This is a re-fly of mission #12 in which my mission came to an abrupt halt (read: HERE!)

The mission unfolds in a similar fashion as before, but this time I utilize my wingman to maximum effect against the enemy convoy. We maintain our standoff range from the convoy, take out the anti-aircraft vehicles first, then proceed to work on the rest of the convoy while the two-ship flight of Mi-28s works over the second convoy.



After receiving the order to break off our attack we head for the rebel compound. With a bit of foresight from the previous mission I’m already anticipating the “surprise” of the enemy leader fleeing the compound. We use our standoff range to destroy the enemy air defenses (the Mi-28 flight helps us with this task) and we systematically destroy the remaining support vehicles. Despite the destruction of the enemy units, I’m surprised to not hear any report of the enemy helicopter as we cautiously overfly the base.



We circle a few times and then I realize – on the previous mission I had run a rocket attack on the parked vehicles between the buildings destroying the buildings in the process! That is the key – I haven’t taken out the buildings! I enter a stable hover and lay into the buildings with my high explosive rounds from the cannon and soon all three buildings are in flames. That triggers the helicopter and I dump my nose over and put my canon on the helipad and let loose with some cannon rounds.



Argh! Without any guidance for the canon my rounds spray all around as the helo lifts off. I do get some hits or shrapnel lacing the tailboom of the helo, but not enough to take it down.



I’m determined not to let the enemy escape this time so I release my wingman to engage the helo. If I can’t kill him, maybe he can! A couple seconds after I send my command I’m surprised to see an explosion off my right side down low and am amazed to see that my wingman has collided with the Mi-8..!



The wingman’s tailboom is completely severed and he ejects while I watch the Mi-8 for signs of damage. He flies along in an arc for brief second before settling down into the trees.



He hits hard, bounces back into the air and then tilts over out of control as my wingman’s parachute drifts over the scene.



The Mi-8 continues to topple over and this time the landing is fatal as the helo explodes in a massive fireball beneath me.





Holy Crap! Well, that’s one way to take down an enemy helo! I’m relieved that at least the helo hasn’t escaped but bummed that my wingman went down. At least he survived the crash though. We receive a mission complete message and are ordered to our destination FARP. I check my fuel and see we’ll have plenty for the trip as I plug in a direct course in the PVI-800.





Approaching Podkova the winds are reported out of the southwest at about 9 miles an hour.



I’m surprised to see I’ve reached the FARP at the same time one of the Mi-28s does (for a moment I worry we will collide). He is heavily damaged, riddled with bullet holes and missing his nose.



We both turn simultaneously into the wind to settle onto our respective pads.



And with that – the campaign is over. Our destruction of the Mi-8 took out the rebel leader and our deployment is over.





The Deployment campaign was brilliant. This was my first complete Black Shark campaign and you know they are good when you can’t wait to fly the next mission. Now we have to figure out what is next! Thanks to everyone who helped with tips and encouragement.

BeachAV8R

Congratulations! It was an excellent read, each and every one of the AAR. Thanks for your time and for sharing!

Regards!

Had a great time reading each one of them Beach. I am looking forward to your next adventure.


Wheels

*Applauds*


Now, what about an EECH campaign AAR?

Nice way to end the Campaign Beach!

More expected soon ....

kaRadi

Excellent AARs! They're a thouroughly enjoyable read and I hope you move on to another campaign.

Here are my thoughts on those campaigns:

- Georgian Oil War.

I finished (well, almost, had maybe a mission left from total victory) the complete GOW campaign in BS1, and I personally loved it. It's been improved in BS2, but I'm not sure what exactly was done.

That said, the GOW campaign is more of a "wartime" scenario than a fully scripted experience like the Deployment campaign. Basically, war is declared against Georgia, and your missions are generally limited to what you would expect an attack helicopter to do in wartime: CAS to assist either an offensive thrust, or CAS to blunt an enemy attack. What it generally boils down to is making your way towards the front and taking out enemy armor before they destroy the forces you are meant to support.

While I love this kind of scenario (feels much more "realistic" to me), what makes the GOW campaign great is the sheer quantity of missions involved. There is a huge number of "phases" in the campaign, each with 4 missions. That means if you move one phase ahead in the campaign by winning a mission, then lose that next mission, you won't be replaying that last mission but instead go to the previous phase... and even then you will end up playing a different mission from the one you originally won. Indeed, the missions on the "losing" track usually show a defensive shift. That way it's possible to lose the war, and the "front line" is continuously updated to show the current state of the war

Another nice touch is how the OPFOR actually evolves as the campaign progresses and other countries join in the conflict.

There are some non-CAS missions too, that add some spice to the campaign, but I personally enjoyed having a campaign focused primarily on the main wartime use of the KA-50. I think it would be ripe material for AARs, especially ones that keep a "narrative" of the ongoing war.

- Medvedev II.

I'm flying this campaign right now, and I think the flavour is sort of a mix between the Deployment and GOW campaign. It is fully scripted with voice, but it is a wartime campaign and so feels more like the GOW campaign.

There is an excellent "learning curve" to the missions, that slowly ratchet up the intensity of the conflict and the missions. Also, the latter missions have an excellent element: you can actually call in other flights to assist you.

For example, the last mission I flew had a SEAD (SU-34s), CAS (SU-25s), and a fighter sweep (Mig-29s) available. You can radio for them whenever needed, and they're quite effective (in my last mission I took too long to call in the sweep, and my wingman was shot out of the sky in a surprise attack by an enemy SU-25, who was then shot down by the Migs before he could make a run at me).

Either way, I think BS2 has the best single-player offerings for DCS fans, and both campaigns are worth experiencing.

Itkovian

Great series Beach! It was great fun to read.

Those are great insights Itkovian - thanks for sharing them. I think there is more BS2 left in my future for sure!

BeachAV8R

Thank you, and no problem. I love that sim so much I just wanted to share my thoughts on it.

I'm looking forward to the next AARs.

Itkovian

Excellent job Beach. I'm looking forward to getting back to Black Shark (and A-10C) in the next few weeks. It's been good to tag along on your missions like this.