Black Shark 2 - Deployment Mission #7

[BeachAV8R]

 

Today’s mission is a rescue escort to pick up a downed Su-25 pilot in the Malka river valley.

 

 

We will escort the rescue Mi-8 helicopter and suppress the enemy while the helo extracts the pilot. After the pickup we will proceed to Nalchik Airport.

 

 

 

We pick up the Mi-8 as he flies over the top of FARP “TORBA”. I’m not very enthusiastic about this plan since we will be escorting the Mi-8 directly to the site. Were it me, I would have the Mi-8 orbit until we’ve had an opportunity to recon the area and eliminate any threats from standoff range.

 

 

 

I use my Shkval and laser range-finder to maintain the pre-briefed half click spacing behind the Mi-8.

 

 

For this mission we are carrying my most hated weapon – all rockets. I’m terrible with rockets. I set my salvo to medium so that I don’t have to press the trigger too many times to get a good spread of rockets.

 

 

I do like the encouragement by the Mi-8 pilot to “spare no ammo” however!

 

 

We top a ridgeline and descend into the Malka valley and fly toward the pick-up point.

 

 

I set my countermeasures panel to dispense from both sides, anticipating a hornet’s nest.

 

 

The Mi-8 drops down to the river below and he tells us to watch the treeline higher up on the slopes.

 

 

As he approaches the pickup point near a house gunfire erupts from the hillside to our right. We can see tracer rounds bouncing off the ground near the pickup point. Enemy infantry are laying in wait along the treeline.

 

 

I can’t see them, but I can see where the tracer fire is emanating from. I unload a couple salvos of rockets into the treeline hoping the gunfire doesn’t take out the Mi-8 and end the mission before it has even started.

 

 

 

I start popping flare just in case and order my wingman to engage any targets he happens upon.

 

 

 

As the Mi-8 enters a hover to pick up the pilot I race up the valley, pull up hard and execute a hard pedal turn to put my nose back on the treeline. I go to fire my rockets and can’t believe I used them all on the first run! Damn. I select the gun and use the fixed position to strafe the treeline as I roar back overhead.

 

 

[BeachAV8R]

The canon fire riddles the enemy troops as the shells explode. The Mi-8 continues the extraction and I have no idea where my wingman has gone.

 

 

 

The Mi-8 reports the pilot is aboard and he takes off down the valley. I order my wingman to rejoin and we race out of the valley at low level.

 

 

As we exit the valley the Mi-8 reports we are clear and gives us the mission success! I relax a bit and take up formation alongside for the flight over to Nalchik.

 

 

 

I’m bored and messing around with buttons in the cockpit (never a good idea) and suddenly realize I have a whole two more pods of rockets left!! After expending the first salvos I forgot I could switch to the other pylons (normally I would have Vikhrs there). Dumb!

 

 

From out of nowhere my wingman yells “SAM launch” and a second later the missile impacts behind us. My flares must have decoyed it since neither of us has any damage. I check and verify the Mi-8 is still flying along. Why he doesn’t drop to low altitude is beyond my comprehension. We are sitting ducks here.

 

 

 

In desperation I order my wingman to engage enemy air defenses, but he himself becomes engaged defensive as another missile flies up toward us from our flank.

 

 

 

The second missile misses as well and for a minute I think we are going to survive this ambush.

 

 

A third missile arcs up from the general vicinity of the other ones and this time my flares don’t get the job done. I take a hit and pray that it is only one engine.

 

 

No such luck. I become a brick as both engines fail. I bottom my collective and maintain my forward airspeed as I set up for an auto-rotation.

 

 

I glance out my left side and decide to head for the valley. I actually do a pretty good job of manage speed and keeping my rotor energy up as I approach the flare. As I raise my nose and start adding the stored energy via the collective to cushion my impact I get a bit of lateral drift however, and my great autorotation ends up with me tumbling over once. I’m surprised to find myself back upright and intact (more or less).

 

 

 

 

 

I kill the engines and the electrical system. I go to order my wingman home and realize he can’t hear me without any radios. I fire up the APU and give him the RTB command. It sure would be nice if the Mi-8 that we were escorting could come down and pick me up. Ungrateful bastard!

 

 

[BeachAV8R]

The Mi-8 makes it unharmed to Nalchik and I think I’ll still get credit for the mission success, but after he parks I get a “Mission Fail” notice. I guess I had to make it to the Nalchik as well. Bummer.

 

 

 

Tough break for me. I’ll have to refly it and see if I can scrape my way through the MANPAD ambush.

 

BeachAV8R

[remi]

I did not expect the MANPADs either. There are quite a few spread out along the return to Nalchik. Luckily I made it back with engines intact, but few electronics.

[Witchking]

Great writeup by Beach as usual. I Know its been a while, but missed this when it was written.

[Bedouin]

Very nice, i like the written mission "stories" over the youtubes.. Better luck NeXT time... :-)