It's time again that we get ready for the FlightGear Rotor Club's second monthly event.
Pat did a great job on the last one, and I hope to do as good of job as he did.
This event will be a little different than the last one. This time, it's a Combat Search and Rescue Mission.
The scenario goes as follows:
On June 30, 1960. The USS Enterprise(Callsign: Big E) is on a patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin, west of North Vietnam. At 2100 hours, a single A-6 Intruder(Callsign: Cyrano) is sent on a sortie to bombard parts of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos, to prevent the Viet Cong from flooding South Vietnam during their Spring Offensive. The Intruder evades air defenses by flying low to the ground, around 500 feet. When the intruder reached it's target at 2230 hours, the pilots have to fly to 1500 feet in order to drop their munitions on the trail. While on their bombing run, the aircraft is temporarily visible to radar, and a 2235, an SA-2 guideline is fired from very close range at the Intruder. With only a few seconds to react, the pilots rapidly spit out chaff and flares to evade the missile. Yet the missile managed to keep a lock on the aircraft, and struck it right on the left engine.
At 2242, the pilots report ejection and Cyrano flight goes down into Laotian territory. The pilots made radio contact with the Big E the next morning, and have provided an approximate location. A U-2 was later sent to photograph the area, but failed to locate the aircraft wreckage.
The aircraft did locate the locations of 3 SA-2 sites and radar systems, though.
On July 2, a CH-47, several UH-1's, and 2 A-1H's will be dispatched to rescue the pilot. We must not let the Viet Cong capture any more personnel, as they will surel be sent to the Hanoi Hilton.
The mission brief follows:
Mission Name: N/A
Mission Type: Combat Search and Rescue/Ground Engagement
Classification: Level 2
Abstract: Based on radio transmissions from the pilots of the downed Cyrano flight, and U-2 reconnaissance imagery, we have the approximate location of two downed personnel and a heavy Viet Cong presence in Laotian territory. Recover the pilots without giving away their position. Authorized to utilize military force.
Primary Mission: Depart Big E in the Gulf of Tonkin for coordinates [N/A]. Retrieve pilots.
Primary Goal: Retrieve pilots at all costs. Eliminate anything that could potentially endanger the pilots. [See U-2 photographs below.]
Target Coordinates: [N/A]
Secondary Mission: Destroy A-6E wreckage if possible to prevent sensitive equipment from being retrieved by enemy forces.
Recommended Aircraft: A-1H, CH-47, UH-1
Recommended Route: Big E direct [N/A].
Fuel Auth: None
Debrief: Big E
U-2 Reconnaissance Imagery
Flight path from the gulf to the target:
Calcmandan has agreed to host the USS Enterprise in the Gulf of Tonkin on July 2, so we may conduct operations off of it.
In order to see the crash site and SAM batteries, and have the customized aircraft for the event, you must download the event package:
DOWNLOAD