This is a MULTIPLAYER-ONLY mission. Your aircraft will literally explode if you attempt to play it in SP!!
No mods or scripts used.
Mission is on the Syria map.
This sandbox is not just for the Mi-24. It has many missions that directly involve the Mi-8 and also features the Su-25, MiG-21, MiG-23, L-39 and Combined Arms.
The date is 20 October 1986. The war in Afghanistan is near its peak and so is the involvement of the USSR. In this mission you and your friend(s) can take on the role of pilots, planners, commanders and even insurgents in a sandbox that attempts to create a semi-realistic representation of the Soviet-Afghan war as it was in 1986.
Be sure to read the README PDF for briefing, tips and useful resources.
Installation Instructions:
Download the mission zip, extract and copy the folder to Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Missions. To run, in the multiplayer server menu mission selection area, open the folder and choose either the normal or night versions of the mission. Read the README PDF in the mission folder!
As this is a multiplayer mission only the player hosting the server needs to download it. All your friends have to do is join your server! It is still recommended to distribute the README PDF so those that don't have the mission can read it. This mission is designed for a group to run for a session, it is not designed to be a persistent public multiplayer server. Once a mission is done it is done until the mission is restarted. Missions require coordination that may not be possible with random people in a public server.
Mission Features:
-60x120km primary AO in a seldom-explored area on the Syria map.
-Designed for multiplayer, with full Multi-Crew compatibility and slots for Mi-24, Mi-8, Su-25, MiG-21, MiG-23, L-39 and Tactical Commanders.
-Semi-Dynamic sandbox environment with a different variation of active enemies every session.
-12 mini-missions including outpost resupply routes, sling loading, troop transport, combing operations, airborne assaults, strikes, convoy attacks and ambushes.
-Most mini-missions have multiple variations including different enemy spawns, possible ambushes, LZ locations, etc.
-Designed with Combined Arms in mind, featuring Tactical Commander slots and assets on both sides.
-Day and night versions included.
The Mission and its Mini-Missions:
This mission is a sandbox with optional mini-missions. There is no requirement to do the mini-missions and there is no progression/campaign. To use the sandbox just slot in and fly around the AO looking for enemies. They may be on the roads, in villages, on mountaintops or right outside the perimeter of your airfield. Every one of the 1000+ possible enemy units are hand-placed and many of them are well-hidden. Exercise caution, they will often see you before you see them. Be careful engaging convoys of armored units as they may be allies.
Why Multiplayer?
This mission is designed to be at least somewhat realistic. Insurgent unit compositions are intentionally not constrained to be soloed by single-ships, which were rare in Afghanistan. Most of the mini-missions are between very difficult and entirely impossible to accomplish by any one aircraft. At minimum you should have two human-flown Mi-24s in your flight, which should be enough to successfully patrol most of the areas in the AO. A 3 ship consisting of two Hinds and a Hip will be able to comfortably do many of the mini-missions, though some of the major operations will require multiple Hips.
Multiplayer also allows for the creation of much more interesting and complex scenarios for you to enjoy with your friends. A human pilot is much more fun to interact with, is naturally dynamic and may actually be able to competently accomplish basic tasks. AI will regularly do dumb things and get itself killed, requiring massive amounts of scripting and testing just to produce an experience where the AI just flies silently along with you and sometimes helps. Multi-Crew itself is an entirely new level of fun and immersion that no scripted voice lines and behavior can hope to replicate; another human(s) with you in the aircraft, spotting targets, warning of incoming fire and even shooting at enemies on their own. No scripting can really chat with you on a long patrol, look at the map for you while you fly, take over the controls when you need a break or scream in terror with you as a missile slams into the side of your aircraft. Without multiplayer this mission would be far simpler, far more boring, far less immersive and far less realistic.
Roles Of Each Aircraft:
One of the greatest strengths about this being a multiplayer mission is that it allows for each aircraft to be used how it was designed. Aircraft will generally not be forced into roles for which they were not designed, a problem found in a lot of single-player content. This is detailed further in the README PDF, including tips on realistic loadouts, tactics and best practices.
Mi-24: The main aircraft in the mission. It is used almost exclusively as a gunship, hunting for insurgents, escorting Mi-8s and carrying out strike missions.
Mi-8: Troop transport, sling loading, it can also fly attack missions alongside the Hind.
Su-25: The main fixed-wing support aircraft, using its missiles and bombs to destroy targets too dangerous for the helicopters.
MiG-21: Was not the best fit for CAS in Afghanistan but can and did help out nonetheless.
MiG-23: Somewhere between the Su-25 and MiG-21 in terms of usefulness, its payload and endurance were certainly appreciated over the MiG-21.
L-39C: Was not extensively used for CAS during this time in the war. It does make a very good scout aircraft if you have someone in the backseat using binoculars.
Yak-52: No found evidence indicating actual combat use in Afghanistan. Included for gameplay purposes, likely best used as a scout aircraft.
Role of Combined Arms:
Both sides have access to Tactical Commander slots. Red (USSR) has access to AI Mi-24, Su-24, Su-25 and artillery groups that can be used to support their players. Blue (Insurgents) gets a randomized assortment of controllable vehicles across the AO, ranging fr om technicals to tanks and even (rarely) short-range SAMs. There are no rules covering how you use them...
If you want to give feedback, make critiques, add suggestions or simply get in touch to fly with me, please fill out this ~2 minute form:
https://forms.gle/K3gG6bXaP7h6BoG99
If you want someone to fly with and are older than 18, speak English, can fly central time hours, use VOIP/Discord, and own one of the needed modules my discord is acs_dev.
PATCH NOTES: V2024_1 Bugfix/Polishing Patch 10/2/2024:
Mission:
-Extensive documentation PDF now available in the mission file.
-The Insurgent MSR now has the possibility of Mujahideen roadblocks at major intersections.
-The positions of several existing Mujahideen units have been adjusted for concealment and lethality.
-Day version starts slightly later for more sunlight.
-Added a Yak-52 slot at Adana Sakirpasa.
Mi-24:
-Engine remaining service life reduced from ~97% to ~80%, a more realistic value for an Mi-24 in Afghanistan.*
Mi-8:
-Engine remaining service life reduced from ~97% to ~80% for the same reason listed above.
-Transportation missions now depend on the side door, not the rear clamshell doors.**
-Kord machine gun removed from payload options for Transport-coded helicopters to to the above.
-Rear-facing PKT reinstated as a payload option for Transport-coded helicopters due to the above.
-Mini-mission briefings for specific Mi-8s are now are only sent when a client has occupied the slot.
Su-25:
-S-25L reinstated as an available weapon due to new information corroborating its use in Afghanistan.
-Default payload changed to 40X S-8KOM, 2X FAB-250, 2X S-24B based on found historical research.
MiG-21Bis:
-Default loadout changed to center tank + 2X FAB-250 based on found historical research.
Mini-Missions:
-Several mini-missions adjusted to have slightly lighter payloads.
*Changed because, according to the DCS Mi-8MTV-2 User Manual, a value of 100 represents test stand power while 90 represents a brand new engine. Afghanistan was harsh on engines and most would be worn down significantly. Many served beyond their listed maximum service life.
**Changed because the clamshell doors were actually not used frequently in Afghanistan for missions requiring rapid cargo transfer. They could allegedly take more than 10 minutes to fully cycle and required someone to stand outside and operate them. The side door, though significantly smaller, did not have these limitations and was preferred in most cases. The mission reads the state of these doors to determine mini-mission progress so they must not be occupied by guns. As the clamshell doors are now (mostly) unused they can be utilized to mount the rear PKT. The side doors however must now be unobstructed, barring the use of the Kord. These limitations only apply to the Mi-8s used in mini-missions.
Enjoy!
