EF 2000
MiGMan’s Combat Diary, 1998
Feeling confident, after a few days' training (fooling about in the sim), I decided to have a go at the campaign.
In the Mission Briefing screen you can choose from flight plans generated by the computer.
Recon images give you a rotating 3D view of the target.
The targets can be previewed . The value of this can be seen in this image. If you had accepted this mission , fought your way to the target and then didn't know which bridge of the two to knock out.
Mmm... I didn't like the way the computer flight plan took me home. I didn't want to spend that much time in enemy airspace, so it's on to the mission planner.
Mission Planning
It's time to plan the route for this mission.
OK, this route keeps me under friendly SAM coverage all the way there and back.
And I can use terrain masking by flying up the fjiord. I can also use IFR flight techniques. (I Follow Roads... and Rivers!)
Altitudes.
I'll climb out to Waypoint 2, then quickly turn to WP 3 and transition to NOE (Nap of the Earth) flight. The weather forecast is "Fair" but since I'm planning to follow a waterway terrain avoidance shouldn't be too much of a problem. I just hope the target is visible because I haven't even looked at the TIALD systems yet!
Fuel calculations look good. I'll take an external tank to allow for afterburner use on egress
Takeoff
Where are my wingmen?
Oh I see there, is a long takeoff queue. A couple of minutes later I realised that they seemed to be circling the airfield.
Perhaps I didn't give them waypoints? Anyway let's press on regardless.
Here's the entrance to that waterway.. now if I follow this to the end then turn North I should find the target bridge.
Lo and behold my trusty wingmen turned up, I'm feeling much more secure now with three other Eurofighters in tow.
Fuel required to get home.. a handy thing to know!Yoiks! This low level flight sure gobbles up the juice. Change of plan fellas, let's climb and head directly to the target.
We're in a fuel critical situation already! No use looking for a refueler because I haven't "mastered& that particular procedure. OK after climbing through the most impenetrable cloud I have ever seen we reached 20,000 feet. Look at the difference in the fuel situation now! Much more fuel efficiency up here.
10 Miles from the target and descending through the cloud my wingmen starting reporting "spikes". I had seen a couple of aircontacts but hopefully the guys are just picking up SAM sites... did I say "just"!
Ingress Point
Well, the short story is...
- We were bounced by a couple of Su-27 Flankers, and my trusty wingmen took care of them, good work lads!
- I still couldn't find the target.
- As I stooged around at low level looking for the bridge...
- I neglected to notice the airspeed dropping...
- then the altitude dropping...
In my defense ( at the court-martial ) I described how:
I didn't say it was a good defense!
Dynamic campaign
Not doing too well...... The colourful pie charts and graphs are actually useful in determining your progress.
The dynamic world of EF2000 feels worlds apart from other sims which have only scripted missions.