Background A sudden surge of all-out warfare between Arab and Christian backed forces in Lebanon results in U.N. peacekeeping troops being immediately withdrawn. In their absence, the Arab militias, with Syrian support, are able to take control of Beirut's port facilities. Upon learning of this, the exiled PLO hastily contracts two Algerian freighters to carry a thousand "armed volunteers" and supplies from Tunis to Beirut as reinforcements. The plan is discovered by the Israelis who launch an air strike to head the ships off. Unfortunately, the pre-dawn attack hits and cripples a nearby, and similar looking, Soviet tanker by mistake. Before the error is discovered, a second wave of IAI F4/2000s will be intercepted by a RESCAP of heavily armed and long-ranged Naval Flankers operating off the Soviet carrier Tbilisi, recently stationed in the Med. The ensuing battle, of course, creates big international headlines! Ground Units: Place a blank counter in C-1713 to represent the crippled tanker. Game Length: 30 game turns Notes 1. The F4s are camouflaged, the Flankers are air sup gray. Neither side is spotted or radar detected, though the Su-27s are under AWACS control from a friendly IL-76 Mainstay aircraft which has the Phantoms detected. 2. The Su-27s are free to maneuver, the Phantoms must stay below altitude 5 until they detect the Flankers by any means or have made their ASM attack on the tanker. 3. F4/2000 loads: stations 1,5 =1100L FT, stations 2,3 Gabriel ASM and Python IRM, stations 8,9 = AIM-717 RHM. DDS load = 10 chaff, 5 flare. 4. Su-27 loads: stations 1,8 = AA-11 Archer IRM, stations 2,7 = AA-10C IRM, stations 3,4,5,6 = long range AA-10B RHMs, stations 9, 10 = short range AA- 10A RHMs [see AIR POWER #3 and #5 or use AA- 10 from original rules]. DDS load = 10 chaff, 10 flare. 5. Gabriel ASM data. Weight = 1250, load = 3, launch roll 9. Min/max ranges = 12/80. Speed = 4 + a/c on turn of launch, 7 thereafter. Time of Flight = 12 turns. Guidance inertial (fire and forget) plus terminal active radar homing (180 arc, 30 hex range). Attack strength = 10 / 32. 6. Gabriel launch rules. Aircraft must achieve and maintain a radar lock on the target ship for one game turn. Gabriels may then be launched in the missile launch phase. They descend and fly at "T" level until they reach the target. During initial guidance phase, they are allowed two course corrections of 30 degrees each. When under terminal radar, they can turn at the HT rate. 7. The crippled tanker is defenseless, has a soft defense rating of 3, is radar significant, and can be spotted at 32 hexes. It can absorb six "D" hits before sinking. 8. The Flankers can detect and track the Gabriels with radar rolls of 4 or less and may attempt to fire AA-10 RHMs at them if desired. 9. Victory. The side with the most points wins. Each "D" hit on the tanker is worth 5 points (maximum 30). Each Gabriel intercepted is worth 5 points. 10.Optionals. Weather = clear, contrail at 35. Fuel: due to ranges of operation, both sides are restricted to 15 turns of A/B power. Pilots are generated from the Desert Falcons tables. 11. Variant. Substitute the reduced power F-4/2000 for the data card given in this issue. Use power chart for F-4F. Correction Hammer Strike Countered! Note 3: stations 2,3 should be stations 2,4. Back to Table of Contents -- Air Power # 9 Back to Air Power List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1990 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