Mission 5 - Open Season - p. 2 AA II: OA Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

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To take a good position for attacking this convoy (3) you need only to fly a little further along the road to the west and hover over the mountainside in grid coordinates 0207 while waiting in ambush for the enemy. Attack the enemy when you see the first Takistani vehicles riding down the slope. I'd propose not shooting from the hover, but quickly rushing towards the enemy and using unguided rockets against him. Probably it's best to switch to manual fire. First, destroy IFV which leads the column (#7) - when you're aiming well there's also a green circle on the square of the locked target. Attack on low altitude in order to avoid being fired upon from the mountain crest and from beyond this crest which is located on your right (to the north) - there are enemy on foot patrols on this crest and AA guns behind it! Obviously, you can also destroy this IFV with Hellfire missile, if you haven't anything against wasting it on such a vehicle. Burn other vehicles in the column (3) (UAZ, two trucks) and kill the infantry disembarking from these vehicles. The objective of destroying the convoy will be completed then and you can return to the task of destroying AA gun emplacements which are situated in the area (4).

But first you'll probably have to return to FSP (Forward Supply Point) Winchester in Feruz Abad (1) and land on the helipad in order to rearm your gunship at the dislocated ammo truck. You'll need mostly the Hellfire missiles (#8). You can load max. 8 rockets of this type.

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After rearming your Apache I'd propose returning to the hill Sanginakt (one of the highest in the vicinity) in grid 040068. Hover over the top of this mountain. This is really very good firing position, if you play with a long view distance of several kilometers, to engage targets located in the area (4) without risking too much. Maybe you'll be able already to lock one or even all the targets of the AA battery. These are: two AA guns ZU-23-2, a self-propelled AA gun ZSU-23-4 Shilka and Igla surface-to-air missile system. I've marked their positions on my map with more or less accuracy. But before you start to think about destroying them you have to ascend to the altitude of approx. 100 meters, so quite high. The HQ gave also at your disposal a reconnaissance UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) which you can use now to acquire the exact locations of the targets of AA gun battery (4). You can take control over this UAV by selecting adequate option from your actions' menu (#9).

For the moment this UAV is located a little too far from hostile positions, but you only need to order it to fly a little closer to the road Mulladost-Gospandi by left-clicking on your map (#10).

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Don't get too close to the hostiles, though, with your UAV and also Apache gunship, if you don't want to lose them both! Afterwards you need to ascend to the appropriate, quite a high altitude also with your UAV and search the area (4) located to the N/NW, using UAV's camera. Three available channels (one ordinary and two thermovisual) should make easier the task of finding these four targets mentioned above. The first target is the AA gun ZU-23-2 (one of two) which is situated somewhere in grid 0108, on the mountain crest (#11). There should be the off road car UAZ (hardly visible in thermovision because it has its engine turned off) in the vicinity of this AA gun - use this information to locate your target. Mark this AA gun as a target for your Apache gunship which is hovering behind the nearby mountain. Make sure that your attack helicopter is on an adequate altitude to effectively hit this target before you fire the Hellfire missile!

Search for the next AA gun ZU-23-2 after destroying the first one. This gun should be situated somewhere in grid 0208, on the adjacent mountain crest which is located a little more to the east in regard to the previous one. Far away behind this AA gun (assuming that you had taken with your UAV the position more or less in grid 0207), near some wood, you'll see (after maximal zooming in your view) a self-propelled AA gun ZSU-23-4 Shilka. It only waits for your Hellfire missile. Somewhere more to the E/SE there should be located Igla surface-to-air missile system - this is a stationary, little thing operated by only one soldier. These last three targets are visible on my screen (#12), but rather very poorly. On this picture you can see the smoke from the burning already Shilka right under the circle of the radar, the second AA gun ZU-23-2 is situated near some rocks on the hill being visible in the foreground, and Igla is marked with a green square visible on the right.

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After eliminating with your Hellfire rockets all four targets the task of destroying AA guns emplacements will be considered as completed and you'll receive new orders. This time you have to strike enemy line of defense (5) which ranges to the S/SW from the airfield in Rasman. You have to attack three enemy strong points located on this line of defense and marked on your map. Start getting closer to them from the Sanginakt mountain. For your Hellfire missiles select only these precious targets as the tanks T-55 in the first instance, if there are such vehicles left in the vicinity of the westernmost strong point (#13).

Afterwards deal with the enemy which is taking the next positions on this line of defense (5). From the list of available targets, which is visible after pressing the 2 key, select again only these most precious targets (#14). First of all a tank T-34, plus alternatively a truck-mounted multiply rocket launcher BM-21 Grad, an APC BTR-60, etc.

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If you need you can return again to the American helipad (1), in order to rearm or repair your gunship. You should have in your mind, though, that in this scenario you have approx. 45 minutes to complete all the assigned tasks, so you need to fire accurately and not to fly too often to the FSP in Feruz Abad (1). When all the most important or dangerous targets on the line of defense (5) are destroyed with your Hellfire missiles, you may fly a little forth and back along this line (#15) and hunt for the enemy remnants using your cannon and unguided rockets.

Finally the HQ will consider this task of striking the enemy line of defense as completed and you'll be ordered to return to base (1). Land on the helipad in this base, shut off the engine and this mission should end (#16). What is interesting, this scenario ends successfully also then, when you were shot down but you've managed to survive the crash on the territory controlled by the allied units. In case when you were shot down over the hostile territory, but you've also survived the crash, you'll be captured by enemy forces and the next mission which you'll play will be titled "From hell". Of course, all these ArmA's professionals don't count on their luck and a miracle in the situation when they have to make an emergency landing, but instead of this they try to land safely on autorotation...