Air Power The Cold War

The Campaigns

Chuck Yeager's Air Combat is remembered as a classic sim from the early 1990's. Would it cut the mustard today? Well... no! The graphics are primitive, the cockpits basic, scripted missions limited in number and scope. The attraction was in playing the same missions over and over, a quick air combat fix and never exactly the same twice.
So, 10 years on - what are we to do? Track down a copy of Chuck Yeager's Air Combat or do we move on?
Let's move on - at least to 1998, to Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator (1998). In that sim, straightforward, scripted missions provided hours of fun in the WW2 European theatre but unfortunately stopped short of the jet era - the 1950's. This is where Air Power: The Cold War (2000) fits the bill with it's 20 missions and 30 flyable aircraft! The missions are minimalistic, straight to the point and guaranteed fun in a 5 minute time slot.

N.A.T.O. Mission 1

Destroy the Bears
A/c Hawker Hunter F.6
Briefing A trio of 'Bears' are overflying your UK base at high altitude - can you get up there in time to bring them down before they unload their deadly cargo ? Beware - these Bears have friends.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary The Cold War has turned hot and we're in the thick of it. Use your rockets by pressing '3' or 'ctrl-3'

N.A.T.O. Mission 2

Incoming !
A/c De Havilland Venom
Briefing A group of IL-28 'Beagles' have slipped under the radar and are bearing down on your airbase. Your colleagues are just taking off and are vunerable - only you are in the air and able to fight off the enemy.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

N.A.T.O. Mission 3

Help a heavy
A/c F-100D Super Sabre
Briefing A damaged B-47 is under attack from a group of MiG-15s. Only one of the MiGs is assigned to finish off the bomber, but all the others are after you ! Save the bomber by destroying the one MiG, then polish off the rest with your wingman.
Objective - Destroy the MiG which is after the B-47, or destroy any 2 other MiGs.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

N.A.T.O. Mission 4

Vulcanology
A/c Gloster Javelin Mk.5.
Briefing A unit of V-Bombers is high over the Channel on its way to attack an East German airfield. Your 4 Gloster Javelins must fight off the attacking MiGs if they are to be successful.
Objective - Protect the bombers by killing at least 2 Soviet fighters.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

N.A.T.O. Mission 5

Iron Snake
A/c De Havilland Vampire T.11
Briefing Destroy the fuel depot and nearby convoy.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

N.A.T.O. Mission 6

Sabre substitute
A/c North American F-86K Sabre
Briefing B-45's are high ovehead on their way to attack the enemy. One of their escorts has suffered engine failure and has had to eject. Scramble your Sabre, get up there and replace him before the MiGs pounce !
Objective - Protect the bombers by killing at least 2 Soviet fighters.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

N.A.T.O. Mission 7

Sabre v MiG Furball
A/c North American F-86K Sabre
Briefing The classic Korean furball, but this time over Germany - every man for himself !
Objective - Kill at least 2 MiGs.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary Furball is an understatement!
I enjoy playing this mission over and over. Sometimes the dogfight is over in a minute but more often I end up at wave-top level with one MiG in front and another somewhere behind!



N.A.T.O. Mission 8

Shark Attack
A/c Avro Shackleton MR.3
Briefing Your Shackleton may be outdated, but it has two 20mm cannons up front, ideal for strafing ground targets. Use them to good effect on the Soviet submarine which is stuck on the surface off the German coast. Watch out for the armed patrol boat escort.
Objective - Destroy the submarine.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

MiGMan's Combat Diary

Taking off and using the autopilot - Shift 2 - to climb to 10,000 feet while admiring the cockpit was fun. The Engine sounds are great too.
The flight to mission area is about 300 miles - about an hour and a half at 200 knots. Unfortunately using 'X' to skip to the next waypoint dumps you directly in front of a small flotilla of patrol boats and the target sub.
It would have been nice to 'warp' out say 10 or 20 miles from the target, giving you time to find it using the view zoom - ' - and + ' - and then planning an attack run.
As it is you have to blow past the pack as fast as possible, copping a heap of rounds in the process and come around for another pass. You have 5 bombs on board - drop them using the ' 4 ' key. I found the 20mm cannons not very effective on this sub!
After 2 attempts at the mission I sunk the sub and warped home. Unfortunately there was so much damage to my control surfaces the plane was impossible to land, so it was time to bail out.





N.A.T.O. Mission 9

Protect the Enemy
A/c Gloster Javelin Mk.5
Briefing A Tu-16 Badger and its crew have decided to defect to the West and are circling your base trying to get permission to land. You and your wingman are escorting the defector and must defend him from the attacking MiGs who will do anything to shoot down their erstwhile comrade.
Objective - Destroy the attackers.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

MiGMan's Combat Diary

MiGMan's Combat Diary He he - those MiG-19 's are pretty good, and determined to down their defecting comrade. Not once have I managed to protect the Tupolev Tu-16 'Badger' , but , not to worry, the dogfighting is excellent.




N.A.T.O. Mission 10

End Game
A/c F-100D Super Sabre
Briefing Intelligence reports indicate that the Soviets are arming some bombers with nuclear weapons which will be used against NATO targets. Only your F-100 has been able to penetrate the defences. Destroy the bombers as they take off with your guns and rockets and then escape Westwards if you can, but beware - these Badgers are no easy game !
Objective - Destroy the Tu-16 bombers at the airbase.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary Those Tupolev Tu-16 'Badger' 's are deadly shots with the tail gun. I was shot to pieces several times before I managed to nail one. At least the MiG-19's which turn up only have forward facing cannon!
Finally, after disposing of the Tupelov's and MiG I headed home on 'warp drive' - and about 105 miles from home ran out of gas!
Fortunately I was 3 miles out from an airstrip and managed to 'dead stick' it in.>
A fun mission.




Warsaw Pact. Mission 1

Bears in Trouble
A/c Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-19S 'FARMER'
Briefing Protect the bombers and destroy the fighters.
Mission planning Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary It's a tough job protecting those Bears against the Hawker Hunter F.6's of R.A.F. Woodbridge.
If you do clear the air don't try and land at R.A.F. Woodbridge or you'll get a most unfriendly reception from the AAA! Since there are no waypoints leading home I decided to 'defect' and land at the deserted base a few miles South. .

Warsaw Pact. Mission 2

Beagle Surprise
A/c Ilyushin IL-28 Beagle
Briefing Destroy 3 Venoms
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary Don't land at the RAF base.

Warsaw Pact. Mission 3

Finish a Straggler
A/c MiG-15 'Fagot'
Briefing Destroy the B-47 and one of the escorts.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary There is no airbase at the last waypoint. I flew a circular search pattern until I ran out of fuel and had to bail out.

Warsaw Pact. Mission 4

Down The Deltas
A/c MiG-15 'Fagot'
Briefing Destroy xxx
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary You start the mission in a head on pass with the Vulcans and their Gloster Meteor escorts - watch out for head on collisions!
The Vulcans will attempt to escape to the East.




Warsaw Pact. Mission 5

Lone Defender
A/c MiG-15 'Fagot'
Briefing Destroy all the Vampires.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000




Warsaw Pact. Mission 6

Tornado Alley
A/c MiG-15 'Fagot'
Briefing Destroy 5 all bombers and at least one Sabre.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary Careful - your overtake speed on the bombers is pretty high.




Warsaw Pact. Mission 7

MiG vs Sabre Furball
A/c MiG-15 'Fagot'
Briefing Kill at least 2 Sabres.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000




Warsaw Pact. Mission 8

Turkey Shoot
A/c Ilyushin IL-28 Beagle
Briefing Sink 2 ships and shoot down the enemy fighter.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

MiGMan's Combat Diary

You only need to sink the 'cargo ship'. Press'N' to turn labels on and you will see it.




Warsaw Pact. Mission 9

Down a Defector
A/c Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-19S 'FARMER'
Briefing Destroy the Tu-16 and at least 2 Escorts.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000
MiGMan's Combat Diary




Warsaw Pact. Mission 10

Bull in a China Shop
A/c MiG-15 'Fagot'
Briefing Destroy the attacking aircraft.
Mission planning by Phil Perrott, April 2000

MiGMan's Combat Diary





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