THUNDERHAWK (?) (?)
BASIC TACTICS
Remember to fly low, usually between 40 and 100 feet as this keeps you below
most of the Early Warning Radars. If you have to fly above 250 feet, make
sure it's not for long - the more time you spend up there, the easier it is
for radars to spot you and send out fighters to destroy you. For most
missions you should use the the Auto Weapons Selection. The only change that
shoul be necessary is replaccing FFAR's with AGM 214 Firestorms. These are
more accurate, although the Firestorms cannot lock on if your nose optics
get damaged. If you have any missions that require destroying enemy EWR, use
the 122L SMARM missiles. These are 'fire and forget' missiles that home in
on any strong radar source. Just point the helicopter in the general
direction of the target and raise the nose slightly before firing (this
gives the SMARM a better chance of locking onto the strong signal.) This can
be achieved at long distances, so you dont even have to get within sight of
the target to hit it. Enemy fighters can be a bit if a pain, especially the
SU-25 Frogfoot. This has a nasty habit of flying very low and firing a large
amount of missiles before switching to its cannon. Use your chaff and flares
before until it runs out of missiles, then use an AIM-11 missile to knock it
out of the sky (remember these are fire and forget missiles and are very
difficult to dodge). If you only have AIM-10 Cobra missiles the technique is
different as it takes two to destroy one of these - and they can also be
fooled by flares. If you have run out of missiles and are taking hits from
enemy fighters, fly around 30-60 feet above the ground as incoming fire is
less effective at low altitudes.
HIDE AND SEEK
Try to use the terrain as the enemy can't fire thrugh hills and mountains!
They also dampen radar sources, forcing enemy helicopters to fly over hills
to get at you.
MISSILE DODGING
Listen out for the missile warning indicator. As soon as you hear it, check
the display to find out whether it's a radar guided or an infra-red missile
(Infra-reds are most common). Launch the appropriate decoy (chaff for radar-
guided and flares for infra-red) and turn away from the missile if it's in
front or behind you. Missiles fly in a straight line to their target,
through anything that gets in their way - including you! The on-board
jamming systems should be used sparingly (usually if you've run out of
decoys) as prolonged jamming makes you extremely visible to radar.
JETS VS ROTORS
The best time ot shoot at an enemy fighter is when it turns towards you. If
a MIG 29 or a SU-25 is approaching from behind, let it pass, slow down and
wait for it to turn towards you before locking on and firing. Don't forget
to avoid any incoming fire.
ENEMY WEAPONS - HELICOPTERS
There are two types of attack helicopter you'll run into, the KA-136 Hokum
and the Mil-24 Hind. The Hind is the most common and you'll find it is armed
with both missiles and a cannon. It isn't very good at dodging missiles, so
getting a lock with an AIM-11 will normally seal its fate. The Hokum can
out-turn and out-climb you, so the first thing you need to do when you
locate one is get a missile lock. Again use AIM-11's as the Hokum cannot
dodge these. If you have no missiles left, then you're really in trouble,
the only thing left is to blast it to bits with your cannon, though this
isn't as easy as it sounds. The best technique is to wait for it to stop
dodging about before firing a short burst. The Hokum will climb to avoid
your fire so apply full throttle to keep up with it as soon as you fire.
ENEMY WEAPONS - GROUND UNITS
The best weapons against ground units are AGM-214 Hellfires or FFAR's. If
you are bombing the target, you must always lit it dead centre, a little out
and you'll miss. When using Mk81 bombs fly at least 250 feet above the
ground, otherwise you'll probably be caught in the blast. With Mk82's you
need to be at least 500 feet up.
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