Questions submitted by Jake Darvall, Cleveland, Australia. 1. Rule 38 and 40: If a radar can recognize an ARM launch, can it shut down if it is actively jammed? Interesting question. There are two times radars may shut down in response to ARM attacks. First, in the Electronic Warfare Interaction phase step one. There, radars which have been alerted to ARMs may attempt to shut down. All radars on a side are considered permanently alerted to ARMs once any radar on that side has been subjected to an ARM attack or recognized an ARM launch against itself. This is allowed to any and/or all alerted radars whether jammed or not on the previous turn and whether under ARM attack or not. (The GDW Air Strike errata of 3/8/88 states that jammed radars become unjammed at the end of each turn). Second, during the Flight Phase or Missile Launch Phase whenever an aircraft actually launches ARMs. In this case, a shutdown attempt is only allowed to the radar that is the target of the ARM launches, and only if the radar can recognize those launches, which means it must be UNJAMMED when the launch occurs. If said radar recognized a launched but failed the die roll to shut down, it would be considered alerted and could try to shut down again in the following game-turn's Electronic Warfare Phase. Hope this clarifies your question. 2. Rule 40: Can a radar roll twice to shut down if two ARMs are launched by an aircraft in the same game-turn? No. Radars are allowed only one shut down attempt in response to a recognized ARM attack, whether the attacker fires one or two ARMs. Note, however, that if two seperate aircraft fired ARMs, and the radar could recognize each attack, it could roll twice, once for each seperate attack. 3. Rule 36: Can a SAM with an inbuilt EWR roll to make passdowns to other SAM units? No. A built in EWR serves only to give that specific SAM unit a big picture look of the battle, allowing it to respond more efficiently to engagement commands from the CCU. Passdowns are the function of only the command and control centers of an IAD, usually represented by an EWR and/or CCU unit in play. 4. Rule 35: Can you enter and exit T-level flight in the same game turn any number of times? Glad you brought this up. In the first edition Air Strike rules, the wording implies that you can enter and exit T-level multiple times and that you can enter it upon reaching 1 level above the ground. That was not my intent. The Air Strike Errata of 3/8/88 clarifies this somewhat by stating that to enter T-level aircraft must choose level flight that turn and the unload maneuver is not allowed, meaning you would already have to be at one level above the ground at the start of the turn to enter. The second edition rules are more specific. They state the following: a). A/C may enter or exit T-level once per game-turn. b). The A/C must begin the game-turn no more than one level above the ground and declare level flight. At any point in its move it may enter T-level. c). Exiting T-level can also occur at any point in the A/ C's move by simply declaring the act. The A/C is returned to one level above the terrain. If other than level flight is declared when an A/C starts a game-turn in T-level, it is considered to immediately exit T-level before it moves. d) An A/C may enter and then exit T-level in a single game-turn, but the reverse is not true. Once an A/C exits T level, it may not return to it until the start of the following turn. 5. Rule 38: Must one consider vertical limits with jammers? No. Vertical limits only apply to aircraft radars and aircraft missile seeker heads prior to the missile being launched. 6. Rule 8 and 31: Do you have to use a VFP prior to weapons release on the turn you dive bomb? No. The requirement is that you choose diving flight and remain on the line of approach until your release point is reached. If you were already at a good altitude at the start of a turn, you could just move forward to the RP, drop bombs, then turn off the LOA and expend your VFPs later in the move. 7. Rule 37 and 39: Can a SAM unit attempt both a radar and an optical lock at the same time? Yes. But only against the same target. If both modes are successful, Radar guidance must used as the primary mode until the radar shuts down or is jammed, at which point one missile already in flight may revert to optical guidance, any others are lost. 8. Rule 20: Do you use the pilot eyesight modifiers when using V.A.S? Heavens No!, V.A.S. makes all eyes equal. 9. Rule 27: An Air Strike LOS rule states that A/C and ground units at equal altitudes have the LOS between them blocked by Woods, Buildings, and Ridgelines. Is the LOS also blocked if the A/C is lower? Yes and No. the LOS is only blocked if there is intervening terrain at an altitude equal to the ground unit's and above the Aircraft's. A ground unit on a hill edge could see over all intervening terrain which is below the unit. See cases 1, 2, and 3 of Rule 27. B. a careful reading should clarify the rule for you. Back to Table of Contents -- Air Power # 18 Back to Air Power List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by J.D. Webster This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com