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Going high
If you chose to go high and are within range, find the target quickly on the radar. Use the waypoint distance and bearing to assist you in finding it. Also try to remember what it looked like from the briefing map, but it will still be hard to make out shapes with the collection of little dots you will see with the radar.
Fig. 4. The little dotsOnce you find it, using the EXP modes, lock onto it and then slave your ATFLIR to the target and fine tune your targeting. Make sure you pick exactly the building or section that you were assigned.
Fig. 5. Picking your exact targetAt this time, tell your section to attack primary ground targets. If you are attacking a hardened structure, then use the double bomb program we set up earlier to be sure you will get two bombs on target. It will take at least that to destroy things like sup pens and ammo dumps. Also you need to issue the attack ground targets command twice because wingmen only drop one bomb the first time.
Fig. 6. Bombs away!Once you are locked up and flying straight and level toward the target, make sure you're in auto bomb mode. When the release cue gets to 10 seconds, press and hold the pickle button until your bomb(s) release. Then begin a slow turn to your right to ensure the FLIR has a clear LOS to the target, and you won't break lock. You should see your bombs hit their mark. Flying so high negates the AAA, and light SAM sites. You just need to worry about fighters. Once targets are destroyed tell flight to reform, circle to allow them so, and then head home.
Going Low
Fig. 7. If you do it right, you'll have a perfect hit
If you chose to go low, it's an all more dangerous affair. Lots of AAA and small SAM crews are out there waiting to get you. Fly low to acquire the target with the radar and slave the FLIR. During this time, identify the most deadly threats out there and launch HARMs at them. Things like SA6s. Don't waste missiles on the AAA, a little jinking and smart avoidance of their sites is all you need. (Just don't get too close to the ZSU-23s.) Once you are about 5 miles or so from the target, climb to an altitude to keep you safe from the bomb frag. Again select an appropriate program for the particular target (two bombs for hardened structures), press and hold at 10 seconds to release, then pull to the right avoiding the target area as it surely will be laced with AAA and SAMs. You might be locked up and fired on several times, just use jammers and chaff to break the locks. Grit your teeth and make with the mud moving, then get the hell out of dodge. If you still have HARMs or if you chose to keep your HARMs for self protection, make sure they are in SP mode and they should lock on and you can fire immediately when a threat locks you. Be wary of enemy fighters here as dogfighting with them and SAMs can be a lethal cocktail. Once the targets are destroyed tell your flight to reform and head low all the way home.
Fig. 8. Your eyes and earsThat pretty much sums up my last mission which was an airfield strike. Unfortunately at the end I must have strayed into another airfields airspace, as I found myself being locked up by about 5 or 6 Su-35s . Needless to say not many of us made it home that day. Remember, there are alert fighters standing by and sometimes even wild weasels. Use them! You don't gain any points for not, and they are an expendable asset the way the campaign is run. It does not really matter if they die, as long as you and your team make it home. Kind of morbid but that's the realities of a semi-dynamic campaign.
Fig. 9. Your best friend of all - CAP.Oh yeah, and above all else have fun!.
