Category Archives: Analysis
Platforms That Never Were: F-19
The F-19 is one of the most unusual hypothetical platforms in Command. Other such units are based off clear design specifications, while the F-19 is based off a mix of a misconception, a model, and a fiction book. The F-19 designation has been controversial from the start, as it was skipped over, from the F/A-18, […]
Why MIRV?
I came across this post from DesperateDan who posted this excellent prose on SA’s AIRPOWER/Cold War thread. Without further ado, I present DesperateDan’s Nuclear Weapons/Trident Effortpost II – Cobalt Thorium G Edition. –The Management A brief introduction to your eventual destruction The first few fission based nuclear weapons were relatively small in explosive yield, but with early […]
Exercise Scenarios
For scenarios in Command that simulate exercises, as opposed to actual battles, I like to use the following guidelines: -Opponent uses the equipment of the “actors”, not the “characters”. So instead of MiG-29s and MiG-21s, they would have aggressor F-16s and F-5s. The relative capabilities are what serve as the main indicator of what I’d […]
Desert Shield Simulations Part 3 and Conclusion
For the last part of Desert Shield simulations, I put the Iraqi attack aircraft against the most basic Coalition ground defenses. The experiment saw six Su-24s attacking a group of fuel tanks guarded by Vulcan and Stinger short-range defenses. As unrealistic as this was, there were no fighters to cover the base. Instead, I wanted […]
Desert Shield Simulations Part 2
Part one For the first set of naval trials, I put the USN in an awkward position. The Iraqis used a “tethered intercept” from an airbase near Basra, while the American F-14s launched from a carrier on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz. This situation was far from ideal, and reflected the highly […]
Desert Shield Simulations Part 1
What if Saddam Hussein had attacked south into Saudi Arabia during the early phases of Desert Shield, as commentators on the Gulf War unanimously say was the only opportunity to do more serious damage? Command is not the right choice to model ground combat to the necessary degree that would show the truly most important […]
Cold War Battleships – Platforms That Never Were
As the USSR began its forced-industrialization in the 1930s, warships were on the list. Stalin’s plans included a grand fleet of battleships. Command makes this historical footnote playable, and thus a look at the navy is worth it. By the time of the revolution Russia’s navy was a shambles, wrecked in World War I and […]