Close Air Support - Dynamic Campaign (Helicopters and Combined Arms)

[Alpenwolf]

Close Air Support - Dynamic Campaign
 

Hosting Server: Cold War 1947 - 1991
Server IP: 94.130.217.211

SimpleRadio IP: 94.130.217.211

 

*** Note that the server I'm using for the campaign is the Cold War 1947 - 1991. However, the campaign is not a Cold War scenario. It's just my server's name ***

*** Special thanks to Apok for his help! ***

 

The campaign will kick off Friday, 07.10.2022, around 1800 zulu

 

 

 

The following video by Dawger explains what the campaign is about and how it works:

 

 

 

Here's a detailed description of the campaign in case you missed something in the video above:

In this campaign, the goal is to capture and hold all 11 airbases within the marked area; The battlefield.

- Red has two main airbases at the start of the campaign: Tabqa and Gaziantep.
- Blue has two main airbases at the start of the campaign: Bassel Al-Assad and Hama.
- Capturing an airbase unlocks additional helicopter slots for your coalition. The only exception are the two enemy main airbases.
- Upon capturing an airbase, 16 soldiers spawn to help holding it. 8 x MG's and 8 x RPG's hidden in good places.
- At the start of the campaign each coalition has a certain number of ground units (see below).
- All ground vehicles are hidden on the ABRIS/MFD. Ka-50's and AH-64's will have to rely on other assets.
- Mi-8's and UH-1's are tasked with transporting troops; Either an Assault Squad or a JTAC Group.
- An Assault Squad consits of 4 x MG's and 4 x RPG's. A JTAC Group consists of 1 x infantry (JTAC), 1 x MG and 1 x RPG.
- Picking up troops is enabled at every captured airbase, unless it's an enemy main airbase.
- You can always transfer helicopters to other friendly airbases to increase their availability there.
- Any weapons onboard are also transferred along with the transferred helicopter to that certain airbase.
- All helicopters and weapons are limited in numbers.
- Always try to RTB to save your helicopter and weapons.
- There are so-called reserve slots of each type of helicopter at a total of 4 airbases.
- Those are the airbases with the least number of slots, helicopters and weapons available.
- Transferring helicopters to those airbases becomes vital if needed, otherwise you quickly run out of assets at those airbases.
- The campaign runs nonstop, day and night, until it's over.

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Capturing Airbases:

- Airbases can be captured by any type of ground units except for ammo trucks.
- The capture zone is highlighted as a circle on the F10 map of a radius of 2 km (1,2 miles).
- If the circle is white that means the airbase is neutral. If it's red then Red holds the airbase and blue is for Blue.
- Suppose you're holding an airbase with a few infantries and 1 or 2 enemy tanks enter the capturing zone. The "overwhelming power" prevails and
   thus the airbase turns into the hands of the enemy.
- That being said, just because you're holding an airbase, it doesn't mean there can't be any hiding units.
- The logic is explained as follows: 1 tank equals 10 infantries. Therefore, if you're holding an airbase with 1 tank, there could be 9 infantries still hiding
   somewhere.
- Flying around the airbase with AI gunners onboard is the best way to find any potential hiding units.
- Mi-8's and UH-1's are the only helicopters capable of transporting troops.
- Deploying troops is possible everywhere except on friendly airbases. Make sure you're at least 2 km (1,2 miles) away from any friendly airbase for
   troops insertion.

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Reconnaissance and Minelaying:

- L-39's and C-101's are tasked with flying around, spotting enemies and reporting them to their GCI operators.
- In addition, dropping practice bombs anywhere you see fit is used as minelaying.
- All you have to do is load a few practice bombs; Type P-50T for L-39's, type BDU-33 for C-101's and drop them anywhere you want.
- A demonstration video by rossmum explains how deploying mines work:
 

 

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Available Red Helicopters:

18 x Ka-50's at Tabqa Airbase
18 x Mi-24's at Tabqa Airbase
12 x Mi-8's at Tabqa Airbase
  5 x L-39's

18 x Ka-50's at Gaziantep Airbase
18 x Mi-24's at Gaziantep Airbase
12 x Mi-8's at Gaziantep Airbase
  5 x L-39's

10 x Ka-50's at Aleppo Airbase
10 x Mi-24's at Aleppo Airbase
  8 x Mi-8's at Aleppo Airbase

  8 x Ka-50's at Taftanaz Airbase
  8 x Mi-24's at Taftanaz Airbase
  8 x Mi-8's at Taftanaz Airbase

  8 x Ka-50's at Hatay Airbase
  8 x Mi-24's at Hatay Airbase
  8 x Mi-8's at Hatay Airbase

Airbases with a single reserve slot for each type of helicopter are:

- Jirah, Kuweires, Minakh and Abu al-Duhur.
- At each one of these airbases the following applies:

  2 x Ka-50's
  2 x Mi-24's
  3 x Mi-8's

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Available Blue Helicopters:

30 x AH-64's at Bassel Al-Assad Airbase
12 x UH-1's at Bassel Al-Assad Airbase
  5 x C-101's

30 x AH-64's at Hama Airbase
12 x UH-1's at Hama Airbase
  5 x C-101's

18 x AH-64's at Taftanaz Airbase
12 x UH-1's at Taftanaz Airbase

12 x AH-64's at Hatay Airbase
10 x UH-1's at Hatay Airbase

  8 x AH-64's at Aleppo Airbase
  8 x UH-1's at Aleppo Airbase

Airbases with a single reserve slot for each type of helicopter are:

- Jirah, Kuweires, Minakh and Abu al-Duhur.
- At each one of these airbases the following applies:

  3 x AH-64's
  3 x UH-1's

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Available Red Ground Units at The Start of The Campaign:

72 x T-80's
36 x T-72's
24 x BMP-2's
12 x BTR-82's
16 x AA groups (Each group consists of: 1 x Shilka, 1 x Strela and 2 x ammo trucks)
1 x KUB site at Tabqa Airbase and 1 at Gaziantep Airbase (main airbases).
2 x EWR's, 1 at each main airbase.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Available Blue Ground Units at The Start of The Campaign:

92 x Abrams'
24 x Bradleys
12 x LAV-25's
16 x AA groups (Each group consists of: 1 x Vulcan, 1 x Avenger and 2 x ammo trucks)
1 x Hawk site at Bassel Al-Assad Airbase and 1 at Hama Airbase (main airbases).
2 x EWR's, 1 at each main airbase.

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Restrictions:

- R-60M's for Mi-24's are disabled.
- Petrovich (Mi-24) is unable to track aerial targets, however, George (AH-64) is.
- This is due to Petrovich being extremely accurate. Also, the Ataka missile is very good while the AH-64 lacks proper air-to-air weapons.
- AH-64's are restricted to 8 x Hellfires and can only be carried on the inner pylons.
- L-39's and C-101's are restricted to rear-aspect air-to-air missiles only.
- R-3S missiles for L-39's and AIM-9P's for C-101's.

Edited October 4, 2022 by Alpenwolf

[Talisman_VR]

Many thanks.  This looks great!  Will come and give it a go as soon as possible.

Thanks again.

Happy landings,

Talisman

[Alpenwolf]

Reminder:

At the beginning of the campaign only 2 airbases are available per side; The main airbases. That gives each side a total of 12 helicopter and 2 recon (L-39/C-101) slots.
4 x Ka-50, 4 x Mi-24, 4 x Mi-8 and 2 x L-39 slots vs 8 x AH-64, 4 x UH-1 and 2 x C-101 slots.
The more airbases you capture the more slots become available. Also, distances to further airbases as shown in the briefing images become rather short.

[Alpenwolf]

Reminder:

As explained in the video above, each player can switch sides twice max. That means after switching sides twice you're stuck with the one side you chose last. This should allow players in the beginning of the campaign to see what coalition they prefer to fly with, and also give them the chance to switch sides if slots of their favourite helicopter/s are taken.

[Hunter Joker]

It will be rotor heaven!

Is the server already alive (?'m at work now) or not?
Cause from there I read 07/10/2022 but from Discord it seems to me that is already alive...
null

 

[Alpenwolf]

1 hour ago, Hunter Joker said:

It will be rotor heaven!

Is the server already alive (?'m at work now) or not?
Cause from there I read 07/10/2022 but from Discord it seems to me that is already alive...
null

 

The Cold War 1947 - 1991 server has been alive for years. It mainly focuses on the MiG-21 and the F-5 while featuring other modules from that era. Exceptions are made in some missions and events. With this helicopters and Combined Arms scenario I wanted to give players who like both the chance to get the job done without having any types of fighters around. This should make it likelier for helicopters to fly higher than the usual without worrying much about any potential fighters flying around. I hope to see some good teamwork between Combined Arms players moving ground units around and spotting the enemy for attack helicopters. That's already the case on the Cold War 1947 - 1991 server in almost all missions where helicopters and Combined Arms are vital for the completion of most tasks. This campaign here is not particularly Cold War like and I'm not looking for that in this.

I personally love flying helicopters in DCS and enjoy the Combined Arms module just as much, hence the campaign.

[Alpenwolf]

Reminder:

As you can see on the map attached to the main post, distances to cover are quite long. At the beginning of the campaign you start with 2 airbases and have access to helicopters only at these 2 airbases (main airbases). Therefore, you might want to focus more on flying Mi-8's/UH-1's to capture airbases quickly, which will then open more slots for your helicopters. However, escorting those Mi-8's/UH-1's with attack helicopters isn't a bad idea, especially, if you want to transfer these attack helicopters to certain airbases anyway. Remember, all helicopters and weapons are limited in numbers and you have the highest availability of these at the main airbases. Sooner or later you'll have to start transferring helicopters and their weapons to further friendly airbases the closer you get to the enemy's main airbases.

[Alpenwolf]

Reminder:

Restrictions:

- R-60M's for Mi-24's are disabled.
- Petrovich (Mi-24) is unable to track aerial targets, however, George (AH-64) is.
- This is due to Petrovich being extremely accurate. Also, the Ataka missile is very good while the AH-64 lacks proper air-to-air weapons.
- AH-64's are restricted to 8 x Hellfires and can only be carried on the inner pylons.
- L-39's and C-101's are restricted to rear-aspect air-to-air missiles only.
- R-3S missiles for L-39's and AIM-9P's for C-101's.

[Talisman_VR]

Hi Alpenwolf,

Will there be some wind set on the map?  Enough wind that helicopter pilots need to take note of the wind direction and take account of it during operations?

Just a thought to promote more realistic airmanship standards.

Also, will we get the odd spell of poor weather perhaps?

Thanks.

Happy landings,

Talisman

Edited October 7, 2022 by Talisman_VR

[Alpenwolf]

1 hour ago, Talisman_VR said:

Hi Alpenwolf,

Will there be some wind set on the map?  Enough wind that helicopter pilots need to take note of the wind direction and take account of it during operations?

Just a thought to promote more realistic airmanship standards.

Also, will we get the odd spell of poor weather perhaps?

Thanks.

Happy landings,

Talisman

 

Hi,

all the above and other fine details are as of now set to "low". By that I mean partially clouds, barely any winds and turbulence, no rain, no dust, moonlight at night, etc. It's round 1 and I'd rather focus on other things before making them more challenging. If it goes well and people like it there will be more rounds to come with different weather settings, other maps maybe and so on, but first things first.

See you airborne!

[Talisman_VR]

10 minutes ago, Alpenwolf said:

Hi,

all the above and other fine details are as of now set to "low". By that I mean partially clouds, barely any winds and turbulence, no rain, no dust, moonlight at night, etc. It's round 1 and I'd rather focus on other things before making them more challenging. If it goes well and people like it there will be more rounds to come with different weather settings, other maps maybe and so on, but first things first.

See you airborne!

Many thanks.  Very much looking forward to the campaign 

Happy landings,

Talisman

[Alpenwolf]

Reminder:

As explained in the video above, each player can switch sides twice max. That means after switching sides twice you're stuck with the one side you chose last.

Note:
This should NOT be exploited to check out enemy ground units' locations using his cmdr/JTAC slots. It's only if some are unsure what side they want to fly or give them the chance to switch sides if slots of their favourite helicopter/s are taken or to balance the teams. The lua script provided in the mission "sees" who goes back and forth, when they do it and shows their names and different IP addresses. After the campaign is over I'll check out these details and see who was doing what. I'd hate to discover any inconvenience, so please, let's just be fair and avoid any type of cheating or exploiting.

[Hunter Joker]

Is still planned for today?

Inviato dal mio BLA-L09 utilizzando Tapatalk

[Alpenwolf]

1 hour ago, Hunter Joker said:

Is still planned for today?

Inviato dal mio BLA-L09 utilizzando Tapatalk
 

Yes. The campaign goes online in about 25 minutes.

[Alpenwolf]

The campaign is online!

[Alpenwolf]

Current Situation:

[Hunter Joker]

Make two night run, really good server! Flying at night with thevHip and Hindvis every time breathtaking
Me and my friends managed to capture a base, then the bad luck played against me, got dc and my hind crashed and with my hip on the second landing to unload the troops I was hitted by something high in the sky above the base, with the AAA that start shooting shortly after (next time better before... ). Really enjoy it... Keep on and thx.

Inviato dal mio BLA-L09 utilizzando Tapatalk

[Alpenwolf]

Round 1 is over:

- The Close Air Support - Dynamic Campaign is finished after ca. 1,5 days with Red having holding 9 out of 11 airbases.
- The server will now go back to Cold War missions.
- Meanwhile, the Close Air Support - Dynamic Campaign will be optimised, features will be added or removed and then put back online.
- Stay tuned, please.

[Hunter Joker]

AI/PVE balancing forces to make thins a bit neutral?

Inviato dal mio BLA-L09 utilizzando Tapatalk

[Alpenwolf]

7 minutes ago, Hunter Joker said:

AI/PVE balancing forces to make thins a bit neutral?

Inviato dal mio BLA-L09 utilizzando Tapatalk
 

Not a big fan of AI, but maybe I'll make an exception if Combined Arms keeps showing bugs like we had.

[Alpenwolf]

Here's the .trk file from the Close Air Support - Dynamic Campaign Round 1 (expires is 30 days): https://easyupload.io/qm3tcy

[Talisman_VR]

23 hours ago, Hunter Joker said:

Make two night run, really good server! Flying at night with thevHip and Hindvis every time breathtaking
Me and my friends managed to capture a base, then the bad luck played against me, got dc and my hind crashed and with my hip on the second landing to unload the troops I was hitted by something high in the sky above the base, with the AAA that start shooting shortly after (next time better before... ). Really enjoy it... Keep on and thx.

Inviato dal mio BLA-L09 utilizzando Tapatalk
 

Well done Hunter Joker

How did you capture the base?  With what assets?  Did you drop off assets outside the airfield physical perimeter wall or inside?

I did one night run on my own but did not have time for a second one.

Happy landings,

Talisman

[Talisman_VR]

Thank you Alpenwolf.

The map used was not so interesting for low level flying and had very few features.  Any chance of flying over some more interesting geography that also provides a bit more cover for helicopters low level.  Many thanks.

Happy landings,

Talisman

[Hunter Joker]

Well done Hunter Joker
How did you capture the base?  With what assets?  Did you drop off assets outside the airfield physical perimeter wall or inside?
I did one night run on my own but did not have time for a second one.
Happy landings,
Talisman

We just drop assault group after assault group with hip and at the same time have hind shooting enemy... After three or four run we get the zone.
We risk a bit dropping teams inside the perimeter of the airfield, coming very low (under 10 feets) to avoid fire. Doing this at night was very tense

Inviato dal mio BLA-L09 utilizzando Tapatalk

[Alpenwolf]

19 hours ago, Talisman_VR said:

Thank you Alpenwolf.

The map used was not so interesting for low level flying and had very few features.  Any chance of flying over some more interesting geography that also provides a bit more cover for helicopters low level.  Many thanks.

Happy landings,

Talisman

Firstly, I'll have to make some adjustments, changes, bug fixing and improvements. When that's done, it will depend on how popular this helicopters & CA scenario is. If it's worth it, and I hope it is, I'll do the same in other maps or maybe Syria again, but covering other parts of it.