Mission Designer Wanted: My Real Combat Missions for Khost Afghanistan DCS

[JuiceBox]

Hello community! Long time reader, first time posting.

Call me JuiceBox, a call-sign given to be because I was the youngest guy in my unit (by far). I deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a crew-chief for medical evacuation on UH-60s.

With the upcoming eastern Afghanistan map coming, I wanted to try to find someone who can create some of my deployment missions in the Khost region. It was the single most dangerous region of all of Afghanistan for reasons I’ll share below. I’m not diminishing all the other incredibly dangerous regional locations, but Khost concentrated a lot of conflict to a small area that the US was never able to fully control.

Allow me to share a little context of the importance of Khost in terms of the war against the Taliban and playing DCS. This is a 1-inch-deep level of depth I’m sharing. We dive deeper another time.

Khost is well populated, easy to hide. And because of some unique geographical mountain ranges during the winter, the ranges shielded the region from the heaviest snowfall making the goat paths traversable year round. This was the major insurgent highway. What also increased the danger of this region was that was only one developed mountain roadway from Khost and the rest of Afghanistan to the west. Known as “ambush alley”.

So the insurgency had a year round passage. Needless to say there was a lot of activity there. I highlighted the heaviest are of conflict in the east side of the country. The farthest right side of the circle is Khost, and the mountain passes to the left of it.

I hope the developers give the region a extra attention here because I imagine a lot of play time will be centered in this region.

I thought the community might enjoy going through some missions based on real life events and situations that I experienced throughout the year. While I can supply the mission context, I need an experienced mission creator to help make it come to life.

This region is especially great for DCS, the mountains will make for challenging air to ground missions, 2 major bases are in the region Bagram Air Base, and FOB Shank so close places for A-10s, F-16s, F-15s, B-1s and F/A-18s to launch missions from, 6 FOBs for helicopters missions, a secret CIA base, and several more combat outposts to support. There were 3 main FOBs inside of the Khost valley to the far east.

I lived at nearly all of them and even lived and slept in one of buildings Osama bin laden used to plan the 9/11 attacks. FOB Gardez was one of the first US bases used by Special Forces in the very beginning of the war.

Every kind of mission set can take place in this area. I or my unit was involved in almost everyone from SF raids, med-evacs, combat escort, TICs (troops in contact), fire support, base defense, hunter killer mission of a 61k lbs truck bomb (yes I was there for that), and more. Heck, we learned the Taliban had a ZSU-23 hidden somewhere (yes it was terrifying to go on mission knowing that). We never found it, so we can even do a SEAD mission.

I would love to work with someone(s) to help create some real life context to missions in a very strategic region.

[Esac_mirmidon]

Nice pics ¡¡¡

Where is exactly that castle with a permiter wall on Khost? Im trying to find it on the DCS map

[JuiceBox]

That is the Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gardez+Forte+بالاحصار+گردیز‭/@33.5977221,69.2315127,17.5z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x38d69270321aa10b:0x62e2e20e2c5374a3!2sGardez,+Afghanistan!3b1!8m2!3d33.6042793!4d69.2281531!16zL20vMDFia3c0!3m5!1s0x38d69354a36793c1:0x898e33683dd0ac53!8m2!3d33.5977614!4d69.2315198!16s%2Fg%2F11kmrrfvc7?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIxOS4xIKXMDSoJLDEwMjExNDUzSAFQAw%3D%3

[J. Clark]

I'm just starting with the Mission Editor so I'm probably not the best one for this, but since the update adding Eastern Afghanistan I've been really wanting to make some in depth realistic missions for Afghanistan. What you are describing is exactly the type of stuff I want to fly on the Afghanistan map. One of my biggest problems the last few days is finding information on how things were done so that I can make a realistic mission. 

I hope other, more experienced, mission makers jump on this and help build out some of these mission. If not, I'd be happy to try my hand at a few. They will just probably take me awhile since I'll be learning a lot and am probably more constrained on my time than some.

[Chervo]

Also tought about to create a mission for Afghanistan, kind of spread over the whole available area with randomised triggers and integrate some carrier ops from the arabic sea.

I often feel bored by missions they start always with the same tasks to do. So I would build it with randomized triggers that everytime you load into the mission a random location spawns. 

The Mission work could start in the khost area an expand later. 

Now, i don't have the knowledge of accurate scenarios and it would take me lot of time to do the research, so may we can create something together, I would be open for that.

[toubey]

@JuiceBox can you name the FOBs and COPs that need to be recreated?

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

I am checking google maps and seeing Khost intl airport, but also FOB Chapman and Salerno

[JuiceBox]

@toubey I have not created a list yet. On the east side, most fixed wing a/c will come out of Bagram Airfield. The primary helicopter airfields were FOB Shank, FOB Salerno, and the main on in Jalalabad (FOB Fenty?). Those three had Apache, Chinooks, and Black Hawks. The rest of the bases were smaller combat outposts, some may have had UH60s there for Medevac, or short time stationing. Maintenance and supply were the main reasons you had consolidation at the larger bases.

@Ala12Rv-Tundra You're not going to find good photos on google maps right now, it appears to be scrubbed. I do have google earth photos of the main bases back when I was over there. They were public facing so it shouldn't be any issues sharing. Right now I'm not going to openly post them.  

[toubey]

@JuiceBox ok, thanks. A basic AH loadout is 2 hellfires and and one rocket pod. Is that correct?

I might give it a try. I'll get back to you.

[JuiceBox]

@toubey In the east the AGL was very high. So 10k feet was the basis of aircraft prep. Extra fuel, 300 rounds in the cannon, one rocket pod, 2 hellfires. And they had to do a rolling take off because of the weight.

I saw one nearly crash into the berm because it couldn't get the lift it needed. I bounced off the top and sheared the wire uptop. 

[Chervo]

I'm working on a template with triggers added so everybody can grab this, add group members and relocate the groups. Autolase for JTAC Drones is also included. More details in the next days.

[Chervo]

With this link below, you can find a template of a mission for Afghanistan. 

Currently built into the mission:
- Carrier group with AWACS and S3B start from carrier and static decoration
-Random trigger 1-10 with 1 vehicle per group, the groups can be moved and expanded.
One group is active at a time, when it is dead a new one spawns.
-Added F10 command if no group spawns automatically. 
-Autolase JTAC script with a drone that automatically recognizes vehicles and marks them with laser code 1688.

-Autolase JTAC Soldier placed with code 1688.
-Added dynamic spawns at various US bases.
-Added fob's from the forum to the template.

-Added decoration to Bagram air base.

This is meant to be a starting point and if you like the format it can be expanded as needed.
 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gmnXXbSVqdQQwKj2IC63iwrPdwN3eMFk/view?usp=sharing

[DD_Friar]

@JuiceBox Salute Sir,

I have actually just built a mission for this exact area. At the moment it is only for Ch-47, Apace and Kiowa flying out of Khost Helicopter base.

It uses the excellent DML Mission Tool box (not a mod-no extra installs required) (if you are a mission builder I strongly suggest you check it out)

I have a number of random missions that get generated when you request a task, they range from troop transport to convoys requiring air cover to attacks on weapon stores and safe houses.

I have only played it once with a squad mate which un-earthed a few tweaks being needed but will happily post it here when completed, or if you want to drop me a PM I will send it to you.

 It can be played as single player if you want.

PS I like the photos. The Apache is my main ride in DCS and I have never seen a loadout like that before, rockets one side Hellfire the other. Interesting.

[JuiceBox]

@DD_Friar Afghanistan easily hit 120+ F in the summer, and very humid, the hot air and high altitude made it very difficult for the AH64 to perform well. It wasn't designed for this and suffered a lot in performance.  fun facts

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

On 2/28/2025 at 6:30 PM, JuiceBox said:

@DD_Friar Afghanistan easily hit 120+ F in the summer, and very humid, the hot air and high altitude made it very difficult for the AH64 to perform well. It wasn't designed for this and suffered a lot in performance.  fun facts

by summer you mean july-august or a longer period?

[Chervo]

Here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mP5vY7sRr17bw2rSVromHkcDemDfO_Pb/view?usp=sharing is version 2 of the afghanistan mission, currently focused on the eastern part (may be expanded later).
Besides many small changes i managed to spawn a transportable JTAC soldier, this can be loaded with a transport helicopter and dropped near enemy troops, then it marks all targets one after the other with the code 1688. only autolase was used as script.

Is there anyone here who has been to afghanistan and could accurately design the groups? Or give an idea of what such a group of insurgents looked like and where they were.

 

Edited March 5 by Chervo

[Gideon312]

22 hours ago, Chervo said:

Here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mP5vY7sRr17bw2rSVromHkcDemDfO_Pb/view?usp=sharing is version 2 of the afghanistan mission, currently focused on the eastern part (may be expanded later).
Besides many small changes i managed to spawn a transportable JTAC soldier, this can be loaded with a transport helicopter and dropped near enemy troops, then it marks all targets one after the other with the code 1688. only autolase was used as script.

Is there anyone here who has been to afghanistan and could accurately design the groups? Or give an idea of what such a group of insurgents looked like and where they were.

 

Super nice mission so far.

I love the idea of the (spawnable) JTAC (on Bagram) to insert where the action is. Wander where to drop him though? Not sure where the action is, whenever you spawn them via F10!

 

Edited March 5 by Gideon312

[JuiceBox]

Community/mods, please let me know if this content is all in the right place or I should be posting this somewhere else. 

As I think more about mission creation here, allow me to share an important concept to think about while editing. I don't know how common knowledge this piece is. 

The Stack

In the OEF Afghanistan campaigns around 2010-2013 (my time there) the US usually employed a “stack” concept when providing close air support (CAS). At its most basic, this meant placing multiple aircraft at different altitudes, each with distinct responsibilities that together created persistent coverage for ground forces. Below is a simplified breakdown of how that often looked:

1. High altitude/ on call strikers

• Aircraft such as B1B Lancers or even B52s (in certain cases) could orbit above 20,000 to 25,000+ feet. Their primary role was to deliver heavier ordnance if needed, providing a large weapons payload and long loiter times. The B52 was the ONLY aircraft I didn't see while in country.
• Because they were high above the fight, these bombers could remain on station for extended periods and quickly respond when a JTAC on the ground requested precision strikes

2. Mid altitude CAS and overwatch

• Fighters like the F18, F16, F15E, or sometimes A10s would orbit at medium altitude (15,000–20,000 feet). They offered a mix of precision-guided munitions and the ability to drop quickly into lower altitude if needed for more direct engagement.
• They often acted as armed overwatch using targeting pods to keep eyes on the ground situation, track movement, and coordinate with the JTAC or an airborne command element (like an AWACS).

3. Low altitude / direct attack layer

• Closer to the ground, rotary-wing aircraft (AH64 Apache, UH1/AH1 in the Marine Corps) might operate for immediate direct fire support.
• In certain situations, AH64s orA10s or even armed UAVs could orbit lower if required for more precise strikes or to maintain sensor coverage. This lower altitude “layer” was more intimately involved with troops in contact, conducting shows of force and direct strafing runs if needed.

4. Supporting elements

• AWACS could remain on station even higher up or off to the side of the operations area, providing big-picture radar coverage, deconfliction of airspace, and communications relays.
• KC135 or KC10 Tankers loitered in safe zones, enabling fighters, bombers, and other aircraft to quickly refuel and remain onstation for longer periods this was essential to maintain a persistent presence

5. Coordination and deconfliction

• A key part of the CAS stack concept was strict altitude separation. Each flight would “own” a particular block of airspace, preventing accidents and ensuring quick maneuverability without colliding or interfering with the other aircraft.
• The JTAC on the ground used radio nets and datalinks to talk to the different layers, requesting strikes or shows of force as the ground situation evolved.

The overlapping fields of sensor coverage and ordnance meant ground forces could quickly receive the best suited air asset for their immediate threat.

• If one layer was busy or low on fuel, another layer could hand over coverage. This fluid hand-off minimized “gaps” in CAS availability.
• By stacking aircraft at multiple altitudes, the U.S. could keep eyes on the ground, quickly move fighters or bombers into strike positions, and respond to dynamic threats with minimal delay.

When setting up a scenario in DCS to replicate this doctrine, you can simulate each “layer” at different altitudes (and possibly different orbits or racetracks). Incorporate AWACS for overall awareness, include tankers to keep your fighters and bombers on station, and ensure that a JTAC unit on the ground controls strikes, if mission dictates. Most of the time there was not a JTAC unless it was an offensive raid of some kind, or a TIC (troops in contact). This approach will give you a realistic feel for how layered CAS was typically executed by US forces around 2010.

As the lowest layer AC supporting the TIC would run out of fuel or munitions, the stack would all go down one level. It would not be uncommon to have 8-10 aircraft during the fighting season. Khost's fighting season was longer than the rest for the reasons I mentioned in post 1.

I couldn't find a diagram online so I made a crappy one with chat gtp 

Altitude (High)        ┌───────────────────┐
                                 │      B-1B/B-52                         │  (Long loiter, heavy payload)
                                 └───────────────────┘

Altitude (Medium)      ┌───────────────────┐
                                    │ F-15E / F-16 / A-10 / F-18              │  (Precision strikes, armed overwatch)
                                    └───────────────────┘

Altitude (Low)         ┌───────────────────┐
                                 │  AH-64                                   │ (Direct fire support)
                                 └───────────────────┘

Ground Level           ┌───────────────────┐
                                 │   JTAC / Troops                      │
                                 └───────────────────┘

Tanker & AWACS often hold in adjacent orbits off to the side (not shown) to handle refueling and overall command & control.

Does all of that make sense? ASk me any question here, or if you want me to give a scenario.  What I don’t know is how it would work in the editor.

[Chervo]

This is now very interressting, thank you for sharing this with us. Need some time to figure out how to implement such a situation in the mission without killing the performance.

 

[Chervo]

4 hours ago, Gideon312 said:

Super nice mission so far.

I love the idea of the (spawnable) JTAC (on Bagram) to insert where the action is. Wander where to drop him though? Not sure where the action is, whenever you spawn them via F10!

 

@Gideon, ground scenarios are not implemented yet, there is just one vehicle per group as a placeholder. Creating good playable scenarios without killing the performance take time and as said above I do no thave the experience and would need to spend a lot of time researching how a accurate scenario will look like. 

In the meantime you can just expand the groups in the ME for yourself, they spawn one after the other randomly or by F10 command (twice).

[JuiceBox]

I'm not advocating we build missions with large stacks, rather sharing what was done, and i'm sure we can simplify it in DCS but give the payer the feeling of the stack.

[graveyard4DCS]

What you described above was already in use in the early days of OEF, as per US doctrine about airspace management (ACO, etc...) 

The other major deconfliction tool was the killbox system using the CGRS grid.

I shared on my personal page the CGRS grids used during OEF for different time periods. 

Edited March 5 by graveyard4DCS

[JuiceBox]

@graveyard4DCS That is the chef's kiss right there. 

[H60MTI]

I want in on this!! Like @JuiceBox I was also a Blackhawk crew chief that was in Iraq (COB Speicher and FOB Diamonback) during the Surge in 07-09 and twice in Afghanistan; FOB Salerno in '11-'12 and Bagram in '14. I just downloaded the full Afghan map this morning and I'm working on setting up Salerno to the way it was while I was there, before out DFAC got leveled by a VBIED on June 1st 2012. Anyway, would love some missions in the east where I spent my Afghan time. @JuiceBox you need any help, I can give my two cents on what I saw and things around Salerno.

@toubey when I was at Salerno, Aco 1-82 Wolfpack would run one loaded rocket pod, one loaded HML rack, and a combo pak in the belly. So, one loaded 19 shot Hydra rocket pod, 4 Hellfire K models, full load of 30mm in the combo pak, about 325ish rounds. They wanted more fuel then rounds. Can always hit a FARP. Salerno was only about mile high in altitude so the 64's had a little bit more power then some places but performance definitely suffered.

@JuiceBox you can change the time on Google Earth and go back in time. I have Earth pulled up and I'm looking at the 6/2011 imagery, just a few months before I got there. 

[Nealius]

On 3/6/2025 at 1:42 AM, JuiceBox said:

KC135 or KC10 Tankers loitered in safe zones, enabling fighters, bombers, and other aircraft to quickly refuel and remain onstation for longer periods this was essential to maintain a persistent presence

I've been working on a random-generated sandbox mission and am always struggling with tanker placement. As a layman what I identify as a safe zone is further away from the operating area than the aircraft's origin airbase, so I end up putting the tankers closer to the combat area than they probably would be for the sake of gameplay. I've already got 5 tankers and 4 operating areas, but the more I learn about the conflict the more I want to build into the mission and it's just going to get overloaded with triggers and units 

Edited March 10 by Nealius