SimHQ.com - Air Combat Zone - Preview: The Black Sea Operations

As my flight rolls down the runway AWACS is already calling out threats inbound. Leaving the afterburners plugged in I race toward the intercept as I turn on the radar and start seeking out contacts.

Once again the skies are full of both enemy and allied aircraft. The E-3 AWACS presides over it all and care must be taken to positively identify targets as enemies since some of our coalition partners are flying Russian produced equipment.

If ever there was an aircraft the screamed "air superiority" it certainly has to be the beautiful Su-27 Flanker.

This battle is shaping up to be a real force on force meeting as aircraft from both sides converge. The AWACS feed paints a frightening picture and I already know I'm not skilled enough to be a decisive part of this fight. Jamming fills the radar screen but radar contacts soon bleed through allowing me to start picking out targets. I query AWACS to assure I don't commit fratricide but my grasp on the "big picture" is tenuous and as the battle progresses I feel myself getting further and further behind the 8-ball.

As the distance closes to long range missile range I release my wingmen to hunt on their own and I trade BVR shots with an Su-27. My initial shot misses and my TEWS is going nuts so I pull hard away dumping chaff and flares hoping against hope that I'm not about to eat a missile. I really have no clue what is going on around me; a total breakdown of situational awareness.

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