This manual was typed by an Atari ST dude called Alien, and fixed by [RYGAR]. The docs are for the Atari ST version but i think they will be ok for the amiga game aswell (when it's out...). Also, 3 Atari ST pictures was not included because i dont know how to convert the shit.. later! [RYGAR] FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER FLIGHT MANUAL PERSONNEL Stephen Coonts A former U.S. naval aviator, Stephen Coonts accumulated 1,600 hours aboard the USS Enterprise during the Vietnam War.As well as providing the accurate technical detail in the bestseller Flight of the Intruder (Simon and Schuster, 1986), Steve provided much more information in a very long transatlantic phone call. Steve also wrote Final Flight and The Minotaur. Pete Bonanni Major, U.S. Air National Guard - F-4, F-16 and A-7 pilot who provided anecdotal information about the F-4. Norman Cosand Former U.S Air Force Captain- Flew Wild Weasel F-4 missions as a "Guy In Back"over North Vietnam. Provided useful information about F-4 missions and flight characteristics. Phil Handley Colonel, U.S. Air Force (retired) - An invaluable source of information about Phantom vs. Mig combat over North Vietnam. Colonel Handley is credited with the only F-4 gun kill of a MiG-19 over North Vietnam. John McGinn Lieutenant Commander,U.S. Navy Reserve - Veteran A-6 pilot who is still flying and provide helpful checks on our A-6 accuracy and pictures. If you have questions regarding the use of Flight of the Intruder, or any of our other products, contact Spectrum Holobyte Customer Support at: Mail: Mirrorsoft Ltd Irwin House 118 Southwark Street London SE1 OSW Phone: 071 261 9465 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday to Friday CONTRIBUTORS Full manual typed out by Alien!! [FIXED BY [RYGAR] Come Fly With Me by Stephen Coonts A modern jet warplane is a strange, challenging machine; its cockpit is so different to the places that most of us are familiar with. It's a flying Grand Prix racer, world-class superbike and a video game, all in one. This magnificent machine slices through the atmosphere with a freedom that cannot be described, only experienced. A slave to your every whim, the aircraft responds to the slightest pressure on the controls, yet is ready to kill you the instant you make a false move. There is the darkness and the weather - nothing is as black as a night sky under a tropical overcast as you skim above the ground knowing that the slightest caress from Mother Earth will be instantly, totally, fatal. There is the enemy - in combat they are doing their damnedest to destroy your machine, and you with it. If you survive all that, then you may sample the piece de resistance, the night carrier landing, usually in foul weather, occasionally in a shot-up airplane. You come out of the goo and there is the deck,pitching gently with the meatball and the centerline lights and all you have to do is fly your airplane through the needle's eye into an arresting gear wire. So come on! Come fly with me. You awaken in the middle of the night, put on your stinky, green one-piece flight suit and your steel-toed flying boots - you need the steel toes to keep your feet from being torn off by the instrument panel if you eject - and stumble through the passageways to the briefing room to learn your target and mission. You swig a cup of bitter coffee and don your flight gear in layers: G-suit, torso harness, survival vest, pistol, helmet, oxygen mask, gloves, flashlight, survival radios. You even a wedge a candy bar and a plastic baby- bottle full of water into one of your G-suit pockets. Out on the flight deck your aircraft is waiting. The night is hot and humid in the tropics -you quickly work up a sweat which soaks your underwear and flight suit and runs in salty rivulets into your eyes. You examine the plane and its weapons with your flashlight. There are a lot of weapons on this A-6 tonight, ten 500-pound bombs, a dozen Rockeye anti-tank weapons at 500 pounds each, and a 2,000 pound belly tank on the center-line station, 16,000 pounds of internal fuel.The plane weighs 56,500 pounds for the catapult shot - over 28 tons. Over half that weight is fuel and ordnance. When you are satisfied that all is as it should be, or when you can put it off no longer, you climb the ladder into the cockpit, for this plane is big, with the cockpit rail nine feet above the deck. The plane captain helps you strap yourself to the ejection seat. Perhaps he says something he thinks is funny because you look like you need it. On signal you bring the machine to life, start the engines, turn on the inertial navigation system, computers, radios, radar, the electronic countermeasures, and check the health of every system. All go. You sit staring across the deck at the inky blackness, at the other aircraft with other men like you, equally competent, equally scared, waiting. Then the yellow-shirt taxi director gives the signal. You use throttle and brakes carefully, attentive to every twitch of his hand and nod of his head. There is little room on the aircraft carrier flight deck and most of it is taken. You get what is left over. You taxi slowly, obediently, alert for the exhausts of other aircraft or grease that will break your tires' adhesion to the anti-skid surface. The sea is out there in that blackness, waiting. As you taxi, you lower and lock the wings and drop the flaps and slats to takeoff position. Onto the catapult. You feel the clunk as the shuttle captures the nose-tow link; you see the cat officer's signal to advance the throttles to full power. You shove the levers forward to the stops and take your feet off the brakes. The engines wind up with a howl audible even through the padding of your helmet. Your breathing is rapid, the salt of your sweat stings your eyes as you waggle the controls and check the engine instruments. The machine trembles from the fury of the roiling air being sucked into the headrest and wait for the shot. Ahead of you is a hundred yards of dimly-lit deck, then nothing! The night is waiting to swallow you. Inside this machine full of fuel and laden with weapons, you will soon be thrown from this deck into that hot, humid, black air, 60 feet above the night sea, 15 knots above a stall. The enemy is also waiting, also ready - even now they are loading belts of ammo into the anti- aircraft guns and testing their missiles. Your life will depend on your skill, your knowledge, your courage, your determination. You blink the sweat from your eyes and take one more ragged breath. The catapult fires and the G's slams your back into your seat as the blackness hurls towards you. Table of Contents PERSONNEL ............................................... 33 NOTE: THESE CONTRIBUTORS ............................................ 73 NUMBERS ARE -NOT- Come Fly With Me ...................................... 82 CORRECT! [RYGAR] TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................... 175 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PART I: INTRODUCTION ................................... 387 BACKGROUND ............................................. 389 ABOUT THIS MANUAL ...................................... 433 USING THIS MANUAL .................................... 441 CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS MANUAL ...................... 484 Input Devices ...................................... 486 Step-By-Step Instructions .......................... 511 MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ............................ 519 PLAYING FROM FLOPPIES .................................. 532 INSTALLATION ON A HARD DRIVE ........................... 566 PROBLEMS WITH INSTALLATION? .......................... 590 PART II: MENUS AND CONTROLS ............................ 629 THE PULL-DOWN MENU BAR ................................. 635 ABOUT Menu ......................................... 668 FILE Menu .......................................... 673 LEVEL Menu ......................................... 721 CONTROL Menu ...................... ...... ........ 731 Input Device .................... : : ........ 736 Sound Options ................... : : ........ 766 Scale Control ................... :.....' ........ 788 Detail of Simulation Visuals .... : : ........ 794 Other Factors ................... : : ........ 802 OPTIONS Menu ...................... : : ........ 815 Engines .......................................... 828 Armaments ........................................ 845 Flight Model ..................................... 858 Opposition Factors ............................... 892 Fuel ............................................. 926 Indexing Preferences to Rank ..................... 938 COMMS Menu ......................................... 966 The Comms Connection Details Screen ............. 1025 Compatability Note .............................. 1041 CONTROLLING YOUR AIRCRAFT ............................. 1050 "FLYING WITH THE STICK" ............................. 1052 USING THE KEYBOARD .................................. 1065 Turns ............................................. 1076 USING THE JOYSTICK .................................. 1091 The Gravis MouseStick ............................. 1107 The Aerochopper ................................... 1115 USING THE MOUSE ..................................... 1124 THE RUDDER TURN ..................................... 1142 PAUSE ............................................... 1168 PART III: FIRST FLIGHT IN THE A-6 INTRUDER ............ 1184 THE DUTY ROSTER ....................................... 1190 Cockpit Orientation ............................... 1263 First Strike Mission .............................. 1453 Landing ........................................... 1479 A Typical Intruder Mission .......................... 1507 Finishing the Mission ............................. 1674 PART IV: FIRST FLIGHT IN THE F-4 PHANTOM .............. 1684 SELECTING A PHANTOM MISSION ......................... 1701 Cockpit Orientation ............................... 1715 TAKEOFF PROCEDURES AND FIRST FLIGHT ................. 1734 Controlling Your Aircraft ....................... 1736 About the BarCAP Mission ........................ 1742 Going Into Combat ................................. 1814 Using the Sparrow ............................... 1851 Using the Sidewinder ............................ 1899 Using the Vulcan M61A1 20mm Cannon .............. 1931 After the Battle .................................. 1964 LANDING ........................................... 1973 Flying The F-4 .................................... 2000 Moving On ....................................... 2176 PART V: YOU AS CAG .................................... 2191 PLANNING A MISSION .................................. 2195 Summary of the Mission Planning Process ........... 2207 A MISSION OF YOUR OWN ............................... 2241 Saving the Planned Mission ........................ 2275 TARGET INTELLIGENCE ................................. 2291 GENERAL INTELLIGENCE ................................ 2313 POINTS OF INTEREST .................................. 2343 WAYPOINTS ........................................... 2402 Moving the Position of the Current Waypoint ...... 2434 Editing Waypoint Dialog .......................... 2441 The Waypoint Actions ............................... 2473 USING THE MAP ....................................... 2522 STORES .............................................. 2597 Optional External Fuel Tanks ...................... 2657 Weapon Station Capacity ............................ 2677 AIRCRAFT INFORMATION ................................ 2722 Aircrew Personnel ................................. 2835 Assigning Plane Crews ............................ 2850 Replacing Pilot Teams ............................ 2867 Personnel Descriptions ............................ 2872 Meanings of Ratings Categories ................... 2877 A-6 Pilot Personalities .......................... 2896 F-4 Pilot Personalities .......................... 2977 Enemy Encounters .................................. 3064 Air Encounters ................................... 3073 Ground Encounters ................................ 3080 SAMs ............................................. 3082 AAA .............................................. 3100 Rifles ........................................... 3111 Friendly Fire .................................... 3117 PART VI: OPERATIONS AND MISSIONS ...................... 3125 SELECTING AN OPERATION ................................ 3131 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ................................. 3149 COURT-MARTIAL ....................................... 3186 Operation BARCAP .................................. 3220 Operation DECK ALERT .............................. 3237 Operation TALLY HO YO ............................. 3251 Operation BACK BREAKER ............................ 3278 Operation MORNING SONG ............................ 3307 Operation JULY 4TH EVE ............................ 3329 Operation JULY 4TH DAY ............................ 3345 Operation JULY 4TH REFRAG ......................... 3370 Operation LIGHTS OUT .............................. 3386 Operation IRON RAIN I ............................. 3409 Operation IRON RAIN II ............................ 3434 Operation ALPHA STRIKE ............................ 3459 Operation HUNTER KILLER ........................... 3484 The Most Dangerous Game ............................. 3509 PART VII: DEBRIEFING .................................. 3620 OPERATION STATISTICS .................................. 3624 SUCCESS RATING TABLE ................................ 3649 Saving to Disk .................................... 3741 SIERRA HOTEL ........................................ 3750 BADGES .............................................. 3766 MEDALS .............................................. 3785 PART VIII: FLYING AND FIGHTING ........................ 3834 IN THE COCKPIT ........................................ 3840 The HUD Dot ..................................... 3957 Instruments In Common ............................. 3963 Threat Indicator and Panel ...................... 4063 Reading the COMED ............................... 4140 Phantom System Lights ............................. 4160 Intruder Warning Lights ........................... 4188 Intruder Multiple Weapon Selection Panel .......... 4262 Phantom Warning Light Panel ....................... 4297 Displays Unique to the Phantom .................... 4308 The Phantom Radar Screen .......................... 4357 Reading the Radar Screen .......................... 4373 Phantom G-Force Gauge ............................. 4428 IFF ............................................... 4437 OFFICER TRAINING ...................................... 4447 THE NATURE OF G-FORCES .............................. 4452 AIR COMBAT MANEUVERS (ACM) .......................... 4569 FUEL MANAGEMENT ..................................... 4762 Fuel Limits ....................................... 4800 USING THE RADIO ..................................... 4815 PHANTOM MULTIPLE WEAPON SELECTION PANEL ............. 4862 AIR-TO-AIR WEAPONS .................................. 4909 AIM-7 Sparrow ..................................... 4915 AIM-9 Sidewinder .................................. 4950 Guns and Rockets .................................. 4986 BOMBING MISSIONS ...................................... 5025 Intruder Missions ................................. 5027 Normal Strike Missions ........................... 5034 Alpha Strike ..................................... 5044 Dive Bombing ..................................... 5051 Stephen Coonts' Technique .......................... 5062 BOMBING TECHNIQUES .................................. 5080 Using DIANE ....................................... 5087 Using Direct ...................................... 5150 Using Dive-Toss ................................... 5187 MIL DETERMINATION TABLES ............................ 5198 AIR-TO-GROUND WEAPONS ............................... 5305 AGM-45A Shrike .................................... 5309 AGM-78 Standard ................................... 5335 AGM-62 Walleye .................................... 5351 LGB Paveway ....................................... 5414 LAU-3A ZUNI Rockets ............................... 5451 Iron Bombs ........................................ 5476 PART IX: CARRIER LANDINGS ............................. 5543 INSTRUMENTATION TO HELP WITH LANDING ................ 5573 The Meatball ...................................... 5575 AOA Indexer ....................................... 5585 GETTING HOME ........................................ 5627 Manually .......................................... 5629 By Autopilot ...................................... 5636 Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS) Indicator . 5642 PRACTICE LANDINGS ................................... 5668 PART X: AIRCRAFT SPECIFICATIONS ....................... 5734 A-6 INTRUDER ........................................ 5739 F-4 PHANTOM II ...................................... 5785 MIG-21 .............................................. 5831 MIG-19 .............................................. 5866 MIG-17 .............................................. 5882 SUMMARY COMPARISONS ............................... 5902 PART XI: THE NAVAL WAR OVER VIETNAM ................... 5916 A WORD ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR ........................ 6277 PART XII: GLOSSARY AND ABBREVIATIONS .................. 6323 PART XIII: THE KEYBOARDS .............................. 7011 KEYBOARD LAYOUT ..................................... 7016 KEY COMMAND DESCRIPTIONS ............................ 7135 PART XIV: EXAMPLE OF PLAY ............................. 7506 FURTHER READING ..................................... 7695 ______________________________________________________________________________ PART II: MENUS AND CONTROLS THE PULL-DOWN MENU BAR Press [F10] at any time to display the menu bar at the top of the screen. Alternatively, click the mouse at the top of the screen. Once you display the menu bar, the game is stopped. It remains paused until you use the "Return" option from the FILE menu or select a menu option. Menus can only be accessed with the keyboard or mouse. The game will save all menu choices you have made to go with your name and callsign and give you the same options the next time you fly with that pilot. If you wish to fly with different options, you must either rechoose the options or pick a different pilot and set up different configuration options for that name. If you are killed on a mission, that name and callsign are immediately "retired" and the saved menu options configuration is lost. To keep your preferred menu configurations after losing a pilot, just choose the topmost "NEW" from the Duty Roster that matches your callsign. The menu options should be the same as those of the pilot that died. This technique only works if your pilot has successfully completed at least one mission. Each of the six menus in the menu bar contains a number of options. However, the ABOUT, LEVEL, OPTIONS and COMMS menus are only available before you get into the cockpit to fly a mission. The menus remain hidden until you access them using the following method: Move the mouse pointer to the menu you wish to pull down and press the left mouse button to select the menu option. The following is a description of the menu options with each of the Flight of the Intruder's six menus. ABOUT Menu This provides information about the game itself. Choosing this menu displays the credits, the version number and other information about the simulation. FILE Menu The FILE Menu lets you manipulate the simulation (or "file") at hand. By selecting from the following options, you can abort, postpone or end an operation, as well as return to the operation from which you accessed the FILE Menu. You can also end the game. Abort Mission: Returns you to the Duty Roster.This is otherwise known as "giving up." You are awarded no points for an aborted mission. End Mission: Takes you immediately to the end of the mission, whether or not you have attained the objective. Use it for eliminating the tedium of a return-to-carrier trip and the anxiety of a carrier landing. The mission is over,and you will proceed immediately to Debriefing to get your scores. Return: Returns you to the operation in-flight. Exit: Exits the game with no score recorded for that mission Take Photo: Allow you to take a photograph of what is on screen at the moment you choose the option. This comes in handy for later reference during Debriefing. While flying, you can press [*] for the same result. Camera On: This turns on the "videotape camera" to record action sequences during a game. This can only be accessed while in flight. It can also be turned on by pressing [V]. The following options can only be accessed during Mission Briefing or Debriefing. Pressing [Esc] takes you back to the Corridor Screen. Slide Show: This allows you to go to the Debriefing Photograph screen to look at any photographs you have taken and saved. Video Replay: This allows you to replay any previously saved videos. Sierra Hotel: This shows you the current top ten pilot list for the game. Awards: This shows you what awards the pilot has already earned. LEVEL Menu Use the LEVEL Menu to choose the level of difficulty of the simulation, from "Lieutenant j.g." (the easiest) to "Captain" (the most difficult). When you first start the simulation,the rank defaults to Lieutenant j.g. You can select the more difficult levels as you become more proficient. You earn more points for completing a mission at a higher level of difficulty. See the OPTIONS Menu for more information about ranks and levels of difficulty. CONTROL Menu Use the CONTROL Menu to select or change input device, sound options and control the detail of the simulation visuals. Input Device This determines what device you will use to control your flight. You must select the device after selecting your pilot (see Part III). Selecting one of the following five devices places a check mark next to that option: Keyboard: This is the default.It allows you to operate the plane entirely from your keyboard. Mouse: Like the joystick,this allows you fly and fight with a mouse but leaves several functions to be done on the keyboard. MouseStick: Use this option if you are using the Gravis MouseStick with your ST. Its buttons correspond to those on a mouse, but the stick allows you to fly the plane as if using a joystick. Joystick: This allows you to maneuver and fire the aircraft's weapons with a joystick, although you will still have to use the keyboard for several functions. Aerochopper: This Atari ST device lets the user fly using a special controller for flying a radio-controlled aircraft. RC enthusiasts will recognize the configuration as the popular "Mode 2." You cannot use a standard joystick with this option. Note that the game supports only the cartridge-based version of the Aerochopper, not the recent serial version. Sound Options All Sound Off: Turns all the sound in the game off. Select this for playing at work or when the rest of the family is sleeping. Engines Off: Turns off the sound of the engines, relieving a source of irritation (for real pilots as well as players),and leaving on all the important sounds such as guns and rockets firing. Engines/Msg Off: Turns off the sound of the engines as well as the "radio chatter" sound you hear when a new message is displayed across the top of the screen (see 'Using the Radio, in Part VIII). Again, all other sounds are still available to mark important actions. All Sound On: Is for those who have to hear the sound of the engines as well as all the rest of the sound. This is not recommended for households where anyone has sensitive hearing. Scale Control Large Scale: Makes all the objects in the game four times as big as they normally would be in relation to the land and sea This makes spotting things easier. Detail of Simulation Visuals Minimum Detail Controls the detail of the simulation. The more detail Low Detail chosen, the better the detail of the visuals. However, Medium Detail the game runs slower because of the extra time High Detail necessary for the computer to draw detailed pictures. Maximum Detail: Other Factors Engagement rules: Turns on the Rules of Engagement, which are described in detail in Part VI: Operations and Missions. Bad Weather: Means that you will be fighting (or perhaps enjoying) bad weather throughout the mission. Some missions are set to "Bad Weather" as a default. The main effect of bad weather is that it grounds the MiGs unless you fly over their airfield.You still have to worry about SAMs and pattern-fired AAA. OPTIONS Menu This menu sets your game preferences. For example, you can choose to limit the armaments you have available, to equip your aircraft with "Super Engines," or to make mid-air "Collisions" possible. By changing options in both the LEVEL and OPTIONS Menus, you can achieve a wide range of difficulty levels. For example, you can choose to go up against an aggressive enemy, but retain the advantage of super engines to give you that extra edge.(Note that this menu is not available during flight; you must choose it during Briefing.) Choosing an option places a check mark next to it in the menu so you can tell the state of an option at a glance. The following choices are available: Engines Super Engines: Makes your flying job a little easier. For example, by selecting "Super Engines," you can assume that the ASI (Air Speed Indicator) needle is directly connected to the RPM gauge and is the only influence on your speed. The only reason for a stall will be you dropping below minimum speed for the aircraft.This is not necessarily the case with "Normal Engines" (see below). Normal Engines: Makes your flying life a little more difficult. The "Normal Engines"respond to airspeed influences such as differences in air density,whether you are climbing or diving, your current weight and your current aspect angle. Stalling is much more likely with "Normal Engines." Armaments Limited Arms: Limits the armament and ammunition you have available during a mission tothe amount the plane could actually carry.This is the more difficult setting and closer to reality. Choosing this option a second time toggles it off, giving you an easier game with unlimited arms. Limited Chaff & Flares: Limits the chaff & flares you have available during a mission. This is the more difficult setting and closer to reality. Choose this option a second time to toggle it off and have unlimited use of chaff and flares. Flight Model Collisions: If this is turned on,the piloted aircraft is destroyed if it collides with another object (e.g. another aircraft, missile, house, carrier, bridge). Turn "Collisions" off to make the piloted aircraft invulnerable.It can fly through anything without being damaged. "Collisions" on is the more difficult setting and closer to reality. Choosing this option a second time toggles it off. Ground Crashes: If this is turned on,the piloted aircraft is destroyed if it hits the ground too heavily (during a bad landing, for example). If "Ground Crashes" is turned off, then a heavy landing will not result in the destruction of the aircraft. You can turn "Ground Crashes" off by selecting it a second time. Red/Black Out: Simulates the possibility of pilot blackout or redout under circumstances of excessive g forces during flight. Positive g forces, usually the result of sharp high-speed turns, can cram the pilot into his seat and push his blood supply downward. Forces in excess of 8 g's create a risk of pilot blackout, characterized in this simulation by a screen fade-out. Negative g forces, which tend to "pull" the pilot from his seat during a sustained high-speed dive, are equally dangerous. Forces in excess of -2.5 g's can result in pilot redout, characterized by the screen turning progessively red. If either situation should occur in the game, you can recover from it by reversing or stopping the current action by easing off the stick. Turning "Red/Black Out" off avoids this altogether. Opposition Factors Enemy Activity: Allows you to choose from "Low," "Medium" and "High Enemy Act(ivity)." These settings determine whether the enemy's MiGs carry armament, as well as the effectiveness of their flares and the SAMs and AAA.The following table summarize the relationship between the "Enemy Activity" settings and the effectiveness of the enemy's ordnance. MiGs Flares SAM/AAA Low No guns Ineffective Ineffective No missiles Medium Guns Sometimes Sometimes No missiles effective effective High Guns Fully Fully Missiles effective effective Targets: Allows you to choose from "Easy," "Medium" and "Hard Targets." This determines how close the bomb has to be to the target to hit. With "Easy Targets" selected,you score a hit when the bomb falls within an area four times the size of the shape of the target in normal scale. Thus, you still have to hit a target in "Large Scale" to make it count. "Medium Targets" scores a hit if the bomb falls within an area two times the size of the shape in normal scale or anywhere within a target at "Large Scale." "Hard Targets" must be hit on the target itself in normal scale or at the center of the target in "Large Scale." Fuel Unlimited Fuel: The plane does not consume any fuel. You can stay in the air as long as you do not get shot down or crash. Half Fuel Use: The plane consumes fuel at half its normal rate,giving you much more air time. Full Fuel Use: The plane consumes fuel at a realistic rate. You have to manage your fuel just like a real pilot does. Indexing Preferences to Rank The above preferences allow you to tailor the game to your requirements. Your selected rank provides a broad customization. For example, if your selected rank is Captain, the preset options are set for the maximum reality. You can alter them all to "easy," but this gains you nothing, as your score depends on the options selected, not your rank. The following table shows the relationship between rank and the availability of the "easy" options. The letters in the body of the table refer to the state of the option (Yes/No, Low/Medium/High, Easy/Medium/Hard or Unlimited/Half/ Full). The numbers refer to the multipliers to the base score you receive for taking the specified options. Lt. jg Lieut. Lt. Cmdr. Cmdr. Capt. Super Engines Y 0.1 Y 0.1 N 0.3 N 0.3 N 0.3 Limited Arms N 0.1 N 0.1 Y 0.3 Y 0.3 Y 0.3 Limited Chaff/Flares N 0.1 N 0.1 N 0.1 Y 0.3 Y 0.3 Collisions N 0.1 Y 0.7 Y 0.7 Y 0.7 Y 0.7 Ground Crashes N 0.1 N 0.1 Y 0.3 Y 0.3 Y 0.3 Red/Blackout N 0.1 N 0.1 N 0.1 Y 0.4 Y 0.4 Enemy Activity L 0.2 M 0.4 M 0.4 M 0.4 H 1.4 Targets E 0.1 E 0.1 M 0.5 H 0.8 H 0.8 Fuel U 0.1 H 0.3 H 0.3 F 0.5 F 0.5 Totals 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 COMMS Menu The COMMS Menu presents you with three choices. "Single Player" is the default for playing on the computer alone. To use one of the other options you must have two computers connected through a null-modem serial cable (available at most computer supply stores). Sorry, but we do not support modems because the baud rate of most modems are not fast enough to provide a playable version of this simulation. (Oh really? Funny, the fastest baud rate the sim uses is 19200 and the lowest is 1200, and I think the majority of modems in the UK are at least 2400... I think it's more likely that the programmers haven't got a clue how to program modem communications... look how they've ballsed up Falcon!) Before setting up two-player communications,you must decide on which operation you will fly. Both players should go to that Operation Screen. Then use the COMMS Menu to determine which is the "Host" and which the "Terminal." The player with the faster computer (sure, every ST owner has an accelerated processor...!) should select "Host" because his machine does most of the work. The "Host" player also has more control of the game and options. The "Terminal" player may use the menus to pick his own flight mode, level of detail, control method and weather conditions. (Yes, one player can be playing in clear weather and the other in bad weather. This is a gap in reality put in so that one player can play a more difficult game as a personal challenge.) Single Player: Means you are playing on the computer alone. Host: Appears as the default when you are playing with or against another player. The player with the faster machine (which will be doing most of the work) should select this option. This player can choose any U.S. aircraft at the beginning of the game. He can switch to other aircraft including the Terminal player's plane but cannot control the Terminal player's plane. Terminal: Is the option for the player with the slower machine. Once the connection described below is made, he will be presented with the Host's callsign. Using [Cursor Up] and [Cursor Down] the Terminal player can cycle through all the American callsigns and pick a section to lead on the same mission. Or he can change the callsign number to make himself the Host player's wingman. If you do not choose an American callsign, you can cycle through Bandit 1, Bandit 2, etc.and pick a North Vietnamese plane to fly. From the outside your plane will look like a MiG, though, of course, the cockpit and handling characteristics will be those of an F-4 Phantom. Once the Terminal player has picked an aircraft, he must stay in it. The autopilot does not work in Terminal mode. If it is an American plane, the Host player can enter the plane but cannot control it. If the Terminal player selects a MiG, he must fly with "Collisions," "Normal Engines," "Limited Arms" and "Full Fuel Use" on. The Comms Connection Details Screen Once you have finished setting up the mission to your mutual liking, the same screen comes up for both the Host and the Terminal computer; a box with 'COMMS CONNECTION DETAILS' at the top. >> BAUD RATE Use [Cursor Left] and [Cursor Right] to select a baud rate. Both players should pick the same baud rate. Try the highest possible baud rate 1st because the higher the baud rate, the better the game will play. >> CANCEL Press [Esc] to leave this dialogbox without attempting a connection. Once either of the players is shot down, the game is over. Compatability Note It is possible for an Amiga player to have the privilege of playing with a superior Atari ST player. However,it is not possible for an IBM player to play with either an Amiga (not that you'd want to) or Atari ST player. So poor old IBMers can only play with themselves (oo-er). STs are faster than Amigas, so they should be the Host computer in any linkup. CONTROLLING YOUR AIRCRAFT "FLYING WITH THE STICK" Fighter pilots control the directional movement of their planes with a hand control commonly known as the stick. The diagrams in this section show how to control your A-6 Intruder and F-4 Phantom using either a keyboard, a joystick or a mouse. Throughout this manual, references to the stick apply equally to operations using either the keyboard, joystick or mouse. For example, "pull back on the stick" means either press [Cursor Down] on the keyboard,pull the joystick back towards you, or move the mouse downward, depending on the input device you are using. Refer to the diagrams for the other directional equivalents. USING ANY KEYBOARD When you use the keyboard to control directional movement, the aircraft's "stick" automatically centers itself after each keypress, allowing you to maintain a constant rate of turn. In other words, if you press [Cursor Left] once, your aircraft will bank left at a small constant rate and continue to do so until you make another directional change. If you want to increase the degree of turn (or any other directional change),you need to hold the key down for a longer period of time.Note that holding the left or right arrow key will eventually roll the plane all the way over. Turns Push Nose Down | To make a fast turn, you 7 8 9 must hold down both the Bank Left key and the Pull Bank - 4 5 6 - Bank Nose Up key. Holding down Left Right both keys will put the plane 1 2 3 into a sharp turn. The longer | you hold down the Pull Nose Pull Nose Up Up key, the faster the turn. The turn rate is slightly more complicated when flying with normal engines. USING THE JOYSTICK The joystick is used for flying the plane and firing weapons. Since Atari ST digital joysticks only have one button, the sole joystick button is used for firing weapons. Push Nose Down Fire Button: Fire | | | Bank Left -------+------- Bank Right | | | Pull Nose Up The Gravis MouseStick Selecting this option from the CONTROL Menu allows you to use the Gravis MouseStick on your Atari ST. The top button is used for firing weapons,and the first button on the base (the one at the 'top' end, furthest from you) is used for making rudder turns. The stick can also be switched to use as a digital joystick. The Aerochopper The Aerochopper lets you simulate flying a radio-controlled aircraft on your Atari ST. It hooks up to the cartridge on your computer. The right joystick controls normal flight movement, and the left joystick is used for the rudder and throttle. The forward right button is used for firing weapons,and the left button is used for selecting air-to-air weapons. USING THE MOUSE A mouse can be used like a joystick to fly the aircraft. It is much trickier because the mouse has no obvious "center stick" position. You have to keep a close eye on the HUD dot (see Part VIII: Flying and Fighting) to know where the control stick is in the pilot's hands when flying with a mouse. Push Nose Down Left Button: Fire | Right button: Rudder turn | | Bank Left -------+------- Bank Right | | | Pull Nose Up THE RUDDER TURN It is possible to make a horizontal turn without moving your wings,making both attack approaches and carrier landings much easier. In this simulation,you can even make horizontal turns while banking or inverted. Input Device Rudder Turn Instructions Keyboard Press [Control] while pressing [4] or [6] on the numeric keypad. Digital Joystick Press [Control] while using the joystick to turn left or right. One possible method is to use the pinkie finger of the hand holding the joystick to press the [Control] key. Mouse Press the right mouse button while moving the mouse left or right. Gravis MouseStick Press the second button while moving the stick to the left or right. Aerochopper Move the left-hand joystick to the right or left while keeping the right-hand joystick centered. PAUSE You can pause the game at any time & put everything into a state of suspended animation. To do this, press [P]. Press it a second time to resume play. Note that pausing "stops the world." You can get a cup of coffee or have dinner without worrying about finishing the mission at that time. When the game is paused, you can still select the different views and move to different aircraft. The rotation and zoom keys also work when paused. While the game is paused, you can also change weapons and get ready for a bombing run. Pausing the program lets you simulate the fact that the real A-6 and F-4 had a second air crew member to take care of these details while the pilot flew the plane. ______________________________________________________________________________ PART IV: YOUR FIRST FLIGHT IN THE F-4 PHANTOM "It was heavy. It proved the aerodynamic principle that if you have enough power, you can fly a brick..." "It had honest flight characteristics. It was a very stable gun platform, albeit with no gun. And I never thought I'd admit it, but in the end, I came to love the airplane..." Both quotes from Col. Dennis J. (Deej) Kiley, U.S. Marine Corps SELECTING A PHANTOM MISSION You have just completed your first Intruder mission and are back at the Corridor Scene. >> Select "Phantom Pilot Brief" and then select "BarCAP" by pressing [Return]. If you want to look at other operations first, keep selecting "Next Op" [Cursor Down] until "BARCAP" appears again. Press [Return] twice. You will then find yourself on the catapult ready for an immediate launch to intercept an incoming air threat. Your wingman will be launched seconds behind you. This will be your opportunity to practice wing tactics. Cockpit Orientation You will probably notice some similarities between this and the A-6 cockpit. More important, however, are the following differences: The F-4 has a four-stage fuel afterburner (AB for short). Press [>] to increase, [<] to decrease. Use full AB during the launch. You can also use AB to go faster. Unlike the A-6, the cockpit views are symmetrical, so that the right forward 45 degree view looks out of the aircraft.This is because the F-4 pilot and his RIO (Radar Intercept Officer) are placed in tandem, with the RIO behind the pilot. In the A-6,the pilot and his B/N (Bombardier/Navigator) are effectively side-by-side. There is also a look down view. Press []], and note the position of the Multiple Weapon Selection Panel to the lower left.Press [[] to get back to the usual cockpit view. TAKEOFF PROCEDURES AND FIRST FLIGHT Controlling Your Aircraft Input device controls are the same as the A-6. Takeoff and landing procedures are also similar, except for the use of the afterburner on takeoff. You may want to review the earlier section describing aircraft control in Part II. About the BARCAP Mission You will be vectored to incoming threats by Red Crown, the radar picket ship. Stay in the air as long as you want(at your beginning level you have unlimited fuel and weapons).If you try this mission using the "Limited Fuel" or "Limited Arms"options from the OPTIONS menu (see Part II), you will have to return when you are Bingo fuel (just enough fuel for a safe landing) or Winchester (out of missiles and ammunition). Otherwise, when you are tired of dogfighting,skip on to 'Landing', near the end of this part of the manual, for instructions on how to get back to your carrier and receive the rewards you have earned for your efforts. When you are ready to take off: >> Press [Control] [L] to launch the Phantom or wait for automatic launch Note that the afterburner uses fuel at a tremendous rate, so cut back as soon as possible. Don't sit at sea level with full afterburner. >> Follow the same procedures you used with the Intruder to climb to 1000 feet. Kick up your speed to 600 KTS.You will note that your RPMs never get below 70%. If an F-4's RPMs get lower, it falls; therefore, a throttle stop is built into the engine to prevent this. Within seconds you are at 1,000 feet and following your patrol pattern. Now it is time to look for bogeys (unidentified aircraft) that might threaten your home carrier. In Vietnam, the North Vietnamese wisely refrained from attacking American aircraft carriers in international waters. This made BARCAP a very dull duty for Navy fighter pilots. For this game, however, MiGs attacking the carrier are a very real threat. Keep your eyes open. >> Look for the enemy by following the directions printed across the top of your screen. Remember, that 12 o'clock is directly in front of you and 6 o'clock is directly behind you. You want to have enemies in the former position and do not want them in the latter position. See Part V: You as CAG ('Points of Interest' and 'Using the Map') and Part VIII ('Using the Radio') for instructions on how to follow the directions from Red Crown. >> At a distance of less than 27 miles, it is possible to get radar detection of your enemies if they are within a 60 degree cone from the nose of your plane. If your radar is on (select [R] if not) and you are pointing at the MiG, you should get a green blip on the radar screen. However, this means that the MiG will detect your presence more easily. See Part VIII: Flying and Fighting ('The Phantom Radar Screen') for more information on the Phantom radar screen. >> Also, you get a black diamond on the threat indicator (the green circular screen on the upper right of the control panel) if the MiG has its radar turned on. (For this beginner's game, all MiGs have their radar on.) This screen also shows other aircraft, ships and radar. The range for this passive radar screen is variable, between 15 and 30 miles. >> Finally, if all else fails, look for your targets. You can see enemy aircraft about eight miles away. Actively switch to different viewpoints within the cockpit. Like the A-6, you cannot look directly back over your tail; your RIO is in the way. Do not shoot at your wingman. Going Into Combat >> Select []] to get the look down view. This gives you a view similar to what you would get if you kept most of your attention inside the cockpit. You want the Multiple Weapon Selection Panel on the bottom left of this view. >> Use [Return] to toggle between the Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles and your 20mm gun. As you toggle through the weapons you should see one of the rows of five horizontal lights illuminated when the Sidewinder is selected. This represents the selected station on the Phantom's wing or centerline. Note that this is the position (station) on the wing, not the type of weapon. This means that you might toggle the same type of weapon several times in a row if the weapon is carried on several stations. The guns and Sparrows do not light up because the guns pod is internal and the Sparrows are mounted on their own special stations. The weapon type is displayed in the box over the station representation. Above the illuminated station light you will see the number of weapons available in that station. Above this set of numbers you will see some lights labelled "RDR" (indicating how many radar-guided Sparrow missiles) and "HS" (indicating how many heat-seeking Sidewinder missiles). Gun rounds remaining are shown to the right of the Multiple Weapon Selection Panel. Use the Sparrow for targets more than two miles away, the Sidewinder for targets you are behind that are within two miles, and the gun for targets within 500 yards. Using the Sparrow Since the AIM-7 Sparrow is a radar-guided missile, using it is a matter of getting a radar lock on the target. >> Toggle [Return] until AIM 7 appears in the display box, the RADAR light comes on in the menu to the left of the radar screen, and a green circle appears on the radar screen. >> Steer to keep the green blip inside the inner green circle. The range figure (lowest right number on the radar screen) will continue to count down the range. When you are within Sparrow range (2-14 miles) the RNG (range) light to the right of the radar screen comes on.If you have been keeping the target within the green circle, the LOCK light should come on soon after. Two vertical lines on either side of the blip also appear when lock has been achieved (like |-| that!). These lines are called "captain's bars." Be sure to check your threat indicator when you get these captain's bars. Your radar might have locked on to your wingman. Everytime you turn on the radar by pressing [R], the radar locks on to the closest target. If you keep locking on to your wingman,change your position relative to the potential targets or find a target somewhere your wingman isn't. If your threat indicator shows two enemies (solid diamonds) and no friendlies (empty diamonds) and the radar shows three possible targets, it is possible that your wingman does not have his radar on. Use [Shift] [9] to go to your wingman's cockpit and turn on his radar with [R] so you can see him on your threat indicator and get a better idea of who you are locked onto. >> Switch on the Master Arm (select [7] on the numeric keypad) when the MiG is in range and fire when the LOCK light comes on. The Sparrow will guide to the target as long as you keep the target blip in the captain's bars until it hits. Sparrows are the weapon the Phantom was designed to carry. The Sparrow had not been used in combat before the Vietnam war and had a very low PK (Probability of Kill). Only one out of twelve fired hit a target. Launch two Sparrows at the same time to increase your chance of success. If you launch without a lock-on,a hit is unlikely. However, launching in these conditions is not always foolish. At least a launch may unsettle the bandit. This can be important if the bandit has you or another friendly in his sights. NOTE: In this mission,you have a little easier time of it than the Navy had. The missile's PK has been greatly improved. If you select a harder level (see Part II), you will have the same problems that Navy did. Using the Sidewinder The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking missile whose descendants are still being used today. >> Select the Sidewinder by toggling [Return] until AIM 9 appears in the weapons box, the HEAT light comes on in the menu to the left of the radar screen, and a green circle appears on the radar screen. >> Find your target in the same manner you used for the Sparrow. When the target is within Sidewinder range (1-2 miles), point at the enemy's rear so the heatseeker head on the Sidewinder can find its target. Select [7] on the numeric keypad to master arm your weapons and use [Spacebar] to launch missiles at the target. If you are having trouble doing everything at once, remember that you can press [P] to pause the game and press the necessary setup buttons, and then unpause the game before pressing [Spacebar]. The Sidewinder is normally a "fire and forget" weapon so you do not need to point at the target after missile release. Sidewinders also had a low PK in Vietnam, though not as bad as the Sparrow. Among their problems was they were note the all-aspect weapon they are now.The pilot had to be on the tail of the target so the heat sensors in the missile could get a good thermal picture of its exhaust. NOTES: For ease of play, the default "easy targets" selection on the OPTIONS menu allow you to shoot at any aspect of the target with a fair chance of success. The "medium targets" option requires you to shoot at the bandit's rear quarter to get a lock.The "hard targets" option requires that you continue to point at the bandits rear while the missile is in flight. Using the Vulcan M61A1 20mm Cannon The Navy never intended for the Phantom to carry a gun and,even after the need for guns became obvious, didn't like mounting guns on their Phantoms. The original design called for an entirely missile-armed plane, and only the U.S. Air Force mounted the internal 20mm provided in this game. F-4J's, the type of Phantom being flown here,did have on optional externally mounted 20mm gun pod, however, so we are using that as an excuse to give you lots of opportunity to shoot up the opposition. If you insist on doing things The Navy Way, never select "GUNS" in your dogfights. Only a few Navy F-4s actually carried the external pod, and it was strictly meant as an air-to-ground weapon. It was very inaccurate for air-to-air use. >> Select guns by pressing either [Return] or [Backspace] (you can also use guns against ground targets)until GUNS comes up on the display box and the GUN light comes on. Guns should only be selected when the target is in visible range. For initial detection, use the same methods you use for missile targets. >> Use [7] on the numeric keypad to switch on the Master Arm when the target is within a mile and fire (using [Spacebar]) when ready. For best results, do not shoot until the bandit fills your screen. The bandit should at least be bigger than the sighting circle. Remember that you and the bandit are moving. You need to use what is called deflection shooting (or just "leading a target"), which simply means you have to shoot where the enemy is going to be, not where he is when you press the trigger. NOTE: More than one hit is need to kill a MiG. Successful hits are marked by small explosions on the surface of the MiG. After the Battle Once all the bandits have been shot down,you should head back to the ship. For most missions, once the mission has been accomplished you can press [F5] to go to the outside view and press [;] until the waypoint readout says "4 LAND." Then press [A] to engage the autopilot to take you directly back to the ship. For the BARCAP mission, however, you should use the FILE menu to select "End Mission" as shown below. LANDING You may not feel ready to attempt a manual landing at this stage, so try an automatic landing by selecting [A] and settling back to watch the landing. If you do feel like bringing the plane in yourself,see Part IX: Carrier Landings. Alternatively, you can bring up the menu bar by pressing [F10] and selecting "End Mission." This takes you directly to the Debriefing Room no matter what stage of the game you're in. Needless to say, this procedure is for the more lily-livered pilots. If you must use it (or if you just want to learn more about menu options), see Part II: Menus. When your hook has caught the wire and the aircraft has slowed down, you are automatically moved to the Debriefing Room. The statistics for the current mission are on display in the Debriefing Room. See Part VII for information on analyzing these statistics. If you have earned a medal or badge,you may get pulled out of the debrief at any time for a photo opportunity. A word with your boss comes next; look to see if you are on the Sierra Hotel Notice on his wall. (The Sierra Hotel Notice lists the top ten pilots that have played the simulation.The derivation of the term Sierra Hotel is in the Glossary.) You can move through the screens that follow by selecting OK each time. This will take you back to the Corridor Scene, ready for your next operation. Selecting "Scramble" gives you a repeat of the previous mission. Flying the F-4 by Col. Phil Handley, U.S. Air Force (retired) On a cloudless day in August 1984,at Holloman AFB, I flew my last flight as an active duty TAC pilot. That flight was made in the magnificent F-15 Eagle, a plane I had flown and loved since 1977. Its flawless handling qualities are transferred through a hydromechanical stick that makes it feel smaller in your hand than the comparitively tiny F-5E. On my second ride in it at Luke AFB in 1977, I did a triple Immelmann - a vulgar display of brute power. Its huge bubble canopy affords the pilot an unrestricted view of his 6 o'clock, an attribute that had been sacrificed by aero design engineers since the era of the F-86 Sabre. However, as much as I loved the F-15, to this day, absolutely nothing stirs my memory banks or brings chills to my spine like the crack and roar of an F-4's afterburners on takeoff roll. First of all, it looks like a fighter ought to look with its drooped nose and stabs, canted wing tips, and no-nonsense "don't mess around with me" stance. Anybody looking at the business end of this fighter (especially an enemy) has got to immediately understand the purpose for which it was built. When the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels flew them in their demonstration teams, the ground shook, babies cried,and dogs barked. They were never better, and it was a sad day when the Thunderbirds were forced to trade them in for T-38s (which looked and sounded like a Tinkertoy by comparison). But as great as it was in air shows, it was far more impressive doing the job it was designed for,a fact indisputably demonstrated for over seven years during thousands of sorties in the skies over Southeast Asia (SEA). The All-Around Fighter Officially named the Phantom II,but affectionately called "Double Ugly" or the "McDonnell Rhinoceros" by the men who flew her, the F-4 will surely join great fighters of the past like the Spitfire, P-51 and F-86 as a classic. It was and continues to be a big, tough, mean-faced fighting machine that doesn't do a single thing better than competing fighters.Thuds (F-105s) were faster and far more stable bombing platforms, F-5s and all the MiGs could out-turn it, its out-of-cockpit visibility wasn't that great, the original models were built without a gun, it was plagued with tremendous adverse yaw, and the engines smoked so badly at mil power that a defecting MiG pilot once stated that the first time he ever saw one he thought it was on fire. But as a package deal, the F-4 could do it all - Close Air Support, interdiction, air superiority or reconnaissance. It was simply the best fighter in the skies over North Vietnam. As a "mud beater" it hauled a lot of iron very far, very fast. It could fight its way in and out of the target area, and with two of the most reliable engines in the world (seemingly immune to throttle abuse and FOD), it would bring you home, even with one of them shot out. Unarmed and Unafraid The RF-4C was a recce version,it carried high speed cameras instead of weapons and had the thorny mission of post-strike reconnaissance. After a huge strike package (called the eight hundred pound gorilla) had done its thing and really gotten everyone north of the Red River stirred up, somebody had to go in and get the pictures - a job that fell to the particularly gutsy and resourceful aircrews that flew the RF-4C. Their motto, "Alone, Unarmed, and Unafraid," wasn't always totally accurate. On many occasions "alone" didn't apply because it was decided that an element of armed F-4s should accompany them into the just-vacated target area to protect them from MiG attack while they were getting the pictures.These missions were appropriately called "The Run For The Roses," because to a recce pilot,speed was life; the RF-4C was fast - boy, was it fast. Since it was lighter to begin with, and had far less drag than its accompanying missile-laden escorts, it was not uncommon for the flight leader of the escort to find himself in first or second stage afterburner by the time the recce hit mil power.When he really got serious and went to full burner, he would simply walk away from his escort like it was parked and the escort would find themselves all alone directly over the "City On The River" as the unarmed recce disappeared at supersonic speed into the foothills. Fighting MiGs In the air-to-air role,all versions of the Air Force's F-4 C, D and E bristled with eight missiles and a gun (only the F-4E carried the gun internally). Although the missiles didn't work that well, no one else's did either. Even if their PK was low,AIM-7s launched at long ranges left huge white exhaust trails that created great confusion, loss of tactical awareness and mutual support within the MiG formations. The Phantom had energy to burn (especially in the dense air at low altitude) and, in the hands of a capable pilot, it was more than a match for all takers. Against the much lower wing-loaded MiGs (especially the MiG-17 and MiG-19),you simply could not play a "nose-pointing" game anywhere near the MiG's corner velocity, as you would constantly find him pointing at you with his nose on fire. Conversely, the F-4 could take the flight into the vertical where it enjoyed a decided energy advantage, or drag it low into the dense air where it not only had unbelievable energy, but where the MiG pilot's flight controls became stiff and his airframe unstable at very high calibrated airspeeds. Against a cannon-only armed MiG-17 or MiG-19, and F-4 pilot could "unload to zero G" and extend to a range that allowed him to "pitch back" into the fight with great energy and a better aspect angle. Taking the fight into the vertical became a classic tactic,but by no means did it ensure victory. In the hands of a skilled pilot, all of the MiGs (including the MiG-17) could take it up with you. When this happened, you had to avoid being "spit out" in the ensuing vertical rolling scissors before the MiG ran out of energy and fell off. This maneuver was especially dangerous against the MiG-21. It not only turned well, but also had the energy to go up with you a long way. Once a vertical rolling scissors was joined, it was somewhat like "riding a hog; there was no way to get off." Even if it meant flying the bird down to zero airspeed, you had to do whatever was necessary to make him fall off first. If you failed and tried to extend out of the fight,not only was the MiG-21 difficult to extend from, the F-4's forty-foot afterburner cones made a great heat source for his Atoll missiles. The Controversial Guy In Back Originally developed for the Navy,the F-4 was non-traditional in that it was a two-seat fighter. The thinking was that there was more than enough for the pilot to do in flying the jet without having to also run the fire control system. The Navy assigned these tasks to the backseater, calling him a RIO (Radar Intercept Officer). The Air Force,using their rule ensuring nothing was ever called the same as in the Navy, dubbed their backseater the WSO (Weapon Systems Officer). Those that flew the Air Force F-4s took it one step further and simply called him the GIB (Guy In Back).Few tactical fighter controversies rival the continuing debate over single seat vs. two-place cockpits, where strong and passionate arguments are advanced all the way from the Pentagon to the stag bar. Everyone has an opinion, and having flown both single seat and two-place for a number of years, I am no exception. Flying by yourself in today's fighters like the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18 works just fine. Not only does it make you feel macho, but your individual situational awareness and ability to act decisively is probably heightened. I have no empirical data to support that assertion, it's just how I feel. However, I don't think the single seat would have worked worth a damn in Southeast Asia. For one thing, the avionics and weapons systems, although not nearly as capable as today's, were difficult to operate really well. HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) was non-existent. Clearing your own six o'clock from the F-4's cockpit was difficult during patrol, and almost impossible once engaged in a close-in fight. Simply put, the F-4 was designed to exploit the state-of-the-art weapons systems of its day, and those systems did not easily lend themselves to operation by a single individual. In my opinion,if the GIB did nothing more than twist himself around to put his eyeballs on your vulnerable cone during dogfights, he was worth his weight in gold. But the truth of the matter is that he did infinitely more than that. I have flown with lots of them, some better than others, but I was privileged to fly most of my missions in SEA with two really great ones. They could pick radar returns of MiGs from the clutter of a radar scope that looked to me like a bowl of buttermilk. They could air refuel off tankers, and generally fly the jet better from the back seat than some of the IPs. (Some GIBs saved their pilot's life when they recovered the aircraft after he was incapacitated.) Contrary to myth, they weren't all frustrated pilots that couldn't hack it,but dedicated professionals that strapped their pink bodies to Double Ugly and did their jobs four feet in trail with you, in one of the most sophisticated and dangerous integrated air defense environments ever devised.One of those GIBs I refer to was killed in action; the other won the ATC Commander's Trophy in flight training, was top gun at F-4 RTU and F-15 RTU, and will soon be a general officer. As whether future fighters should be single or two seater, I could make arguments either way. But in the case of the F-4, you will not hear this fighter pilot bad-mouth the GIB. Carrying On To this day, the F-4 continues to be a great fighter. In the active duty forces,the RF-4C is still the primary recce aircraft for TAC, USAFE and PACAF. The F-4G, a highly modified version of the slatted F-4E, performs the Wild Weasel role of detection, identification and destruction or suppression of enemy radars. Although no F-4C's are still in service, hundreds of F-4D and F-4E models have been constantly updated and scrupulously maintained by Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units, where they are flown exceedingly well by highly experienced and capable aircrews. Not bad for an aircraft designed in the mid-1950s. But time marches on,and one day, like all of the great ones, it too will pass from the scene.When it does, I for one sincerely hope that it will take its place on a pedestal of honor at TAC headquarters at Langley AFB (even if it was originally a Navy design), for it has served us exceedingly well and has truly earned its place in the sun. Colonel Phil Handley was a U.S.Air Force command pilot with 7,000 flying hours and two combat tours in Southeast Asia (325 combat sorties) flying F-4D's and F-4E's. He earned 21 Air Medals, 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 1 Silver Star and is the only F-4 Phantom pilot to shoot down a MiG-19 with only guns. Moving On Now you are a veteran of two operations, Morning Song and BARCAP. If you think you are ready to take on the duties of the Commander Air Group (CAG) and plan your own operation, keep reading. If you feel you need a little more combat experience,go back and try another mission or two flying either an Intruder or a Phantom.Return to the main corridor and select either "Intruder Pilot Brief" or "Phantom Pilot Brief." You are taken to the Briefing Room, where you can select from the available operations. As described in the following chapter, Part V: You As CAG, it is possible to modify any of these missions by changing their waypoints or the aircraft taken ______________________________________________________________________________ PART VI: OPERATIONS AND MISSIONS SELECTING AN OPERATION The following operation and mission description give you needed information to make a selection of which missions you would like to fly in Flight of the Intruder. Two terms are used that should be explained before you go on. Operation The overall activities of usually several elements to accomplish an objective. Each element of an operation is called a mission. Mission The individual task of one element or section (usually two planes) of an operation. Missions have special titles such as Wild Weasel (suppression of SAM and AAA sites with anti-radiation missiles and ECM), MiGCAP (Combat Air Patrol against MiG incursions) and so forth. A full explanation of each mission title is given in the Glossary at the end of this manual. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT In certain missions youcan find yourself having to deal with the same Rules of Engagement (ROE) that bedevilled the U.S. military though most of the Vietnam war. These are rules made by your superior officers that limit what you can do in a combat. Breaking any of these rules can get a pilot court-martialled. During the Linebacker period, most of the Rules of Engagement were lifted, but in this simulation you can attempt to deal with the same problems real A-6 and F-4 pilots had to deal with in the unfriendly skies over North Vietnam. These rules (as they apply to this simulation) are: 1. You may only engage MiGs that are airborne or in the process of taking off and which you or your wingman have visually identified as being bandits. 2. You may only attack mobile units: e.g. trucks, trains and off-shore enemy boats. This excludes any boats around the Haiphong harbor unless they have been designated as the mission's primary or alternate target. 3. You may only attack designated primary and alternate targets. You may not attack targets of opportunity. If operating as CAG, you cannot designate a target within ten miles of Hanoi or four miles of Haiphong. 4. You may attack any AAA, SAM or GCI site that is illuminating you with its radar (thus taking a hostile action) or has actually fired at you. 5. You may not activate your Master Arm Switch when within ten miles of Hanoi or four miles of Haiphong. In the following Operation descriptions,the Special Instructions will indicate which are covered by the Rules of Engagement. This coverage can be cancelled through the CONTROL menu (see Part II: Menus). Also, if you are flying at Lieutenant j.g. or Lieutenant levels, Rules of Engagement are turned off by default. You will have to turn them on (if you want them) from the CONTROL menu. If you are flying a mission that would ordinarily be covered under the ROE, and you don't want them, turn off the ROE after selecting the mission. COURT-MARTIAL If a pilot violates the Rules of Engagement, he might be court-martialled. In this game, this means that the pilot is cashiered out of the Navy. The likelihood of being court-martialled increases with the level of difficulty as set on the LEVEL menu and OPTIONS menu. If you choose Lieutenant j.g. or Lieutenant levels with no changes on the OPTIONS menu, you cannot be court- martialled. If you fly at Lt. Commander level or above but all of your options on the OPTIONS menu are set to Lieutenant j.g.options such as "Unlimited Arms" (that is, no check mark next to "Limited Arms"),then the computer realizes you are just playing a game & does not call you to account for your violations of the Rules of Engagement. Alternately, you can turn off the "Engagement Rules" on the CONTROL menu and not be called to account for anything you do at any level. Besides violating the Rules of Engagement , you might be court-martialled (if you are flying at a high level of enemy activity) for: 1. Attacking your own ships. 2. Attacking your own planes. 3. Ejecting if you have sustained no damage. If you are court-martialled, you can start a new pilot with the same name and callsign, but that pilot starts fresh with none of the points accrued by his former namesake. MISSIONS (There were illustrations of the patches you receive on successful completion of these missions in the original manual, but they bore little resemblance to the ones you actually see on your flight suit in the game, so I haven't included them in the doc as other than textual descriptions.) Operation BARCAP (Mig-21 patch) Description: A dawn patrol around Yankee Station. Objective: To intercept incoming threats from North Vietnam.Make sure there is no penetration of the 40 mile exclusion zone by plane or boat. Special Instructions: Incoming aircraft could be friendlies or bandits so visual ID is necessary. Rules of Engagement apply. Phantom Mission: MiGCAP There is only one mission in this operation, and it is performed by a single flight of Phantoms. This combat air patrol mission should stay at about ten thousand feet off the deck. Maintain a patrol area just off the North Vietnam coast. Operation DECK ALERT (MiG-21 patch?) Description: Scramble to meet a torpedo boat attack on the carrier. Objective: To intercept three torpedo boats making a run on Yankee Station. Special Instructions: Go in low to avoid enemy radar. Rules of Engagement apply. Phantom Mission: Ducks in a Barrel One flight of F-4s must intercept and destroy the torpedo boat before they get close enough to the USS Shiloh to launch torpedoes. Operation TALLY HO YO (Smashed bridge patch) Description: Single strike bombing mission with fighter escort and Iron Hand. Objective: Destroy the Yen Bai railroad bridge. Special Instructions: The bridge is defended by AAA. Secondary targets (warehousing) exist in Yen Bai. Be prepared for targets of opportunity on the railway. Rules of Engagement apply to all other targets. There is supposed to be extensive MiG activity in the area. Be sure to take plenty of fuel with you. Phantom Mission: TARCAP Precede the A-6s to the target area and eliminate any threatening MiGs. Phantom Mission: Escort Escort the A-6s. On arrival, be prepared for targets of opportunity. Intruder Mission: Iron Hand A 57mm AAA battery has been reported north of the bridge. This needs to be silenced before the strike flight comes in. They are two minutes behind you. Intruder Mission: Strike Come in over the target two minutes after flak and MiG supression by the other Intruders and the Phantoms. Use small smart weapons. Operation BACK BREAKER (Smashed bridge patch) Description: Single strike bombing mission with fighter escort for MiGCAP and flak suppression. Objective: Destroy the notorious Thanh Hoa bridge. Secondary targets include the AAA batteries radar guidance station and warehouses in the town. Special Instructions: A low level direct approach up the estuary is suggested. This bridge has stood up against intense bombardment since 1965. There is a high likelihood of traffic in the vicinity of the bridge. Rules of Engagement apply. Phantom Mission: MiGCAP One flight of Phantoms required on CAP northwest of Thanh Hoa for the duration of the operation. Expect unfriendlies if the attack on the GCI is successful. Phantom Mission: Escort Accompany the A-6s to the target and eliminate any airborne opposition, then take ground targets of opportunity. Remember the Rules of Engagement. Intruder Mission: Iron Hand Heavy AAA placements on both sides of the river and bridge have been reported. The radar guidance unit to the southeast of the bridge is the main target. Intruder Mission: Bullseye Fly a low level route straight up the estuary.Your friends will keep AAA busy. Operation MORNING SONG (Sinking boat patch) Description: Single strike bomb mission without escort. Objective: Destroy torpedo boats and missile cargo boats. Special Instructions: This operation can be given to either a Phantom or Intruder section. Rules of Engagement apply. You are without escort on this mission, so don't linger. Intruder Mission: Green Tree There is only one mission in this operation, and it is performed by a single flight of aircraft. Come in low over the sea from the east.Coast defenses will provide shipping with air cover. Phantom Mission: Blue Tree There is only one mission in this operation, and it is performed by a single aircraft. Come in low over the sea from the east. Coast defenses will provide shipping with air cover. Operation JULY 4TH EVE (MiG-17 over runway patch) Description: Bombing mission. Objective: Destroy the Phuc Nhac airfield in preparation for the July 4th celebrations. Predicted bad weather should make a lone attack by a single A-6 feasible. Special Instructions: No MiGCAP is provided. Ripple MK82s along the length of the runway. No second chances - you don't want MiGs chasing you. Intruder Mission: Lone Ranger No MiGCAP or SAM or flak suppression. The poor visibility makes conditions ideal for an attack by a single Intruder. Operation JULY 4TH DAY (Smiling bomb patch) Description: Bombing mission. Objective: Destroy the ammunition dumps reported in the town of Thanh Hoa. The main warehouse is reported to be empty.Most stores are in buildings around the hospital. Special Instructions: Do not hit the hospital. It is recognizable by a red cross on its roof. MiGCAP is provided to the northwest. Phantom Mission: MiGCAP Provide MiGCAP for the Intruders coming in from the northeast. Take a look at the AAA batteries to the southwest of the town. Phantom Mission: TARCAP Provide CAP for the Intruders coming in from the southwest. Intruder Mission: Fireworks The safest approach seems to be from the southwest. This also puts the target in transit. Phantoms will provide TARCAP. Operation JULY 4TH REFRAG (Smiling bomb patch) Description: Bombing mission. Objective: Destroy the ammunition dumps reported in the town of Thanh Hoa. The main warehouse is reported to be empty.Most stores are in buildings around the hospital. Special Instructions: Do not hit the hospital. It is recognizable by a red cross on its roof. Intruder Mission: Fireworks No MiGCAP or SAM or flak suppression. The poor visibility makes conditions ideal for an attack by a single flight of Intruders. Operation LIGHTS OUT (Bomb with spark and chimney patch) Description: Double strike bomb mission with MiGCAP and Wild Weasel escort. Objective: Destroy the thermal power plant at Hanoi. Phantom Mission: MiGCAP The main duty is to provide MiGCAP for the Intruders. They will be coming in two waves. Make sure you have enough fuel to stay around until everyone is on the way home. Expect company from the north. Phantom Mission: Wild Weasel SAM suppression is the main duty. However, the area is also defended by AAA. Intruder Mission: Bomb Run One Your objective is the main compressor house. It is the main building in the complex. The power station is in a residential area, so use guided weapons. Intruder Mission: Bomb Run Two Go for the main compressor house if it is still standing. Otherwise go for the chimney or conveyor. Operation IRON RAIN I (MiG-17 over runway patch) Description: A massive attack on Hanoi.This will take place in two operations: Iron Rain I and Iron Rain II. (See Operation Iron Rain II.) Objective: Knock out Phuc Yen Airfield, suppress flak, and destroy SAM radar guidance equipment. Phantom Mission: TARCAP First in and last out. Engage any interceptors that are airborne. Phantom Mission: Escort Provide air cover for Intruders on low level attack on Phuc Yen airfield and downtown Hanoi. Seek targets of opportunity. Intruder Mission: Wild Weasel Seek and destroy the area's radar guidance units.Keep the enemy radar stations off the air. Intruder Mission: Strike The objective of this low level ripple bombing run is to close down the Phuc Yen airfield. The runway is the prime target; you may also attack grounded MiGs. Clear up anything that the Alpha Strike missed. Operation IRON RAIN II (A-6 over smashed bridge patch) Description: A massive attack on Hanoi (continued).This will take place in two operations: Iron Rain I and Iron Rain II. (See Operation Iron Rain I.) Objective: Bomb the Paul Doumer bridge. Special Instructions: Iron Rain I should have weakened the defenses; however, MiGCAP and Wild Weasel escorts are provided for incursion into this heavily defended area. Phantom Mission: MiGCAP MiGCAP to the north of the target is required to intercept bandits. Phantom Mission: Escort Pick up your charges before going feet dry and provide CAP over the target. Phantom Mission: Wild Weasel There are over 84 SAM sites to keep you busy, mostly to the south of the city. Intruder Mission: Knockout This is an interdiction strike on the Paul Doumer bridge. A low level run from the northeast is advised. Direct hits on the spans are required. Operation ALPHA STRIKE (Dock crane patch) Description: A bombing run using all the available aircraft on a hitherto untouchable objective. Objective: The objective of this Alpha Strike is to inflict damage on the Haiphong docks and shipping facilities. Special Instructions: Do not attack the neutral shipping in the harbor,even if they shoot at you. Phantom Mission: MiGCAP Two sections of F-4s have been allocated to provide combat air patrol to the south of Haiphong. MiG-21s have been reported in the area. Intruder Mission: Ballgame The two big dockside warehouses are the main targets this morning. Also target any shipping in the bay. Intruder Mission: Wild Weasel SAM suppression is the main duty on this early morning mission. You will be protecting an A-6 flight which will target the dockside warehouses.Be prepared for targets of opportunity in the dock. Operation HUNTER KILLER (2 F-4s patch) Description: An all-out attack on an aggravating SAM site. Objective: The six-launcher SAM site south of Hanoi is the target.Shrikes only hit the radar van, and the site is active again quickly. The bigger punch of Hunter Killer tactics are needed. Special Instructions: Take out the GCI first to increase your chances. Don't make more than one run on the target,and use the biggest bomb load possible to do the most destruction. Rules of Engagement apply. Phantom Mission: Escort Two sections of F-4s are tasked to escort the A-6s. If possible, silence the light AAA to the south. Intruder Mission: Strike The objective is to destroy the site. Target the launchers. The Wild Weasels will get the radar. Intruder Mission: Wild Weasel Destroy the GCI and then keep the site busy so that the bomber can attack with impunity. The Most Dangerous Game by former U.S. Air Force Capt. Norman Cosand (1969-1976) The Hunter Killer mission was, without a doubt, one of the toughest and most dangerous missions flown over North Vietnam in 1972. The Hunter Killer "team" (term used by Fighter Pilots) was comprised of two elements: 1. The Hunter element - two Wild Weasel F-105G's in the lead armed with AGM 78 missiles (an air-to-ground missile designed to home in and destroy SAM site radar vans); 2. The Killer element - two F-4E's armed with CBU-52 (cluster fragmentation bombs designed to destroy metallic SAM missiles, transportation vehicles and radar vans) ready to roll in on a moment's notice on the exposed SAM site. The aircrew members who flew the mission were all individually selected by the F-105 and F-4E Squadron Commanders because of the severe hazards associated with multiple SAM sites. Each SAM site was ringed with hostile 23mm and 37mm AAA gun sites. North Vietnam (in particular Hanoi) was considered to be one of the most heavily defended enemy countries ever known to aerial warfare. SAM sites carpeted the entire breadth of North Vietnam with an extra abundant concentration of defenses protecting the cities of Hanoi and Haiphong. Flying over the far reaches of North Vietnam was a daily "fireworks show" for the aircrews from Korat AFB in Thailand who flew the Hunter Killer missions."First in and last out" was a standard operating procedure - time on target was longer, the defenses more intense and survival rate reduced. The Hunter Killer team was no picnic. It was dark and humid at 4:18 A.M. when I arose from a restless sleep in my Hootch at Korat AFB. I rapidly threw on my flight suit, put on my jungle boots and made my way to the Squadron Briefing room by 4:30 A.M. (via our reliable air crew van).Tension was written on the faces of the Captains and Lieutenants who were scheduled for today's Hunter Killer mission deep into North Vietnam. Our target was two SAM sites just southwest of Hanoi. With maps, classified photographs, weapon settings and enemy defense updates, I join the other team members for a comprehensive target briefing at 5:00 A.M. Briefing synopsis: "The weather is marginal en route (thunderstorms)but improving over Hanoi; the main target for the Strike Force (F-4s from bases in Thailand and South Vietnam) is the Thai Nguyen Steel Plant north of Hanoi; all MiG bases, SAM sites and AAA gun sites are active and operational; our Hunter Killer teams (call sign "Eagle") are to suppress two SAM sites prior to the Strike Force's arrival and then remain in the target area to back up friendly forces - fuel permitting!" Breakfast at the Officer's Club was gulped down and barely digested. Takeoff occurs at 7:00 A.M. (exactly on time); we fill up with fuel from a KC 135 at 7:30 A.M. and drop off the tanker at 8:20 A.M. "Eagle flight topped off," radios the Hunter lead as we ingress to the target area with full fuel tanks and weapons checked for readiness. As we approach the target area I can hear the heavy breathing of the pilot in the front seat of my F-4E as we receive "Bandit" calls from MiG-19 and MiG-21 aircraft launching from several MiG bases surrounding Hanoi. I quickly discover that we are now 15 miles from two approaching MiG-19 aircraft. "Eagle Flight, Bandits attacking." radios the flight lead of another Hunter Killer team off to my left. Two Atoll missiles zip under my aircraft and disappear in the clouds behind me. We are still 100 miles from our target; the pulse rate picks up; it is going to be on of those rare days when both MiGs and SAMs are in joint defense of North Vietnam. As we approach Hanoi from the Southwest, the lead F-105 launches an AGM-78 and quickly eliminates a SAM radar van from a site just east of the city. Travelling at 480 nautical miles per hour, I scramble in the back seat with my North Vietnam maps and target photos directing my element of two F-4Es to the first targeted SAM site, while the F-105G element pulls off to our left to provide coverage. I concentrate on the detail of my map and compare the map to rivers, roads and canals below; again I cross-check my map for landmarks. The target photo on the first SAM site is finally matched to a section of road near a small canal below. A sigh of relief - no time or fuel was wasted, we are here to do the job we came for. The first SAM site is identified, we are ready to roll in at my 60 degrees of dive and supersonic speeds.My throat is dry and sweat races down my face as we pull 7+ g's coming off the first target. Half of our CBU-52 bomb load was just deposited on the SAM site below with thousands of pieces of shrapnel flying in every direction ensuring destruction of multiple surface-to air missiles and radar equipment. As the second F-4E pulls off the target and tucks close to my right wing, I pull my North Vietnam maps from a large clamp fastened to my G-suit and begin to immediately identify new landmarks below in order to expedite our ingress to the second target SAM site. Clouds partially obscure the second SAM site as we visually acquire the target.The ground below is suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree as AAA gun barrel flashes send a thousand rounds of 23mm and 37mm directly at our flight. Large red and orange silver dollar-sized tracers are close to my canopy; I can hear the "snap, crackle and pop" of the tracers as we point our nose at the second SAM site. "Eagle 3, SAM at 6:00 (six o'clock), break now," radios the lead F-105. My vision is gone; however, my mind is clear, I have "blacked out" as we pull nearly 9 g's to avoid the SAM (travelling at 3 times the speed of sound) that was homing in our tailpipe. With vision now restored and our nose pointed skyward, we turn back toward the target for a second round.That SAM was alone, there would have been no way out had we been hit, diving at the ground and travelling at supersonic speeds. "Snap, crackle and pop" as dozens of tracers surround my F-4E while again diving at the second SAM site."Thump," I feel the aircraft shake and lighten up as our last half of CBU-52 bomb load is released on top of the target. The second F-4E in our element also drops his CBU-52 and rejoins on our wing. Two SAM sites destroyed, all aircraft and air crew are safe! We are critically low on fuel as we rejoin the F-105 element. Our heading is 220 degrees (southwest heading) as we egress back to Thailand. A KC 135 tanker is waiting for us over the border of Thailand and vectors north over Northern Laos to meet us.We are thankful for the tanker aircrews who risk 57mm and 86mm over hostile territory to refuel our empty tanks. It has been a memorable day for the air crews of Eagle Flight as well as other flights who flew the Hunter Killer mission deep into North Vietnam that day.We are all thankful to be alive. We are also thankful that soon we can see an end to the war with North Vietnam, have our prisoners of war returned and set our feet once again on fertile American soil. Captain Norman Cosand flew for the U.S. Air Force between 1969 and 1976.He was the Guy In Back in an F-4E and a Bomber/Navigator on an F-111. He flew 82 missions over North Vietnam including 41 missions over Hanoi as part of a Hunter Killer team. He received four Distinguished Flying Crosses, eleven Air Medals and one Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. ______________________________________________________________________________ PART VII: DEBRIEFING OPERATION STATISTICS Each time you complete a mission and successfully land your aircraft, you are taken to the Debriefing Room, where you can view your statistics for the current operation as well as the overall average for the entire tour. To start a new tour of duty, delete the HI-SCORE.DAT file from the data disk. The important statistic is the success rating (SR). You get a score for each mission you attempt. Your personal SR is calculated by totalling the scores associated with those events which were directly attributable to you, as shown on the information screen, and multiplying the score by the rank multiplier shown in Part II. For instance, you only get credit for destroying the primary if you were in control of the aircraft which dropped the bomb that destroyed the target. The initial debriefing screen, gives you two scores. The score on the left is your final SR, after applying the rank multiplier.The one on the right is your base score before the multiplier. The scores shown to the left are identical because the mission was flown at Lieutenant j.g. rank, which has a multiplier of one. If your total exceeds 100, you earn the right to wear the Operation Badge. The scores for the various events are added together to provide the Air Wing's Success Rating. SUCCESS RATING TABLE Primary target destroyed 100 Secondary target destroyed 50 Unassigned ground target destroyed 1 SAM destroyed 25 MiG destroyed 25 AAA destroyed 10 PT boat destroyed 10 Guided missile on target 14 Unguided missile on target 12 Truck destroyed 5 Player's landing Green 10 Black 0 Red -10 Carrier destroyed -1000 Hospital destroyed -1000 U.S. aircraft destroyed -50 Guided missile released -4 Unguided missile released -2 Explanation of Icons [I] Information This displays the Cumulative Scores Screen for the air wing and the individual pilot. AVE (Average) on the screen refers to the air wing and pilot's average ratings (which are also reflected in the Sierra Hotel ratings described later). The totals are cumulative scores that always increase. As the duty pilot, your most recent landing record is displayed in the form of a set of colored disks between brackets. The most recent landing is the disk furthest to the right under the "DUTY PILOT LANDINGS" entry: Color Rating Score Green OK 10 Black No comment 0 Red Dangerous -10 [W] Waypoint Review Every few seconds the position of every aircraft is recorded. This information can show the aircraft track in review. It is possible to compare the ideal track following waypoints against the actual track. As the positions are being recorded relatively infrequently, it will not always be possible to completly review the track during a dogfight when direction changes are fast and furious. [P] Camera This provides a record of your activities as if taken by a camera. Use the keys given to review your snapshots of the mission taken by using the "Take Photo" option in the FILE menu (see Part II: Menus) or pressing [*] on the numeric keypad while the game is playing. Select [P] to see the previous photo, [N] to see the next photo, and [D] to delete the photo currently on the screen. Use the arrow keys to pan around the picture. The knob in the bottom right corner of the monitor shows a letter corresponding to the photo. Review the photos taken in your previous mission by selecting "Slide Show" from the FILE menu. Note: The ST version saves photos in NeoChrome format, so you can load them into an art package and play around with them if you like! [A] Airplane The "Video Replay" shows the videotape you took with the "Camera On" option on the FILE menu. Select [P] to play the current tape,[Cursor Right] to go to the next tape, [S] to save the current videotape to disk (the name you can give the tape can only have six letters), and [L] to load a previously-saved video. Aside from using the FILE menu option, you can also activate and deactivate the video recorder with [V]. You can record more than one sequence per flight, but there is a finite length.However, if you find yourself with a sequence you just have to save & your tape has run out, you can select [O] to reset the recorder.This wipes out all your previous records for that mission. During the video playback, you can change to outside and tracking views, change the vertical and horizontal orientation, and fast forward by pressing [Tab]. You can exit the playback at any time by pressing [Esc] & pause the playback by pressing [P]. You can review the videos taken in your previous mission by selecting "Video Replay"from the FILE menu. Saving to Disk With the 200K or so of free space on the data disk, you can save a couple of video sequences; for 10K you get around 10 seconds of film. Videotape is given a .SEQ extension,and it might be possible to save it to a separate disk if you simply insert your 'videos' disk in the drive before saving/loading videos, the game should recognise that it isn't the data disk, and will hopefully just go ahead, and then ask for the data disk back afterwards. SIERRA HOTEL The Sierra Hotel screen lists the top 10 pilots who have ever played from your disk - the "best of the best." The score given with each name is the average score for that pilot. A pilot with one good mission and several bad ones will disappear from the Sierra Hotel very quickly unless he has no competition. If none of your pilots have received any points, then the Sierra Hotel will still be filled with "Rookies." Select [I] to return to the Cumulative Score Screen described above. Select [Return] to return to the Duty Roster. From there, you can start another mission or exit the game. The Sierra Hotel screen appears after every mission and you can access it from the FILE menu before a mission by selecting "Sierra Hotel." BADGES Every time you successfully complete an operation, a badge is sewn onto your flight suit. Occasionally you will see a picture of yourself and your crewmate in your flying suits. As you progress through the simulation, you may see your suit become gradually more colorful as you earn the right to wear the badges. Also, the "trophy case" in the upper left portion of the screen will show all the ribbons associated with the medals you have won during the simulation. You can also access the most recent version of this screen from the FILE menu before a mission by selecting "Awards." There is another way in which your suit can become colorful. If the image on the award screen shows your flight suit dabbed with paint, it means that you have not landed on your carrier, the USS Shiloh, but instead on the other carrier sharing Yankee Station.Common practice on the carriers off Vietnam was to give the interloping aircraft a dabbing with whatever paint came handy, but in this game we paint you, the pilot. MEDALS Medals had their beginning in such knightly orders as the Knights of the Bath of England. A medal signifies that the person receiving it has done more than was called for. In Vietnam, some flyers began to feel that they were getting their medals just for waking up in the morning.Some pilots felt that they only got a medal if they fouled up a mission and took damage. If they did it right, no-one seemed to notice. In this game we give you medals for doing it right, though the Purple Heart might be considered an award for making a mistake.If you deserve an award, the Award Screen will appear (see above) and show a frame displaying: Purple Heart Air Medal Awarded when Awarded for recipient has been every ten injured in action missions completed Distinguished Flying Cross Awarded for destroying two SAM sites, one MiG and three gun sites in one mission Congressional Medal of Honor Awarded for personally destroying the Navy Cross primary and secondary Awarded for targets of an downing one MiG operation while it was attacking another aircraft ______________________________________________________________________________ PART VIII: FLYING AND FIGHTING IN THE COCKPIT The following is a description of the instruments found in the Intruder & the Phantom. As you might expect,the two aircraft have many instruments in common. In particular,you will find that the important flight instruments are arranged in the traditional "T" on both aircraft. This makes it easier to change from one aircraft type to the other.Nonetheless, you should be aware that there are important differences between the two aircraft types, and it's a good idea to take the time to familiarize yourself with them. The instruments are displayed with their names later on in this section. In real life, both the Intruder and the Phantom rely on a crew of two. In the Intruder the crew sit side by side, while in the Phantom the RIO sits behind the pilot. In one of our few (ha!) departures from reality, we have designed this simulation so that the aircraft can be flown by one person. We have attempted to do this while still maintaining as realistic a cockpit as possible. Note that the HUD is not displayed here, as it displays nothing other than gun or bomb sights, and the AOA Indexer on the left-hand support. Intruder: As the pilot you sit on the left side of the cockpit. On your front view you can see the flight instrumentation. On your left 45 deg. view, you look over the side of the aircraft. On your right 45 deg. view, you look into the B/N's side of the cockpit at the stores and warning lights. Phantom: The front view displays the flight instrumentation. Both the left and right 45 degree views can be used to look over the side of the aircraft.Stores and warning lights are displayed on a look-down front view (as shown here; press []] to get it in the game).This arrangement reflects the narrow but high front panel fitted onto the Phantom. The look-down at the instrument view should be selected only for brief periods. You should have your head up and looking out of the cockpit 90% of the time. Your instruments are not trying to kill you, but many unfriendly objects outside your plane are doing their best to bring you down. The HUD Dot There is a green dot on the Head-Up Display (HUD) on the front windscreen of both airplanes.This dot shows your stick's current position; it is provided as a convenience for mouse users and a reminder for joystick and keyboard users. Instruments In Common The following descriptions apply to both the Intruder and the Phantom (though some instruments may not look exactly the same, they will be similar in appearance): Attitude Director Indicator (ADI): The ADI (sometimes called the "level ball") helps register your plane's position relative to the horizon as it rolls and pitches in any direction. The ADI is of vital importance in a dive because you use it to get your dive angle. Remember for manual dive bombing everything must be right: dive angle, speed and height. See 'Bombing Missions' later on in this part of the manual. Compass: The compass shows your aircraft magnetic directional heading. For the purposes of this simulation, you can assume the compass has no problems with deviation and variation. Altimeter: The altimeter's small needle rotates 360 degrees for every 1,000 foot change in altitude. The large needle rotates 360 deg. for every 100 foot change in altitude. The digits display the altitude in 1,000s of feet. Airspeed Indicator (ASI): The ASI consists of a dial calibrated in knots TAS (see Glossary). The zero position is at 12 o'clock. One revolution represents 1,200 KTS on the F-4 and 600 KTS on the A-6. Vertical Velocity Indicator (VVI): This dial measures climb and descent rate in 1,000s of feet per minute. The zero position is at 9 o'clock. Climb is represented by a clock-wise movement of the needle. Three o'clock represents 6,000 ft/min. Angle of Attack Indicator (AOA): This dial measures angle of attack in degrees. The zero position is at 9 o'clock, 30 deg. at 12 o'clock. Increased AOA is represented by a counter- clockwise movement. Fuel Gauges: When the tank is full (16,000 lb of fuel) the needle points to 6 o'clock. The needle moves counter- clockwise to the zero position at 9 o'clock. Tachometer: This dial measures the engine RPMs in percentages of maximum: 0% at 12 o'clock and 100% at 10 o'clock. On the F-4 Phantom, the measurement cannot go below 70%. Clock: This shows a standard analog display.The actual cockpit clocks show 24-hour "military time." Threat Indicator and Panel The threat indicator is also known as the Radar Warning Receiver (RWR). It tells you when you are being illuminated by someone else's radar and gives you an indication of who is illuminating you based on the wavelength of the radar hitting you. The indicators are: Empty diamond Friendly aircraft if its radar is on Filled diamond MiG if its radar is on Filled red box SAM in the air Empty red box Any active radar Grey "hat" Ship The Threat Indicator Panel alerts you to enemy activity through warning lights: Missile SAM on the way SAM SAM site radar detected AAA AAA radar detected I-Band MiG radar detected GCI NV Intercept Station detected Angle of Attack (AOA) Indexer(to left of HUD): The AOA Indexer is used primarily to assist in landing the plane. As the discussion in the next section shows, the plane needs to approach the runway at the right angle and speed when landing. If your speed is too high or low, the AOA Indexer remains unlit. Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS) Indicator: The ACLS Indicator assists you when making an instrument landing (called "following the needle"). The ACLS has two principal components: the Glide Slope Deviation (GSD) scale and the Localizer Deviation (LD) scale. See Part IX: Carrier Landings for details on how to use this gauge. >> Press [F7] to activate the AOA Indexer and ACLS (see Part IX: Carrier Landings). Sensitivity Indicator: This readout indicates the degree of sensitivity of your aircraft to turning, diving and climbing. Sensitivity varies from a low of 0 to a high of 3.At a setting of 1,the plane is less sensitive to directional changes and is easier to control. At a setting of 3, the turn, dive and climb characteristics of the simulation are virtually identical to those of the actual aircraft.(The most realistic setting is a sensitivity of 3 while flying at the rank of Captain.) The default sensitivity is 2. >> Press [F3] and [F4] to increase and decrease the sensitivity. Flare and Chaff Indicators: Flares are designed to confuse heat-seeking missiles by providing extraneous sources of heat for them to follow. Dispense flares with the [Keypad 0] key. The Flare Indicator shows how many flares you have remaining on the plane. Each plane starts off with 50 flares. You can turn "Limited Flares" off for an easier game. Chaff are packages of tiny foil strips designed to confuse radar-guided missiles. Press [Keypad .] to drop chaff. The Chaff Indicator shows how much chaff you have remaining on your plane. Each plane starts off with 50 packages of chaff. You can turn "Limited Chaff" off for an easier game. Reading the COMED The colored dots on the COMED (and waypoint map) screen represent: Red SAM site Blue/Cyan Airfield Red Inside Yellow AAA site Yellow GCI Grey Targets and built-up areas Pulsing square Your plane Pulsing small square Most recent enemy plane reported by Red Crown Phantom System Lights The lights described below indicate the particular function. AUTO Automatic Pilot (left of COMED, below AOA Indexer) STALL Stall warning (below AUTO) FLAP Flaps (below STALL) A BRK Air Brakes (below FLAP) VIDEO Video (below A BRK) o o o UC Landing Gear * (left of FLAP and HEAT) AA HOOK Hook Down (below clock, left of Master Arm) FIRE Fire (below Flare/Chaff, right of COMED) CAUTION Master Caution (right of FIRE) ECM ECM (above CAUTION) * The letters "UC" stand for Undercarriage, another term for Landing Gear. The MILS Depression Reading tells both the A-6 (below COMED) and F-4 (right of COMED, below PULL light) pilot the current Mil setting (see 'Bombing Techniques' later on in this part of the manual). It always displays zero until the Mil setting is changed. See the cockpit display. The EMIT Light on the A-6 (left of the RPM) or the ECM Light on the F-4 will illuminate if you turn on the ECM pod. If you have an ECM pod, toggle it on by pressing [E]. See the cockpit display. Intruder Warning Lights A highlighted word in one of these panels indicates something is wrong. From top left to bottom left: FLAPS The Wing flaps have been damaged and are frozen in their present state. For example, if they were up when the damage occurred, they stay up. Because flaps help curb excessive speed, the plane may be much harder to land.On the other hand, if the flaps were down when they were damaged, they stay down. This hampers the plane's maneuverability and prevents it from reaching top speed. To attain a needed speed takes more thrust and therefore uses more fuel. STORES Weapons cannot be released from external stores. BRAKES The Brakes light indicates a failure in the airbrake system.If the airbrakes were open when the damage occurred, they stay open.This is similar to Flaps damage (see above) and seriously threatens your plane's maneuverability, forcing it to fly at reduced airspeed. If the airbrakes were closed when the damage occurred, they stay closed, making the plane harder to land in some situations. ECM The threat indicator is out, and ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) is unavailable. You will have to rely on visual sightings and messages from friendly forces. RADAR The radar display is inoperable. DIANE The DIANE display is inoperable. Bottom panel seems to be unused in this game. From top right to bottom right: ENG PORT Partial or complete loss of power in the port engine. ENG STB Partial or complete loss of power in the starboard engine. FUEL LK A fuel leak.You will have to judge how serious this is. If you have not reached your target yet,you should probably turn back immediately. LOW FUEL When this light comes on, you have a full scale emergency. You need first clearance onto a green deck. NAV The map display is not functioning. OXY LOW Indicates a drop in cabin pressure, usually caused by a bullet hole. Don't fly above 27,000 feet or you will black out, even when flying straight and level. Intruder Multiple Weapon Selection Panel The Intruder's Multiple Weapon Selection Panel is positioned on the right forward 45 degree view. Press [7] or [Shift] [9] on the numeric keypad. Weapons on Station: Set of five numbers running along the top. These indicate the number of weapons on each station. Master Arm Light: Light in a box marked H and ARM. Toggled with [7] on the numeric keypad. This must be on before weapons can be released. Description Panel: Currently showing WALLEYE, this displays the type of store at the selected station. Note that mixed store stations are not allowed. Single/Ripple: Toggle using [9] on the numeric keypad. Single means one weapon is released on each trigger press. Ripple means that all weapons on that station are released at one second intervals after pressing the trigger. Weapons on the wing stations are released in pairs to maintain a balanced aircraft. Ripple is not available for all weapon options. Direct/DIANE/Dive Toss: This option is toggle using the [1] key on the numeric keypad. It is not available on all weapon modes because it determines the bombing method. Active Station: (5 lights in box with BOMB and MSL marked on it) By pressing [Backspace], the active station can be changed.The active station is indicated by activating the light below the weapons on the station number. Phantom Warning Light Panel Refer to the Warning Light Panel explanations for the Intruder, above. The Phantom F-4 panel lights are identical except for the BURNER light in place of the DIANE light. The BURNER light comes on when you can no longer select the afterburner due to damage. Displays Unique to the Phantom Multiple Weapon Control Panel: This shows you which weapons you are currently using. Heading Indicator: This duplicates the compass so you don't have to go to the lower cockpit to find your current compass bearing. Optical Sight: (In centre of HUD) When shooting guns or rockets, fill this circle with the target and pull the trigger (press [Spacebar]). Pull Up Light: This is a warning light that tells you when you are about to hit the ground. Rounds Remaining: This shows you how many rounds you have left to fire from your gun. To properly simulate the lack of a gun in the Navy's Phantom, players who have chosen the "Limited Arms" option have no ammunition for their gun. This is the default setting if you are flying at the Lt. Commander, Commander and Captain levels. The Phantom Radar Screen The F-4 in this simulation has a radar screen that very closely emulates the radar used by Phantoms over Vietnam (yeah sure). The sweep line is the line that constantly sweeps from left to right; it updates the picture as it passes. The circle in the middle shows you which targets can be locked on, and the line across the circle; the horizon line; lets you know where you are in relation to the world. When the radar has locked onto a target, "captain's bars" show up around the radar image of the target, as seen in the image below. Caution: if the radar is pointed at the ground,the screen fills up with static and it is virtually impossible for the radar to lock on a target. Reading the Radar Screen Many of the weapons available to you are radar-guided in some way. Others let you use the radar as an assist in locating the target. Unless indicated in a following weapon description, the radar screens on both aircraft will have a constant radar readout of five numbers - three on the upper left of the screen and two on the upper right. In all cases, these numbers mean: Airspeed Enemy Altitude | | - Bearing Vertical Speed - - Distance Pitch - Pitch: The current pitch of the aircraft in degrees. A positive or negative number indicates whether the airplane is climbing or diving. Vertical Speed: The vertical speed in feet per second. A positive or negative number indicates whether the airplane is climbing or diving. Airspeed: The true airspeed in knots. Enemy Altitude: This indicator only appears on the F-4 Phantom. When the radar is showing the distance to a flying target, a number appears here showing the altitude of the target in 1,000s of feet. Bearing: The degrees you must turn to be either pointing toward your next waypoint (or for the F-4 Phantom) a possible flying target if the plane's weapons are in air-to-air mode. Distance: The number of nautical miles to either your next waypoint(or for the F-4 Phantom) a target if the plane's weapons are in air-to-air mode. If you have selected "Medium" or "Hard Targets" from the OPTIONS menu,you will not get any information on potential targets until you have a radar lock. Navigation information(relative bearing and distance to the waypoint) will not show up if you have activated your air-to-air weaponry with [Return]. Instead, the spaces will be filled with Xs.If you want to concentrate on your waypoints instead of your next air-to-air target, turn on your air-to-ground weaponry with [Backspace]. F-4 Phantom G-Force Gauge The G-Force Gauge on the F-4 tells you how many g's you are pulling at any time. Remember that the Phantom is not designed to take more than 7 g's for more than a few seconds. Too many g's for too many seconds and the plane will fall apart. Note that the displayed readout is displaying a reading of 3.7, not 37. IFF You may notice that the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe)is missing from this simulation. The IFF is a radio device that can determine which plane in the area is a friend because friendly planes transmit a certain signal that enemas do not. The IFF was usually turned off over Vietnam because it broadcast your plane's location to the enemy. OFFICER TRAINING This is a section on how to fly your jets and, most important,maneuver them in air combat. But first, let's deal with some of the basics of jet flying. THE NATURE OF G FORCES The key to a jet being a good Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) aircraft is in its ability to "pull g's" (also known as "turn g's"). G's represent the force of gravity that is being applied to the plane and its pilot & is commonly called "centrifugal force."G's dictate how fast and how tight a plane can turn at any given speed. All other things being equal, the plane that can turn the fastest usually wins the battle. The effects of g forces on aircraft and pilots must be understood by anyone entering the air combat arena. Strictly speaking,a force of 1g is equal to the force exerted by gravity on a body "at rest."When a jet is flying straight and level, the lift generated by the plane's wings offsets its weight,to the point that both plane and pilot are experiencing a gravity force equal to 1g.This is equivalent to what you might feel while walking along a level street. Since increasing units of g forces are used to indicate the increasing force to which a body is subjected when accelerated, a higher "positive" number of g's represents a higher force of gravity.Whenever you pull the nose into a turn or climb (by pulling back on the stick or increasing the bank angle), you'll pull an increasing amount of positive g's. You've probably seen the centrifuge used in astronaut training that tests a person's ability to withstand centrifugal force. Whirling a person around in a circle at increasing speeds is very similar to what a pilot feels in a banking turn, and many of these turns are performed almost instantly. You begin to appreciate not only the pilot's ability to withstand the force, but the plane's ability as well. Pushing the stick forward results in pulling less or even negative g's, since you're not opposing the force of gravity anymore per se. Positive g's push a pilot into the seat. At 7 g's, your body experiences 7 times the normal gravitational force.This means that your 10 pound head weighs 70 pounds! At forces greater than 9 g's, there is so much pressure that the blood stops flowing in your head, causing you to black out. A blackout results in a loss of vision or passing out completely. On the other hand, negative g's force the blood into your head. Your body and plane can tolerate many more positive g's than the negative g's. Excessive negative g's(greater than -3) cause the blood vessels in your eyes to rupture. This is commonly referred to as a redout, which is just as dangerous as a blackout. The typical fighter of the Vietnam era could only tolerate a maximum of 7 g's. Even in 1985, an F-15 pilot pulled his plane into a high g climb with a full load of missiles and external tanks, which caused his plane to go out of control and disintegrate. You should take special note of this, especially if you're carrying any external stores. Turning and G Forces Pulling and pushing on your stick controls turn radius and g forces. Banking your plane at steeper angles results in an increase in g forces and a decrease in turning radius. Pulling back on your stick adds additional g's. Pushing forward subtracts g's. Turns with excessive g's (more g's than are required to maintain an angle of bank) pull the plane into a higher angle of climb. Turns made with less than the required g's cause the plane to drop. The Flight Performance Envelope The ability to pull g's is dependent upon a plane's flight performance envelope. Simply put, this is a measure of how many g's the plane can pull going at what speed and what altitude.In general, the faster a plane is going, the higher it has to be to pull a high-g turn. However, the plane also needs atmospheric density for its control surfaces to "bite" into,so after a certain height (different for each plane), you simply cannot turn it tight enough to pull high g's.Flying beyond the envelope (chasing too many demons too far) can result in a stall or total loss of control of your plane. Pulling Out of a Stall Flying beyond your plane's performance envelope can result in a stall.Learning how to pull yourself out of a stall can be a life-saving matter. If you're flying too fast and trying to pull too many g's, all you have to do is relax off the stick. Stalling because you've lost too much airspeed is a completely different matter. You can convert altitude into energy (airspeed) by going into a dive until you've built up enough airspeed and control before pulling out. Pulling out too soon or too hard can result in another stall. Keep Your Energy High The usual mistakes made by a rookie are flying the aircraft too slow or too fast. Those flying their planes too slow are under the false assumption that slower speeds result in tighter turns and advantage during high-g ACM (Air Combat Maneuvers) environments. Pulling high g's bleeds off (or reduces) airspeed. Flying too slow results in lower g capabilities. Pulling g's can force your airspeed to fall below the stall rate, resulting in an uncontrollable dive. Remember, speed is energy, and energy helps you get in and out of combat. Running out of airspeed (energy) is no fun in the heat of battle. On the other hand,rookies have been known to carry this too far and attempt to dogfight flying at Mach 2 (over 1,000 knots). Trying to maneuver at Mach 2 is like trying to control a rocket that has gone ballistic. As with everything else in the world, there is a happy medium. Most dogfights occur between 500 and 700 knots.This is the optimum speed for high g maneuvers as well as maintaining a high energy rate. When you maneuver sharply, expect to bleed off airspeed in the process. If you don't want this to happen, increase your plane's RPMs to 100% or kick in the afterburner to minimize the effect as much as possible. Avoiding Negative G's You are capable of pulling up to 3 negative g's, though you'll start to redout if you exceed -2.5 g's. To pull negative g's, push your stick all the way forward. Inexperienced pilots will initiate a dive by pulling negative g's. A better approach is to roll your plane upside down and pull positive g's toward the ground. Using this technique, you'll use gravity to go into a faster dive. Now that you know the basics of combat piloting, let's go on to some of the basics of plane-to-plane combat. AIR COMBAT MANEUVERS (ACM) Fighter pilots have to rove in the area alotted to them in any way they like, and when they spot an enemy they attack and shoot them down . . . anything else is rubbish. BARON VON RICHTHOFEN To be successful in the fighter business the air crew must,first and foremost, have a thorough background in fighter tactics. They must acquire an excellent knowledge of all their equipment. Then they must approach the problem with a spirit of aggression and with utter confidence. LT. R.S. LORD ROYAL NAVY We agree with the Red Baron that a good pilot is more important than any plane Although if he had lived to see the complexity of modern-day jet fighters, he might have changed his tune about the simplicity of air combat. Being aggressive isn't the only prerequisite to success in dogfight battle today. Rather, the pilot must be well trained in air combat maneuvers and apply an aggressive behavior to the fighting situation in light of his particular fighter's capabilities. For example,the plane's ability to pull 7 to 9g's in a matter of three seconds enable it to turn in an incredibly tight arc. However, as you have learned, that same capability will cause most pilots to blackout in the process. You must remember that the pilot and plane are working together, and following any series of maneuvers requires you to know exactly what your plane can do and work in harmony with it. The maneuvers that we will be discussing are standard ones employed by fighter pilots throughout the world. (And once again you're not getting the pretty pictures - I figure if you're playing this game, you'll know 'em anyway!) Engage This is a basic offensive maneuver, where one plane will try to do anything in order to move in on the other's "six" for the kill. Break A traditional defensive maneuver. When a plane is attacked from the rear, it turns hard into the pursuers line of attack in an attempt to make the attacker overshoot. Use this maneuver whenever you get a warning that you have a bandit or SAM "on your six." Vertical Loop (Just pull back on the stick and keep pulling until flying level again) The Vertical Loop is used as an evasive maneuver. In its purest form, you pull into a sharp climb and simply come over the top and continue in the same direction. If you complete this maneuver,you may be able to pull in behind the other plane. Otherwise, since the loop is relatively easy to perform, you can use it as a decoy while setting up another maneuver to execute immediately after coming out of the loop. High G Yo Yo (Attacker pulls up and inverts while turning to dive down onto a Breaking opponent) The High G Yo Yo is an offensive maneuver that is a reaction to the "Break". Because the attacking plane is unable to hold position with the plane that is "breaking",it starts to pull less of a hard turn and moves vertically as well. During the climb,it rolls in the general direction of the predominant turn, so it can make an aggressive dive at the breaking plane from what is now a more favorable position. This maneuver is an example of using a vertical move to enable your plane to change position in less of a horizontal plane than a more conventional turn. If this maneuver is performed precisely, it can be very effective because the other "breaking" plane will find it hard to detect your position. Unfortunately, if you combine an ineffective turn with inadequate speed in the climb, the other plane will have plenty of time to move away. Low G Yo Yo (Attacker pushes into a dive while turning, to pull up on the opponent) This maneuver basically takes the opposite approach from the High Speed Yo Yo to resolve a stalemate with a "breaking" plane. Rather than go vertical, the attacking plane goes into somewhat of a dive while maintaining as much of the turn as possible.The attacking plane then pulls up behind the other plane in a more favorable position. Don't dive too low or overturn, because the other plane will probably roll in behind you. Flip Yo Yo (Like above, but roll inverted to pull into the dive instead of pushing the stick over) This is a slight variation of the Low G Yo Yo. Rather than do a pure dive and risk pulling too many negative g's, roll your plane after initiating the dive. You'll also be able to pick up speed faster in this move than the more conventional Low G Yo Yo. Take care not to overshoot the other plane due to excessive speed buildup. Scissors This maneuver results from a successful Break by the plane under attack.As the attacking plane overshoots its target,the other plane tries to turn the tables and move in behind the previous attacker. Both planes roll and crisscross the other's path as each tries to gain the advantage. Your F-4 has an inherent disadvantage versus a MiG in this maneuver because the MiG has much better turning characteristics, but a skilled Phantom pilot can succeed with this maneuver versus Easy Targets (over versus Hard Targets if you are very skilled). The Scissors can remain in a stalemate for a relatively long period of time, until one plane takes the initiative and bails out or initiates another maneuver. Variable Scissors This move is a variation of the Scissors maneuver. Rather than simply making rolling reversals in a relatively flat trajectory,both fighters also climb and dive while reversing in and out of each other's flight path. This maneuver is very unlikely to end up in a stalemate because of the numerous changes in position. Split S (During turn, roll inverted and pull into a dive to go in the opposite direction, accelerating into the dive) The Split S is a defensive maneuver that comes as a result of the attacking plane moving in too close.The target plane will roll upside down and pull into an accelerated dive before the attacking plane can react. The important thing is to do the half-roll before you dive, so you'll pull positive g's when you initiate the dive. You'll accelerate better and your body will withstand the stress better (remember negative g's). Head On The classic confrontation, where unless either plane has been lucky enough to strike the other on the way in, the advantage is gained by the plane that can turn on the tighter arc to overtake the other. Because it's difficult to guess which way your adversary is going to turn after passing you, most pilots get used to looking over their shoulder to check on the opponent's next move, even while they're making their own. Rollaway This maneuver is similar to the High G Yo Yo discussed earlier. The main difference is that the attacking plane rolls in the opposite direction of the predominant turn before making its dive to regain advantage. Dive Loop (Roll inverted and pull back on the stick until the horizon is in its normal place!) The Dive Loop is a good maneuver to perform when you are being trailed by a pursuer that is still a relatively long distance away. As is the case in some of the other maneuvers, you have a more efficient turn because of the vertical emphasis. In addition,it's more difficult for your pursuer to tell what you're doing, since there is no movement on the horizontal plane of sight. The key is to do a half-roll (i.e. invert) as you initiate the dive, in order to pull positive g's, initiate better acceleration, and achieve a tighter turn radius. Lag Pursuit When a plane under attack makes a Break, the tendency is for the attacker to overshoot. Sometimes though, the attacker is able to maintain its advantage by performing the Lag Pursuit, where the favorable position is held slightly behind and below the path of the target plane. Besides being able to match the target plane's turn rate, the attacking plane is able to prevent overshooting by occasionally pulling g's in a slight climb to bleed off speed. Immelmann (More or less a half-loop, but you roll the plane during the climb so you can exit at the top in any direction) The Immelmann is a defensive maneuver where the plane being chased is trying to change direction in the least amount of horizontal area by rolling in a vertical climb, rather than by using the more conventional turn on a flat plane. A hard vertical climb is followed by a roll into whatever direction you wish to go at the top of the climb. Your Phantom is not a good jet for performing this classic move dating from the First World War; avoid using it except in the most exceptional circumstances. Suicide Prevention There are a few things you can do if you are determined to commit suicide in the skies above North Vietnam. 1. Attack a target twice in one mission. Once you have been over a target, the gunners are ready for you. 2. Run away from a missile at full afterburner. Your exhausts make a wonderful target for a heat-seeking missile. 3. Approach a target slow and low. The AAA has lots of time to track you. 4. Try to out-turn a MiG. MiGs turn much tighter than you do. 5. Try to outrun a SAM on the straightaway. They go much faster in a straight line that you do. FUEL MANAGEMENT Fuel management is an important element of this simulation. If you arrive at a target too early (by flying too fast and using too much fuel),you will have to leave the scene of the action earlier to get back safely. This might mean leaving others unprotected or the operation incomplete. On the other hand, if you have the MiGCAP role and arrive late, you may find that the aircraft you were supposed to protect has already been shot down. During the conflict, the fleet that was assigned the job of attacking North Vietnam was stationed at Yankee Station. There was no precise location for Yankee Station. Generally speaking, however, it had to be far enough off the coast to minimize the chance of attack from land-based forces,yet close enough to allow the attack aircraft to reach their target and return. In this simulation we have moved Yankee Station so that it is close to the North Vietnam coastline. This is to minimize the flight time to target. Fuel management was an important part of mission planning, and it would weaken the simulation if we ignored that fact. So to counter the fact that Yankee Station is closer than it should be, we have excluded the option of refuelling (oh yeah, sure... more like they couldn't code inflight refuelling!). At first sight this might be considered to be a disadvantage, but consider how tedious refuelling would be if it had to be done twice every mission. Nobody likes to stop to fill up with gas! If the climb requires 2,000 lb and minimum fuel for your landing, or "trap" is 3,000 lb, there is enough fuel to cruise for about one hour, approximately a round trip of 400 nm. Yankee Station is at 107 degrees 30 minutes East longtitude and 19 deg. 30' North latitude,so there is not enough internal fuel to get to Yen Bai. There is certainly enough for Thanh Hoa. There is barely enough for Hanoi. You can start with "Unlimited Fuel" on the OPTIONS menu so that fuel consumption doesn't bother you while you are thinking of everything else. You can get a taste for fuel management by selecting "Half Fuel Use."The real test is to complete a mission at "Full Fuel Use" and bring the bird back in one piece. Fuel Limits The following information demonstrates that, with "Full Fuel Use" and "Normal Engines," you do have to watch your fuel consumption, or at the least, you won't get home. Mil stands for "military power" and refers to going at full speed without using afterburners. Minutes of F-4 flight on afterburners 9 Minutes of F-4 flight at mil, no afterburners 35 Minutes of A-6 flight at mil 50 Minutes of F-4 full afterburner flight from carrier to Hanoi 16 Minutes of F-4 mil flight from carrier to Hanoi 21 Minutes of A-6 mil flight from carrier to Hanoi 26 USING THE RADIO Multiple friendly aircraft missions make messages very important. Messages appear as screen readouts on the top line of the screen and a burst of almost understandable speech. The pilot receives messages from other aircraft and from his Bombardier/ Navigator. You can tell where a message comes from by its color. Blue Chatter from other aircraft and picket ships. White A message directed to your aircraft. Green A message from your Bombardier/Navigator (B/N) or RIO. An urgent message goes to the top of the queue, but it does not clear the queue. You can review old messages by pressing [3] on the numeric keypad. Messages are not sent indiscriminately. For instance the sighting of a MiG is reported to MiGCAP leader. If MiGCAP leader is on auto, then the message triggers a response, e.g. engage or send out another section. Messages have four main purposes: * To signal the position of the enemy * To request assistance * To warn (e.g. SAM or Bandit sighted) * To give information about progress of the operation Callsigns Each aircraft has a callsign. At the start of a mission, look at all the aircraft involved using the Outside View [F5] & you will see their callsigns. Remember these callsigns or make notes,and you will have a good idea of who is calling and how much it applies to you. Clock Code When sending warning messages, the "Clock Code" is used: straight ahead is 12 o'clock, straight behind is 6 o'clock (known as "on your six"). For example, "Bandit at your 3 o'clock, range 2 miles" means that there is a bandit on your right side at a distance of 2 miles. Usually, the subject of the message is repeated twice, such as "Bandit, Bandit at your 3 o'clock, range 2 miles." PHANTOM MULTIPLE WEAPON SELECTION PANEL The panel is a variation of the A-6 panel and positioned on the lookdown front view (press ]). Differences account for air-to-air missiles and guns. 1. Displays similar to the A-6: Include the Weapons On Station and Active Station Panel (WOSASP) which is situated at the bottom left of the front panel. The dive toss/direct lights are to the right, and above them the rounds remaining in the gun are displayed. Above the WOSASP we have the missiles available panel. Lights indicate the current load of air-to-air missiles. Above that we have the description panel and single/ripple lights side by side. The master arm light comes above the single/ripple lights. There are two more instruments/switches: 2. Active Weapon Light Panel: Indicates which weapon is currently active. Readout Active Weapon Radar Sparrow selected Heat Sidewinder selected Gun Gun selected Arm Air-to-ground weapon selected 3. AA/AG switch: Changes your weapon types between air-to-air and air- to-ground. Pressing [Backspace] changes the active AG station. If [Return] is pressed, then the AA/AG switch is turned and the first AA weapon is selected. Pressing [Return] further changes the active AA station. This station must be changed using the keyboard. The switch is on the screen for show. AIR-TO-AIR WEAPONS It is assumed that you have selected the weapon type you want to fire. See the Multiple Weapon Selection Panel above.Remember that the following only applies to the F-4 Phantom. The A-6 Intruder carries no air-to-air weapons. AIM-7 Sparrow Purpose The AIM-7 Sparrow is a radar-guided anti-aircraft missile for use at long range only. If you are expected to confirm your target before firing, you may be too close to use this weapon. Maximum range at low (0 - 10,000 ft) altitude: 14 NM Minimum range at low (0 - 10,000 ft) altitude: 2 NM Head-on Stern Maximum range at high (10,000+ ft) altitude: 7-8.6 NM 3 NM Minimum range at high (10,000+ ft) altitude: 2 NM 1 NM Selection Press [Return] until AIM 7 comes up in the display box, the RADAR light comes on, and the circle appears on the radar screen. Aiming Steer to keep the blip on the radar screen within the circle. When you get the captain's bars to appear around the blip,then you have locked on. Press [Spacebar] to release the missile. Continue to point at the bandit and the missile should lock & guide. The bandit must be illuminated by the 65 degree cone of the fighter's radar the entire time that the missile is flying Generally fire in pairs to improve PK (Probability of Kill). During a Sparrow kill you willhave your head inside the cockpit for much of the time. Notes The Sparrow is 12 feet long, has an 8 inch diameter and a 3 feet 4 inch fin span.It takes 4 seconds to lock on to a target and 1.5 seconds to release. It can accelerate to more than 1,200 mph in 2.5 seconds. It takes 40 seconds to cross 40 NM. The Sparrow had a disappointing 10% kill rate in Vietnam. It was virtually useless below 8,000 ft. AIM-9 Sidewinder Purpose Sidewinders are heat seeking missiles used in AirToAir combat with a useful range of about two miles.Although hits have been recorded at seven mile range, this is not probable since a strong heat-source is required for tracking. Selection Press [Return] until AIM 9 appears in the display box,the HEAT light comes on, and the circle appears on the radar screen. Aiming Follow the same general tactics as described for the Sparrow. However,you are fitted with an early version of the Sidewinder so you don't have its current all-aspect firing capability. Maneuver the aircraft to get on the bandit's tail. You should get a lock at a range of two miles. Press [Spacebar] to fire the missile. Generally fire in pairs to improve PK. Notes Like the Sparrows, the Sidewinders had a disappointing kill ratio in Vietnam. Among their problems were an inclination to lock onto the sun if it was in their way and a penchant for losing targets against ground heat sources. For this simulation, you can choose how effective your Sidewinders are with the OPTIONS menu. "Easy Targets" Sidewinder is an all-aspect weapon. "Medium Targets" F-4 pilot must point at the bandit's rear quarter to get a lock on. "Hard Targets" Missile must continue to point at bandit's rear to maintain lock. If the target plane turns to face the missile the missile loses its lock. Guns and Rockets Purpose The gun and rockets can be used for air-to-air and air-to- ground attacks, though the rockets are really meant for air-to ground attacks. Although one or two unwary MiGs were shot down by rockets, they are nowhere near as accurate as the gun. Rockets are further described under air-to-ground weapons. Selection Since the gun is either an A-A or A-G weapon, you can press either [Return] or [Backspace] until Guns comes up in the display box, and the GUN light comes on. Aiming Guns should only be selected when the target is in visible range. Find your target with the threat indicator and any reports you receive from Red Crown and your wingman.When it is within 800 yards, you have a chance of hitting it. You have no instruments to help you. Just fill the screen with the MiG and press [Spacebar]. Unless you are right on top of the bandit,be sure to aim where you think he will be, not where he is when you shoot. Notes The Phantom you are flying is equipped with a M61A1 internally mounted rotary cannon. This gun, which fires at a rate of 100 rounds/second, was fitted to the Air Force's F-4E. Navy F-4J's carried the M61A1 in a gun pod if they carried any gun at all. However, we felt that if you are playing an air-to-air simulation, you should have the joy of blasting enemy aircraft with your gun. Certainly a lot of Navy pilots wished they had one. If you want the real feel of being a Navy pilot in an F-4J, don't use the gun. Alternately, select "Limited Arms" from the OPTIONS menu (the default selection for players flying as Lt. Commander, Commander and Captain) and your ammunition readout will show that you have no ammunition for the gun. However, this also restricts the number of missiles & other stores you can carry. BOMBING MISSIONS Intruder Missions Since the Intruder is an all-weather low-level bomber, most of its deployment was in system drops at night and/or in filthy weather. Many of its drops were at low level (500 ft) at about 500 KTS and consisted entirely of following the DIANE steering instructions. Normal Strike Missions These would usually just be a section of one or two aircraft with no covering fighters (who couldn't operate well in those conditions, anyway). These were not flown to Hanoi or the Haiphong docks but usually to Vinh or some isolated target. If the target could actually be acquired visually, the Intruders would dive bomb in pairs. Alpha Strike If an Alpha Strike is called, all operational aircraft on the carrier go to divide the enemy's firepower. These are usually day strikes, and everything is dropped in 60 seconds. All attackers dive bomb: the lead rolls, then everybody follows at two-second intervals so everybody is slightly offset. Dive Bombing The secret of dive bombing is all in where you put the cross hairs or, in the case of the Phantom, the gun circle. On the Intruder, the center is 1.5 mils (milliradians) diameter. The lines are 1.5 mils wide. A mil is 1 foot in 1,000 feet. So, as a rule of thumb on a 45 degree dive at 6,000 feet, you can see a ten foot diameter circle on the ground. Using this technique, you should be able to get a bomb close enough to almost any target to be successful. Stephen Coonts' Technique Roll out at 15,000 feet. Go into a 40 degree dive - look at gyro. Pickle the target at 6,000 feet - 500 KTS. The aircraft datum line (ADL) is an imaginary baseline extending from the nose of the plane toward your direction of travel. There is no instrument to show it. Set the mils setting to 115 mils to account for the bombsight's optical displacement from the ADL. Coming out of the roll, wings level, point at the target with the ADL. Make correction for wind - no jinking from now on. Need 1g flight on release. Cross hairs track towards the target; release when the cross hairs are on target - except for wind correction. BOMBING TECHNIQUES There are three methods for bombing using iron bombs that haven't changed in basic construction (although now more potent) since World War II. Only two of the methods are available for the Phantom, direct and dive toss; DIANE is also available for the Intruder. Using DIANE The DIANE is the heart of the A-6. It is both a navigational and a bombing device. In operation, the radar screen of the A-6 looks like the picture to the right. The tripod indicates the direction the the next waypoint. Think of it as the highway ahead of you on a trip. If the centerline moves away from straight ahead, turn the plane to follow the centerline. The original manual mentions a line running across the screen, the horizon line, but I cannot get it to appear on the ST version of the game - however, I will leave in the references to it just in case. The lines at the left, right and top edges of the screen indicate the positions of the wings and tail - as you can see, the aircraft is flying straight and level in this picture. When the square at the top of the tripod moves off the bottom of the screen, press [;] to set the DIANE for the next waypoint. When ATTACK appears at the bottom of the screen, you're at the target. Press [7] to go to the Weapon Select Screen. Select whatever Iron bombs you are carrying with [Backspace], select Ripple for the bomb release method with the [9] on the numeric keypad, and DIANE for your bomb release method with [1] on the numeric keypad. Dive toward the target from 10,000 - 15,000 feet or fly level at that height. The square at the top of the tripod fills in and follows the picture on the radar screen. At the same time, a horizontal bar appears on the right side of the screen (see Figure 2). When that bar hits the bottom of the screen, hit [Spacebar]. Note that the horizon line has disappeared from the screen. This is because the plane is diving on the Figure 1. Approach target. If the plane was keeping a level approach, the horizon line might still be on the screen. However, the tripod would be focused on the target because its function is to show the point the plane is going to, not the direction of the plane's travel. You can see the horizontal bar on this picture; it tells you when to release the bombs (see above). This picture was taken about 5-10 seconds before bomb release; 3 of the 5 bombs I released hit the target in this case - and the hospital building going off the bottom right corner of the screen was untouched. God, I'm just so cool... Coolhand Alien, that's me! Figure 2 Using Direct This method is very difficult and takes a great deal of practice. The simplest way is a straight approach toward the target. Before starting the attack, you need to choose the release parameters: speed, height and angle of dive. From this selection, you can find the mil setting in the tables shown below. For instance, for 450 KTS, and altitude of 9,000 feet and a dive angle of 60 degrees, the mil setting is 119. In the cockpit the mil setting is achieved using [I] and [M]. [Shift] can be used in conjunction with these keys for a faster change. As the keys are pressed, you should see the aiming sight in the simple HUD (Head-Up Display) move up and down. The actual mil reading is shown on the display below the radar screen. When you are not using this method of bombing, the display reads "0." Set the mils as shown in the example above. Approach the target at about 9,500 feet and a speed of 400-420 KTS. If using keyboard flight controls, use the sensitivity keys, [F3] and [F4],to change the sensitivity to maximum. When the range figure in the upper right of the screen hits one mile, push the stick forward quickly and get the sights on the target. Coordination is needed here because you must hit [Spacebar] when the sight is on the target, the altitude is 9,000 feet, the speed is 450 KTS, and the dive angle is 60 degrees. The dive angle should be taken care of by diving at a range of one mile.Direct attack is difficult and easy to miss by many feet, so it is a good idea to ripple the bombs to get the best chance to hit your target. Practice this many times at junior officer levels before trying it with all the complications of higher level play. Using Dive-Toss The setup for dive toss is very similar to direct dive-bombing. Circle the target at 10,000 - 15,000 ft and then turn and dive towards the target. When your wings are brought level after turning towards the target, point directly at the target. The bombsight should be directly over the target. Press [Spacebar] and pull up. The bombs are released automatically. MIL DETERMINATION TABLES Direct Bomb Mil Settings - Free Fall Speed: 450 KTS Height (feet) DIVE ANGLE +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ |000's| 60 | 55 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 10 | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ | 1 | 42 | 48 | 53 | 58 | 63 | 67 | 72 | 78 | 86 | 98 | 114 | | 2 | 55 | 64 | 72 | 80 | 89 | 98 | 108 | 119 | 134 | 152 | 175 | | 3 | 67 | 78 | 88 | 100 | 111 | 124 | 137 | 153 | 172 | --- | --- | | 4 | 77 | 90 | 103 | 117 | 131 | 146 | 164 | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 5 | 87 | 102 | 117 | 133 | 149 | 167 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 6 | 96 | 112 | 129 | 147 | 165 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 7 | 104 | 122 | 141 | 160 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 8 | 112 | 131 | 151 | 172 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 9 | 119 | 140 | 161 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10 | 125 | 147 | 170 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 11 | 132 | 155 | 179 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 12 | 138 | 162 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 13 | 143 | 168 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 14 | 149 | 175 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 15 | 154 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ Direct Bomb Mil Settings - Free Fall Speed: 500 KTS Height (feet) DIVE ANGLE +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ |000's| 60 | 55 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 10 | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ | 1 | 39 | 45 | 49 | 53 | 57 | 61 | 65 | 69 | 76 | 85 | 100 | | 2 | 50 | 58 | 65 | 72 | 79 | 87 | 95 | 105 | 117 | 133 | 154 | | 3 | 60 | 70 | 79 | 89 | 99 | 109 | 121 | 135 | 151 | 171 | --- | | 4 | 69 | 81 | 92 | 104 | 116 | 129 | 144 | 161 | --- | --- | --- | | 5 | 78 | 91 | 104 | 118 | 132 | 148 | 164 | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 6 | 86 | 100 | 115 | 130 | 147 | 164 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 7 | 93 | 109 | 125 | 142 | 160 | 179 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 8 | 100 | 117 | 135 | 153 | 173 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 9 | 106 | 125 | 144 | 163 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10 | 112 | 132 | 152 | 173 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 11 | 118 | 139 | 160 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 12 | 124 | 145 | 168 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 13 | 129 | 151 | 175 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 14 | 134 | 157 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 15 | 139 | 163 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ Direct Bomb Mil Settings - Retarded Fall Speed: 450 KTS Height (feet) DIVE ANGLE +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ |000's| 60 | 55 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 10 | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ | 1 | 98 | 110 | 120 | 128 | 134 | 137 | 140 | 141 | 143 | 147 | 155 | | 2 | 110 | 125 | 138 | 149 | 159 | 168 | 176 | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 3 | 121 | 138 | 153 | 168 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 4 | 130 | 149 | 167 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 5 | 139 | 160 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 6 | 147 | 169 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 7 | 154 | 178 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 8 | 161 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 9 | 168 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10 | 173 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 11 | 179 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 12 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 13 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 14 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 15 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ Direct Bomb Mil Settings - Retarded Fall Speed: 500 KTS Height (feet) DIVE ANGLE +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ |000's| 60 | 55 | 50 | 45 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 10 | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ | 1 | 96 | 107 | 116 | 123 | 128 | 131 | 132 | 132 | 131 | 133 | 139 | | 2 | 106 | 119 | 131 | 141 | 150 | 157 | 163 | 169 | 176 | --- | --- | | 3 | 115 | 130 | 145 | 157 | 169 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 4 | 123 | 140 | 157 | 172 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 5 | 131 | 150 | 168 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 6 | 138 | 158 | 178 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 7 | 144 | 166 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 8 | 150 | 174 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 9 | 156 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10 | 162 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 11 | 167 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 12 | 172 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 13 | 176 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 14 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 15 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ AIR-TO-GROUND WEAPONS Both aircraft carry the following weapons and use them in the same way. AGM-45A Shrike Purpose The Shrike homes in on active radar, making it ideal for attacking AAA and SAM radar targeting and control centers. Selection Press [Backspace] until AGM 45A comes up in the display box.On the F-4, the ARM light comes on as well. Aiming When an empty red box appears on the threat indicator, it is a ground threat; in addition,the threat displays should have the MISSILE or AAA light flashing. A click can be heard every time the number of dots on the threat indicator changes. Get the blip on the threat indicator to 12 o'clock. The Shrike will lock after about five seconds. When the LOCK light comes on, use [Spacebar] to release the missile. The missile will guide itself unless the radar station stops transmitting. Notes Canny Vietnamese AA operator will turn off their radar if they think a Shrike has been launched at them. (This happens at the "High Enemy Activity" setting on the OPTIONS menu.) A Shrike will not always destroy a site. It is good practice to follow up, while the site is quiet,with a Walleye or a ripple of iron bombs. You can even strafe with guns or rockets. AGM-78 Standard Purpose The Standard homes in on random radar and continues on its set flight path when the radar turns off. Selection Press [Backspace] until AGM 78 comes up in the display box. On the F-4, the ARM light comes on too. Aiming See AGM-45A above. Notes Vietnamese AA operators how turned off their radars were very surprised when these smart bomb continued to glide in on their already-established path. Again, it is always a good idea to follow up with bombs, guns or rockets. AGM-62 Walleye Purpose The Hughes Walleye is a small laser-guided missile. It can be relied on to hit its target if used correctly, but it is not particularly big and cannot be relied on to take out a large or hard target. Selection Press [Backspace]until WALLEYE comes up in the display box and (A-6 only) a camera view appears on the radar screen. Aiming Point the aircraft in the direction of the target. In the A-6, you should see the target on the radar screen. This is a TV view, as the camera is located in the nose of the missile. The F-4 does not show this. The A-6 has two modes of operation for the Walleye: (1) Fixed Sight and (2) Variable Sight. Toggle between them by pressing [T]. Fixed Sight provides cross hairs on the TV screen that match wherever the cross hairs on the HUD are placed. The only exception is that the TV screen cross hair cannot be drawn above the horizon. Therefore, as you climb, the cross hair is pushed down the screen.This means that you should not shoot as the solution is unreliable. Point the aircraft at the target so that the cross hairs overlay the target. Press [Spacebar]. The LOCKED light should come on and the figures on the screen show the range and bearing to the target. If you are not satisfied with the lock, press [X] to release the lock. See Part III for an example of a Walleye attack using the fixed sight method. Variable Sight gives you HUD and TV cross hairs that do not match. The TV cross hair is locked to a point on the ground.As the aircraft moves, the cross hair continues to overlay the point on the ground. The point the cross hair is locked to can be changed with the following keys. Move up screen [I] Move left [J] Move right [L] Move down screen [M] Using [Shift] with these keys speeds up the motion. When the cross hairs overlay the target, switch on the master arm with [7] on the numeric keypad and press [Spacebar]. The first time you press [Spacebar] "pickles" the target by locking the radar onto it. The LOCKED light below the radar screen lights up. Press [Spacebar] a second time to fire the missile at its target. In the F-4 The ARM light comes on and there is no camera picture. The F-4 essentially uses a fixed sight, your HUD gunsight.The radar is useless for sighting. On the F-4, the same LOCK light you use with the Sparrow also lights up with the Walleye. However, if the F-4 does not have a target to lock on, it shoots the missile when you first press [Spacebar], so be sure of your target. LGB Paveway Purpose The Paveway is a laser-guided bomb (LGB). It consists of a laser sensor attached to a MK84 (see below).It is very similar to the Walleye except that it is a bomb, not a missile. It packs a greater punch but must be released over the target. Selection Press [Backspace]until PAVEWAY comes up in the display box and a camera view appears on the radar screen. On the F-4, the ARM light comes on. Aiming The aiming method is virtually identical to that used for the Walleye. The A-6 has the same two methods of aiming. The Paveway packs a much bigger punch than the Walleye, but the Walleye is easier to aim. This is because the Paveway does not have any propulsion & therefore can only maneuever in a small envelope. Thus, you must dive more steeply over your target when using the Paveway. The harder the targets you select on the OPTIONS menu, the higher the dive angle you must attain before releasing this weapon. Notes While the method of shooting the Paveway is identical to the Walleye for shooting purposes, the actual method of target designation is different. When Paveway is selected, a friendly plane illuminates the target with laser light. The pilot must release the bomb so that it can pick up the reflected light from the target. This is called "getting the bomb down the chute" or "in the basket." The need to get a friendly to illuminate, or "paint," the target, is simulated in the game with the LOCKED light. If the LOCKED light is on,the illuminating plane has done its job and the bomb will guide. If your wingman has been shot down, you will not get a LOCKED light. Paveways released without the LOCKED light will act like the iron bombs described below. LAU-3A ZUNI Rockets Purpose Rockets are meant to put a lot of firepower into a relatively small area at once. They can be used against personnel and lightly armed vehicles, but have no penetration against tanks. Selection Since rockets are considered air-to-ground weapons, press [Backspace] until LAU 3A comes up in the display box, and on the F-4, the ARM light comes on and the circle disappears on the radar screen. Aiming Because rockets have an effective range of about one mile,only select them when you have a target in visual range. To aim, rockets can be treated the same as a gun.Just aim the plane at the target and press [Spacebar]. If the target is moving, lead it. Notes The LAU-3A rocket pod holds 19 folding fin aircraft rockets (FFAR). They are usually fired in burst of four or five. While they are considered an air-to-ground weapon, there is nothing to stop you from letting some fly in the direction of a bandit. As an A-6 pilot you could certainly give a MiG a surprise.If a couple of rockets hit a MiG, they could bring it down. Iron Bombs Purpose Iron bombs have changed little since World War II.The size has increased and some sophistication has been added (such as the Snakeye's retarded fall), but essentially the iron bomb still falls from the airplane with nothing influencing its motion but gravity and wind drag. Selection Press [Backspace] until either MK82, MK82S, MK83, MK84 or CBU-52 comes up in the display box. On the F-4, the ARM light comes on. Toggle [1] on the numeric keypad to select the bombing mode of DIANE, Direct or Dive Toss. Toggle [9] on the numeric keypad to select either Single or Ripple release. Aiming MK82, MK83, MK84, MK82S (Snakeyes) and CBU-52s can be released Single or Ripple. Ripple means all weapons on a station are released at one second intervals. The following bomb release methods are available: DIANE A-6 only Direct A-6 and F-4 Dive Toss A-6 and F-4 See above, 'BOMBING TECHNIQUES', for directions on using these methods. Notes The MK82 is the standard all-purpose free-fall 500 lb bomb and still has many uses - especially in rapid-release mode. The MK83 is the standard ordnance 1,000 lb bomb. For best results release around 7,000 ft while diving at 45 degrees. The MK84 is a general purpose 2,000 lb bomb giving a high PK. It should be released at over 2,000 feet to avoid being hit by the effects of the blast. The MK82S Snakeye is a retarded free-fall version of the MK82 all-purpose bomb for use in low-level attacks. Metal 'petals' on the end of the bomb spring open after release to act as a large airbrake, slowing down the bomb to let the aircraft that dropped it clear the target area before the explosions begin. CBU-52 Cluster Bomb Units are actually containers of several smaller bombs that scatter and explode, making it an ideal weapon for personnel-intensive areas such as SAM sites. They are commonly used by Wild Weasel attacks after a Shrike or Standard has silenced the radar installation. Single or Ripple: Select Ripple for soft targets spread over a large area. Choose Single when pinpoint, accurate bombing is required. On hearing the bombs release, press [Q] to go to missile view. You will then see the bombs fly towards the target. Correct Approach: You can approach the target directly and point the nose at the target by pushing forward on the stick to drop the nose of the aircraft. In reality, this creates negative g's and can cause a "redout"in which the pilot has no control of the aircraft. This can be simulated by selecting "Blackout/Redout On" from the OPTIONS menu. To avoid this redout problem, a bomber pilot will normally circle the target, go into a 135 degree roll, pull back on the stick and then straighten up to point down at the target. ______________________________________________________________________________ PART IX: CARRIER LANDINGS ...like trying to land an elephant on a postage stamp! - Common saying of carrier pilots Landing on an aircraft carrier is a difficult task at best. It requires alertness and concentration - just the thing at the end of a trying mission. Some say it doesn't matter where the bombs go,but you'd better get the landing right. Everybody is watching and you get marked. In this simulation, you get real marks for each manual landing. (There is no mark for taking the easy way out and using "End Mission" from the FILE menu or the autopilot to land the plane.) If you land the plane manually, you get one of three marks displayed in brackets under the title "Duty Pilot Landings" at the Debriefing screen: Green OK Speed and orientation good on touchdown Black No comment Speed and orientation not dangerous Red Dangerous Hook or gear up on touchdown or bad landing If you are having a bad day or if your aircraft is damaged, call for the net ([Shift] [H] for "Help"). This is a barrier erected over the wires to stop an aircraft which cannot hook an arrestor wire. If you go for the net, you do not get a landing mark. INSTRUMENTATION TO HELP WITH LANDING The Meatball Press [F7] (the ACLS key) to activate the "meatball." This is a prominent column on the port (left) side of the carrier with two fixed horizontal green lights and one moveable vertical yellow light. If the yellow light is in line with the green lights, then you are on the glide slope and you are descending at the required pitch of 3 degrees. If the yellow light is above the green ones, then you are above the glide slope. If the yellow light is below the green ones, then you are below the glide slope. AOA Indexer The AOA Indexer is a column on the left of the aircraft optical sight. It is activated by pressing [F7]. There are three lights: a downward arrow at the top, a circle in the middle, and an upward arrow at the bottom. The circle is illuminated if your approach speed is correct. Correct approach speed for the F-4 is 156 KTS, for the A-6 its 118 KTS. If the top light is illuminated, then you are going too slow. If both the top and center lights are on, then your approach speed is a little too slow. This means that your angle of attack (closely related to speed) is out by half a unit. The bottom light indicates that your speed is too high. If you have pressed [F7] and no light is on, you are coming in at an uncorrectable speed. Go around and try again. Indexing AOA to Pitch Nose too high, speed too low. If you are using an outside view to watch your plane land, you can tell if you are too fast or too slow by the approach pitch of the plane. If the nose Perfect approach. is too high, you are not going fast enough to keep your tail up. To compensate, speed up. If the nose is too low, you are going too fast to drop your hook Nose too low, speed too high. properly. Slow down. >> Press [F7] to activate the AOA Indexer and ACLS (see below). GETTING HOME Manually Use [F5] or [F6] to go to an outside view and toggle [Shift] [;] until the waypoint entry says "Carrier." You will see the distance and bearing to the carrier from your current heading (this is known as the offset). Change your heading to match the bearing. By Autopilot Turn off the autopilot, go to an outside screen and use [;] to toggle the waypoints to "Land." Then turn the autopilot on again. This only works for the A-6; an F-4 in autopilot continues to chase bandits instead of going home. Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS) Indicator The ACLS Indicator assists you when making an instrument landing (called "following the needle"). The ACLS has two principal components: the Glide Slope Deviation (GSD) scale and the Localizer Deviation (LD) scale. The GSD scale indicates the extent to which you are above or below the "landing beam" (an imaginary beam ----+---- projected from the flight deck). The higher you are above the beam, the lower the GSD scale. The scale is centered when the landing approach is correct. | The LD scale indicates the extent to which you are to | the left or right of the deck. If you are left of the + flight deck, the LD scale will be to the right of | center, and vice versa. The scale is centered when the | landing approach is correct. You need to control two additional parameters for a perfect landing: angle of attack and heading (see above). PRACTICE LANDINGS >> Select CAG Briefing. This brings up the target selection screen. >> Press [L] and use [Backspace] or [Delete] to erase the operation name shown. Type in TESTLAND at the dialog box. This is a shortened mission which takes you away from the carrier and then brings you back to do the required circuit before automatically landing. Ignore the "Error: No Target" message. You are here for practice, not a score. First, play this mission through on automatic to see the circuit. >> Put the aircraft on accelerated mode until is heading back towards the carrier. You should see the carrier at about 8 miles. The aircraft will fly over the carrier,drop the landing gear and break left. A course of 270 degrees is then achieved, and the carrier should be seen on the left. When the starboard escort frigate is just still visible in the left side view, the flaps are lowered and the aircraft turns toward the carrier.When the aircraft has lined up the approach, the hook is lowered. During the final approach on automatic, note the ACLS, the meatball, the heading on the radar screen, etc. Stay in the outside view [F5] for the landing and you should see the arrestor wire engage. Now try a manual landing. You can turn to manual at any part of a circuit by pressing [A] to disengage the autopilot. Initially, it is a good idea to just practice the final approach. >> You will need a combination of stick and RPM adjustments to: Keep the meatball's lights in line. Keep the ACLS lights centered into a perfect cross. Keep the speed correct(118 KTS for the A-6 and 154 KTS for the F-4). Keep the pitch correct. >> If the meatball lights are in line and your pitch is 3 deg. (as shown on the AOA Indexer or the radar screen), then you are in good shape. When you drop your landing gear, your viewpoint out of the front of the cockpit looks lower. This gives you a viewpoint more in common with what a carrier pilot is actually looking at when making a carrier landing. Some Useful Data In the A-6 the landing speed is 118 KTS. The carrier's combined speed and windspeed across the deck is 40 KTS (on a good day) so the relative speed is 78 KTS. To achieve 118 KTS, power down to 80% RPM and use airbrakes. When the desired speed is obtained, increase the RPM back to 88%. On the RPM dial,80% is at the 6 o'clock position. The VSI (Vertical Speed Indicator) should be 650 ft/min. From this data we can produce the following table: Miles Out Desired Height 1 575 feet 2 1075 feet 3 1575 feet etc. ______________________________________________________________________________ PART XI: THE NAVAL AIR WAR OVER VIETNAM A SUMMARY BY GILMAN LOUIE The Gulf of Tonkin The war in Vietnam on August 2, 1964 when F-8E Crusaders from the USS Ticonderoga attacked North Vietnamese P-4 patrol boats off Hon Me Island. The North Vietnamese PT boats had attacked the U.S. destroyer Maddox (DD-731), possibly confusing the destroyer with one of the South Vietnamese patrol boats which had earlier shelled a radar station on Hon Me Island and a radio transmitter on Hon Ngu Island. After the Maddox fired three warning shots, the Vietnamese craft launched torpedoes.All shots missed. After taking machine gun fire, the Maddox radioed for air support. Four F-8E Crusaders intercepted the patrol boats and sank one of the P-4 boats with gunfire and Zuni rockets. On the night of August 4, 1964, 73 servicemen were either killed or injured when the Brink Hotel Bachelor Officer's Quarter in Saigon was bombed. The President authorized Operation Flaming Dart One, which targeted enemy barracks at Dong Hoi and Vit Thu Lu. The Communists responded by bombing the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at Qhi Nhon on February 10, 1965, which killed or wounded 44 U.S. personnel. Again, the U.S. retaliated the next day with Flaming Dart Two which attacked the Chanh barracks. Action brought reaction. Targets and mission profiles were approved in Washington before each mission. Targets were assigned by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) with approval from the President and Secretary of Defense. On February 13, 1965 President Johnson authorized operation Rolling Thunder. Rolling Thunder tasked both the Navy and Air Force with bombing missions north of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) to the outskirts of Hanoi. The goal of Rolling Thunder was to force North Vietnam to the peace table by demonstrating U.S. firepower and threatening their capital. The object was to bomb military targets and to avoid civilian or foreign casualties. U.S. Admiral Grant Sharp said, "It [Rolling Thunder] does not seek to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. Instead, it is a precise application of military pressure for the specific purpose of halting aggression in South Vietnam." Rules of Engagement Rules of Engagement were established to control the conflict.Only targets that had been pre-approved could be bombed. Targets would be submitted to the Pentagon, and they would recommend the targets to the JCS and the Secretary of Defense. Only the President could officially add targets to the list. The number of sorties and mission profiles, including the type of ordnance, was decided in Washington. This elaborate approval process was designed to control and limit the conflict by placing control in Washington rather than with the local commanders. This policy failed. The Rules of Engagement frustrated the naval aviators. Several rules were established. Aircraft were not allowed to bomb secondary strike targets. All unexpended ordnance had to be jettisoned at sea rather than on targets. Surface-to-air missile sites could not be attack while under construction for fear of hurting Soviet advisors. Enemy aircraft could not be bombed while on the ground unless they were taking off. No aircraft could be attacked unless positive visual identification was made, yet the Navy's principal fighter, the F-4 Phantom, was designed as a beyond-visual-range interceptor and had no internal gun. Harbors could not be mined;ships carrying war supplies could not be bombed. Aircrews also could not attack military targets such as AAA (Anti- Aircraft Artillery) batteries on farms, rice paddies or dikes; military supply trucks parked on civilian sites; or SAM batteries within 10 miles of Hanoi. If a mission was cancelled due to weather or a change in operations, the entire authorization process had to be repeated. To make matters worse, ship commanders during the early phases of the war competed with each other to see which ship could launch the most sorties (missions). If one ship flew 125 sorties in one day, another ship tried to launch 130 sorties the next day. So instead of loading up planes with full loads to bomb several targets in one mission, several flights of planes would be launched with only one or two bombs in order to keep up the number of required sorties. Many pilots and Radar Intercept Officers (RIOs) lost their lives as others played the numbers game. As one pilot put it, "It's crazy to let politicians run a war... It's like having the military run a country." The Threat Grows By the spring of 1965, the air war really began to heat up. Operation Rolling Thunder was under way, and the United States was dropping an average of 800 tons of ordnance a day. Instead of buckling under, the North Vietnamese raised the ante by adding two new air defense weapons to its already effective AAA, the MiG and the SAM (surface-to-air missile). On April 4, 1965 the first conclusive air combat took place over Vietnam when two Air Force F-105s were shot down by MiG-17s. Then on April 5, a USS Coral Sea RF-8A reconnaissance plane positively identified the construction of the first surface-to-air missile site. The photos revealed the construction of a Soviet built SA-2 Guideline missile site 15 miles southeast of Hanoi. The SA-2 was a two stage anti-aircraft missile capable of intercepting and destroying aircraft at altitudes of over 60,000 feet. The commander of Task Force 77, Rear Admiral Edward Outlaw, along with the commander of the 7th AirForce in Saigon wanted to strike the SAM site quickly. Because of the Rules of Engagement, however, he was not allowed to without first going through the chain of command.A joint Air Force and Navy plan would destroy all of the sites under construction was submitted, but permission was never given by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On July 24, 1965 an Air Force F-4C was shot down by a SA-2 while flying target combat air patrol during an attack on the Lang Chi munitions factory. The SAMs were now operational. The President authorized a single retaliatory strike on July 27th against two specific SAM sites (sites 6 and 7) near Hanoi. One site was destroyed, but the cost was four Air Force F-105s and one RF-101C. The Navy lost its first plane, an A-4E, to a SAM on the night of August 11th. The Navy was authorized to retaliate on August 13, 1965. Seventy-six low-level anti-SAM missions ("Iron Hand") were launched on that Black Friday. Five planes were shot down by enemy guns, two pilots were killed, and seven planes were damaged. No SAM sites were discovered or destroyed. Enter the Intruder The Grumman A-6A Intruder is a two-seat subsonic attack aircraft capable of delivering 16,800 pounds of ordnance at ranges of over 1,500 miles in any kind of weather, day or night. Until Vietnam, the A-6 with its multimillion dollar advanced radar and computer systems was untested.Many experts had doubts as to the ability of the A-6 to deliver its payload. In July 1965 the VA-75 Attack Squadron aboard the USS Independence, better known as the Sunday Punchers, was the first Air Wing to receive the Intruder. The first mission of the Sunday Punchers was to take the Intruder to targets south of Hanoi. This was the first Vietnam mission flown entirely by radar. Over the next several weeks, the A-6A proved its ability to hit its target in any kind of weather or time of day. The introduction of the A-6 gave the Navy its first attack aircraft that could overcome the terrible monsoons the Vietnamese weather delivered in the Tonkin Gulf. The A-6 was so effective that Radio Hanoi claimed that American B-52 heavy bombers had attacked the Uong Bi power plants under the cover of night with 26 bombers. In reality the raid was carried out by only two Intruders. The Intruder was used not only as a bomber but also served as a SAM suppressor in the "Iron Hand" missions. The A-6 was an effective attack aircraft, but it did come at a cost. Fifty-one Intruders were shot down in Vietnam, and the plane suffered one of the worst combat loss rates in the Navy, trailing only the propeller driven A-1 and the single-seat light attack A-4 Skyhawk in loss to flight ratio. The main threats to the A-6 were small arms fire and anti-aircraft automatic weapons. Iron Hand As the war continued, the United States began to develop new tactics to deal with the growing number of North Vietnamese threats.To counter the growing SAM threat,the Navy developed an operation called "Iron Hand" to suppress the SA-2 surface-to-air missiles.These anti-SAM sorties were first flown from July 1965 to August 1965. Initially, these missions proved very costly to the U.S.. Several Iron Hand planes were shot down by the SAMs and even more were destroyed by AAA fire. It wasn't until October 17, 1965 that the Navy bagged its first confirmed destruction of a SAM site near Kep Air Base. It took time for the Navy to develop adequate Iron Hand tactics. At first, planes attempted to come in below 3,000 feet to avoid the high flying SAMs.The problem was that the flight became extremely vulnerable to small arms fire and AAA.Another problem with coming in low was that the planes did not have enough energy (speed) when they had to pop-up for their attack runs. This made the attacking plane a sitting duck for AAA and small arms fire as the plane seemed to hang in mid-air as it popped up for its attack. In March 1966, the Iron Hand operations became truly effective. With the introduction of the AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missile, the Navy had its first real anti-SAM weapon. The Shrike followed the radar beam being emitted from a SAM site. The installation of radar warning equipment (AN/APR-25 RHAW) in the aircraft along with jammers (AN/ALQ-81 ECM) and chaff dispensers (AN/ALE-29A) allowed the American planes to dive in at medium altitudes. An even more effective anti-SAM missile,the Standard, was introduced in May 1968; it was bigger, had a longer range, and was less susceptible to being fooled. The Iron Hand missions greatly reduced the effectiveness of the SAMs. MiGCAP The air war in Vietnam was mainly an air-to-ground affair. MiGCAP (MiG Combat Air Patrol) was an operation mainly flown by F-4 Phantom IIs from the larger Forrestal and later class carriers and by F-8 Crusaders off of the smaller Essex and Midway class carriers.(The Midway and Coral Sea had F-4 Squadrons as well). For many, MiGCAP was a boring mission since most of the action was air- to-ground. But MiGCAP was needed to defend the attack aircraft against the MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21. When the MiGs were up, things got hot. The F-4 Phantom II was a Mach 2.5 multi-purpose interceptor and is regarded by many as the best all-round aircraft flown in Vietnam (though Navy F-8 drivers might try to argue this with you). The Navy versions, unlike the Air Force F- 4E, did not have an internal gun. All of the Navy's MiG kills in the F-4 were done exclusively with missiles. The F-4 mainly carried two types of air-to-air missiles:the medium range radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow and the short range AIM-9 Sidewinder. The AIM-7 Sparrow was designed to intercept and destroy aircraft at distances beyond visual range (up to 14 miles).The Radar Intercept Officer (RIO), or GIB (Guy In Back), would lock onto targets with his radar and launch an AIM-7 at his prey. The F-4 must keep its radar on the target in order to guide the missile until the point of contact. Because the Rules of Engagement required aircraft to be positively identified (which usually meant visually within two miles), the effectiveness of the AIM-7 was greatly reduced.The AIM-7 accounted for only ten of the Navy Phantom's 41 kills. Only one Sparrow out of every twelve launched found its target. The AIM-9 Sidewinder accounted for the other 31 MiG kills by Phantom drivers. The AIM-9 is a heat-seeking missile with approximately a two mile range. A pilot had to approach his targets rear end in order for the missile to lock on the heat signature of the MiG's engines. Once launched, the Sidewinder would guide itself towards the target. The Sidewinder was twice as effective as the AIM-7 with a kill every 5.5 launches. The Navy orchestrated large attack group consisting of bombers (A-6 Intruders, A-4 Skyhawks or A-7 Corsair IIs), Combat Air Patrol fighters (F-8 Crusaders or F-4 Phantoms), Flak Suppressors (F-8s or F-4s) and Iron Hands (A-6s, A-4s or F-8s). These flights, which could contain as many as 24 aircraft, became known as Alpha Strike missions. It was this strike package which became the standard formation for hitting targets in North Vietnam. Top Gun From 1965 to 1968, the F-4 Phantom's kill ratio was a lousy 2.6 to 1. The F-4 crews had bagged 13 MiGs and lost five F-4s. The naval aviator had lost his ability to dogfight,especially against the smaller and more maneuverable MiGs. By 1968, things were getting worse with the kill ratio falling below 1 to 1. In 1968 the Naval Air System Command ordered a study to find out why our (?) aviators were being flown out of the skies. The now famous "Ault Report" pointed out three reasons why the kill ratio had suffered. First, the air-to- air missiles did not work as advertised. Second, the Rules of Engagement (ROE) neutralized any advantages our aircraft had and gave limitless advantages to the enemy. Third and most important,our (?!) pilots were poorly trained in air combat maneuvering (ACM) against dissimilar aircraft and tactics. In 1969 a class for Navy F-4 pilots began to correct these deficiencies. Three years later an independent command, the Navy Fighter Weapons School (better known as TOP GUN) was established to train crews in the art of ACM. When the air war heated up again in 1972, TOP GUN F-4 pilots enjoyed a 24 to 2 kill ratio. In addition, no additional Navy attack or reconnaissance aircraft were lost to enemy MiGs. TOP GUN produced the Navy's only aces, Lt. Randy Cunningham and Lt. (j.g.) Willie Driscoll. On May 10, 1972, Cunningham and Driscoll in their F4 shot down three MiGs in one mission including the dreaded enemy ace Col. Toon flying a MiG-17. Col. Toon was credited with downing 13 American jets before meeting Cunningham and Driscoll. The dogfight that took place between these two planes is now legendary. TOP GUN had paid off. Rolling Thunder V The war continued to intensify through 1967 with Operation Rolling Thunder V which began on February 14, 1967. President Johnson authorized attacks against a new list of targets which included mining the Song Ca estuaries and Song Giang rivers in order to close them to barge traffic. He also ordered the bombing of the ports of Cam Pha, Hong Gai and Haiphong. In addition to this, bridges and rail networks were also destroyed,cutting off the steady supply of weapons and fuel to the North Vietnamese. Eventually, Haiphong ran out of ammunition. In 1967 the Navy alone destroyed 30 SAM sites, 187 flak batteries and dropped 955 bridges. In addition, thousands of trains, trucks and watercraft were destroyed.The Navy scored 14 MiG kills and had no less than 11 aircraft carriers on line. Early 1968 saw the North Vietnamese striking back with two large offensives: the Tet offensive and the battle for Khe Sanh. Both efforts were repulsed. On November 1st, after feeling the pressure of the anti-war movement, President Johnson ordered the unilateral halting of bombing north of the 20th parallel except "in the areas where the continuing enemy buildup directly threatens allied forward positions and where the movement of their troops and supplies are clearly related to that threat." President Johnson had hoped that by halting the bombing a peace dialogue between the Communists, the South Vietnamese and the United States could begin. He hoped that the cessation of hostile activities would demonstrate the United State's good faith.In reality, it eased the pressure on Hanoi and Haiphong and allowed the North Vietnamese to rearm. The Communists were committed to their cause. After winning the 1968 presidential election,President Nixon began the gradual withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. On June 8, 1969, the U.S. withdrew 5,000 troops from South Vietnam. Peace talks began in Paris in August 1969. Bombing began in both Laos & Cambodia in an attempt to stop the steady supply of arms to the Viet Cong into South Vietnam. The main targets were trucks and transportation routes along the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. This bombing continued through 1970 with very little success because the supplies needed to be cut off at their source, the harbors. The anti-truck campaign did not halt the transportation of arms since the VietCong found new ways of moving weapons under the cover of night and jungle to avoid the U.S. air raids. Linebacker On March 30, 1972 North Vietnam launched a massive all-out spring offensive across the Demilitarized Zone into South Vietnam. Cease-fire talks in Paris between the President's National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, and the North Vietnamese representative, Le Duc Tho, broke off. Tho felt he had the advantage because of the protests in the United States over the war and, with the new spring offensive, he thought that victory over the south was imminent. In response, on April 7, 1972, President Nixon authorized the Navy, for the first time during the Vietnam war, to mine Haiphong and other North Vietnamese ports. In addition, and all-out effort was made to bomb all of the North's supply lines. B-52s began their first raids over Hanoi and Haiphong on April 17th. The Navy also launched strikes into Hanoi and Haiphong. All traffic stopped, with the exception of that across Chinese borders. Between May and September,the Navy launched an average of 4,000 day and night sorties a month. In that same period of time, the North launched nearly 2,000 SAMs and fired thousands of rounds of AAA, resulting in the destruction of 28 U.S. aircraft. By the end of the campaign, the North ran out of ammunition. Not a single AAA shell nor SAM missile was fired at U.S. aircraft. On October 23, 1972 the Communists asked for a cease-fire. On October 24th,the United States halted bombing above the 20th Parallel as a peace gesture (although bombing of supply lines south of the 20th Parallel continued at an unprecedented rate). Linebacker I had ended. Atfer the bombing stopped, the Communists refused to deal in earnest and used the halt to resupply and rebuild. To make matters worse, the South, after accusing the U.S. of cutting a separate deal with the North, sabotaged the peace discussions by making 69 major changes in the initial peace proposal. Operation Linebacker II commenced on December 18, 1972 when President Nixon resumed the bombing of Hanoi and mining of Haiphong. Nixon was determined to force the North back to the bargaining tables. For the next eleven days, with the exception of Christmas and New Year's Day, aircraft from the America, Enterprise, Midway, Oriskany, Ranger and Saratoga attacked a variety of targets: petroleum, oil and lubricant (POL) storage areas, airfields, SAM and AAA sites, rail, road, shipyards, port facilities, and enemy troop emplacements. All told, the Navy flew 505 day and night sorties against the North in the 11 days. On January 15, 1973 combat operations in the North were halted. On January 27,1973 representatives from the U.S., South Vietnam, North Vietnam and Viet Cong signed the "Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring the Peace in Vietnam." All offensive operations ceased, the mines were removed from Haiphong harbor (Operation Endsweep), and preparations for the return of 144 downed U.S. pilots (Operation Homecoming) were made. Thirty-five aviators had died in captivity. Four months after Congress voted in June 1973 to end all U.S.combat activities in or over Southeast Asia, the North Vietnamese Central Committee adopted a resolution to conduct a revolutionary war to destroy the enemy & liberate the South.Because of the War Powers Resolution Act which made it illegal to commit U.S. forces for more than 60 days without congressional approval, the U.S. did not respond. On April 30, 1975 Saigon, along with all of South Vietnam, fell to the North. The Score U.S. naval combat action officially terminated on August 15th, 1973 when Congress mandated the end of all combat involvement in Southeast Asia. The ten years and five days after the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution cost the Navy the live of 377 naval aviators, 179 prisoners of war and 64 missing in action. Another 205 officers and men had also been lost during major fires aboard three carriers. Operational accidents claimed 316 planes,while 538 aircraft had been lost in combat. Anti-aircraft artillery accounted for 37% of the Navy's aircraft losses, 18% to small arms fire (machine guns and rifles), and 15% to surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Only 2% of the Navy's losses were to MiG interceptors. The Navy used 21 carriers during the Vietnam war and spent a total of 9,178 days in the Gulf of Tonkin. Between the Navy,Marines and Air Force, the United States dropped a total of 7.4 million tons of bombs in Southeast Asia. Between 1964 and 1973, the Navy flew a total of 785,000 fixed-wing combat sorties. The Navy and Marines shot down a total of 61 enemy aircraft of which 59 were MiGs (39 MiG-17s, 2 MiG-19s and 18 MiG-21s).The Navy enjoyed a 56 to 10 fighter vs. fighter score against the North Vietnamese. A WORD ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR The Vietnam War tore America apart. It was an era that pitted young against old, liberal against conservative, poor against rich, and black against white. Over 58,000 Americans died. Another 153,000 were wounded. The Vietnamese lost even more. Today, there are many opinions and viewpoints about the U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. Flight of the Intruder is intended to give you the Naval Aviator's point of view. The Navy lost 377 pilots in Vietnam.For many aviators, the most upsetting part of the war was not the loss of life but the loss of life without purpose. Many pilots were killed attempting to bomb meaningless targets. The Vietnam War became a war of statistics. Sortie, mission, and target counts became more important than the lives of the people who put their lives on the line every day. This game is not intended to glorify the war but is designed to give you a better understanding of the sacrifices we (?) asked our (?) pilots to make. We at Spectrum Holobyte are attempting to give you a very realistic simulation of the era. We want you to appreciate the effects of the rules which we (??) made our (this is too much, since when were they 'our' people, I'm British!) aviators operate under and to appreciate the effectiveness of the North Vietnamese defenses. When you play the game,play it as if you were in a real A-6 or F-4 in Vietnam. When you are hit by a missile or shot out of the sky in the game, understand that if you were an aviator in Vietnam, you would have died. The men who flew in Vietnam did not have the ability to reset the game or turn off the computer They did not have the ability to simply turn off the Rules of Engagement. War, especially the Vietnam War, is not about machines and technology. It's about people and politics. It's about lives and deaths. War is not a game. It should never be reduced again to a collection of statistics. We should never take decision of war lightly and never ask our youth to sacrifice their lives without cause. Perhaps in the future we can live in a world in which we are dedicated to building rather than destroying. This game is dedicated to all those people who sacrificed their lives and who lost their dreams and loved ones in Vietnam. Gilman G. Louie CEO/Chaiman Sphere, Inc. ______________________________________________________________________________ PART XIII: THE KEYBOARD F1 Zoom In F2 Zoom Out F3 Sensitivity Increase F4 Sensitivity Decrease F5 Outside View F6 Tracking View F7 ACLS F8 Satellite View F9 Carrier View F10 Menu Esc Menu 1 Horizontal View Rotate 2 Vertical View Rotate 3 L Back 45 deg. View 4 Left View 5 L Front 45 deg. View 6 Front View 7 R Front 45 deg. View 8 Right View 9 R Back 45 deg. View Alt 1 Reverse Horizontal View Rotate Alt 2 Reverse Vertical View Rotate Shift 1 Section 1 Shift 2 Section 2 Shift 3 Section 3 Shift 4 Section 4 Shift 9 Leader/Wingman Toggle Shift 0 View Unfriendly - Decrease Throttle + Increase Throttle Backspace Air-to-Ground Weapons Select Tab Accelerator Q Missile View E ECM R Radar T Walleye/Paveway Sight Toggle I Walleye Target Setting Up / Increase Mil Setting O Video Reset P Pause [ Look Up ] Look Down Return Air-to-Air Weapons Select Delete Take Photo Shift Tab Accelerator will not shut off if bogey near Shift I Walleye Target Setting Up / Increase Mil Setting by 10 Control E Eject A Autopilot/Manual Weapons S Sound Mode Select F Flaps G Landing Gear H Arrestor Hook J Walleye Target Setting Left L Walleye Target Setting Right ; Increase Waypoint ' Decrease Waypoint Shift A Autopilot/Automatic Weapons Shift H Emergency Net Toggle Shift ; Waypoint Information Toggle Control K Jettison All Stores Control L Catapult Launch X Clear A-G lock C COMED: Map/Radar Toggle V Video Recorder Toggle B Air Brakes M Walleye Target Setting Down / Decrease Mil Setting < Decrease Afterburner > Increase Afterburner / Military Power Shift M Decrease Mil Setting by 10 Control C Jettison Centerline Stores Space Trigger Help Master Arm Undo Single/Ripple Insert Bomb Mode Cursor Up Nose Down Clr/Home Message Review Cursor Left Bank Left Cursor Down Nose Up Cursor Right Bank Right (keypad) / Military Power * Take Photo 7 Master Arm 8 Nose Down 9 Single/Ripple - Decrease Throttle 4 Bank Left 6 Bank Right + Increase Throttle 1 Bomb Mode 2 Nose Up 3 Message Review Enter Air-to-Air Weapons Select 0 Flares . Chaff Control 4 Left Rudder Control 6 Right Rudder Shift numbers Cockpit Views KEY COMMAND DESCRIPTIONS Cockpit views Press the following keys to change your view out of the cockpit: View Keyboard Numeric Keypad Left back 45 deg. [3] [Shift] [1] Left [4] [Shift] [4] Left front 45 deg. [5] [Shift] [7] Front [6] [Shift] [8] Right front 45 deg. [7] [Shift] [9] Right [8] [Shift] [6] Right back 45 deg. [9] [Shift] [3] Out of cockpit views and special commands Most of the following keys provide you with views of the aircraft from outside the cockpit. Use these to see your aircraft's position relative to the surrounding geography and to other aircraft. Outside View -- F5 F6 -- Tracking View ACLS -- F7 F8 -- Satellite Carrier -- F9 F10 - Menu Outside View View of the piloted aircraft from a tracking aircraft.The view rotation keys ([1] and [2] on the keyboard)and zoom keys ([F1] and [F2]) are available. Tracking View View of the piloted aircraft from the rear. The view rotation and zoom keys are available. ACLS Automatic Carrier Landing System. This special command toggle turns on the ACLS instruments (see Part IX: Carrier Landings). Satellite Looking down (from satellite) at the piloted aircraft. Carrier View of the home carrier. View rotation keys are available. Menu This special command brings up the menus described earlier and pauses the game until you are done with the menus. Stick Control Nose Down | 8 Bank left - 4 6 - Bank right 2 | (Numeric Keypad) Nose Up See Part II: Menus and Controls for more information on Flying with Stick. Throttle Press [+] to increase engine throttle, which is normally reflected by an increase in RPM and airspeed. Press [-] to decrease throttle and RPM. You can use the [+] and [-] keys on the numeric keypad as well. Air-to-air Press [Return] or [Enter] once to activate the air-to-air weapons select mode (if not already present). Press [Return] again to cycle through the different missile and gun formats. This is not available on the Intruder. Please note that this key does not actually toggle between air-to-air weapons on the F-4; instead, it toggles between weapon stations. This is why you may have to hit this key more than once to go from another weapon to the Sparrow AIM 7. If the weapon selection starts on Heat, for instance, it cycles past the two stations that could carry Sidewinders, then checks the guns, and then looks to the Sparrows. The Sparrow does not count as a normal store on the plane because it has its own dedicated stations;other ordnance cannot be loaded on these stations. Air-to-ground Press [Backspace] once to activate the air-to-ground weapons select mode (if not already present). Press [Backspace] again to cycle through the different missile, bomb and gun formats. Trigger Press the [Spacebar] to fire all weapons or release bombs. Military Power The [/] key kicks your plane up to military power (100% RPM). It also turns off the afterburner on the F-4 Phantom. Afterburner Four stages of afterburner power are available on the F-4, for times when you need to "put the pedal to the metal." Press [>] to increase the afterburner stage or [<] to decrease it. The afterburner is not available on the A-6 Intruder. Flares Press [0] on the numeric keypad to release flares when heat- seeking missiles are being fired at you by enemy SAM sites or MiGs. Chaff Press [.] on the numeric keypad to dispense chaff and avert radar-guided missiles fired at you by enemy SAM sites or MiGs. Pause Press [P] to pause the simulation. Press it again to continue. All view keys in & outside the cockpit are available when the game is paused. Review Press [3] on the numeric keypad to toggle through the messages received by your aircraft. Air brakes Press [B] to activate the air brakes and slow your aircraft down while it's in the air. Press [B] a second time to release the air brakes. Hook Press [H] to activate the hook on landing. Without this hook down, your plane cannot catch the arrestor wire. Landing gear Press [G] to raise and lower the landing gear. Video Recorder Toggle [V] to turn the video recorder on and off. You can take a "videotape" of whatever is happening when you press the key until you press it again. When using this feature, the VIDEO light in the cockpit is on until you run out of tape or turn the video recorder off. Flaps Press [F] to activate wing flaps for speed control. Press [F] a second time to deactivate wing flaps. Flaps give extra lift and so are used in landing to allow a slower approach speed. Without flaps,the aircraft would be dangerously close to stall speed when approaching a landing. COMED COMED is the Combined Map/Electronic Display. Press [C] to toggle between a map detailing the mission route and the default radar mode. Radar Press [R] to turn your radar display off. Press [R] again to turn the radar display back on. Master arm Press [7] on the numeric keypad to arm each missile and weapon for firing. Any time you go to autopilot, you must press [7] again to arm weapons when you take control again. You can also use [Help] instead of [7]. Bomb mode Press [1] on the numeric keypad to toggle between the DIANE, Direct and Dive Toss bomb dropping modes. ECM Press [E] to turn on the ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) pod (if you're carrying one) as a defense against radar-guided SAMs. Press [E] a second time to turn it off. Autopilot Press [A] to toggle the autopilot on and off. If you turn on the autopilot during a dogfight,it will track the MiGs for you automatically but not shoot. Real autopilots do not do this, but this is a convenience for the player who wants to participate in a dogfight or bombing run without flying the plane. If there are no MiGs present, the autopilot will fly your aircraft to the target for the current mission.This means it will: Follow waypoints. Track enemy aircraft without shooting at them. However, the autopilot will not release weapons normally. You must press [Shift] [A] to instruct the autopilot to actually fight the plane. Under this option, you are essentially a bystander. The plane automatically performs actions such as dropping bombs at the waypoints and attacking MiGs and radar sites if assigned to do so (Part V:You As CAG describes how to set orders for aircraft sections). Clear A-G lock If you lock on to the wrong target during an air-to-ground mission, press [X] to clear the lock and try again. Cat launch Press [Control] [L] to launch your plane from the carrier's catapult. Jettison Press [Control] [C] to jettison the centerline stores if you centerline need to get rid of excess weight to give you added stores maneuverability or acceleration. See also Jettison all stores below. Eject When all else fails, press [Control] [E] to eject from your aircraft. However, ejecting is not necessarily the safest or the smartest option in a given situation. Invoke it only as a last resort. If you eject for no reason, your pilot is automatically court-martialled. Ejecting over enemy terrain gets you captured. Also, you can die during ejection. Jettison Press [Control] [K] to jettison everything except your all stores missiles. This will give you increased maneuverability and acceleration in an emergency. See also Jettison centerline stores above. Take photo Use [Delete] or [*] on the numeric keypad to take shapshots of whatever is on the screen at any time. These can be reviewed later during Debriefing. Video reset Use [O] to reset the gun camera to make videotapes during flight. Move Some missions can have up to four American sections of between aircraft with up to two aircraft in each section. Use the sections following key commands to move between the sections: Section Command Key (top keyboard row) 1 [Shift] [1] 2 [Shift] [2] 3 [Shift] [3] 4 [Shift] [4] Leader/ Just as you can move between sections in a mission, you can wingman also toggle between the leader and the wingman in your section. Press [Shift] [9] to toggle between them. Unfriendly Press [Shift] [0] to toggle between the piloted aircraft and its current unfriendly (if it has one). A Phantom on MiGCAP is allocated a MiG to engage, and an A-6 on Wild Weasel duty is allocated a SAM site to destroy. You can view these unfriendlies by using this key. Single/ripple Press [9] on the numeric keypad to toggle between the two bomb release modes. Single releases one bomb per trigger press. Ripple release one bomb every second until all bombs on the station are released, allowing you to lay a line of bombs on a long target. Missile view Press [Q] to toggle between missile view and piloted aircraft view. This lets you follow the missile down to the target. If the missile explodes, the view is lost. Sensitivity Press [F3] to increase and [F4] to decrease the aircraft's sensitivity to banking, climbing or diving, on a scale of 0 to 3. You may want to learn making bombing runs at a sensitivity level of 1 and then progress to a level of 3 in aggressive dogfight battles. Waypoint On any outside view ([F5], [F6], [F8]), press [;] to increase the waypoint number and ['] to decrease it.[Shift] [;] is used to toggle between the distances and bearings in the outside views to three locations. Carrier gives you the relative bearing and range to your carrier. The [;] cannot be used to advance or set back the waypoint if this is the location showing. Buddy gives you the relative bearing and range to your wingman The [;] cannot be used to advance or set back the waypoint if this is the location showing. Navigate is the default setting. The [;] can only be used if this is the readout. It gives you the relative bearing and range to your next waypoint. It is possible that another message, such as Attack or Land, will appear in this space if that is the next waypoint for the aircraft. See the next paragraph. Press [;] to advance your current waypoint as shown on the outside views, effectively changing it for the plane. The readout does not give you the exact waypoint order. Any combat waypoint order (such as "Drop Paveway", "Fire Walleye", "Drop Bombs" and "Circle") is shown as "Attack." Any other order is shown as "Navigate." These readings show up as ATTACK, NAV and LAND on the DIANE. (The F-4 has no such reading on its radar screen.) Press ['] to set back the current waypoint. If your plane missed the target, you can use this key to bring back the Attack waypoint so the plane will go back to the right point on autopilot and try again. Look up/down Press [[] to look up above the usual cockpit view (a "head up" view) and []] to look down at the cockpit(a "head down" view). This latter key can be used in the Phantom again to look even further to see more instruments. The A-6 only has a "head up" view. Zoom Press [F1] to zoom in closer to the aircraft and [F2] to zoom out. Use in conjunction with the outside view [F5] and the tracking view [F6]. This key also works with the carrier view [F9] and the missile view [Q]. View rotation In any non-cockpit view, press [1] on the keyboard to shift through different horizontal views of your aircraft. Each keypress change the orientation along a circle surrounding the aircraft, starting from the rear up and forward and then from the front down and back. Press [2] on the keyboard to cycle through views moving vertically around the aircraft. Using [Alternate] with either of these keys rotate the point of view in the other direction. This key also works with the carrier view [F9] and the missile view [Q]. Accelerator Press [Tab]to speed up the action during long flights over the sea. This speeds time up for everybody in the simulation (friendly or otherwise) and moves you toward the target at increased speed. The accelerator is automatically deactivated when you approach the target or when you are approached by a MiG or SAM. If you don't want automatic deactivation, use [Shift] [Tab]. You can also toggle the accelerator off by pressing [Tab] a second time. Mil Setting The [I] and [M] keys can be used to alter the Mil setting of the sight on the HUD (see Part VII: Flying and Fighting, the Mil tables). This measurement is in milliradians, hence the name. [Shift] [I] and [Shift] [M] increment and decrement the Mil setting by 10 milliradians. Emergency net Toggling [Shift] [H] activates and deactivates your emergency net if you afraid you cannot land your plane normally. Walleye/Paveway Use [T]to toggle between sight modes when using the Walleye or sight toggle Paveway guided weapons. Walleye target Use [J], [I], [L] and [M] to move the Walleye sight around on setting the screen. Sound Press [S] to toggle the sound between the options found on the CONTROL menu. Once you have picked the type of sound you want from the FILE menu, you can use this key during the game to toggle between "All Sound On," "Engines Off" and "All Sound Off." Rudder left Press [Control] [4] to make a flat turn to the left using the rudder controls without banking. Rudder right Press [Control] [6] to make a flat turn to the right using the rudder controls without banking. ______________________________________________________________________________ PART XIV: EXAMPLE OF PLAY AND FURTHER READING ASSEMBLY BUILDING IN HANOI LEVELLED! Rules of Engagement Violated! The following narrative is from Mike "Moondawg" Weksler, who describes his mission to duplicate Jake Grafton's attempt to bomb the National Assembly Building in downtown Hanoi. (Note: "No. 19" is the callsign of Spectrum Holobyte Product Manager Marisa Ong - hence the references to a supposed Vietnam-era bomber pilot as "she.") On 19 June, 02:00, I go to ready room for mission planning. Make sure to hit [F10] and select Captain, the proper control device, and other applicable options. After pressing [Esc], I enter my callsign as "Devil, 50" on the duty roster and proceed to target selection. I select the power station in Hanoi, with the secondary target being the SAM site 180 south of Hanoi. I review the photo of the power station and hand the coordinates to my Bombardier/Navigator (B/N), Virgil "Tiger" Cole, for later programming into the navigation computer. I save this, exit out and when everyone has left, go back to get info on the real objective of this mission: the Assembly Building in downtown Hanoi. "Too many lives were being sacrificed for worthless targets such as'suspected truck parks,'" I think as I reflect on "Morg." (Morgan McPherson flew with me on a "truck park" mission. We had flown together for two years. He was my friend. A stray bullet killed him on that run). I note the coordinates for the Assembly Building & load up my original target file to review the information. Target intelligence provides a map and photos of the power station, but no photos of the SAM site - just a spot on the map. We review general intelligence. This shows that the MiG activity in the vicinity of the primary target is high and ground activity low. But after we bomb the primary target we're going to violate the Rules of Engagement and take out that Assembly Building in downtown Hanoi. From the intelligence I can gather for the Hanoi area,I can see that all enemy activity would be high. I give Tiger the target info, we grab some coffee and then go through the routine of donning our flight gear. On the flight deck, Tiger punches in the waypoints for the power plant strike, but then adds the waypoint to the Assembly Building with the waypoint editor. At the first waypoint,he changes the altitude to 500 ft and sets the action to ripple bombs to make it look like we're gonna dump it all on the primary target. The second waypoint is also changed to 500 ft and ripple bombs. If we have to, we'll page to the other A-6 and our bird will fly to the Assembly Building on its own. He then tabs the Next Section icon and is pleased to see that we are the only section on this mission. This means we can leave the primary target area relatively unnoticed and fly to Hanoi. I can see No. 19,my wingman for this mission and her B/N, Greve, is going over last minute details on their bird.I approach the Ordies and proceed to go over the ordnance with the Chief. I offer to take him up on a joyride later if he agrees to issue us some of the 2000 pounders, instead of the standard strike load of ten MK82s, one Paveway, and two Walleyes. He agrees and we load up with five MK84s to penetrate the heavy duty concrete of the Assembly Building. This leaves no room for the ALQ radar jamming pod so we'll be flying very low. Tiger makes some remark about pruning tree-tops, but I'm too nervous to quip back. It's now 0215. As we ready for the flight, I choose the "A" icon to insure we're launching at 0230 and we're set up for a bombing run. I run through the pre-flight checklist (double checking every waypoint and action) and Tiger checks his equipment out. I salute the cat officer and with a war whoop hit [Control] [L]. Soon I'm flying at 8 KIAS above my stall speed. No wind tonight and the carrier is steaming at 20 KTS - barely enough to get us up. "At least the weather is calm," I think. I raise the gear and flaps. Soon, with the aid of [Tab] to accelerate the time rate, we are at 325 KIAS at 25,000 feet. "We're gonna have to go nice and slow on ingress to save fuel," I say to Tiger. He clicks his mike in response. I page to No. 19 in Devil 502 just as she is launching. I can see my jet climbing out of her cockpit. "No transcendental meditation would let me do this," I murmur. Greve was having problems with his NAV and targeting computer.DIANE was on the blink, and he would have to bomb direct. I page back to my jet. At 74 NMs from Downtown I start descent and go through the master arm checklist. At 500'I level off and call feet wet. By staying low and flying "up the river," we seem to have avoided the enemy. They know we're coming and my warning lights are all lit up,but they can't get a lock on us as we blend into the ground return.The terrain is so flat that we frequently fly below 200'. No tracers, no nothing. Can't hit [Tab] because we'd hit the ground. We approach the target. I let Devil 502 go in first because she can strike lower than us because we have MK84s. I climb up to 2000' and Tiger says that the pickle is hot. I watch Devil 502 take out the target. "Better go in and drop one off for good measure," Tiger says. I climb higher, then dive at the target. The attack indicator lights up and I watch the little block in my VDT move closer to the center. It starts to fill in and as I fly closer to the target, the horizontal release indicator comes on. When it hits the bottom of the screen, I release and place the 2000 pounder right in the boiler. We feel the turbulence of the blast as we destroy what's left of the target. Tracers light up the sky, but I fly over them like a high jumper just clearing the bar. I can't get below 2000' until we are clear of the target area. We still have four 2000 pounders left for the Assembly Building. "We'd better get down to business," Tiger murmurs. I page to Devil 502,hit the [;] until the waypoint reads "Land" and invoke her ILS with the [F7]. Then I switch back to my lead position. It comes as no surprise when Devil 502 radios to me with a system malfunction. Something is wrong with her NAV computer and she is going to bug out. I radio back that I am enroute to the SAM site south of Hanoi but have to change course to avoid some AAA. We are now alone. So far, no enemy aircraft on RWR. All clear on ingress to Hanoi. As we approach the city, I climb up to 4000' and Tiger pinpoints the Assembly Building. He says, "Your pickle is hot," and I dive for the target. It looked just like the Intelligence I had acquired."This one is for you, Morg!" I think as I squeeze the release button. All of the MK84s hit their target.We feel the repercussions from the explosions as distinct thuds violently shake our aircraft. I realize I flew too low. The damage warnings light up the B/N panel. Either our own bomb explosions got us or the AAA has us locked. I can see tracers. So I hug the ground so close I'm afraid I'll snag a clothesline. Circling around to make sure the building is destroyed,I see that I've unfortunately taken out the next-door building too. I only wanted to damage the leadership. Hope no civilians were in that next building. I hit the [;] to start egress. When we are clear of enemy fire, we survey the damage. The COMED is useless; the radar must have taken the damage. However, the NAV computer is still functioning enough to guide our autopilot back to the landing waypoint on the Shiloh. I throttle to full Mil power, hugging the ground and managing to somehow extend on the bogies scrambling to intercept us. Tiger breaks the silence with a "Fancy shootin' pardner,"as we head for the coast; we know we've disturbed a wasp's nest; now they are going to buzz around our faces, ready to sting. I page to Devil 502 as she calls feet wet. She must have run into some MiGs or taken a SAM hit or something...Everything is Foxtrot Uniform in this bird. The COMED is just black. Somehow, it is still flying. I page back to my own A-6. "What are you doing popping in and out of here all the time?" Tiger growls. "Don't you know the autopilot makes us climb? I was a sitting duck while you were gone!" He's right. My panel shows a SAM launch. Talk about pucker factor! A second SAM launches before I can dive into the ground return. "Jake, it's closin' fast... Five o'clock!" I dump some chaff and almost fly the bird into the ground. I black out as I pull up but am still in control. When my vision clears the first SAM is gone. Must have hit the ground as we pulled out of the dive. We're now off course at angels 2. The second SAM is still closing. I hit the chaff button and dump as much as I can. Multiple bogies are still closing. Almost to the coast now. I dump more chaff and jink out of the way of the remaining SAM as it goes off guidance.We can see the SAM go right past the right wing. "Get down!" Tiger yells at me. I skim the trees the rest of the way back to the coast. I blend in with the ground return and fly along the river. No further SAM launches. The AAA light is still lit,but I know they can no longer single me out of the ground return. I call Feet Wet and start my ascent. I know that when I get back I'm going to catch hell for this. Maybe even a court-martial in the Debriefing mode. "Bingo fuel," is all that Tiger says as he reminds me to throttle back. At angels 2, all I can wish for is the KA-6 to fly by and give us a fill-up,but I know that it's not flying. I hit the autopilot and sit back, pressing [Tab]. I avoid paging Devil 502 because if it lands while I'm in it, the mission is over. Checking every way out of my own cockpit shows no sign of my wingman. "Must be on final," I think. The sky is clear and we seem to be the last ones up. I invoke the ILS with the [F7] and line up my needles. Tiger and I remain silent. The LSO doesn't even ask me to call the ball. OK, throttle back, flaps, gear and hook down. Needles lined up, I can see the meatball. I'm too low. Climbing. Now I'm too high. Can't seem to line up. KIAS is 174 and I'm 400'. Needles high and center, fuel 1000 pounds. I shove the nose forward and hit the deck with a force that we both are sure will push the landing gear struts through the wings.Then we feel the reassuring tug of the number four wire and start to breathe again. Devil 501, over, out. FURTHER READING ALPHA STRIKE VIETNAM, Jeffrey L. Levinson, Presidio Press, 1989 ...AND KILL MIGS, revised edition, Lou Drendel, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1984 THE AVIATION/SPACE DICTIONARY, 7th edition, Larry Reithmaier, Aero division of TAB Books Inc., 1990 F-4 PHANTOM II IN ACTION, Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas, 1984 F-4 PHANTOM IN DETAIL AND SCALE, VOLs 7 & 12, Bert Kinzey, Aero division of TAB Books Inc., 1982 FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER, Stephen Coonts, Naval Institute Press, 1986 THE HUNGRY TIGERS, Frank O'Brien, Aero division of TAB Books Inc., 1985 INTRUDER, Roger Chesneau, Linewrights Ltd., 1986 THE MCDONNELL F-4 PHANTOM, Robert F. Dorr, Aero division of TAB Books Inc., 1989 MODERN AIR COMBAT, Bill Gunston and Mike Spick, Salamander Books Limited, London, 1983 MODERN COMBAT AIRCRAFT, INTRUDER VOLUME 26, Ian Allan Ltd. distributed in U.S.A. by Motorbooks International, 1987 MODERN COMBAT AIRCRAFT, PHANTOM VOLUME, Ian Allan Ltd.distributed in U.S.A. by Motorbooks International, 1977 MODERN COMBAT AIRCRAFT, THUNDERCHIEF VOLUME, Ian Allan Ltd. distributed in U.S.A. by Motorbooks International, 1981 MODERN FIGHTING AIRCRAFT, Volume 4 F-4 Phantom, Richardson and Spick, Salamander Books Limited, London, 1987 MODERN FIGHTING AIRCRAFT, Volume 9 MiGs, Bill Sweetman, A Salamander Book published in the U.S.A. by Arco Publishing Inc., New York, 1985 MODERN SOVIET WEAPONS, Edited by Ray Bonds, Salamander Books Ltd., 1986 PAK SIX, G.I. Basel, Associated Creative Writers, La Mesa, California, 1982 PHANTOM OVER VIETNAM, John Trotti, U.S.A. Presidio Press, 1984 TONKIN GULF YACHT CLUB, Rene J. Francillon, Naval Institute Press, 1988 TOP GUN, George Hall, Presidio Press, 1987 USN PHANTOMS IN COMBAT, Lou Drendel, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1988 ______________________________________________________________________________ ThE EnD... Fixed By [RYGAR] to 79 columns, all atari st shit removed! greetings to the guy who typed all this..