Command: Modern Air/Naval Ops Discussion

[Asid]

The road to v1.10: Waypoints for cruise missiles



Command Build 757.12, which had been made available unofficially at the start of December, has now officially been released through MatrixGames and Steam. Barring any emergencies, this is probably the last update released as part of the post-v1.09/NI release support process (Command is still 50% off at MatrixGames until early January!). The development team’s focus is now the next major public update, designated v1.10. Let us take a look at the some of the major improvements that the new version will feature.

[Asid]

Complex missile courses for fun and profit

Arguably one of the most visible changes in v1.10 is the new ability to plot complex routes with multiple waypoints for cruise missile attacks. While this was already possible for weapons under positive datalink control (e.g. heavy Russian “carrier killer” missiles like the SS-N-19), this is now possible also for completely autonomous weapons. Let’s see how this works.



Full article here: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4043

[Asid]

The road to v1.10: Steam Workshop



With the release of v1.10 one important new feature is Steam Workshop integration, giving players a new avenue to share and discover scenarios!

Steam Workshop Scenarios Menu



One quick note we here at Warfare Sims would like to point out that the new Steam Workshop functionality will in no way supersede the existing scenario distribution channels (the community scenario pack and the matrix scenario forum). The wildly successful community scenario pack showcases the very best of the scenarios released to date and will continue to be released periodically with additional updates. In fact highly rated Steam Workshop scenarios will find their way into the community scenario pack.

Submitting a scenario to the Steam Workshop couldn’t be easier!

First, open Command via Steam. Then, open the scenario you would like to upload in ‘edit mode’. After that press the “Publish scenario to Steam Workshop” button near the bottom of the Editor menu.

Read on: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4059

[Asid]

The road to v1.10: New weaponry capabilities

Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC)



Read here: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4076

[Asid]

The road to v1.10: Electronic warfare improvements and weight-dependent aircraft kinematics



Electronic warfare improvements
A rather consistent piece of feedback we have received since the original release of Command is that the offensive jamming (OECM) systems of many aircraft appeared to be overpowered against their target emitters. The “poster child” for this issue was the EA-18G Growler, which was able to flood with jamming even very modern SAM systems such as the S-400/SA-21, to the point where the aircraft was able to even overfly such a SAM battery with impunity.

We investigated these reports, and concluded that the fundamental problem was that our radar/ECM formulas, while technically quite accurate, failed to take into account the various counter-countermeasures (and counters to them, and counters to the counters, ad naseum…) that are applied by both radars and the jammers that target them. Discretely incorporating these techniques in a public-domain simulation is tricky, not least because non-classified information is scarce, both on the details of these techniques and also as to which system supports which tricks.

However, we already had at our disposal a successful template for abstracting and emulating these factors: The technology generation system, employed already on defensive jammers (DECM). We were also informed of the decisive advantages of phased-array systems (and especially AESAs) in countering most jamming techniques.

So here are the steps we undertook to improve the OECM modelling:

* As described, tech generations are taken into account when preparing the variables used on the radar/ECM formulas. The greater the generation difference between jammer and radar emitter, the more pronounced the effect is; so for example a very modern jammer like the forthcoming NGJ has a fair chance of defeating a modern radar like the 96L6 Cheese Board or the YLC-27, while it will laugh at older systems like (non-modernized) Tall King or Spoon Rest. (The other already-existing factors that affect jamming effectiveness like distance, positional geometry, sidelobes, emission characteristics like beamwidth, frequency band, PRFs etc. etc. are all still there and are critical as ever, but the tech-gen gap adds an extra wrinkle.)

* Phased-array systems get decisive bonuses both on the radar and on the jammer side (NGJ is an example of the latter). AESAs in particular are able to ignore many OECM techniques altogether thanks to their very low sidelobes, high SNR and advanced beamforming capabilities.

As an example of how these refinements affect tactical employment, we ran the popular but artificial “lone EA-18G jam-attacks S-400 battery head-on” strawman setup. In this case the SAM battery was using only 48N6DM missiles (TVM/SAGG guidance) and was supported by a 91N6 (Big Bird D) brigade-level surveillance radar. The 91N6 briefly detected the Growler at 168nm but immediately lost it again. It was able to re-detect it and hold it reliably only at 71nm. The battery’s 96L6 (Cheese Board) acquisition radar detected the aircraft at barely 14nm, and the 92N2E (Grave Stone) fire-control radar was able to achieve missile lock at just under 7nm (…cue the fanboy hordes screaming that our numbers are way off).

(As an aside, the large range gap between firm target track and reliable TVM/SAGG missile lock may help explain the design rationale for fitting both the 40N6 and 9M96 missiles [the other two weapon options for S-400 batteries] with active-radar seekers. In theory, both of those missile types could have been launched against the EA-18G as soon as a reliable track was achieved and the contact entered their respective kinematic envelopes.)

So as we see, modern OECM systems are still quite effective even against modern radar systems but not nearly as omnipotent as was hitherto the case. Against older threats, modern jammers remain overwhelmingly effective as has been repeatedly demonstrated in real-life air operations in the last few decades.


Weight-dependent aircraft kinematics



FA-106_002Fully populating the aircraft loadout entries in the DBs with weight and drag data has enabled us to refine a significant aspect of aircraft kinematics: The effect of weight on agility and manouvering. Until now, although weight and drag were taken into account for fuel consumption puproses (and indeed were re-calculated continously so that e.g. an aircraft that dropped its bombs would immediately experience a benefit in endurance and range), the aerodynamic performance itself (including evasion against attacks) always assumed an “airshow” configuration (minimal external stores, half-full fuel load). This mostly worked for air-combat loadouts but could cause significant distortions in evaluating attacks against heavily-loaded aircraft.

So now the actual aircraft weight, including fuel and stores, is continously calculated as the “weight fraction” (compared against the nominal “airshow” values and the maximum take-off weight) and it has a decisive effect on actual performance. Sustained turn rate, climb/dive rate, acceleration and attack evasion agility are all affected by this.

As an example, a USAF F-16CM Blk52 (2014) with a light A2A-patrol loadout (2x 370USG tanks, 4x AIM-9X, 1x ALQ-184 DECM pod) at 36Kft has a weight fraction of 0.44 with full internal fuel. With this fraction the aircraft has a 16.7 deg/sec sustained turn rate (against the nominal 22. and its evasion agility is reduced from the nominal 4.9 to 3.6 (not taking into account any other factor such as crew proficiency, impact angle etc.). In contrast, the very same aircraft in a heavy attack loadout (2x 370USG tanks, 2x GBU-31(V)1 JDAM, 2x AIM-120C-7, 2x AIM-9X, 1x AAQ-33 Sniper-XR pod, 1x ALQ-184(V) DECM pod) has a weight fraction of 0.68, which reduces its turn rate to 13.4 deg/sec and its evasion agility to just 2.9.

As fuel is consumed this fraction steadily decreases and the aircraft performance increases, and of course even more so if the loadout stores are expended.

So if you have been watching the news and see aircraft on actual ops carrying much fewer stores-per-sortie than the “Christmas tree” brochure drawings, part of the reason is range/endurance but a significant consideration is also this: Too much weight can really get you killed.
On the next post, we will take a look at the most significant ScenEdit & Lua improvements that v1.10 brings.

[Asid]

CMANO+NI Bundle = 50% off



http://store.steampowered.com/sub/80730/

[Asid]

http://www.matrixgames.com/products/483/details/Command:.Modern.Air.Naval.Operations.Wargame.of.the.Year.Edition

Ends Feb 26

[Asid]

Version 1.10, a huge update is here

Since its first release, Command: Modern Air / Naval Operations (CMANO) has redefined the expectations of the modern combat wargaming community. Thanks to its immensely powerful built-in scenario editor, a huge collection of community scenarios have been made available and enjoyed by the legions of CMANO players.

Today, developers Warfare Sims are proud to present their next step: version 1.10, a huge update which includes, among other features, Steam Workshop integration: players can now upload, browse and download content directly via Steam!

Steam integration is but one of the major new features requested by the players and implemented by Warfare Sims. Other hallmarks include:

• Waypoints for cruise missile attacks: Plan and execute complex, multi-leg cruise missile strikes just like on real-life ops in Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere!
• Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC / NIFC-CA): “Blind” cooperative missile shots and other abilities that will show you exactly why the US Navy and other armed forces are spending billions on this technology.
• Electronic warfare modelling improvements: The giant chess game of electronic sensors, countermeasures and counter-countermeasures gets knocked up another notch!
• Improved ABM modelling: The new theatre ballistic missiles and ABMs are not your father’s Scuds and Patriots – see first-hand how modern ABM systems engage more capable ballistic missile threats more effectively.
• One-click EMP strikes: Now even aunt May can shut down your country with a well-placed high altitude flash. And you thought GoldenEye was just a James Bond gimmick.
• Aircraft kinematics improvements: Heavy loadouts now don’t just increase drag, fuel consumption and radar return, they also directly drag down your aircraft’s kinematic performance. So go easy on the heavy bomb racks, ace.
• New Scenario Editor and Lua features: Even more power and flexibility to transform your ideas into scenarios and share them with CMANO’s global user community – from armchair hobbyists all the way to defence professionals.

To see how to use Steam Workshop and to check the full list of changes, you can follow this link!:  http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4031735

You can download the update from here (137MB):  ftp://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/CommandModernAirNavalOperations/CommandMANO-CommandNI-UpdateComp-v110.zip

[Asid]

The great leaps of v1.11: Massive refuelling improvements



The v1.10 update for CMANO was released on Feb 26 to widespread acclaim. The dev team is already hard at work preparing the next upcoming major release, version v1.11. After the panoply of new features in past updates, what new tricks do the CMANO devs have up their sleeves? Let’s take a peek.

Read on: Click Here

[Asid]

The great leaps of v1.11: Under the sea and under the hood
March 14, 2016



Updated Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) model

The implementation of Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) has been refined in Command v1.11. While it is possible to recharge the submarine’s batteries using AIP, the low power of typical AIP systems relative to the diesel-powered generators means that it would take extremely long time to recharge a deeply discharged battery. Storing energy in batteries is also a less efficient than storing the energy in the AIP reactants. As such, AIP is best used to minimize discharge of the submarine’s batteries, and wait with conventional diesel engine recharging to a time and location that is more suitable. This means the AIP system will only be able to keep up with battery drainage at creep throttle setting. At higher speeds, the electric motors will require more power than the AIP can deliver, which forces the sub to eventually snorkel.

New submarine doctrines

Submarines have several new doctrine settings. The new settings are:

Dive when threat is detected: User-selectable options are No, Yes on periscope/surface search capable radar detection, Yes when ships are within 20nm or aircraft are within 30nm, or Yes on both ESM detection and threat proximity. In some cases it is not desirable to go to the surface to snorkel or use the periscope. The player can configure whether the submarine should dive if a threat radar has been detected, if there are nearby air or surface threats, or both.

Recharge battery %, transit / station: Set the batter percentage at which the submarine should snorkel to re-charge when in transit or on patrol.

Recharge battery %, offensive / defensive: Set the battery percentage at which the submarine should snorkel to re-charge when engaged offensive or defensive.

Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) usage: User-selectable options are No, Yes, or Yes when engaged offensive or engaged defensive. Allows the player to limit AIP usage, including saving the AIP fuel for attack and defence only.

Dipping sonar: User-selectable options are Automatically deploy in hover and less than 150ft altitude, or Only deploy manually or when assigned to mission. Enable unassigned helicopters to dip their sonar while loitering.

Avoid contact: User-selectable options are Yes or No. This setting isn’t used much by the AI quite yet as it is currently being overridden by built-in mission logics. The functionality be further expanded in the future.




Read on: Click Here

[Asid]

The great leaps of v1.11: ORBAT recon of air/naval bases




ORBAT recon of air/naval bases (a.k.a. “I want to spot those planes on the ground!”)

Like pier operations, this too has been a popular request that we are happy to bring to fruition. Aircraft, ships and submarines can now be spotted on their host facilities during a BDA/recon attempt by a friendly unit.

There are two ways of spotting hosted units:

1) When a unit with a visual/IR/radar sensor performs BDA on a naval or air base, it also performs recon on its open-air air (revetments, parking areas, pads, runways etc) or docking (piers, docks, drydocks etc.) facilities respectively.

2) Assets under cover are not completely safe from observation either: If an aircraft enters or exits an enclosed air facility (e.g. a fighter that has just landed is entering a hangar to re-ready) *while a unit is observing this facility*, the aircraft is also spotted (the same holds for e.g. a submarine entering an underground base). This means that “persistent” recon/intel assets (anything from a SOF team parked outside the base, to a stealthy RQ-170/180 loitering overhead or even a satellite perched far up in HEO/GEO orbit) are essential for keeping track of under-roof traffic and inventory.

Units spotted either way are kept on record and classified/identified as per the normal detection/classification rules. This is also reported on the message log. A “spotted hosted unit” record also contains age info so that the player is aware how stale this spotting report is (a “5 mins ago” observation obviously holds different value than a “2 weeks ago” one).

On the map, friendly facilities that host units AND contacts on which hosted units have been spotted are displayed with a “black triangle on yellow box” symbol. This allows at-a-glance awareness of which friendly assets (and contacts) host units:


Read on: Click Here

[Asid]

26 new CMANO scenarios available
01/04/16




Miguel Molina has released the updated version of the Command community scenario pack. The new release includes a whopping twenty-six brand-new scenarios:     

Crossing the Line of Death (The War That Never Was), 1989: The two most powerful militaries in North Africa, Libya and Egypt, were not necessarily aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. This scenario, based upon the book The War That Never Was by Michael A. Palmer, begins with the neutrality of these states in doubt. Will Qaddafi side with the Soviets? Can the US cash in all the Egyptian IOUs?      

Air Battle - The Litani River, 2017: Syria has placed SAM facilities in southern Lebanon, near the Litani River, and close enough to the Israeli border that they represent a threat to Israeli aircraft. After an incident in which an Israeli F-15 was nearly shot down, Israel has decided to eliminate the threat.      

Battle of Kodel Channel (The War That Never Was), 1989: Geography was not kind to the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. The Russian, Polish, and East German ports on the Baltic Sea were blocked from accessing the North Sea and ports beyond by the nation of Denmark. The Danish islands formed the "cork" that sealed Warsaw Pact forces in the "bottle" of the Baltic Sea. This scenario attempts to re-create the "battle of Kodel Channel" from Michael A. Palmer's novel The War That Never Was. The Warsaw Pact forces are charged with being the "corkscrew" by forcing an amphibious landing near Copenhagen. To do this they will have to overcome air, surface, and subsurface (including mines) forces.      

Great Pacific War - Breakout, 2020: It has been several years since the Taiwan reunification with China. War has broken out between the Sino-Russian (axis) alliance and Japan after an escalating crisis related to the ongoing dispute over the Senkaku Islands. The US and allies side with Japan but devastating Chinese and Russian strikes have crippled Japan and the major US bases in the Western Pacific. The axis have air and maritime dominance in the East China Sea and are preparing to invade Okinawa. An axis CSG group has passed through the Miyako Straight into the Western Pacific to cut off Okinawa and Japan from allied reinforcements. An allied carrier strike group sailing toward the area is tasked with the securing sea lanes leading to Japan.      

Great Pacific War - Breakout, 2020 [No subs]: A variation of the above scenario without submarines.      

Iran Airbase Attack Drill, 2014: The Iranian Air Force has decided to stage an exercise testing their offensive capabilities. Aircraft from an airfield in western Iran are to hit another airfield defended by the best technology the nation can provide.      

Littoral Mission - Cebu Strait, 2018: This scenario assumes serious civil unrest and terrorism has continued to plague the Philippines. The Philippines has turned to one of its closest allies, the United States, to assist them in hunting down terrorists based on Bohol Island.      

Mexican Fishery Conflict, 2017: Mexico's navy is not primarily designed for power projection, but rather to defend its long coastline and its large exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This scenario assumes that Guatemalan fishing boats have been violating Mexcian fisheries. The crews of these fishing boats have started to take matters into their own hands, ramming other boats and occasionally firing shots from pistols and rifles (not to mention the occasional black market machine gun). Both Mexico and Guatemala have deployed patrol vessels to the area to keep the peace.      

Northern Fury #9.7 - Sub Surge, 1994: The situation in the North Atlantic remains desperate. The rapid capture of North Norway and Iceland have allowed the Soviets to surge almost 100 submarines into the Atlantic. The USS Enterprise CVBG spent two difficult days blunting an attempt by the Red Banner Northern Fleet to interdict the sea lanes, she is now preparing to retire for re-supply and re-organization, as are the major Soviet surface units. The USS Carl Vinson CVBG is moving up to relieve the Enterprise. The USS Eisenhower, after three days of hard fighting in the Mediterranean, has passed through the Pillars of Hercules and is heading north. She will join the USS Carl Vinson CVBG to strike at Soviet forces around Iceland in three days. This scenario focuses on pushing NATO submarines and some unique capabilities through the Greenland Sea to the very edge of the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The Soviets consider this area home waters, and protect the Barents Sea, one of their critical ‘Bastions’, vigorously. In addition to standard sub vs. sub action you will be required to complete several special missions while the Soviets hunt for you with plentiful and alert air, surface and sub surface forces.      

Northern Fury #10.2 - Ant Eaters Revenge, 1994: The US 2nd Fleet is now conducting its first major counter-attack. The 1st phase by 2 CVBGs attacking to gain air superiority around Iceland is complete. Now it is time to shut down the Soviet airbases. You are tasked with conducting a decisive airstrike with the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) reinforced, while transiting your forces to England. The 27th TFW consists of 3 squadrons of F-111s and a supporting squadron of EF-111 ECM aircraft; for this strike the wing has been reinforced by a squadron each of F-15C, F-15E, F-16CJ, F-4G Wild Weasel, F-117 Nighthawk and other supporting forces.      

Northern Fury #10.3 - Decapitation, 1994: The US 2nd Fleet is now conducting its first major counter-attack. The 2nd phase aimed at shutting down the Soviet airbases on Iceland has just completed. Now Phase 3 is starting: You are tasked with conducting precision strikes to eliminate HQ and C2 facilities on Iceland.      

Northern Fury #10.4 - BUFF Stampede, 1994: The US 2nd Fleet is now conducting its first major counter-attack. The 3rd phase occurred earlier today when the 2 CVBGs moved north again to conduct precision strike on C2 targets. Now it is time to bring in the heavy hitters and restore cave dwelling as an acceptable way of life for the Soviets on Iceland! You are to conduct a short, sharp bomb run of key facilities remaining on Iceland while transiting the 2nd Bomber Wing to bases in England. Your bomber wing is comprised of 3 Squadrons of B-52s and has been augmented by a squadron each of B-1Bs, EF-111s, F-16 Blk 40s and several squadrons of tankers. As well as support from elements of 2nd Marine Air Group (2MAG), and a U-2, the ‘Spirit of Missouri' one of 8 operational B-2s will make that type's combat debut.      

Operation Adelaide, 2016: This scenario assumes an armed conflict has broken out between Liberia and Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone has crossed the border into Liberian territory, occupied the town of Bo Waterside and refused to withdraw. Liberia has requested help from the United States. The USS Jackson (LCS-6) has been fitted with a COIL laser weapon for this mission.      

Operation Baltic Vigilance, 2020: Sweden and Estonia are holding a joint Airforce and Navy exercise. You are tasked to destroy several key military and civil infrastructure targets deep inside Estonia, these will be protected by enemy aircraft and SAM sites. Destroying radar installations, SAM sites and airplanes is your secondary objective.      

Operation Bayern, 1965: Tanzania became independent of Great Britain in the early 1960s. This scenario assumes that the Soviet Union replaced its president, Julius Nyerere, with a puppet leader they could control and set about turning Tanzania into a militarized "African Cuba". President Johnson considers this unacceptable. However, rather than just wait for Tanzania to become a new Soviet fortress in the Third World, Johnson intends to nip the problem in the bud.      

Operation Reclaimed Might, 2015: A recreation of the Russian cruise missile strike on Islamic State targets in Syria, from ships in the Caspian Flotilla, on October 7, 2015.      

Protecting Peacekeepers on Samar, 2024: The civil unrest that has plagued the Philippines becomes significantly worse by the early 2020s. Several rebel groups are active in the archipelago, some engaged in guerilla activities against government forces, some ideologically-motivated terror groups, and others little more than well-armed gangs of bandits. The Philippines has requested assistance both from its allies and the United Nations. One current operation is the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers on the island of Samar, which has become the stronghold of one of the guerilla groups. Recently the rebels were successful in stealing a few older tanks and artillery pieces from the Philippine government. U.N. forces on the island are engaged in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. The United States has been charged with assisitng the Philippines in providing security for the peacekeepers.      

The Shores of Tripoli (The War That Never Was), 1989: The opening moves against Libya by NATO were a great success. The Libyan IADS around Tripoli has been virtually dismantled and the Marines of the 26th MEU have been successfully landed at Zuwara. Initial opposition has been very light and the Marines have driven to within 25 miles of Tripoli. Meanwhile, NATO's military successes have paid off on the diplomatic front. Egypt has agreed to attack Libya and will begin driving towards Tubruq. Will the Libyan army collapse under the weight of a two front attack? Or does the "Crazy Colonel" have some tricks up his sleeve?      

Turkish Revenge, 2012: In June 2012, Syrian air defenses shot down a Turkish RF-4, killing both crew and setting the tone for the confrontational Ankara-Damascus relationship that involved the TuAF shooting down multiple Syrian aircraft, and, most recently, a Russian Su-24. This scenario involves the Turks hitting back at sea instead, with a submarine being deployed to sink two Syrian corvettes. However, the Assad regime and its allies are prepared for any counterattack...      

Uncle Mark's Tutorials #6 - Toledo Hits 'Em Hard, 2004: Al-Queada camps have been discovered in northern Pakistan. The Pakistani government has been unwilling to allow the United States to strike directly at these terrorists, on the grounds that camps found within their sovereign territory are under their jurisdiction. However, in this case, HUMINT sources indicate that elements within the Pakistani military are sympathetic to Al-Queada and are trying to shield the terrorists. Washington intends to take action. Pakistan has warned the United States that it will not tolerate direct military action against targets within its territory. The US, however, have no intention of allowing the terrorists to escape justice.      

Sandbox Scenario #2: East Med A2/AD, 2016: On 13 January, 2016, a Turkish F-16 is shot down by Russian fighters after it crossed into Syrian airspace northwest of Idlib. Russia offers no apology and warns Turkey not to allow its fighters to stray into airspace where Russian military forces are conducting operations. In response, the Turks denounce the Russian action and warn against further Russian aggression. Heeding the advice of NATO military commanders, however, Turkey has been allowing Russian aircraft operating against rebel positions in close proximity to the border some wiggle room. Despite the hostile ‘attack’ against its F-16, Turkey allows the small buffer zone to remain in place. However, Adana has announced that it will regard any aircraft that menaces its airspace as hostile and they will be fired upon and brought down. For one week afterward, tensions have simmered, but Russian air activity over Syria has been nonexistent. Then on 19 January, 2016 Russia announces that airstrikes against rebel positions near the Turkish border will resume within 24 hours. The announcement increases the level of tension in the region as the possibility of a confrontation with Turkey increases. NATO has released a statement warning if Russia disregards the sovereignty of Turkish airspace and/or launches an attack on Turkish forces, Article 5 will be invoked immediately.      

Alfa Wolf Pack, 1987: The Third World War has begun. There are offensive operations around all the globe. Norway has signed a pact with the USSR, declaring neutrality. The world is teetering on the brink of a nuclear war. At this moment both sides are only using tactical nuclear weapons at sea due to the threat of Mutally Assured Destruction. A NATO anti-submarine surface group is trying to enter Soviet bastions in order to destroy their SSBN fleet. You will handle the Soviet response to this strategic threat.      

The King's Hand, 2016: The assasination of Saudi Arabia's King Muhammad bin Salman by Egyptian special forces draws the two countries with teetering relations into dire straits. A secret military plan known as "The King's Hand", an assault on an air base in Fayed and the home of the Egyptian military unit responsible for the assasination, comes into play. But some advisors worry that the plan is too little, too late as a military build-up by Cairo has been brewing for months. Can you beat an advisary that has a 2 to 1 advantage in air superiority?      

Good Morning Malvinas, 1982: In the aftermath of the re-capture of South Georgia by British forces, it became clear that the Argentine government would not be open to a diplomatic resolution. In light of this, Prime Minister Thatcher authorised operation Black Buck, a series of Vulcan B.2 raids against Argentine forces on the Falklands. Your mission, as commander of TF 317, is to conduct covert insertion of special forces on West Falkland, perform follow-up Sea Harrier strikes on Goose Green Airfield and Stanley Airport, and achieve and maintain air and sea control within the total exclusion zone.      

Bosphorus Blues (The War That Never Was), 1989: Thanks to controlling 75% of its borders, the Soviet Union had complete control over the Black Sea. This didn't provide much of a strategic advantage due to one of the most amazing geological features in the world: the Bosphorus. This narrow waterway, dominated on both sides by Turkey, is the only access from the Black Sea to the rest of the world. This scenario, based upon the book The War That Never Was by Michael A. Palmer, charges the Soviet forces with opening the straight through force. This requires careful coordination between air, land, and sea forces.      

Cold War Continued #1: Eve Of Destruction, 1995: On October 28, 1995, an explosion in the Baku Metro in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, killed nearly 300 people. The Soviet Union and her allies blamed western agents for the attack, and promised that a harsh response would be met to the West. The West once again didn't take this threatening of an attack seriously. What happened on October 31, 1995, changed the world forever... 


As always, the community scenario pack is available for download from the Command downloads page: http://www.warfaresims.com/?page_id=1876. The scenarios are also available individually for download on the Command workshop on Steam.

NOTE: Some of the new scenarios (see the spreadsheet list included in the pack for details) use the new v442 version of the Command databases, thus requiring the v1.11Release Candidate in order to work as intended. We recommend using the v1.11RC in any case, as it offers vast improvements on functionality, stability and performance.

[Asid]

Command v1.11 Release Candidate 1 - Build 802

Superseded by v1.11 RC2: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/fb.asp?m=4045998


CHANGES/ADDITIONS FROM v1.10 - B775.17
=====================================================================



==========================================================
SIMULATION MECHANICS & AI
==========================================================

* Massive improvements to simulation speed and RAM consumption.

* MAJOR NEW: Detailed Winchester & Shotgun (weapons) and Bingo, Joker & Chicken (fuel) states for aircraft. See overview here: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4182

* MAJOR NEW: Pier operations. See overview here: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4215

To support pier operations, new 'Withdraw' and 'Redeploy' doctrine settings have been added to the AI behavior of ships/subs. These control the criteria/thresholds that the ship/sub AI will use in order to RTB (if it's underway) and re-deploy (if it is docked). The thresholds cover damage, fuel, primary attack & defence weapons. Each threshold type has several appropriate values.
[NOTE #1: The definition of primary attack/defence weapon points to the longest-ranged ASuW weapon (attack) and AAW/ASW (defence) weapon, and uses the default DB-fed values for reference. So for example if an Aegis cruiser is stocked with SM-2s on its DB-pristine version but the scen author opts to clean them out and re-stock with TLAMs and a few ESSMs, the cruiser is considered as "primary defence weapon exhausted" even though it still has the ESSMs].
[NOTE #2: The rules for picking the primary attack/defence weapon are slightly different for submarines. Normal attack subs (both nuclear and DE) consider torpedoes their primary weapon for both attack and defence even if they carry other longer-ranged weapons (missiles etc.). Cruise- and ballistic-missile subs however, consider their missiles their primary attack weapon.]

Docked ships/subs can re-arm from either magazines on the pier itself or ammo facilities belonging to the same group (ie. naval base) as the pier, just like with ammo bunkers on airbases.

When putting out from a pier to sea again, ships/subs first navigate to a point at the edges of the pier lane area and then re-plot for their destination.

* MAJOR NEW: Aircraft in airbases and ships/subs at naval bases can now be spotted and catalogued during a BDA/recon run. See overiew here: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4236

* MAJOR UPDATE: Significant improvements to air-to-air refuelling AI and mechanics. See here for details: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4190

* MAJOR UPDATE to the Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) model. While it is possible to recharge the submarine’s batteries using AIP, the low power of typical AIP systems relative to the diesel-powered generators means that it would take extremely long time to recharge a deeply discharged battery. Storing energy in batteries is also a less efficient than storing the energy in the AIP reactants. As such, AIP is best used to minimize discharge of the submarine’s batteries, and wait with conventional diesel engine recharging to a time and location that is more suitable. This means the AIP system will only be able to keep up with battery drainage at creep throttle setting. At higher speeds, the electric motors will require more power than the AIP can deliver, which forces the sub to eventually snorkel.

* New and expanded submarine doctrine settings. See overview here: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4243

* Significant changes to replenishment rates (both UNREP and pierside). The rate at which a given store can be transferred to the receiver unit is now determined by the characteristics of the item:

- Guided weapons up to 10kg, gun & rocket rounds up to 15mm: One per second.
- Guided weapons up to 50kg, gun & rocket rounds up to 24mm: One per 5 seconds.
- Guided weapons up to 100kg, gun & rocket rounds up to 60mm: One per 15 seconds.
- Guided weapons up to 150kg, gun & rocket rounds up to 80mm: One per 30 seconds.
- Guided weapons up to 250kg, gun & rocket rounds up to 150mm: One per minute.
- Guided weapons up to 500kg, gun & rocket rounds up to 200mm, depth charges, mines, decoys, dispensers, drop tanks, laser charges and everything else not covered: One per 5 minutes.
- Guided weapons up to 1000kg, gun & rocket rounds up to 350mm: One per 15 minutes.
- Guided weapons up to 2500kg, gun & rocket rounds up to 450mm: One per 30 minutes.
- Guided weapons heavier than 2500kg, gun & rocket rounds larger than 450mm: One per hour.

The rate is further affected by the UNREP capability of the receiving unit, doubled if the provider is a land facility (stability and more equipment), and halved if the receiver is a submarine (more complicated to get anything bulky inside a sub).

* Aircraft will now jettison their A2G stores when evading an attack (if the relevant doctrine setting is set to YES). This is accompanied by a relevant message detailing the stores ejected. The jettison check is made every 5 seconds (it takes a few seconds to do this in the cockpit), so there is a chance that an aircraft that is caught by surprise will have no time to jettison its stores before the missile impact happens. Also only external stores can be jettisoned.

The current implementation has a known issue: Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs), like those on the F-15E and numerous export F-16s, are treated like drop tanks and thus jettisoned (in RL they cannot be ejected). This is to be addressed in the future.

* The pathfinding engine has been refined and made more performand and also user-configurable (see: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4243)

* Unguided bombs and rockets fired in salvos are now impacting as "sticks" rather than treated as totally individual/indepedent impacts. So for example when weapon #1 impacts at coods X-Y the rest of the salvo will (CEP deviations aside) fall more or less on a line pattern starting from that first impact. This is particulatly important when attacking multiple-aimpoint facilities as it forces the attacking unit to "commit" to a specific aimpoint (straddle it with weapon impacts) and just hope for collateral damage on the other aimpoints.

* Changed the way that facility aimpoints are affected by blast damage (tanks are a lot harder to kill with proximity blast now, while e.g. trucks are easy as ever).

* Bomblets are very likely to start fires if they impact (lots of small explosions). For the same reason they are more likely to cause component hits even if they barely scratch the target structurally.

* Units cannot perform component repairs if the unit has non-minor fire or flooding (all hands are busy!).

* Only minor component damage can be repaired while underway (the unit must dock to parent boat/pier for heavier repairs).

* The "unlimited weapons at airbases" realism option is now expanded to the more generic "unlimited base magazines", and affects both air and naval bases. So now you can use (or experiment with) pier re-arming without first having to populate ammo dumps with suitable weapon records.



===============================
USER INTERFACE
===============================

* Numerous changes/additions to UI windows to support new simulation mechanics (see above).

* The Doctrine window now has an extra tab "Withdraw & Redeploy" (see Pier Operations feature above).

* The "Docking Ops" window has additional columns to display fuel and (clickable) damage, weapon and magazine information.

* The "Docking Ops" window now color-codes the various aspects of a unit's deployment readiness (compared against doctrine redeployment thresholds) in order to provide an at-a-glance overview. Example:

. A unit will deploy under AI control only if it's "green across the board" (and if it is under a mission); otherwise the player can manually order it to deploy at any time, ready or not.

* AGL altitude settings are now supported for aircraft. See example here: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4199

* The mission AI now generates logged messages that explain why a mission has not launched aircraft. Example: http://www.warfaresims.com/WarSimsWP/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/UserFeedback.jpg

* New window dedicated to game speed options. See overview here: http://www.warfaresims.com/?p=4243

* ADDED: Display mine deployment depths in DB Viewer

* "Load Scenario" Dialog: Expanded left table so longer scenario names are exposed

* UI Tweak: Don't report "BDA change" if the previous BDA state is blank (ie. no more BDA message flood when you approach e.g. an enemy airbase)


===========================================
SCENARIO EDITING & SCRIPTING
===========================================

* NEW: Spatial polygon validation: All windows with area editors now have a ‘Validate Area’ button that allows the player to quickly determine if the polygon used for the area (exclusion zone etc.) is valid or not. The simulator will also display the polygon in the tactical map. This includes areas used by the event engine. Furthermore, all areas in a scenario are validated on load, and the player will be presented with warnings if the scenario contains invalid polygons.


=================================================
DATABASE & MISCELLANEOUS FIXES/ADDITIONS
=================================================

* Includes new DB versions (v442).

* includes rebuilt versions of all official scenarios & tutorials. Special mention to Tomcat84's wholly-revised A2AR-tutorial scenario.

#10106 DB3k: Turkey Updates
#10061 Sinpo-class SSB
#4790 Message log shows detections by sensors without stating a platform
#10202 48N6D/DM missile should have 160nm range
#9729 Scen Edit: Make unit fuel editable (via Lua)
#7592 Air-launched decoys should be identifiable as 'weapon' when within visual range
#6525 Edit Fuel Level
#3864 Targets tagging units as hostile without being in visual range of the hostile event
#1333 What is the criteria for a unit seeing an attack and considering a group hostile
#8459 Bunkers are hostile, but side is not.
#7801 Placing two different kinds EZs within each other causes navigator to go bonkshit
#6753 B490] Nested EZ's behaving strangely.
#5396 {416] Hostile althogh no missile detected
#5379 Contacts designated as hostile even if no-one actually saw the missile launch
#10230 Can only fire one Straight Running Torp at a time? [757.12]
#10216 [B757.12] - WCS vs. id'd neutrals
#9966 Polaris firing Mirvs despite WRA settings
#9454 [B638] Uncertainty centroids triggering exclusion zones
#7989 Suggestion: Contact right-click menu
#7410 Exclusion zones: Downgrading from hostile to unfriendly possible
#5202 Create New Mission window could have 'open mission editor' check box
#10250 Bird Dog aircraft crashes database viewer
#10215 CTD when trying to stretch screen across three windows... screenshot enclosed
#10174 A-26s running out of fuel in 1950
#10017 Minor - Mark as 'unfriendly' not in 'Contacts' menu
#9818 Walleyes self-destructing
#5226 Need to add classify as unfriendly hot key
#10264 DB3k: Harop not able to be BOL'd
#10253 Anti-torpedo torpedo: minor issue
#10247 HQ-9 minimum engagement altitude
#10223 [B775.2] Radar deletion changes radar range ring
#10101 CWDB Update: Sturgeon Tube issue 0000116
#9819 TACTOM issue
#10275 Operation Brass Drum bug
#10273 Blank log message
#10270 [B775.8] Illumination through terrain
#10268 CWDB: Viewing Bird Dog
#10267 B52H bomb altitude bug under 755.10
#10239 [B775.4] DLZ Maybe: Second error in renders test scenario
#10290 775.11 Fatal course on RTB after strike
#10288 NI 3 Needs to be Updated
#10280 Gun Fire Calculation
#8344 [576] Massive performance hit when shaded patrol area is shown
#10322 [776] Bug
#9789 Possible solution for Allies shooting down Allied muntions->Allow Player to set no nav zone or allies
#9218 Escorts not escorting due to tanking scheduling differences
#7269 [511] Strike Editor: Group members that don't expend muntions may continue on until their fuel rtb is hit
#10323 [Build 776] Escort Refueling Logic
#4388 Add Magazine
#10289 Abrupt slowdown and crash
#10291 [B775.11] ARMs not homing on emitter
#9767 Gunnery with Fire Control Pretty inaccurate
#10286 Sonobouys are not working
#8896 Sonobouy and Patrol Aircraft Logic: Replacement aircraft coming on station aren't communicating with existing sonobouys
#10148 AAW gun attack logic that accounts for tail guns
#10279 [775.10 RC1] Repeatable slowdown to crash with Missile Strike
#10272 [B775.8] TALDs fly through mountains
#9310 [677]Minor Text Issue in Unit status Menu
#10256 Game throws up error
#10184 Event Editor Dialog Fix
#10249 Rockeye is doing no damage
#9447 Lua: Add facility. Some inconsistency when adding south of the equator
#10246 Boats Dialog needs links to database viewer
#10242 UUV and Minesweeper behavior: UUV's deployed in transit vs. in the zone
#10244 Remus UUV being dragged and facing is weird
#7668 Range Ring colors listed
#4927 Beta Tester wants to able to show all patrol zones on the map. Not just the active ones.
#5783 Turn on/off display of patrol zones
#8071 Request for toggle for mission zones: All, selected, none
#7362 [517]OOB Dialog: Unit listed under missions and tasks can be clicked an the map will center on them
#10214 [757.12] Concurrency crash
#10212 Formation Editor Request: Stations marked as Relative or Fixed
#10241 Options Dialog: Scheme spelled wrong
#10141 Remus 600 ROV tether logics: cannot recover ROV if it runs out of fuel
#10227 [B775.3] Slowdown and crash
#10238 DLZ Test- Units freeze in place but time ticks on
#10232 Crash in Renders DLZ Test
#10217 Ship surviving nuclear SSM hits with no damage
#10175 DB3k: Israeli Arrow 3 Corrections
#10143 DB3k: Add German Heron (2010) Leased
#10125 DB3k: Add KC-46 Japan (2020)
#10122 DB3k: Text fix for AS-4 loadout
#10165 [B775.1] Jamming may have been overcorrected
#10164 DB3k: Add Type 901 Tanker (China 2017)
#10130 DB3K: Shivalik Update
#10104 DB3k: Kamorta Updates
#9884 ZTZ-99A main battle tank
#9881 Add Chinese Type 59-II Tank
#9857 DB3k Update: Egyptian Army Equipment
#9743 [1.08 RC5]Minesweeping area should be marked on a map like patrol missions
#9946 post 1.09 request: "Unit is classified" event trigger
#4614 Event Editor: Unit detected/classified/identified" trigger
#9485 Add "minimum classification level" criterion to "unit detected" trigger (Was: Event fired by premature detection)
#10183 [B775.1] Moving groups with Lua does nothing
#10180 [B775.1] ScenEdit_SetUnitSide ungroups units
#9785 Lot of Goofy behavior with Ferry Missions
#10186 [B757.12] - afterburner crash?
#10221 - [775.2] Player can change allied turnaround settings
#7809 - Submarine acceleration stats
FIXED: Unit was dropping manual-created salvo after salvo timeout
FIXED: Erroneous miss distance reported for unguided weapons when using meters
#10278 Message log hotkey
#8363 [B5xx - 578] unguided bomb drop speed
#9309 Ukraine Escalation Issue: Cub EW seems to be Jamming a Satellite far away
#8519 [606] Minor UI: New Scen -> Ctrl-S saves over old scenario
#7135 Radar sites in Iceland (DB3K)
#6774 Release list of db component ID numbers
#10259 [775.8]Tarantul traveling at 5kts general hit by one bomblet when any cluster bomb dropped on it.
#8351 Iron bombs better at tank busting than RBK antitank cluster bombs
#6712 - ID'ing targets at too long (?) range
#7476 - [B523] Minimizing Command in some instances causes Message Log to disappear
#10348 Change Iron Bomb CEP to 50m
#10347 Kfir gun name weirdness
#10318 Su-35S mixed R-27/R-77 loadout (operational in Syria)
#10299 MAWS systems should scan at 60 sec intervals
#10351 [Build 775.16] Everything slows down and then an error message
#10261 Flickering Unit Status
#10234 [B775.3] - Incomplete update of the Database Viewer window
#10131 DPI Awareness
#9642 Alt/Speed window is too small in 125dpi
#10357 DB3k: Add Brazilian Scorpene (2018, S40 Riachuelo)
#10355 DB3k: SAAR 4.5 Just receiving Barack 8 bump IOC a year
#10353 DB3k Update: Quick fix on HMNZS Endeavor
#10349 J-7 loadout issue
#9882 Krasukha-series mobile jammers
#7613 Scaling issues with UI
#10358 Kh-35UE (dual-role ASM)
#10354 DB3k Update: Add KH-35U to SU-34 Loadout
#10330 DB3k Update: Alfa could not operate as deep as perceived
#10135 Su-35 for PLAAF
#10058 RuAF Su-34 loadouts should have R-27 instead of R-77
#10092 SAP-518 DECM on Algerian Su-30MKAs
#10442 Mike's Imports -> Includes Port Orientation
#10391 Peru Bell 47 year is incorrect
#10360 DB3k: SU-35 Loadout Errors
#10423 D3000 Pier capacity
#10418 Enable Naval Docks to be like Piers
#10416 DB3k: Additional SU-34 Loadouts
#10405 DB3k: Slight fix to 2968 Add another gun
#10337 DB3k Update: Add SA-1 to DB3k. Not Phased out until early mid 1980's
#09996 DB3k: Danish Aircraft Updates
#10387 Build 1.11 Stand Up Scenario Update
#10158 DB3000 F-35B AAW loadouts range discrepancy
#10102 DB3k: F/A-18C/D HARM loadout Issue
#10013 DB3k: F/A-18 Fuel and payload discrepencies
#10009 DB3k Update: F-35 Updates
FIXED: [B775.17] Replenishing mount magazine not working

[Asid]

Command v1.11 Release Candidate 2 - Build 803

======================================================================

Superseded by v1.11RC3/B804: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/fb.asp?m=4047861


CHANGES/ADDITIONS FROM v1.11 RC1 - B802
=====================================================================


Fixed:
#10460 Bombs not dropping to the ground (1.11 RC1 B802)
#10459 [B802] AIP not switching on
#10455 [Build 802] Attack speed set to full but attacking at afterburner
#10453 [Build 801] Automatic at sea replenishment broken

* Added: Rename ships in Boat Ops window
* Added: Hotkeys to open add/remove aircraft/boats
* UI Tweak: On the "Edit Event" window, the dropdown lists for Triggers, Conditions and Actions are sorted alphabetically

[Asid]

Command v1.11 Release Candidate 3 - Build 804

======================================================================

Superseded by RC4 - Build 805: http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/fb.asp?m=4049060


CHANGES/ADDITIONS FROM v1.11 RC2 - B803
=====================================================================


Fixed:
#10466 RC2 Crash
#10465 [Build 803] Coil lasershot not engaging growler
#10464 Uncommanded aircraft takeoff - Build 802
#10474 [Build 803] Nukes not getting set off
#10473 Mine-clearing bug?
#10469 Repeatable crash under B802
Fixed: Ignore gun straffing doctrine under manual fire