In the Syrian Civil War, the city of Aleppo has been badly hit by Russian and Syrian airstrikes, with claims that Russia is targeting rebel-held civilian areas using WW2-era 'carpet bombing' tactics. Russia have strongly denied this, telling a meeting of the UN Security Council that such accusations are 'baseless'.
The United States however, believe Russia is using a deconfliction arrangement to mask the true nature of its airstrikes in Syria. The US is preparing a risky manoeuvre to penetrate Russian controlled airspace over Syria and gather evidence of any alleged war crimes.
You are part of a USMC squadron of F/A-18C Hornets stationed at Incirlik, Turkey. Your flight has been placed on high alert, ready to slip into Syrian airspace, sneak up on the Backfires and record HUD footage of their actions over Aleppo.
LAUNCH
You will scramble fr om a hot start at Incirlik Air Base and proceed immediately to Waypoint 1. All air traffic control procedures have been waived to facilitate a timely intercept.
PUSH
Your flight will push from waypoint 1 and is cleared to launch SLAM-ERs at two Syrian communications masts at Idlib and Hama.
See Mission Datacard on kneeboard for target coordinates and advised steerpoints. Terminal guidance of the SLAM-ERs via the data link pod can be used to confirm successful hits on targets.
INGRESS
A low valley lies between Waypoints 2 and 3 which will provide further terrain masking as the flight ingresses behind the SLAM-ERs.
INTERCEPT
At Waypoint 3, begin searching for the Tu22M Backfires. Once targets are located, perform an intercept whilst remaining undetected and shadow the target, maintaining close visual contact. Turn HUD tapes on (simulated via F10 menu) and keep targets within FOV to ensure evidence of Russian airstrikes is recorded.
Once the strike is completed, the flight will return to Incirlik Air Base. There is a tanker (TEXACO) track north of the Turkey/Syria border if required.
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MISSION MAKER'S NOTES:
The mission is against the clock, with your flight launching at the same time as the Tu-22Ms. You must balance speed, stealth and fuel management to intercept the bombers before they reach Aleppo but with enough fuel to make it home afterwards. Adhering to the flight plan is advised.
The Russian Tu-22Ms have a suspicion level that is impacted by how well you penetrate the airspace, locate the targets and perform the intercept. The Russian response may vary if they suspect their flight is being monitored. Visual detection by the Tu-22Ms will lead them to perform an immediate abort, resulting in mission failure.
Su-27 Flankers are on high alert at Khmeimim Air Base and will be scrambled if informed of your presence by the Syrian IADS. Destroying the Syrian communications towers will degrade the IADS and break communications between Syrian and Russian forces.
With the ongoing Civil War, the status of most SAM sites is unknown. Flying at low level in the areas of heavy fighting around Hama and Homs should be avoided wh ere possible.
