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I still say we buy an Iowa class Battleship if not for them, then for us to use as a pirate ship
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Apr 19, 2017 02:41
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 Intel Dump. Thanks to Jimmy4400Nav for doing the fluffwork on this one. This comes from Von Hoff himself. Rumor is that both the Free State and The Dictator have hired themselves some PMC's. Neither of these outfits are big boys, or well known, but each offers some unique challenges. These rosters will likely vary, the unit listings came in second hand. We're not sure which is going where, but they'll be in theater.  In 2019, an accidental rounding error saw the special effect budget of Toho Studios nearly quintuple in size. Taking this as a blessing, the studio purchased the use of several top of the line military craft from the JSDFA to use in a new kaju movie. Production was live on an island in the Tsushima Strait when a North Korean patrol boat attempted to attack the film crew. Thinking quickly, one of stuntman hopped into the plan and dropped several bombs on the boat, annihilating it. Footage of the attack quickly went viral and became the 2nd most watched Youtube video of 2019 (succeed only by Wichita Zoo Dancing Polar Bear video that same year). Recognizing the media opportunity as well as the chance to showcase natively produced weaponry to the world, the Mitsubishi group offered to front the expenses for creating a privately armed group to demonstrate this next generation (or at least, quite good previous generation) technology. Korean retail giant Shinsage offered to help front some of the operational expenses as well in exchange for the use of several Korean aircraft in the group fleet. Thus was born the Shinsage-Mitsubishi Armed Response Force (SMARF). SMARF has made a name for its self as a big budget, but highly effective operational force that punches above its weight and whose exploits are regularly broadcast across social media. Their corporate overloads demand performance however, and they take few contacts that pay large amounts to offset the cost of using their newer tech. Having just come flush from success in Kamchatka Civil War the group is poised to move in on a new contract. 6x FA-50 Golden Eagles 2x KF-16Cs 2x F-2A's 1x C-1 3x Type 81 SAMS 1x 737 Wedgetail  Perintah yang benar dari orang sultan senjat (The righteous order of the sultans arms.) or more colloquially known as the Sultans First, is a mercenary group funded owned and operated by the 17th prince of Brunei. Technically locked out of inheritance or even much public acknowledgement due to several technicalities in Brunei inheritance laws, the man nonetheless had access to a considerable fortune and a strong sense of adventure. With the rise of PMCs in the world, he saw it as a a chance to make a name for himself. The Sultan's First uses a hodgepodge of equipment that can be found scattered around the region. With the Prince's recent success in several anti-piracy operations in the Straits of Malacca, there are rumors he might be seeking investments to purchase an Indonesian Ambitious Assault Ship to use as a helicopter carrier for his forces. 4x Flanker-B's 2x MiG-29N Fulcrum A 4x Thai Alpha Jets 6x OV-10 Broncos 1x KC-130 1x C-295M 3x Rapier FSA Blindfires
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Apr 19, 2017 02:50
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The more I see of our world, the more I think hiring Kurt Russel was the most fitting possible choice. I like both these companies. Shame we'll have to kill them.
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Apr 19, 2017 02:59
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Yooper posted:
The Hell? Im really hoping there is some backstory for this. 
Ikasuhito fucked around with this message at 03:07 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 03:03
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so a small write up on how to take advantage of the weaknesses of one of these merc groups. SMARF so this group isn't much of a threat since their backbone is the Golden Eagles. We know from experience the Golden Eagles can only use AIM-9S IR missiles which are short range. The real sleeper threat in their fleet is the Mitsubishi F-2 Super Kai this thing has an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) Radar (the same type of radar in the F-22  ) they are based on the F-16 air frame but they are larger, more powerful and they carry more fuel. The F-2 Super Kai is a Multirole Aircraft that uses the AAM-5 IR missile which has a range of 10 nm, it can also use the AIM-7 sparrow III a Semi Active Radar Homing missile that requires the planes radar to be pointing at it's target. The F-2 is considered a Gen 4.9 fighter we need to be careful around them we are lucky they only have 2Size difference between the F-16 and F-2  The KF-16C is the South Korean export version of the F-16 Block 52 it can carry 4 AIM 120B's (which have a max range of 40nm) and AGM-88B HARMS (which have a range of 70 nm) these are a high priority threat due to their AIM-120B's ( I believe the missiles can link with the F-2's AESA radar for targeting) The Type 81 SAM system is a SHort RAnge Air Defense (SHORAD) system the max range on the missiles it uses is 8nm and max altitude is 24000ft (rounded up) relativity low threat to our grippens but a high threat to our ground pounders I am going to make another effort post for the other group in a few hours Tythas fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 03:17
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I'll let other people handle the planes, but for their SAMs: These things are pretty unimpressive. They're on par with the ASRADs we chose not to buy. 5nmi max range, 40nmi max ideal range for visual, or a whopping 8nmi for the search radar, and semi-active guidance so the launcher has to track it in. Oh boy. These are much nastier. Their spotting range goes up to 100nmi visual and 16 for the search radar. And the missile's purely passive, so we'd be relying on seeing the rocket motor fire on launch to even know it's coming. On top of that, it can target incoming missiles. We'll have to be careful around the Mitsubishi airbase. Only downside is it's still only 8nmi range max, so it's still not invulnerable. e: I vote we just immediately throw all the Phantoms at the SMARF AWACS because if they're profit-oriented losing that thing would probably make them immediately go home.
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Apr 19, 2017 03:24
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Well, those two groups might be troublesome. The Meteors and the AAM-4s (F-2A) match range, with everything else matching or out-ranging the rest of our A2A complement. The Indonesians' AA-12s out range our AIM-120Bs by 5nm, and the Japanese also have 120Bs. The only place we out-class either of the 2 groups is IR missiles, and that's the IRIS-T's 15nm to the AA-11 and AIM-9 range of 10nm. While the difference of 5nm isn't much, its the difference of "Fire then Evade" to "Evade then (hopefully) Fire". So while we're knocking out radars, we're going to need to at least be harassing air bases (either damaging runways, taxiways, or ramps/shelters). Either way, we're likely to lose some planes. The Gripens are going to have to play air-superiority for awhile, and the need to carry Meteors severely limits what load-outs they can have.
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Apr 19, 2017 03:42
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Our first rivals Just binged through the entire thread on my off time, and I'm loving the progress so far! Keep it up Yooper!
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Apr 19, 2017 03:49
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That 737 AEW aircraft is scary. Just like our S 100B, that thing could see us assembling a strike from 300 miles away. We need to find that thing and pound it into dust. Best if we could catch it on the ground.
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Apr 19, 2017 03:49
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PBJ posted:Our first rivals I wouldn't dignify them with titles like that 
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Apr 19, 2017 03:50
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Just watch out if the Japanese have any indentured former commercial airline pilots. Those dudes will gently caress you up.
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Apr 19, 2017 03:52
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sparkmaster posted:That 737 AEW aircraft is scary. Just like our S 100B, that thing could see us assembling a strike from 300 miles away. We need to find that thing and pound it into dust. Best if we could catch it on the ground. Send our ground guys to hit it with a 2x4.
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Apr 19, 2017 03:59
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Yooper posted:
Y'all decided that air attack was the greatest threat in the world -- that's why you voted for A la Carte. If that is your overriding concern -- then there's only one choice of airfield for us: Lubango Airport 1. All the other airports only have one runway. Our adversaries have enough bombers to shut down one runway. They probably don't have enough to kill two. 2. Lubango is also the biggest airport, so we can operate all our aircraft out of it with now problems. 3. Lubango has more room to disperse aircraft on the ground -- the other bases have fewer parking spaces and will leave us more vulnerable to ground attack. Splitting our forces across runways is a non-starter. Again, if you're worried about air attacks, that would split our air defenses or force us to leave one base undefended. Lubango isn't close to as many Lithium mines, but as this map shows, it is close to population centers. More people = more troops = capturing more Lithium mines. 
Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 04:26
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Lubango. Jackals must die. From lore, I'd assume that SMARF is in with the Dictator and the Sultan's First with the freemen - so it's probably the other way around  .
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Apr 19, 2017 04:31
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Coffeehitler posted:Well, those two groups might be troublesome. The Meteors and the AAM-4s (F-2A) match range, with everything else matching or out-ranging the rest of our A2A complement. The Indonesians' AA-12s out range our AIM-120Bs by 5nm, and the Japanese also have 120Bs. The only place we out-class either of the 2 groups is IR missiles, and that's the IRIS-T's 15nm to the AA-11 and AIM-9 range of 10nm. While the difference of 5nm isn't much, its the difference of "Fire then Evade" to "Evade then (hopefully) Fire". I'm mildly frustrated at this point. We knew we would be coming up against modern fighter aircraft and modern air defenses -- and we knew that meant we'd need good multi-role fighters (Gripens) and good strike aircraft (Tornadoes) to even the odds. Instead, we ended up with no change in our original Gripen force, only four Tornadoes (half of which will have to be on SEAD duty), and then we spent the farm to have eight Phantoms -- which don't have the EW or the kinematic performance for deal well with modern air defense. We're going to lose some. I'm regretting that I didn't bite the bullet and find some money for that drat Hawk battery -- goons would have been happy and we'd have an air force that has a better chance of winning...
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Apr 19, 2017 04:47
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 Yay the wacky mercenaries I made have become canon! I updated their histories a little bit in the latest message I sent you Yooper, it just adds a tad more fluff for them. Hope you like the other dossiers I sent over!As for the mission I also support going to Lubango Airport, we're going to need as much runway as possible to scramble our fighters and get I-SPY and Big Pig in the air. Also will it be possible for our mercs to capture a lithium mine? It might give us some good funding residuals if we get our own mine! 
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Apr 19, 2017 04:57
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Jimmy4400nav posted:Also will it be possible for our mercs to capture a lithium mine? It might give us some good funding residuals if we get our own mine! Mining stuff properly and safely (especially something like lithium!) is fricking expensive capital-wise, and we're not here under the banner of the loving Free State. Let's stick with what we know best.
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Apr 19, 2017 05:01
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Bacarruda posted:I'm mildly frustrated at this point. Its not super terrible, and we're probably going to be in for some surprises but we should be fine. The Phantoms can take care of them selves, and still carry plenty of bombs; the Tornadoes can do SEAD and Runway suppression; same with the Gripens. The CAS platforms are going to have to be sheparded or used only after a SEAD/WW strike clears an area for them. Having the ability to carry all the bombs is useful, and whether we have 8 Gripens or 10 isn't going to diminish the fact that once we've gotten a decent area cleared/suppressed we can have some fun and rack up some serious carnage. Realistically, we're probably going to find that we're going to wish we had the Growler's more advanced jammer systems. Really I was giving an intel assessment that was relatively honest. A real one would be "Everything is terrible, we're all going to die, we need to steal F-22s from somewhere" level of Chicken Little's Falling Sky fear mongering hysteria.
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Apr 19, 2017 05:16
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Davin Valkri posted:loving Free State Funny thing is, had we sided with We would also be complicit in what would inevitably become a slave driven narco-state/totalitarian shithole, so there's that too.
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Apr 19, 2017 05:17
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Bacarruda posted:I'm mildly frustrated at this point. I don't know that we're gonna have that many high-end fighter clashes because whatever company loses their high-end fighters is probably going out of business, or at least is going to be forced out of the theater. It will probably happen, but I suspect that's going to happen later in the campaign when employers are against the wall rather than opening in a vicious Gripen vs F-2 battle - and if we do well enough or pose enough of a threat, they might just pull out of the theater rather than face us. We might be able to procure actually good crap as there are 3 factions in theater with decent tech who would be in the market for things. Now this probably goes for our enemies too, so I'd assume any procurement we don't take will be offered to our enemies.
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Apr 19, 2017 05:23
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Bacarruda posted:I'm mildly frustrated at this point. I still don't see how we "spent the farm" on Phantoms. We could literally send the six new ones up unarmed to draw fire from the F2s and it would barely cost more than losing a single Gripen. And the one Gripen we lost was to a J-7 of all things while we laughed at the JF-17s. The Phantoms are somewhat glass cannons, but they are cheap for what they can do. Their air defenses aren't much of an issue unless our intel is seriously inaccurate. The real issues we face are that Wedgetail which we have no practical answer to, and the F2s which we had no option available to us to purchase that would reliably outclass. So we're going to have to fight smart and try to draw them out of position and catch them as they RTB Bingo or something. I welcome the challenge - "USAF murders everything with invisible unerring Raptors" is a much less interesting basis for this kind of thing. Sometimes our opponents will be equal or better, and that is okay. Besides, getting a weird and unsatisfying compromise that you have to figure out how to use is like, the best possible simulation of real procurement. e: also, think about it in reverse. What sane commander wants to order two high-end fighters to engage eight? We already get to dictate the terms of the first major air battle in that way. power crystals fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 05:30
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sparkmaster posted:That 737 AEW aircraft is scary. Just like our S 100B, that thing could see us assembling a strike from 300 miles away. We need to find that thing and pound it into dust. Best if we could catch it on the ground. It's actually a fair bit scarier than our S 100B. Its MESA radar has the same theoretical maximum range as our Argus's Erieye, but is qualitatively superior in pretty much every way. It scans more quickly, has better range and height resolution, puts out slightly more than double the peak power, and has less noisy electronics (so it can detect fainter signals).
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Apr 19, 2017 05:43
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Mr. Showtime posted:It's actually a fair bit scarier than our S 100B. Its MESA radar has the same theoretical maximum range as our Argus's Erieye, but is qualitatively superior in pretty much every way. It scans more quickly, has better range and height resolution, puts out slightly more than double the peak power, and has less noisy electronics (so it can detect fainter signals). Amazing how the scariest plane in our enemies' arsenals is a converted passenger liner. Really puts modern [air] combat in perspective.
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Apr 19, 2017 05:55
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power crystals posted:I still don't see how we "spent the farm" on Phantoms. We could literally send the six new ones up unarmed to draw fire from the F2s and it would barely cost more than losing a single Gripen. And the one Gripen we lost was to a J-7 of all things while we laughed at the JF-17s. The Phantoms are somewhat glass cannons, but they are cheap for what they can do. The F2 has all of the problems of the F16, and other single engine interceptors, if it has to get into a maneuver battle with a twin engine aircraft it needs to win immediately because the first major turn is going to bleed off all of its energy. Combined with our numbers, we should do quite well against SMAF and probably The Sultan's First as well (since we should have a range advantage over them). If we get a chance to wax the Wedgetail, it needs to be taken. That's one of the reasons to put a detachment out to the East, distract and force the Dictator to divert effort there, and if he doesn't we can grab 3+ mines and threaten multiple airfields. This isn't going to be quick and easy, we will lose aircraft and air crews, and we have to come to terms with that now or we shouldn't be doing this. We need to be flying multiple objectives in an assigned area (if we're hitting the mines in an area, we need to be suppressing radar and airfields in the same op; if we're escorting ships near a radar/airfield, we need to suppress them), that's how we're going to win this. But not everyone is coming home barring a miracle. Davin Valkri posted:Amazing how the scariest plane in our enemies' arsenals is a converted passenger liner. Really puts modern [air] combat in perspective. Its like farts and "smelt it dealt it": He who sees it, kills it.
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Apr 19, 2017 06:03
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Have we considered just, y'know, getting on the phone and calling the other mercs to have a little chat about boundaries and maybe staying out of each others ways for a bit? Killing each other is no good for business on either side, and I bet our hilarious Tibetan misadventures have given us enough of a reputation that they'll at least pick up when they see us on the Caller ID.
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Apr 19, 2017 06:06
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Davin Valkri posted:Amazing how the scariest plane in our enemies' arsenals is a converted passenger liner. Really puts modern [air] combat in perspective. So we do what everyone (except for Burma) does with passenger liners: we steal it 
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Apr 19, 2017 06:14
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Yooper, I'm just going to throw this out here, and I'm gonna be sorry as all heck if it's a bad idea to even bring up, but is there any place we could throw in a dime for your IRL operating expenses for this LP? Like, paying people through Fiverr to do voice acting work is goddamned luxurious, but I wouldn't mind putting a little something down if it meant defraying your costs a little for all the entertainment it's gotten us.
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Apr 19, 2017 06:36
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Phi230 posted:While I appreciate your generosity you noble airgoons such an influx of money would break intended balance of the LP and make it less fun*tm If the groundpounders aren't buying Bogdan's cousin, though, maybe we should invest in him on the Count's behalf to help set up a cadre of experienced regular forces for the Angolans?
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Apr 19, 2017 06:52
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power crystals posted:I still don't see how we "spent the farm" on Phantoms. We could literally send the six new ones up unarmed to draw fire from the F2s and it would barely cost more than losing a single Gripen. And the one Gripen we lost was to a J-7 of all things while we laughed at the JF-17s. The Phantoms are somewhat glass cannons, but they are cheap for what they can do. It isn't just the Koreans we need to be worried about, though. The Dictator's got his air force and he's been buying up BFLM F-16s, which are on par or close to our Gripens. If he hires their F-2s and KF-16s, backs them up with Wedgetail support, and flies his F-16s -- then our day starts to get much more interesting. TheGreatEvilKing posted:We might be able to procure actually good crap as there are 3 factions in theater with decent tech who would be in the market for things. Now this probably goes for our enemies too, so I'd assume any procurement we don't take will be offered to our enemies. I hope so. More buyers would mean higher prices and lower availability for us. Also, we didn't get amazing aircraft on offer last time around, so I'm unsure if that trend will change. Since they're cheap and plentiful in the world, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw more F-4s, light strikers, SAMs and AAA hitting the Angolan market later on. High-end fighters? Probably not.
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Apr 19, 2017 07:31
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gradenko_2000 posted:Yooper, I'm just going to throw this out here, and I'm gonna be sorry as all heck if it's a bad idea to even bring up, but is there any place we could throw in a dime for your IRL operating expenses for this LP? Like, paying people through Fiverr to do voice acting work is goddamned luxurious, but I wouldn't mind putting a little something down if it meant defraying your costs a little for all the entertainment it's gotten us. Agreed! If you want to put up a Venmo, GoFundMe, or Pateron kinda of thing, I'd pitch in a dime. Also, I'm sure we can find goon volunteers to help out and record stuff.
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Apr 19, 2017 08:23
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I think it's worth noting pushing in on the Lithium Mines in the west is going to be pushing us also towards the capital. That's also going to raise the threat level significantly. I mean, taking the capital would be a massive bonus, but still. We need to keep that in mind. Bacarruda posted:Agreed! If you want to put up a Venmo, GoFundMe, or Pateron kinda of thing, I'd pitch in a dime. There's a whole thread of Goon VAs over in Creative Convention, for one thing.
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Apr 19, 2017 08:37
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Well we at least wont have to worry about commercial flights much, your typical day over Angola looks about like this:
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Apr 19, 2017 10:11
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I wonder what the other mercs' briefing about us is like.
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Apr 19, 2017 10:22
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"Solid Gripen based force, also totally insane and last time around started a shooting war between Earths two most populous nations."
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Apr 19, 2017 10:30
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I want to point out that, so far, none of the SAMs that we know of to be in the theater are really scary. The database has two SAMs for Angola that can reach a high altitude: the SA-2f and SA-3b. Even including the modern systems the other mercs are bringing in, those two ancient SAMs are still the "scariest" things in-theatre -- and those things are so outdated that I'd put money on a single unsupported Phantom coming out on top against a SA-2 or SA-3 site. (With a Prowler backing the Phantoms it's no contest at all.) Everything else, including the modern missile systems the other mercenaries are bringing in, are vulnerable to a plane just staying at high altitude and dropping bombs with impunity. The Phantoms are just as good at this as any other plane would be. This is why those I-Hawk missiles are such a huge deal. They were the only type of anti-air on offer that can deal with a plane loitering at maximum altitude and dropping 2000 pound laser-guided bombs.on them.
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Apr 19, 2017 10:37
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Saros posted:Well we at least wont have to worry about commercial flights much, your typical day over Angola looks about like this: Tevery Best posted:I wonder what the other mercs' briefing about us is like. Have some (terribly, terribly written) pilot backstory: Sean 'Pike' Baker posted:So, why did I sign up with Hayard-Gunnes?
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Apr 19, 2017 11:20
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Tevery Best posted:I wonder what the other mercs' briefing about us is like. "Large force, built on Gripens and Phantoms, with a hodgepodge of ground attack assets, from supersonic interdiction plaforms to old two-seat trainers. They're bank rolled by a teacher's union of all things. Not so much a mercenary company at this point as they are a small European air force. They are the ones who helped liberate Tibet, and during that op they demonstrated a significant degree of aggression in their operations, sinking a Chinese frigate and attacking a Chinese airbase. Unfortunately attacking them on the ground isn't a realistic option for us, they've got a substantial air defence network built up. They're going to be a royal pain in the rear end."
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Apr 19, 2017 11:40
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gradenko_2000 posted:Yooper, I'm just going to throw this out here, and I'm gonna be sorry as all heck if it's a bad idea to even bring up, but is there any place we could throw in a dime for your IRL operating expenses for this LP? Like, paying people through Fiverr to do voice acting work is goddamned luxurious, but I wouldn't mind putting a little something down if it meant defraying your costs a little for all the entertainment it's gotten us. For right now, No. But thank you for the offer. Maybe if we start getting more elaborate... I'll check the voice acting thread and see how those dudes look. The nice part about Fiverr is the huge variety. (Beyond the $5). Oh look, some news! 
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Apr 19, 2017 11:57
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I'm actually rather curious to hear that the Sultan's First are looking to buy a bote of their very own. I wonder if a sufficient defeat here would prevent such a purchase, so, perhaps, we might buy it for our own use. Actually I'm curious if we have any speculation as to which merc outfit is flying for whom. While SMARF seems to be the more professional of the two so one might think they are flying for the Dictator, the whole social media connection means I could see them instead signing up with the Free State. I know that side of things would appeal to those assholes. The Sultan's First already have experience in Anti-Piracy, so it could be that the Dictator's hired them. After all, sea escort is apparently part of the mission profiles he was offering us. Of course, they could well instead fly for the other team just as easily - SMARF favour stable contracts, so the fickle demands of the Free State might not be for them, while the Sultan's First apparently have a sense for adventure which might align them with those guys just as easily. It's probably worth noting that the Dictator might well turn on whichever batch of mercs fly for him if they don't perform to his expectations. Whether they'd defect to the Free State, us, or just bug the gently caress out is up in the air. Might be worth factoring into our strategy.
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Apr 19, 2017 12:08
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LP production values: through the roof.
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Apr 19, 2017 12:41
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