Air Parity ?

[JamesG]

I was wondering, Is it possible that two opposing aircraft would engage each other if each one showed up at the same time on the map, to perform a ground strike? Is it possible to test this? I thought I had seen it happen in a campaign I was once played with Nato vs. Russia, but I can't remember if it happened using WinSPMBT or the DOS version. Any thoughts?

[Mobhack]

There is no air to air. This is a game of ground combat - any fighters are fighter bombers, and performing air-to-mud missions. The number of missions is determined after the abstraction for air power. Both sides can have air support, unlike SP 1,2, or 3.

Helos can shoot each other up though, and planes may take a helo as a target and try to strafe or bomb it. Helos at low altitude may be killed by air attacks, just like they are vulnerable to arty if at low or landed.

Cheers
Andy

[Double_Deuce]

I have designed scenario's (for testing mostly) where I added air-to-air missiles onto helo's such as sidewinders and they shot down attacking fixed wing aircraft. Did the same and got fixed wing to launch sidewinders at helo's on their way across the board also.

It seems like eons ago and I don't remember if it was the DOS version or WinSPMBT. Maybe I need to test this again and document it.

Since only one airplane is on the map at any given time for their attack run you cannot simulate air to air stuff this way between fixed wing aircraft.

[PlasmaKrab]

Straffing airplanes giving a heatseeker pot-shot at onboard helos sounds interesting, DD, but I wonder if any pilot with half a working brain would dare try this while on a bombardment run...

Besides, (yes, I like nitpicking on good ideas), I fear that the additional cost given to the aircraft may not be worth the bother given the relative rarity of onboard hovering helos at the target spot.

[Double_Deuce]

That's why the lead plane carries the missiles only . . to "clear" the area for the follow on stike.

In a Pbem its probably a waste of points but in the hands of a creative designer it could cause a player to question whether his armored helo's can dominate the field of battle at will. Imagine the horror as the player maneuvers his pair of Hind-D's into position to attack an armored column only to have an F-15 swoop down, fire a spread of sidewinder's and drop them all in one pass. It also works if you load a helo for anti-air operations against other helo's. A nose mounted mini-gun is nice but a sidewinder so much more accurate.

Actually at the time I was testing I was working on an ALL helicopter user campaign.

[Listy]

I tried building an F4 tornado once.

IIRC if you got it close it would fire SAM's at a helicopter even if it evaded and fled the missile, so one pass would chase the Helo across the map.

However the chances of hitting a helo are very slim for some odd reason. Even when I whacked the Fire control and ACC way up on the weapon and missiles.

This was on the DOS game, I belive.

[wulfir]

Mobhack said:
...and planes may take a helo as a target and try to strafe or bomb it.

Once, in a PBEM long ago (dos version), I lost one AT-helo to cannon fire from a strafing F-16..., kind of surprised me...

[DRG]

It happens, it's rare but it happens.....

Don