This mission is killing me. It’s the one where you’re loaded down with six Sparrows and a couple of 9Ms and you’re going after four Su-24s and their covering MiG-29s going after your carrier group.
I take off and head in the threat direction, usually using burner to get up to around 15,000 feet quickly. Then, using my radar in Sparrow mode, I get a quick lock on an inbound target. As soon as I launch by Sparrow, usually at around 9-11 miles, the targets get clearer and it quickly becomes apparent that I’ve gone after one of the more distant Su-24s rather than the MiG-29s who, by this point, are much closer to me and are firing before I have much of a chance to react.
Any suggestions on strategy for this mission? Should I wait to get closer and pick off the MiG-29s in visual range with a Sparrow? Even closer with a Sidewinder? Should I be prosecuting the at BVR with a more refined technique? Should I be flying rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions!