Counter Bomber
Counter Bomber is a Quick Flight Mission available for the F-45A. It involves the player assisting in creating a diversion to destroy hostile bombers in enemy territory.
OBJECTIVES:
- Assault the coastal airbase
- Destroy the long-range SAM radars
- Shoot down the enemy fighters
- Rearm at the FARP
- Assault the valley airbase
- Destroy the two bombers before they can escape
- Return to the carrier
Recommended Loadout
Phase I
Phase II
Walkthrough
Phase I
The mission starts off with the player's F-45A on their aircraft carrier's deck. They are assigned to take off first and dispatch the long-range air defenses near the coastal airbase before the main assault begins. Shortly after taking off and gaining some altitude, the player's fighter will pick up on the radar signals of the long-range radars on their RWR. The F-45A's Tactical Situational Display (TSD) can be used to not only locate and identify the radar signals on the map, but also target them from afar. This can be used in conjunction with the nav map to plan out an attack path in advance or even to launch cruise missiles (the AGM-161, in the F-45A's case) from a safe and reliable distance to a target. If you elect to utilize a cruise missile, target the radar to the north of the base, mark it on the GPS, climb to ~7500 feet Above Sea Level, and fire the cruise missile at the target. In this case, if you are high up enough, creating a GPS path towards the target will be largely unnecessary. From there, target the other radar--the one closer to the airbase--with your TSD and press the EOTS button to slew your F-45A's EOTS (targeting pod) to the target. Descend to ~40 feet ASL and fly over to the bridge near the city adjacent to the airbase. The cruise missile should impact its target by the time you reach the bridge. At this point, you should select your AGM-145, fly to the edge of the hill above the lake, and fire a missile towards the target. Bear in mind that AGM-145 missiles have Lock On After Launch (LOAL) functionality and can automatically maneuver over terrain to reach their targets, so you do not have to 'pop up' to attack the target. Once the second missile is out, vector south and fly down the river to reach a small lake.
If you've done everything correctly, both your cruise missile and your AGM should impact their targets with no interference. Command will then inform you that the assault is commencing and they are dispatching a CAP group, callsign India, to assist with taking down the fighters. Once you get the message, fly towards the airbase and commence the attack. There will be a few IRAPCs near the airbase, so you may need to use some more AGMs to destroy them before attacking. From here, you will find a group of fighters preparing to take off from the airbase. It is recommended to use your F-45A's cannon to destroy them before they can take off. Fly up to the airbase, vector your throttle to 90 degrees, and squeeze the trigger as your crosshair passes over the enemy fighter(s). You should be able to destroy 1-2 fighters per strafing run like this. Any fighters that do get the chance to take off will likely get shot down by the oncoming CAP support. If not, you can easily hit them at close range with heat-seeking missiles. Once all of the fighters are destroyed, the CAP group will be called off and you will be assigned to land at the FARP to prepare for the next phase of the mission. Fly over the mountains and land on the open landing pad at the new waypoint. Vertical landings can be tricky in the F-45A, but the earlier you can vector to 90 degrees and start slowing yourself down, the easier your approach and landing will be. Avoid using the F-45A's VCAP function here, as it is primarily designed for making vertical takeoffs and will only make things harder for you when landing. There will be another landing pad at the FARP that is occupied by another F-45A; it will join you to assist with the next phase of the attack. Once you land, turn your master arm switch off, turn off your engine, and use the comms panel to request a rearm. You should only arm your fighter with AIM-120D and AIM-9+ air-to-air missiles for this phase. It is left up to the player how this is accomplished, but make sure to keep your Thrust to Weight Ratio above 1.10 to allow for a smooth vertical takeoff.
Phase II
Once your loadout is ready, start your fighter back up, take off, and vector west to the enemy airbase. Your other F-45A will form up with you for the attack. Another fighter squadron, callsign Bravo, will have already taken off to eliminate the airbase's air defenses while you complete your mission. The airbase here has much stronger defenses than the coastal airbase, sporting a number of long-range air defenses and a large compliment of ASF-30s to boast. The fighters here can be problematic, but your main targets are still the bombers at the airbase. Lean on your wingman to hold off the fighters while you hit the bombers. It is largely recommended to stay away from the airbase as its air defenses are very strong. The first bomber will take off and immediately vector west. Fly low on an intercept course and use an AIM-120D to hit it from far away. The bombers are fast, but somewhat sluggish to maneuver, so they are generally vulnerable to radar-guided missiles. The second bomber will take off and attempt to vector north as an alternate route to the fleet; once again, fly low to intercept them and hit them with an AIM-120D. Once the two bombers are destroyed, you will be cleared to return to the carrier. Be wary of any fighters that could be pursuing you, though, as they won't give up on shooting you down.