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FAQ'S

Question: Why won't my planes land on the deck of my carriers?

Answer: 1. You either have 4 planes that are on 5 minute alert. And if that is true the planes are on the deck awaiting to be lauched so either lauch the planes or put them back to 15 minutes readiness. 2. You are lauching planes at the time and this will not let the planes land on the deck due to the use of the catapults. 3. The ship has been damaged so much that it can no longer be used.

 

Question: What is a good way to avoid detection?

Answer: The best way that I have found to avoid detection from planes and ships is to fly as low to the ground as possible. Also make sure you do not have your radar on or you will show up very easy.

 

Question: What is a good way to defend an air craft carrier?

Answer: The best way that I have found to defend a carrier is as follows. Lauch a E-2 Hawkeye to where the enemy is known to have come from(north,south,southeast,etc.) and send it in that direction about 50 to 75 miles. Have it to the highest altitude possible and have it loiter around. After that has begun to move to its position send up 1 F-14 Tomcat to protect it and also you can send a Hornet with it if you feel it is needed. Also send 1 Hornet in each direction. But don't send it where you sent the E-2 and the F-14. Make sure all these planes are at the highest altitude possible and have them blaring there radar. Have 2 tomcats about 20 miles out to help protect against any planes that happen to get by the radar or they can help the E-2 out if needed.

 

Question: What is that small, flashing red box in the lower right corner of the screen?

Answer: The flashing box means you have a new message to read. It can be in the Tasking, Intel, or Messages section of the COMMS screen. Press F4 to bring up the COMMS screen to read the new message. Once you've seen the message, the flashing box will no longer appear, until a newer message arrives

Courtesy of Janes

Q: Sometime I fire HARM missiles at one target and they go towards another target. Why is that?

A: HARM missiles are radar tracking. If they pickup a closer radar source than the target you specify, they will go towards it. You need to fire the HARMs closer to your intended target.

 

Q: Sometimes I tell my ships to fire guided missiles and they don't do it right away. Why is this?

A: They may be reloading their weapons or in the case of SAMs, all of their Fire Control radar are already in use. Most systems are only capable of guiding one missile at a time, the Aegis being the major exception. This is also why your ship isn't firing more missiles on command.

 

  • The following is a brief explanation of the different types of sensors that can be turned on/off. Basically, all sensors that can be turned on or off are emitters, and as such they can be counterdetected at a greater range than they can detect. Before you turn on a sensor, think about the fact that you might be giving yourself away instead of finding out where someone else is.
  • If you are playing multiplayer games with a modified database (for instance, you have the database with the F-14's modified to carry Phoenix missiles), make sure the other people you're playing with also have the same database. The databases must agree with each other for multiplayer games to run correctly.
  • The "Search" option will disappear for aircraft when they run out of sonobuoys.
  • At the start of any mission in which you have a carrier and/or airbases, use the grouping commands to create a group for each platform. For example, select the carrier and press ctrl-1. Then, select the airbase and press ctrl-2. Now, you can select your carrier anytime without having to search around for it by simply pressing '1' and then 'f' to bring up the flight deck. The same goes for your airbase

  • Mission Specific Tips

    Campaign Missions

    Bay of Bengal
    Pause the game immediately, zoom in closer to your CVBG, hook them all, unpause, and turn on ALL sensors. Prepare to be surrounded, and attacked in force from all sides. Don't be afraid to use a lot of SM-2s for each incoming missile, better to use a few extras than get hit. There can be as many as 9 Indian subs, most of which are positioned along your PIM line. Get your E-2 Hawkeye up fast, and at least four S-3 Vikings to search the path of the CVBG (remember to turn on the sonobouys). You MUST wait for the Intel and Tasking messages to come before taking out the airport and Indian ARG.
    Strait of Malacca
    Again, pause, zoom in, and turn on ALL sensors. Do not turn on any of the Australian SAGs sensors; keep them hidden, as they have no defense. The Chinese forces are weak, but you start the mission surrounded by them. Within 10 minutes of game time, the Russian Shipwreck missiles will appear in your sensor range, fire as many SM-2s as you can, as fast as possible. After the first wave, another smaller one may come, then the Russians and Chinese will be depleted of all SSMs. The only worries are the random Backfire attacks and the hidden subs. Set at least four Vikings to search the entire area between the islands. All subs and hostile forces must be killed to win this one.
    Taiwan Strait
    This one is easy. Launch 10 TLAMs at each airport at the start of the mission; don't bother to wait for the Tasking message (they are the only unknown land objects on the map). Chinese forces are stuck between a lot of neutrals, so be careful how you attack them. Better to close with an F-14 Tomcat and fire Harpoons from point blank range. DO NOT use the AGM-88 fired from the F/A-18 Hornet, as it will home in on the neutral boats and your score will suffer. TLAMs will do the same. All subs and Chinese forces must be killed to win. The PCFGs do not need to be killed (they're a pain to hit anyway).
    Kuril Islands
    You must overwhelm the Russian CVGB as soon as the mission starts. This is the hardest mission. You start with approx. 60 TSAMs depending on the random placement of your forces, use 40 of them in the first five minutes, most will be shot down. If the Russian airport randomly starts close to you, kill it with 20 TLAMs immediately (It is the only visible unknown land object on the map). Get planes in the air, especially the jammers (ES-3 Viking, EA-6B Prowler, and the E-3 Sentry). The Russian carrier will pump out an endless flow of Su-33 Flankers which will attempt to kill every missile and plane you have, and they are faster than any of your planes. There may be as many as three subs which must be killed in order to win, although there is no message to do so.

    Single missions

    CVBG Norwegian Sea
    Don't be afraid to use all your SM-2 SAMs. There are only 3 or 4 Backfires, with 5 Kitchen missiles apiece. Launch some of your F-14s; turn on your sensors.
    Chinese Terrorists
    The enemy will reveal itself soon after the mission starts, by firing at you with all their missiles. Defend yourself, then kill them.
    Shore Bombardment
    Simple mission, just kill the land targets with TLAMs or guns. Careful of the airport, it will dump a large amount of planes in a short period.
    Pacific Pirates
    Launch your helicopters as soon as the mission starts and order them to identify all the unknown tracks. Planes will come off the airport, one of them is the enemy, and you will lose if he gets away.
    Macho madness
    One, maybe two boats to kill, nothing special here.
    Iraqi Strike
    The initial barrage of missiles is difficult to fend off, but will end soon. Kill the land targets and you are done.
    Wyoming Deploys
    Use the Orions to search along the PIM line of the Wyoming. You do not need to get to the 300 fathom line, although the debrief will state it as being "incomplete". The transit take a long time, don't bother, just end when all the enemy subs are dead.
    No-Fly Zone
    Use the EA-6B Prowlers to jam any target you see. The SAM sites are deadly to your planes. Just be patient with this mission and it is easy. Don't kill the hospital.
    Deadly Transit
    Defend and attack aggressively and you should come out alive.
    Strike Back
    This is nearly the exact same mission as Deadly Transit. You must destroy the command center, SAM site and all Russian craft to complete this mission.
    Iranian Attack
    You are almost certain to lose planes in this one, as the enemy has you surrounded and will fire upon them as soon as the mission starts. Take them out, kill the airport, one PCFG and you are done.
    Indian Ocean Transit
    The Indian CVBG is very good at defending itself with its Harriers. There are two enemy subs which you must kill to win.
    Bugs and Drugs
    The enemy factory MUST be killed before 1310 to win this one. Pay heed to the Intel and tasking messages.
    A Line in the Sand
    ALL enemy forces must be killed to win this one, ignore the Tasking about transiting to the 35th parallel; you are already there. There is an enemy sub which is difficult to find, just keep searching for it.
    Strait and Narrow
    Read the Tasking and Intel messages carefully. Do not kill the enemy airport until ordered to do so. The enemy PCFGs will fire on you as soon as the mission starts, defend yourself, then kill them. There may be as many as two subs which must be killed to win. You must complete the transit to finish this mission.
    Rogue Fleet
    This should be a four star mission. You will probably lose one or two ships here no matter how well you play. Fire ALL your missiles at the Kuznetsov, kill it as fast as possible. There is an enemy sub that must be killed to win. Beware the Flankers.
    Hold the Tiger at Bay
    Make sure to read all Tasking and Intel messages carefully. You need to kill the SAM sites as well as the airports to win (they are easy to miss). Also kill the Viraat and complete the transit.
    Norway Alta Fjord
    Should be a four star mission. You will probably lose 2-3 ships here. The sub is an Oscar class Russian sub with 24 Shipwreck missiles. The Kuznetsov has 20 Shipwrecks, and the 2 Kirov class battle cruisers that have 20 Sunburn missiles each. Not to mention all the Su-33 Flankers from the Kuznetsov. Good luck, your SAG will be overwhelmed quickly.
    Nominated for an Oscar
    Search for the sub. Kill it and you win.
    Paybacks are Hell
    A large Russian CVBG is just northwest of the island barrier (I'm sure you are scared of the Kuznetsov by now!). Be careful how you shoot your TSAMs, as they cannot fly over land. Launch all your planes and slug it out with them. Be careful of the SAM sites on the islands.
    Running the Gauntlet
    You minesweepers have NO defenses, get planes to them quickly, or kill them enemy. If they die, you lose.
    Plugging the Gap
    Beware the Backfire, and their Kitchen missiles. There is one airport which will launch Backfires, which will launch Kitchens, then land rearm, and be back up again within 15 minutes. Kill it quickly. You CVBG is spread out, protect the carrier.
    Liberating Liberia
    Read the tasking and Intel messages carefully. The helo tasks are difficult to time correctly. Make sure you use the low altitude (shift+7) and slow speed (shift+1) commands when ordering your helos to rescue the embassy staff. You MUST use helos from the French carrier; the other US helos can't rescue people.
    He's at it Again
    Kill the enemy land targets, and defend against their planes. This is an easy mission.
    Ancient Rivalry
    Relatively straight forward mission, kill everything. There are two subs that are hidden behind your ships, turn on your sonar to find them and use the Orions to kill them. Be careful of sneak attacks from unknown planes.
    Palestinian Peace
    The Negev base is difficult to see because it is in a valley; you must be directly over it to see it (which means the SAMs will be able to hit you easily). Place markers (return key) at the exact coordinates given to you and use the engage with>TLAM to fire at the markers. The TLAMs have a large blast radius and will probably kill the target.
    Red Sea Chokepoint
    Use all your offensive and defensive weapons to kill the enemy quickly, and defend against a large amount of incoming SSMs. Make sure to turn on your sonar, as there is a sub nearby.
    A Furor in the Fjord
    If the random placement of your ships leaves you without two ships to the north of your carrier, restart the mission, as you will not be able to defend yourself without them. Your CVBG is spread thin and you will need to defend aggressively, and attempt to overwhelm the Russian CVBG. Most of the unknown planes around your CVBG are Russian Bears and IL-Mays, which will jam your ships fire control radars, and your Hawkeye, making the first five minutes of the mission very difficult. Kill them as fast as possible, and don't worry too much about killing the neutral planes (why do they fly in a war zone?) Fire 10 TLAMs apiece at each of the airports as soon as the mission starts (the only visible land objects). Backfires with Kitchens will pour from the central airport, so it must be killed quickly. Launch all your jammers to help kill the Russian CVBG.
    Nuestra Malvenas
    The UK CVGB is pretty weak, and does not have long range weapons like the US fleet does. Use your offensive weapons wisely. The Harriers do not have much range either. One of your Duke class destroyers must close to within 30 miles of the coastline to complete the "Blockade Broken" task. The British ships can only fire one SAM at a time.
    Red Sea Ambush
    This is truly an ambush. Similar to Red Sea Chokepoint, do not be afraid to use ALL of your offensive and defensive weapons to win. Turn on ALL your sensors at the start of the mission.
    Baltic Sea Magic
    The French fleet is similar to the UK fleet, lacking in long range weapons. The Rafales are good anti-air defense, while the Super Entards are not. Kill the airport as soon as possible. The French ships can only fire one SAM at a time, so aim carefully.
    Q: In Baltic sea magic, I get my ships to the required destination before the required time limit, but the Blockade Broken goal never comes up as completed. Why is this?
    A: To break the blockade, you must arrive at the required destination with at least one fully functioning D'estienne D'orves class FFG.
    South China Slugfest
    Nearly impossible to end with a positive score, the enemy has somewhere near 120 SSMs to fire at you, while you can have as many as 120 SAMs, depending on the random placement of your ships. Launch the P-3 Orions as soon as the mission starts. There are two weak subs directly south of your subs, turn on your sonar and they will become visible soon after. Play this one with "on-demand sub comms" ON (from the F6 options menu), otherwise your subs will never engage the enemy (and you will need those extra 12 Harpoons). If one of your ships is in danger, fire as many offensive weapons from it as possible, as it is better to get them in the air than lose them.

    . Press '2' and then 'f' to bring up the airbase's flight deck.

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