Tag Archives: AAW
The Classic Divisional Layout
The Heavy OPFOR Organizational presents a self-proclaimed “composite” example of an infantry division, in contrast to its explicitly Soviet/Russian styled motor rifle and tank formations. Fittingly, this serves as an example of the “classic” triangular division found by many countries since World War II. After World War II, with armor becoming more common, the classical […]
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: OPFOR Strike Package
From page 313/chapter 10-19 in the Heavy OPFOR Operational Art handbook, a look at a strike package in a concise, illustrated way. This sample package features 20 MiG-27s supported by ten MiG-23s, six MiG-29s, and eight Yak-28PPs. The latter have a particularly unenviable job, specialist aircraft like themselves are always in low supply and very […]
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 […]
The Two Yemeni Air Forces
April 2, 2015, scenario. The Yemeni government faces mundane no-confidence challenges that nonetheless undermine its authority, and a coup is feared. US drone strikes, with the inevitable civilian casualties, are angering the population, and the Americans are moving ever-stronger forces into the area, assuming a total collapse is imminent. Enter the unnamed and fictional defense […]
Air Power in Civil Wars
There have been many good reasons why air-to-air combat remains the near-exclusive domain of nation-states. Even the earliest and/or simplest aircraft require trained pilots and ground crews that are not exactly in the greatest supply, and to use them requires a complex supply chain. Because of this difficulty, the one proven route to the deployment […]