Just some random pics from a small TE I made to checkout the Balkans of todays 4.33 standard

Look at those mountains (Aviano Airbase)



The TE is two 4-ship Block 42's, one SEAD and one OCA (me as #4 just to keep an eye on AI) and here we swoosh in the last leg towards Pula airbase with SA-3's launching over us at the SEAD.



After my 6 Durandals on target I break hard right out over open sea screaming some 580 kts at 70 ft - Viggen Style
Those SA-3's are still alive - getting to that later.



Was put last in line for landing back at Aviano when fuel warning sounded off and the old "Declare Emergency" had to be used - in my defence I actually had a reason today!



Just had to take a picture of that Herc I found when taxiing back to parking
(You can also see Cowboy 1-2 landing after I got him to go around with my declare, looking close you can see him flipping me - ok, not really)




This is a really good Theater although pretty hard to survive in campaign as said in another thread.

My opinion: Top Notch.


Edit: Forgot to tell about that SA-3. Well, I put the SEAD as Escort being used to those behaving SEAD, they did not - there is a SEAD option again so I edited that back till next time I fly this one.

Nice Pics!
Gonna have to give it a try. Especially after just getting a Delan Clip for head tracking.

Good shots Oden. I flew a few more missions there last night. I'm flying out of Brnik, which was Lubljana in AF I think. There are mountains just to the north of the base, like you've shown here near Aviano. On a return to base I was told to orbit then given vectors both right over top of these mountains. In the clear it's no problem, but is fraught with peril should the visibility be nil. The 6,000 foot pattern altitude is just a couple hundred feet over the peaks.

*makes note about avoiding Brnik*


Sounds scary DBond, as I remember the weather are often pretty bad in Balkans Campaigns.
Flew from a coastal airbase long time ago and using runway 27 was like gliding down a hillside, nothing I want to do in zero visibility.

But while Aviano is pretty open space it is way too far north even with two bags trying to hit anything close to Belgrad and as I just simply refuse to even try getting close to a KC-10 I will have to select airbases down south when I start my Campaign.

Will be interesting to see if I can use your "A-10 frag approach" here to.

When we get our online plans into action please be aware I will not fly if there is a tanker needed
(also, I don't really do compact formation flying - I am more like a 10 miles wide formation kinda guy haha, thank God for datalinks)

Yes if it gets socked in getting back home could prove a challenge indeed. What I did in AF was always give myself a divert base on a plain, like Zagreb. I even started a thread here at SimHQ about this. About landing in zero vis and diverting to Zagreb to avoid the possibility of CFIT.

No reason it wouldn't be effective. I've been using it in a Vet BoP. Which campaign are you flying?



No worries there. If you fly with me our hops will be well within bag range. And if not, we'll just transfer to a closer field



10 mile trail, that's how they flew in Vipers in the Storm so seems about right to me.

From my current Powder Keg campaign,

It is a few miles over water from Italy but as soon as the Yugoslavian coast line appears through the horizon fog you know thing are about to get started.



With my 3-ship Maverick laden Cowboy 1 flight we all seem to get a bit too eager over target area, first off is wingman calling "heading for alternate" and just a few short minutes later section lead does the same as I turn in for my second attack (popping two Mavs each approach)

Breaking off looking down on that mechanized column I see an SA-14 heading right up at me.

POFF

Small explosion but I have to struggle to keep my 16 straight for a while.
Realizing this is a good time to head back I realize the wingman and section lead actually found an alternate on this side of the water.

As said in other threads lately, west coast runways in this area can be tricky to land at.

If you look close in the next picture you can see my wingman smoking black trying to land just a few ahead of me



I managed to land, not pretty but wheels on tarmac, just to see a bunch of coalition vehicles move across the runway (oh the falcon clssic!)

Without a clear sight due to my smoking wingman ahead of me I too late spot a ZIL truck which I barely miss (actually thing I struck him with my right wing) but my left landing gear collapse and I start to skid on the runway.

Just to show how the Balkans Gods hates me another ZIL shows up and We meet in a big explosion.




This all ended up with a "Court Marshal" note in debrief for destroying trucks in a friendly fire - OH COME ON!



Anyhow, will restart campaign as I fly dead-is-dead.
(see those Mavs? Out of 4 shot in good conditions only one hit, I must be doing something wrong)

Great stuff Oden! Yes, you have clearly offended the Falcon gods. It is written that your involvement with heretical cult known as DCS has displeased them and you have been intercepted by the messenger Zil to show you the path of light (and fire). Your smiting of the messenger Zil has done you no favors and you can expect the messenger SA-10 to deliver the word of god on your next pilgramage.

Are you boresighting them? Check out the video on Mavericks in this thread for more (bottom of first page)

https://www.bmsforum.org/forum/showthread.php?24995-Youtuber-learning-Falcon-4-BMS

I am not BMS-Maverick-qualified yet. It's something I need to get to frankly, as Mavs are fun to shoot and I'd like to use them instead of JDAMs for my naval strikes.