For these tips I will run through a typical mission, assuming that
you have been through a few training missions to get a basic idea of
the controls. Set the enemy rating to regular, and landings to easy.
As for the various theatres it is best to stick to Libya, the
Persian Gulf or Desert Storm to start with, and choose conventional
war for a good blast.
The first decision to make is the weapons that you will need. As a
general guide, stick to the defaults that the you are given in bay
1 (for the primary target), take 2 bays of Maverick AGM missiles
for ground targets, and either Sidewinders or AMRAAMS for air
targets. AMRAAMS have a better long range capability, but you
only get three of them compared to four Sidewinders.
The next point to consider is your route to the target. Your
objective should always be to hit your primary target without being
intercepted, you can always have some fun on the way home! The first
thing to do is to adjust your first waypoint to avoid the front line
radars. Don't forget that you can fly straight at a pulse radar
(dotted arc), and destroy it without being seen.
So, take off, set the autopilot, press shift-Z to accelerate time
and have a look at your waypoint times. Always check the amount of
spare fuel (the green bar) - slow down to 60 or 70 percent thrust
and look at the difference it makes to your consumption. It is worth
flying slowly to the target to make yourself less visible, and to
conserve fuel for dogfighting or a quick getaway.
Keep an eye on the satellite map, and your EMV bar to spot any radar
sights that may light up en-route. Assuming that you need to hit a
radar site that is tracking you, or one that you have planned to hit,
fly straight towards it at maximum speed. Select your Maverick AGMS,
and target the SAM radar. You should get a missile lock at around
25 KM - it doesn't need to be a solid lock for a stationary
target - pitch up to about 800 ft, open the bay and let fly with the
missile. Immediately shut the bay to minimise your EMV, slow down,
and make a gradual turn back to your waypoint course ( or switch the
autopilot back on). Now watch your missile hit the target in the
track-cam.
Try to avoid contact with enemy planes if you can. Assuming that you
don't get picked up by ground radar, they will only see you if fly
into their front arc radar range. If you do get detected, don't
waste time dogfighting. Use your longest range air-to-air missile
to hit them quickly.
If you have been successful in avoiding detection you should now
have a clear run at the primary target. For air missions, use your
AMRAAMs to hit your target, and then cannon fire to hit any escorts.
For ground strikes, remember to fly level and slow at about 1000 ft,
open the bay doors at the last second, and keep a lock on the target
with your PAVETACK until the bomb has landed. Then, increase your
thrust, fly low again, and head for your secondary target. If you
miss, fly out to about 10 km from the target, make a gentle turn,
and come back for a second run.
Ok, you have been unlucky, and you have a couple of missiles heading
at you. What do you do ? Firstly, don't panic. Switch to the tac
view, and zoom in to get a view of where they are. Don't make the
mistake of violently turning as this will just make you more
visible. Make a gentle turn to come on to a heading 90 degrees from
the path of the missile, watch to see if it follows you. If it does,
wait until it is almost on top of you and launch flares for an IR
missile (red), or chaff for a radar missile (yellow), and make a
turn. Save your decoys for when you have several missiles heading
at you - launch them at the last moment and manoeuvre out of the way
of the missiles.
Primary and secondary targets smoking, head for home. Use up any
remaining maverick missiles on any SAM sites in your path. If you
have any bombs left, hit any suitable ground targets to maximise
your score. If you have any fuel spare, shoot down a few enemy
planes on the edge of the warzone. Don't forget that dogfighting
manoeuvres will make you very visible, so be prepared to run for
home if you attract too much attention.
For the flight home, switch on the autopilot, reduce your thrust
until you have a green safety margin of fuel. If you have to use the
ejector seat, try to get as far out of enemy territory as you can
before ditching. Select the airfield, or carrier in your track cam,
line up on the landing lights, and follow the ILS down. Take the
landing slow and easy and you should have no problems. Make sure
that your gear is down, and keep an eye on your airspeed (should be
between 150 - 200 knots at touchdown). As soon as you hit the ground,
cut the power and put the brakes on.
Hopefully, your mission will have been a complete success. Now
increase the difficulty and have another go, or try one of the
tougher war-zones. And, if you can make it in and out of Korea
with veteran opponents, let me know how you did it !
