S3 Series

Overview:
1. Bombers will climb to 25k+ then descend to 15k to bomb F117. They will extend past it, flip and hit any remaining targets before returning to base.
2. RCAF and their Hurricane 2B will be used to strike targets (see below).
3. 475th and 23rd will coordinate the fighter support for the two bomber groups that will converge into a single formation. We are setting a 14K fighter floor. Your mission will be to suppress the fighters below that level, so that the bombers have TOT and are able to get home safely. RP will be at 3,8x.
4. AE will defend F158 and F144.

Here is the overview of the first mission of the night:

Bombers: B25C, 50% fuel, 6x500lbs bombs, CS:150
Bases: F125 and F124
Mission: Hit F117, F79, F78 = 30 points possible
Target Altitude: 25K

Bomber Time Hack:

T + 0 = Take-off; climb speed 150 mph, head to F126 and circle back to F124.
T + 24 = F124; 17K
T + 29 = F120; 18K
T + 41 = TOT F117, 19K (can't reach higher than that and keep our Ai with us)
T + 47 = TOT F117 second pass and RTB
T + 68 = Wheels down

Fighters:

23rd
Base: F86
Mission: Escort bombers

RCAF
Base: F89
Missions:
Villages: F84, F141, F139 = 30 points possible
Bridge spans: F118 (2); F119 (1); F83 (6); F82 (2); F39 (1); F84 (1) = 9.75 points possible

475th
Base: F144
Mission: Initially, defend F144, then Escort bombers

AE
Base: F158
Mission:
Defend F158 and F144

RCAF Copies orders passed out, maybe some of out pilots also...


Swede-

Darryl, could you post your time over targets so we can coincide out initial attacks with yours

Beaver:
It is going to take us a very long time just to get to 19K. I have us hitting the target F117 at T+41. I think you will want to strike sooner than that.

I am trying to keep all of our Ai with us to the target, but it is not easy to do without having them fall way behind. Been trying several ways this week offline to get them to stay up with us, to no avail. The only thing is lots of time.

You will probably be able to make several missions before we reach our first.

Thanks,
Darryl <S>

475th copies. Expecting only 5-6 pilots. Will communicate with 23rd FG as the frame progresses to arrange merge with them for escort.

Zoom in close to the field once you are OTR
Tell the AI to trail at 40 yards.
Once you are up and on a stable course, look at the field and any of your aircraft that are there do this:
Click on one and drag it ahead of you ( you will see a line and a dot), make sure it is quite a way ahead
Repeat for any other of your AI that are still at the field.
Once they are all up and moving, use the command to have them form up in whatever pattern you want.
RCAF was flying bombers all last series and once we figured that out, our AI were with all the way to the target.

Thanks Beaver for the AI advice. It does take some getting used to, this new bomber interface. AI will act funny on you for sure but if you keep them with you and consider them just an extension of your lead bomber and don't go low to the ground with them you be able to hit your target well and keep returning. Don't count on the AI to do much other than be a ship to jump to when in trouble.

I would test in the AFMA arena as it has the same FM as in the S3. Not sure about the MA.

The first two flights used a -400 for the trail formation and ordered the AI to attack Flak, then the real pilots attacked their targets and ordered the AI to form up when we rtb'd. If we were flying NOE, the AI got scraped off when we popped up to go over mountains, we needed to go higher to avoid that. The rest of the flight ordered the AI to attack ground targets, they went in and the real pilots looked for what was left, then we ordered the AI to reform and we took them home. Didn't seem too hard, but we were flying lower level so I am not sure if the AI dove on the targets.