Friar

I have long been wanting to do something with logistics within DCS. Now that we have the Hercules (and soon hopefully with the same capabilities', the "Hook") I need to know what weapons do we load onto our planes and helicopters. Our primary plane set is pretty set (A10, F5, F14, F15, F16, F18, MC2000, Huey, Apache), obviously I will the add requirements of new modules as they come on line. Would you please all help me to set up the "warehouse" of what we take, I am willing to bet that you all have favourite loadouts for CAP, SEAD, Ground Attack etc and take the same loadouts each time. I need to know what types and the correct name (e.g. Aim-120-B) and nick-name (if applicable for when the Logistics Officer gets shouted at "We NEED MAVERICKS, NOW!"), not just "Sidewinder" for example. I need bombs and missiles / rockets. My intension is to utilize into our missions the standard DCS Resources feature, where I can set the stock levels for equipment and weapons which get depleted each time you load your plane up (and re-stocked if you bring them home unused, the Stores Manager will NOT take in used items), meaning that at some point we will need to re-stock from a Supply Point, otherwise its "No Warheads On Foreheads" for you! I can do the same with fuel but I think that will be "Phase 2". Many thanks for your assistance with this. Friar.

Good work delta. glad to hear you made some progress. We are looking to run the campaign for a number of weeks on a Monday (Tuesday) / Thursday. I will be making sure all of our required plane sets are available at each stage.

UPDATE 16th May 2024 Persian Gulf and Syria 10:00 Maps Only Added new function (ready for next week ), Air to Air Training, or any other plane that wants to use it. I have added two new options to the F10 "other" menu. These are for air to air training and give the player the option of shooting at both unarmed or armed Mig-21's Both options will spawn in a set of 4 Mig-21's at 3000m, unlimited fuel and instructions to evade fire. One option has the 4 unarmed, the other has them armed for air to air engagement. Each set of 4 is generated by use of the menu option, so once all of the targets have been eliminated, you can, when ready, hit the option again to start another set of 4. This also means of course that if two players are in the air together, they can, if they wish both trigger a set of 4, or work together against 1, 2 or multiple sets of 4. Both flights (unarmed or armed) will operate in the same air space so if you have armed and unarmed both triggered, make sure you know what you are up against! On the Persian Gulf map they are heading 176 deg (north to south towards the training area north of the airfield and taking up a race track orbit) On the Syria map they are heading East to West heading 253 deg and again taking up a race track orbit north of Incirlik Airbase.

This one on Mavericks

Another one, this time giving some information on how to bomb. Not a tutorial, just a first impressions but gives an idea of what will be required.

@Eshark for you

@FoolTrottel - Sorry sir, I forgot about you! how could I! I shall punish myself accordingly

Had a good test last night (monday) and it looks like this formula is going to be a winner. The time just flew by (no pun intended) and it was midnight before we realised it. There were a couple of hiccups with performance. It got a bit stuttery at the start when there were lots of objects on the map. I am goin to try and address this by removing items outside the area of operations. There are two contenders for this scenario, the one which we ran last night which is in Syria and one developed by the guy who developed the thing I keep going on about DML, which uses the Caucuses map. The plan is to run the Syria version again on Thursday so the likes of @BluBear , @PapaBear and @delta7 can experience it to give their feed back. @wingflyr played last night and has he along with the other Canadians (plus some antipodeans' ) are already running a campaign and was able to pass on some valuable tips. Thank you. To play you will need the Hercules mod (there is the option to fly in supplies to a newly captured airfield, "its really cool" (as the youff say). You can get the latest version here; https://forum.dcs.world/topic/252075-dcs-super-hercules-mod-by-anubis/#comment-4472291

@Crash - I can not do Sundays, so "it would be a no from me". A Tuesday could be an option for one of the sessions. The beauty of this campaign is that it saves the position at the end so we could run on different days and any players not being able to make the previous session would be able to pick up the fight at the next stage. I think GBS is picking up some momentum for Sundays so also would not want to detract from that. @DD_Fenrir - we did not do any testing, I just had a chat to Wigflyr about the mission. I have now made a DDZ version with the F15 added plus removed the russian helicopters from blue side. Might be ready for a test on Monday.

@wingflyr - myself and Fruitbat are planning to have a bimble around this evening (friday) from around 20:00 / 20:30 hours Any chance you could drop in for a quick chat about the how the mission runs? I am a bit confused by it from what I have seen? Airfields listing units but when you select them it says not available but you get a mission to defend them at all costs? I am wondering if something is not right with my download / version?

@wingflyr - I have downloaded Foothold Syria and have tried running it on my machine (as a multiplayer mission) and every time I select my plane (apache) DCS crashes. Other than copy the mission file to the directory, did you have to do anything else? I have NOT enabled persistence yet. Also did you leave the Russian helicopters under the Blue side? Any advice would be welcome.

@wingflyr Thanks for that, I will take a look and download.

This is all cfrag's work WF, I have just downloaded it. I may need to tweak it a bit for our use, but can not take the credit.

This looks interesting as something a bit different? https://forum.dcs.world/topic/348126-sp-co-op-mp-expansion-a-dynamic-mission-and-sandbox-all-aircraft/ ABOUT EXPANSION In Expansion, you are part of an ongoing larger battle to conquer the region. You are free to choose your own aircraft and mission (be it close air support, CSAR, combat patrol or similar), and if you choose to help your side's current tactical and strategical goals, that helps a lot. Holding off Red Forces from capturing Nalchik is likely and routinely accomplished by Blue's AI without your help. Expanding Blue's reach to hold half of the map requires moderate player skills. Turning the tables on Red and holding three airfields requires focus and dedication. Winning the scenario is possible, and a true achievement. Expect a full play-through to take some 15 to 20 hours, usually a lot more - this is a dynamic mission after all, and the opposing side will become increasingly aggressive when it loses. Expansion supports "persistence" (see notes) to save and resume your campaign at a later date. Expansion supports (actually: thrives) as multiplayer, so bring your friends. Since it’s a Sandbox dynamic mission, you can leave it running on a server for anyone to join on their own time. You can win Expansion in single-player, and it is a lot more fun in multiplayer. Expansion's strategic objective is to capture all four airfields of the region: Nalchik Beslan Mozdok Mineralnye Vody The mission starts with BLUE side holding only one airfield: Nalchik. AI will assign tactical objectives as it sees fit. The battle progresses around you in real-time and responds to your actions. Both side's AI Admirals task their units dynamically and according to their tactical needs - so plan your own flights accordingly. And yes, Red WILL try and re-capture any strategic location that you took. And it will succeed if you don't help. HELPING YOUR SIDE The overall battle is controlled by AI Admirals for BLUE and RED that task their troops. They will direct their forces and assign primary and secondary objectives. Initially, you should focus on supporting your side’s secondary objectives, as they help your side to expand control over the battlefield, and allow your side to secure a steady income that you (the players) then can spend on tactical support. INCOME When your side captures strategic locations (for example: the "Gigawatts Power Plant" south of Nalchik), these generate income for your side. The more locations that your side holds, the greater your income. Another source of income is direct enemy attrition: for every enemy unit that a player destroys, your side gains some income - provided that the pilot can land their plane at a player-controlled airfield or FARP. A third source of income is rescuing downed pilots and returning them to a player-controlled airbase or FARP. A fourth is successfully inserting troops into enemy locations to capture them. Your side's income is regularly gathered and added to your side's available funds. Funds are available to all players on the same side. And funds are meant to be spent - "funds are only valuable as long as they are used". Use them wisely. SPENDING FUNDS You spend your side's funds in various ways: to directly repair and/or upgrade a location's defenses. For this you must land inside that location and come to a full stop. At that point you can access the menu to repair or upgrade local defenses. Note that all defenses must be repaired before you can upgrade. The cost for upgrades and repairs vary by location. to order strategic upgrades / repairs. This transfers funds to your control authority and the AI decides where these funds are invested. The drawback is that you don't know where the funds will be invested. The advantage is that you don't have to be on location. to order support in the form of SEAD, CAP or CAS flights for a region. to order a strategic insertion force to attempt taking an enemy-held (or neutral) location. Which location to take is a decision made by your command authority. And remember: there are few things less useful to a pilot than altitude above you runway behind you fuel in the truck funds still in the bank CAPTURING STRATEGIC LOCATIONS You win Expansion by capturing strategic locations that increase your income, and then by using that income in smart ways to further your campaign. So make capturing locations all over the map your goal. The first step is to wear down defenses: SEAD and CAS the location until it's next to helpless. Be wary that enemy AI can (and will) order repairs and reinforcements, so if possible, loiter near a defenseless location until it's really captured. Once captured, spend funds to beef it up. If you have helicopter pilots among your players, the easiest way to capture a location is to make sure that there are no enemy units inside the area (check the F10 map), and then place your own units inside the zone. Some Helicopters (Hind, Hip, Huey, Hook) can spawn and transport troops (check Other->Airlift Troops). If you don't have anyone who can chopper a chopper over the shed, you'll have to tough it out: see which tactical objective the AI is working at, support it, and occasionally transfer funds to order a capture attempt. RESCUING DOWNED PILOTS Quickly, the map will be littered with pilots requesting extraction. Some helicopters (Hip, Huey, Hind, Hook and Gazelle) are equipped for CSAR. Land next to the downed pilot (or hover close to them), and then return the pilot to one of your airbases/FARPs. Doing so will give a substantial boost to your available funds. A NOTE ON ENEMY AI Initially, enemy strategy AI is almost docile - it is content with holding most of the territory and killing you in a vaguely unfriendly way. This changes with the number of strategic locations that you capture. Once you start closing in on it, Red AI becomes aggressive, and at some point, positively vicious. So, enjoy the time when it just tries to crush you. A NOTE ON PERSISTENCE (SAVING THE MISSION) Expansion automatically saves the state of the mission every 5 minutes, so should you wish to end and later continue the mission, the maximum you lose are 5 minutes. All typical restrictions to DCS mission saving apply:

Tell the boss you need to do some final testing, Friar said so.

Excellent news BB. Why not try a cheeky Bank Holiday session tonight?

Ok, doh! 3rd May 2024 Server Updated I guess, anyway, its up to date.

UPDATE 4TH MAY 2024 Persian Gulf Added ability to load troops (units from 81st Airborne) and JTAC from the Valley FARP (located closer to the hostage town). Added insurgent ground troops attack. Re-instated "boom" retribution but for 3 or more blue on blue kills.

Server updated 3rd April 2024

I had this idea to create a news bulletin as a lead up to a scenario I am thinking of building.... This video was built the first site I looked at. You can create a free account for a maximum of 30 mins of video per year. I have found another site where there is a one of fee of $49 for unlimited videos and has all sorts of backdrops (like a proper news studio) which would look cool. If anyone would be interested in exploring this with me we could share an account? https://share.synthesia.io/e0300348-6d2a-4ce3-8336-af97eeb14824

UPDATE 26TH APRIL 2024 Persian Gulf and Syria Added selection of player flyable Russian helicopters and planes. If you have one that I have not included, please let me know and I will add it. Added extra helicopter sling loads and removed the pipes as available options. (Just realised they are for allies only, I will add some for the Russians later if they can sling load)

UPDATE 21ST APRIL 2024 Persian Gulf Deployed troops from helicopter will now head off in Echelon Right formation rather than one behind the other. This means they now will all engage the enemy, rather than just the man at the front. I will update the Syria map to match in due course. Corrected bug with Southern approach suicide bomber truck not working correctly. If it gets through it will now take out our southern SAM defenses.