desired distance from the target object.

EDIT OBJECT This option opens another menu - the Edit Object Information

Menu. You can change any of the information for an object simply by selecting the corresponding option.

Object lets you replace one object with another. You 'll need to choose the new object, and it will immediately replace the existing object. The information for the object will not change.

Side is what you use to change whether an object is Friendly, Neutral, or Enemy.

Number allows you to turn a single object into a group, and vice versa. Once you've selected Number, every time you click on the Change button, another object will be added. Note that the number can only be increased to ten . If you continue clicking on Change past ten, the number will cycle back to one.

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Type lets you change the type of the object. There are several different types for an object. Standard sets the object to follow its flight plan with no complications. Player denotes the friendly F-14 to be controlled by the player. (There can only be one F-14 object set as the playing fighter.) Ready-5 places a specified object on alert; this means that they are ready to launch at any point in the mission. Wingman sets a friendly F-14 to be the player's wingman during the mission. Damaged means that the object starts the mission hurt. CAP sets an object into a CAP Combat Air Patrol , while Escort has the object lead other objects. Finally, there is Nonhostile; this means that the object will not engage unless it has been fired on.

Name is used to create a name for a specific object. A cursor appears where you can type in the new name. Creating a name for an object helps you keep track of which object you are editing when you are working with one specific object in a group.

Move lets you move an object from one position to another. A small box appears on the map where the object was originally placed. Move the object with the mouse, then click the LMB when the mouse cursor is on the new position. If you want to have the object follow or otherwise stay near another object, you can set its position to an "offset" from another object. Do this by moving the object to the position, then clicking the RMB. Next, you must select the target object that you want the moved object to follow. The offset map that appears next allows you to place the moved object at the desired distance from the target object.

Chance of Appearing lets you add a random factor to a mission. You can give an object a certain percentage chance of appearing during a mission. When you do this, you must select one of three possibilities presented to you. Add to Random Group puts the object in one of the ten slots for random appearance objects. Note that you can put different objects on the same list. At the start of a mission, the computer randomly selects one of the slots as the object that appears. If there is no object in that slot, then no object appears. Give Random Chance of Appearance allows you to set a percentage chance that the object will appear. Always Appears sets this percentage to 100%.

DELETE OBJECT If you decide to remove an object from the mission, choose this option.

You are prompted to select an object to be deleted. To do this, move the mouse cursor over the desired object and then click the LMB. If there is more than one object in an area, you are then prompted to select which object you want removed. The object will be immediately deleted from the mission. If you change your mind and do not wish to remove an object at this time, simply click the LMB anywhere on the map where there is no object.

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EDIT PATH The path an object is to follow is more than just a vector. In Fleet

Defender, a path is a set of orders, complete with decision points and allowances for changes in the situation.

Editing paths is easier than it seems

The Edit Path option allows you to set and change the path for an object. First, you'll be prompted to select an object or a waypoint to edit. After you choose one, the Edit Path Menu appears. Use the options on this menu to edit the path for the selected object. When you're done, click on the Done button.

Waypoint - A waypoint is a point in an object's path where a change of direction or some other action takes place. This option simply shows you the number of the waypoint on which you are currently working. Any time that you change to a different waypoint, the number here changes to reflect it.

Add New Waypoint - To create a path, you need to create at least one waypoint (in addition to WayPoint Zero, the starting position). Choose this option, and you will be prompted to place a new waypoint on the map. Use the mouse cursor to position the new waypoint, then click the LMB. Once this is done , a path line will link the previous waypoint to the new waypoint. No commands will be attached to the new waypoint until you specify them.

Note that you can choose an object as the waypoint by using the RMB instead of the LMB. If you do, you will be prompted to offset the path object from the target object, just as if you were positioning the path object.

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Delete This Waypoint - If you need to remove a waypoint from an object's path, choose this option. The cu rrent waypoint will be removed from the map, and the path is automatically modified to reflect the change.

Move This Waypoint - To move a waypoint from one position to another, use this option. Choose a new position, then click the LMB. The waypoint immediately assumes the new position, with all the necessary paths altered to compensate. You can use the RMB to move a waypoint to an offset position from a target object.

Add Action - At any waypoint, you can place an action command for the object to perform prior to o r as it reaches the waypoint. You will be prompted to choose from a menu of the possible actions. You can assign more than one action to a single waypoint. The actions are:

AWACs Pattern .. . . .. commands a plane (usually a radar plane) to take up an oval pattern around the waypoint, to spot other planes and ships.

Bomb Area . . . . . . .... tells a plane to drop free-fall bombs on the waypoint. CAP .. . .. . . ..... .. .. sets a fighter plane to fly a pattern and watch out for

enemy targets. Comm jamming . . . . . . causes an enemy object to jam the Hawkeye

information coming to the player's F-14. Cover Aircraft . .... .. . tells the object to act as escort for a target object. Crash This Object . .. .. sends the aircraft object down to the surface to crash

at the waypoint. Damage This Object . .. causes damage to the object at the waypoint. Most

likely, this damage will cause all weapon systems to malfunction.

Destroy Object . . . . . . . says that once the object reaches the waypoint, it will blow up.

Drop Paratroopers . . . . is only applicable to planes with paratroopers inside. Once the plane reaches the waypoint, the paratroopers will be dropped off there.

Elevation . .. .. . .. . ... sets the altitude at which the plane should be when it reaches the waypoint.

Engaging Training . . . . . sends a plane into a descending spi ral. It will not deviate from this action, even if fired upon. This is primarily used when training new pilots on how to keep planes within their sights during four-G turns.

Form On .. ...... . . . . tells one group of objects to join with another group of objects in formation .

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Formation ID Training . ... . ..... makes all objects invisible to each other and prohibits

them from firing on the player's F-14. This is used in training to teach how different formations react as they approach a target.

Go Refuel ..... .. . ... sends the object to gas up if a refueler is available. Goal ... .. .. .. .. .... designates the waypoint as one of that object's mission

goals. Once the object reaches this area, the objective has been completed.

Heading . .... . .. ... . sets a new heading for the object at the waypoint. Useful at the first and last waypoints or to tell a CAP which direction to look for a threat.

Hover ..... . ........ commands a helicopter or harrier to stay in one place for a specified time period.

I'm Escortable . ... ... . sets an object to not become offensive when a plane approaches. If the player flies near an object in this mode, roughly maintaining the same heading, speed, and altitude, then the object begins to follow the player.

Land . .............. sends a plane to the closest airport of the same side or back to the carrier.

Launch Missile ... . . . . commands the object to launch a cruise missile at the waypoint as soon as it is within effective range.

Message .. .. . .... . .. commands the object to send a message to the player once it begins heading for the waypoint. Up to ten different messages can be sent in anyone mission. To include the object's number in the message, use the symbol H%%%" where you want the number. This means that the object tells you that it is number three in a group, for example, then repeats the message that numbers two and one sent.

Missile Flight . . . ...... commands a missile already in the air to go active on a target at the waypoint as soon as possible. (i.e., destroy this waypoint).

New Formation . ...... orders the object group to form into the Bomber, Box, Combat Spread, Cruise, Ladder, Parade, Strike, or Wall formation . If you set the formation for Combat Spread, the plane remains hostile even if the type was set at Nonhostile or I'm Escortable.

New Player Path ...... tells the game to give the player new orders when the object begins heading for this waypoint . After you place this action, you will need to set up the player ' s secondary path.

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Choose an action for the current waypoint

No Formation . . .. .. .. commands the object to break out of formation and go independent.

No Kills . . .. . . ....... puts the game into a mode in which no kills are allowed. Peace .............. changes the current situation from war to peace. (Every

mission begins in a state of war.) The instructions the player receives from the Hawkeye will differ depending on the situation. This action can only be ordered at one of the waypoints for the player's F-14.

SAR . .. .. .. ......... orders the object into Search And Rescue operation. This sends the object to a lower elevation, near the waypoint, to look for survivors of a battle. If on the deck, the object will remain stationary until SAR is needed.

SAR CAP .. . ...... . .. sets up a CAP around the waypoint or target object, searching for downed survivors of a battle. This sort of CAP is triangular in shape.

Set Hardeck . .... . . .. denotes a lower limit of altitude at which combat will always stop. This is used in training mode.

Speed . .. ...... ... .. orders the object to attain a certain speed by the time it reaches the waypoint.

Submerge .. .. .. .. . . . makes a surface object invisible (a submarine, that is -submerging ships and aircraft is not recommended) .

Take Off . ... .. .... .. orders airworthy objects to get off the deck and into action.

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ASWITorpedo . . . .. . . . orders submarines and other objects with anti­submarine weapons to launch at a target near the waypoint. The target is automatically hit once this weapon is launched, and submarines are always destroyed by the antisubmarine weapon.

Training Mode .. .. ... toggles training mode on or off.

Delete Action - If you want to remove an action from the command list associated with a waypoint, choose this option. Simply select the action you want deleted and click on the OK button (or double-click on the action) .

Edit Action - If you decide to change the settings of an action that is presently in the command list for a waypoint, use this option. You'll need to select which action you want to alter, then click the Change button. The setting control relevant to that type of action will appear, allowing you to choose a new value.

ADD GROUND TARGET This option is used to add new ground targets or to return deleted ground

targets to the mission. There is a limited selection of possible ground targets for each mission theater, and you will be prompted to select which one you want to add.

EDIT GROUND TARGET If you decide to change a ground target's Side, Name, or Type, you can

do so using this option. You will be prompted to select the target that you want to change (you must pick from the targets that are currently in the mission theater) .

Side lets you choose whether the site is to be Enemy, Neutral , or Friendly. Name is used to give a name to the target. Type cycles through the available weapons that can be assigned to that site (With AAA sites, Without AAA sites, and the actual weaponry that exists at the real site) .

DELETE GROUND TARGET This option allows you to remove a ground target from the mission

theater. After choosing to delete, select the target with the LMB. If there are multiple targets in an area, you are prompted by the Mission Builder to

select the correct target from a list.

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TRY MISSION If you desire to playa mission that you or anyone else has created, load it

into the Mission Builder and then click the LMB on the Try Mission button. This prepares the mission for play. The next screen that appears is the Mission Preparation Screen . Here you can see all the pertinent information for that specific mission. On the right hand side of the screen are three buttons. You can change the time, weather, and the squadron by pressing the appropriate button. When you're ready to fly the mission, click the LMB on the Take Off button.

Mission Preparation Screen

FOR EXAMPLE ... Running through all of the options and how to use them is a good start, but

most people understand something a little better if they're offered an example of the process - it helps to clarify things. Therefore, we're going to make a couple of missions right now. If there was anything that wasn't too clear in the technical discussion , pay attention - it should be covered here.

We've worked out two examples to help you with creating your missions. The fi rst one is set in Korea, and is a matter of the player defending the carrier against multiple incoming cruise missiles. The second one has the player pilot flying a simple CAP when something unexpected and sinister happens.

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One: Scramble! Incoming! The first thing to do when we're creating a mission is click on the Files

button. We select New Mission to generate a brand new scenario - a blank slate. A list of the five theaters appears, and we decide to set this mission in Korea. Right away, we have to place the aircraft carrier Nimitz at its starting position. To keep things uncomplicated (for now), we move the Nimitz to the standard starting position, shown by the red square near the bottom left-hand corner of the screen.

The dangerous Korean Theater, with a/l ground targets visible

Now, let's place a few extremely dangerous Silkworm missiles in the air on a course to intercept and damage the carrier. Just to make things interesting. we're going to place two separate flights of these missiles. First, we need to click on the Objects button. In the menu that opens, we choose Add Object to get to the list of objects. We search until we find the Silkworm missile, then select it. Now, we have to place this first flight of missiles on the map. Using the mouse pointer as a placement tool , we start the missiles near the southern coast by clicking the LMB there. Near this coast is fair, since the missiles will begin already in the air, but at a distance such that the player's forces have a chance to destroy them before they hit the carrier.

How many missiles are in this flight is the next question we have to ask ourselves. We click the LMB on Number a few times, until the number of missiles reaches six. Six missiles seems like a good round number, so we leave it at that. We also need to let the missiles know which side they're on, so we click on Side until "Enemy" is displayed. Now, all we need are movements and actions to make this flight complete.

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Using Edit Path, we choose the Actions option. We click on Speed and set the missiles' starting velocity at 550 knots. A click on Elevation lets us set the starting altitude to 10,000 feet. Now, with that done, we need to create some waypoints. Click on OK to return to the previous menu, then select Add New Waypoint. We're prompted to place the waypoint, so we move the mouse cursor to a point closer to the carrier, but at a bit of an angle away from it, and we click the LMB.

Incoming missile flight

We repeat the process to add another waypoint, but this time we place it near, but offset from, the carrier itself. We do this by clicking the RMB, not the LMB. Since the carrier is the only other object on the screen, the offset list shows only the Nimitz. We select it, and a map with the carrier in the center appears. A green triangle denotes where the missiles are to go, and we leave it on the carrier. We need one last action for these missiles - the command to arm themselves, or "go active". We do this by selecting the Missile Flight action as the last action for this, final waypoint.

So much for the first flight of missiles; setting up the second flight is similar, except for one or two things. There will only be four missiles, and they will be starting off northwest of the carrier. These four are going to be the missiles that the player has to primarily worry about. As far as actions go, we' ll set these up the same way as we did the first flight. We'll set the middle waypoint closer to the carrier, at an angle towards it. Again, use the RMB to "offset" the last waypoint on top of the carrier, and we add the final action of Missile Flight.

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Now that the bad guys are all set, we need some friendly air support. In order to handle the first flight of missiles, we set up a group of F-14s flying CAP northwest of the carrier. We once again go to Add Object, choose F-14 MCA from the list, then place the flight halfway between the carrier and the group of missiles . Next, we change the number of planes to four (using Number) and make them friendly (using Side).

More missiles mean more headaches for the player

Following that, we go to Edit Path and choose Add Action . Using Speed, we set the velocity at 350 kts., and Elevation lets us set the altitude to 20,000 feet. Also, we need a reason for those planes to be flying around out there, so we tell them to fly CAP. A heading is very important with CAP, since it commands the planes to search in a particular direction. A Heading of 340 (north-northwest, just west of due North) sends the planes in a direction that is reasonable for searching for incoming threats.

To start things off, we decide that the player is going to start on the deck of the carrier. Using the Objects button, we choose Add Object. The list comes up, and we choose the F-14 MCA again. After we place the plane on the carrier (not offset), we need to tell the Mission Builder that this is going to be the player's F-14. To do this, we have to go to the Edit Object Information Menu and choose Side. We choose Friendly, then we move to Type. The Type we need is Player, so that's what we choose. This makes the current F-14 the player, and prohibits that plane from being deleted until the type is changed.

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Now, we need some actions. Through Edit Path, we go to Add Action. From the list, we choose Take-off, so the F-14 can get into the air to intercept the missiles. Next, we move back to Add New Waypoint. We offset the waypoint directly on the second flight of missiles, so the player's target data will stay up-to-date.

Now that we have the primary objects in the mission and programmed, we need to create the "window dressing" - the mission specifications. We can accomplish this using the Missions button. We'll need to give the pilot a mission briefing, so we select Edit Briefing and click on the Change button. We type in something dramatic and inspiring to let the player know that missiles are headed in and that if they're not intercepted, the pilot will have no runway to return to.

Next, we need to enter the objective for the mission - though it may seem obvious to us, the Mission Builder has to be told. In Edit Objective Text, we write a message to the pilot, stating that the carrier must survive for the mission to be a success. Now we need to tell the Mission Builder. We go to Edit Mission Objective to create the official objectives for the mission. Though we could have several, the only one for this mission is that the carrier must survive. Using Must Live Objectives, we choose the carrier as a "Must Live" object by first clicking on the Add button. We now move the mouse pointer to the carrier and click the RMB on it. This brings up a list of all the objects near the pointer. The player's F-14 and the Nimitz are the only objects in the area, so we click on the Nimitz to select it. This adds the Nimitz to the list of "Must Live" objects.

After all this is done, we have created a mission. We could add other objects (for atmosphere) and change the weather or the time, but this is just a simple, general mission intended as a training exercise.

Two: Three Little MiGs or Big Bad Breath? Our second example sets a stage in the Mediterranean, including a possible

encounter with a mythical creature. The Nimitz has lost communications with a Hawkeye E2C radar plane. It could be a faulty radio, or it could be something that could threaten the carrier group. It is the mission of the player to investigate the situation.

To start creating this mission, we first click on Files. We select New Mission from the menu that appears, then select the Mediterranean theater for our new mission. We place the carrier near the center of the theater, far away from the coasts of Africa and Europe.

Next, we're going to set up all the possible encounters the F-14 pilot could have. The first will be the Hawkeye. We click on the Objects button, then the Add Object option. From the list of objects, we choose the E2C Radar Plane, then click on OK. We now move the E2C over Greece and click the LMB. In the window, we set the Type to "Damaged", the Side to "Friendly", and the Name to "Hawkeye", Next comes the fun part - Chance of Appearing.

44

It's a crapshoot which one will appear

When we click on Chance of Appearing, we can make the chance that the E2C will show up random, 100%, or we can link it into a "random group". We choose the random group option, which essentially guarantees that at least one of the objects in the group will appear, because we want other objects to show up if the radar plane does not. By clicking on two of the slots available in the ten slot group, we set the chances for the Hawkeye at 20 percent. We leave the other 80 percent undecided for now. We have to tell the F-14 pilot that the E2C is out here, so at the first waypoint for the object, we place the action New Player Path.

This means that if the E2C does appear, then the F-14 gets a new set of waypoints. With this action, we're prompted to place a new waypoint for the F-14. This waypoint is placed directly offset from the E2C. A last waypoint is placed offset from the carrier to show where the F-14 has to go with the Hawkeye. Notice that these new player paths are shown in black. We are going to go through this procedure for each of the possible objects.

Now that we have created the E2C, we're going to need some actions and some paths to make the role complete. Using Objects and the Edit Path option, we can edit the path of the object. We click on Add Actions, bringing up the list of all available actions for this object. We choose an Elevation of 2000 feet, and a Speed of 250 kts.

Leaving the list, we set up a few waypoints. Our second waypoint starts the plane toward the carrier, and our third is directly offset from the carrier.

45

Actions for WayPoint Two include a Message sent by the radar plane that reads, "Comsshhzhhzz down, shxzeed escoshzz shzzz carrier," and announces a change of elevation to 1000 feet. WayPoint Three has Land as its only action, since this waypoint is directly on the carrier. That is about all for the limping radar plane, so now we need to add some other objects for the player's F-14 to (maybe) find.

Instead of the Hawkeye, the player could find the reason for its destruction. A group of three MiG-21 s cruising in from the northeast could be responsible. In Objects, we choose Add Object to get to the list. We choose MiG-21 from the list, then we place it at approximately the same location as the radar plane (not offset from the radar plane, since it may not be there). As for the object information, we change the Number to 3, the Side to "Enemy", and we go to the Chance of Appearing.

We choose Add to Random List for the three MiGs. By clicking on four of the available slots, we set the chance of the MiGs appearing at 40 percent. With that done, we can now add some waypoints and some actions for these planes.

Our second waypoint (the starting position is the first) leads the MiGs across the southern coast of Italy. The third waypoint has the three turning toward the sea and heading out toward the Nimitz. The actions we set for the starting position of the MiGs are: Elevation of 5000 feet, Speed of 450 kts, and a Message. The message is actually being sent out by the player's carrier, but it will only be sent out if the MiGs appear in the mission . It says , "Investigate Loss of Radar Plane Communications." This is enough to catch the player's eye and to make him go and investigate. No more actions or waypoints are necessary for the three MiG-21 s, so now we need the Dragon.

From the list of objects, we select the Dragon and place it very close to the Hawkeye and the three little MiGs. We change the Side to "Enemy" and then go directly to the Chance of Appearing option . We click on Add to Random Group. Filling up the four remaining slots with Dragon, we give the player a 40 percent chance of encountering a hostile Dragon.

Even a Dragon needs waypoints and actions. We place one waypoint directly offset from the Nimitz by clicking the RMB on the carrier. From the list that appears, we choose the Nimitz, then we offset the Dragon directly on the carrier. Now, the Dragon will follow the Nimitz wherever it may go. We set the actions for the Dragon's starting point as: Elevation of 5000 feet, Speed of 200 kts, and a Message. The message is the same as the one for the MiGs, so we can just copy it into the Message List. No other actions are necessary for this object, so now we need to place the player's F-14.

46

An F-/4 to the rescue

From the object list, we choose the F-/4 FDe to represent the player in th is mission. For the object information, we set the Side to "Friendly", the Type to "Player", and the Name to "You". We want the player to have no idea what to expect from this mission, so we offset him from the Nimitz about SO nautical miles. Next, we add the action CAP and the Heading of 310 to his list. Sometime during his flight, the player is going to receive one of two possible messages. What his next actions are going to be depends entirely on the player and which of the messages he receives.

Now that we have all of the primary objects for the mission, we need to create the mission particulars. As always, we place the Nimitz in the list of "Must Live" objects. Next, we create the Briefing text to give to the player; something that notes the fact that he is going to be flying a standard CAP should be sufficient. The Objective text should tell the pilot that the carrier must survive to the end of the mission. Next, we need to give the pilot a minimum Time Aloft. We do this by clicking the LMB on Mission, then on the option Time Aloft. Setting the minimum time to 20 minutes should give the objects enough time to send their messages to the player. After this is done, we leave the Time and Weather categories set to "Random" to give the game some replay appeal.

The mission is complete. Now all we need is some victim to spring it on.

47

Producer Scott Spanburg

Programming/Design Scott Elson Ned Way

Technical Consultants

CREDITS

Manual Layout & Design Cesar Novoa Joe Morel

Quality Assurance Management David Ginsburg

Lt. Col. George P. Wargo USAF (ret.) Quality Assurance Bob Abe Lead Artist

Nick Rusko-Berger

Artist Terrence Hodges

3D Artist Max Remington

Manual Writers Ted Paulsen Jr. John Possidente

Photographs courtesy of:

Jim Hendry Vaughn Thomas Scott Zlotak Jim Smith Russell Clark Brian Hellesen Mike Wise Quentin Chaney

Mr. Chuck Porter, Naval Imaging Center, Washington, D.C. Mr. "Zip" Rausa, Wings of Gold Magazine Mr. Chris Martin, Naval Air Warfare Center (VF-33 "Starfighters")

48

j

"

Primary Flight Controls Key Control Misc. Flight Controls Key Control Front/Back Seat Toggle 0 Escape/Menu Selection lEse! Accelerate G Quit ~[Q] Full Military Power IShift !G Pause ~[£J Throttle Back G Accelerate Time (2-8x) I Shift !ITl Cut Throttle [Shift !G Nonmal Time (I x) ITl Speed Brake Toggle [ID Training mode ~ITl Afterbumer Engage 0 Resupply (T rng mode only) ~llil Automatic Pilot [£J Clock Advance ~G Stick Trim Up OJ (T rng mode only)

Stick Trim Down IT] Clock Reverse ~G Auto Trim [Shift IOJ (T rng mode only)

Rudder Left Q Landing Cheat Toggle [ID Rudder Right 0 Radar Control Keys Key Control Directional Controls Arrow Keys

(non-joystick) Radar On/Off Toggle llil

Eject I Shift ![ID Change Radar mode IDelete!

NAV (Navigation) Mode @J Identification Friend/Foe (IFF) IT]

Waypoint Toggle ~ Lock/Cycle Targets IBaekspaee !* Break Lock 0

Secondary Flight Controls Key Control BoresightlVSL Toggle lEnd! Extemal Lights Toggle I Shift I[b) Beam Elevation Up 2° IPgupl Jettison Extemal Tanks I Shift 10 Beam Elevation Down 2° [PgDnl Landing Gear Toggle @) Adjust Bar Setting [Homel*** Landing Hook Toggle [BJ Adjust Azimuth ~ Hawkeye Picture I Shift ! [£J

Zoom Controls Key Control VDIITCS Toggle ~ HSDITID Toggle I Shift !llil

Zoom In (IJ

Request Landing Clearence ~[b) Zoom Out 0

TOMCAT- Ball ~[ID * denotes Standard Mode only *** denotes Authentic Mode only

Weapons/ECM Controls Key Control Master Arm Switch Toggle ~ Guns (in Priority) OJ AIM-9 Sidewinder (in Priority) @ AIM-7 Spanrow (in Priority) [2J AIM-54 Phoenix (in Priority) @] Fire Guns [Enter]

Pickle Button (Fire Missile) [spacebar ]

TEWS Jammer Toggle QJ Release Chaff [9 Release Flares 0

HUD Controls Key Control Increase Display Brightness @Iill[EJ Decrease Display Brightness [Shift ][EJ HUD Filter Toggle ~[EJ Declutter Toggle [Q]

Simulation Views Key Controls Foward View (inside cockpit) [ill Full Front View [ill

(outside cockpit) LSOView [ill Air Boss View [ill Remote View [ill PTZ

Full Motion Pilot View mPT

Missile View (ill PTZ

Padlock View [ill Tactical View [ill PTZ

Reverse Tactical View [FlO] PTZ

Map View Toggle 0 PTZ denotes the ability to Pan, Tilt, Zoom

Pilot/RIO Views Look Ahead Look Down Look Left Look Right Look Rear Left (225°) Look Rear Right (I 35°) RIO Map View (In flight)

0364014050294

Key Control Keypad ~ Keypad @ Keypad @] Keypad ~ Keypad IT) Keypad [2J

o

Wing-Man Controls Key Control Go Tactical ~[ill Attack my Target ~[ill Formation ~[ill Bracket ~[ill Request Assistance ~[ill Sanitize ~m Call Target ~(ill Status ~[ill Rejoin Formation ~[ill Retum to Carrier (RTB) ~[F10] Ready 5 Assist [Shift ] [ill

PROMOTION SCHEDULE Rank Points needed

Lieutenant JG At Start Lieutenant 6,000 Lt. Commander 18,000 Commander 40,000 Captain 60,000 Commodore 80,000

Awards & Decorations Bonus toward Promotion

MOH 7.500 Navy Cross 6,000 Silver Star 5,000 Distinguished Flying Cross 3,500 Air Medal 2.500 Navy Commendation Medal 1.500 Purple Heart None National Defense Service

Medal None

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HARDWARE & SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS To play Fleet Defender Gold, your computer must have:

• a 386 processor or better (For best play, we recommend at least a full 486 with a system speed of 33Mhz or more.),

• a CD-ROM Drive.

• at least 566Kb of free conventional memory.

• at least 3Mb of free EMS (expanded) memory,

• VGA graphics or better and an SVGA (256 color) video driver for Windows.

• MS-DOS version 5.0 or higher.

• Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or later. and

• a mouse.

For best play, we suggest that you have a sound card (one supported by Windows) and a joystick.

Note: For you to hear all of the digitized speech in the Fleet Defender game, your system must have at least 3.5Mb of free EMS memory.

Fleet Defender ~old supports most of the available flight add-on hardware. If you have a problem using a particular device with the game, please contact MicroProse Customer Support for assistance.

INSTALLATION

To install Fleet Defender Gold:

• Start Microsoft Windows.

• Place the Fleet Defender Gold CD in your CD-ROM Drive.

• From the File menu, choose Run.

• Type the letter of your CD-ROM drive , followed by install.exe (For example: d:\setup.exe), then press IEnterJ .

• Follow the on-screen instructions. The installation program installs the Fleet Defender game a'nd Microsoft Video for Windows, then creates a program group and icon.

CONFIGURATION As part of the installation process, you are required to designate selections

for music, digitized speech, and controller. You can also use this configuration process to change your selections if you

add, delete, or modify your system equipment. When configuring the sound set-up for the game, it is necessary that you

enter in the correct DMA channel and IRQ settings for your sound card. If you do not know these numbers, consult the documentation that came with the sound card.

2

STARTUP

To run Fleet Defender Gold, double-click on the Fleet Defender Gold icon in the Fleet Defender Gold program group. After a brief pause, you will see the title sequence, followed by the Main Menu. Simply click on the module you want to explore.

To play the Fleet Defender game, click on the "Play Fleet Defender" button. Fleet Defender Gold will launch the game and will return you to Windows automatically when you are finished.

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