24 August 2025 - Kola Week 12 - Road Trip

[Lion]

Situation:
Finnish Special Forces in cooperation with US Navy SEALs have reactivated and secured a road base close to the Russian - Finnish border. It has sparse and dispersed facilities but will be sufficient to support short-term operations. Two Marine C-130s containing necessary fuel and munitions will deploy to Vuojarvi with you. Under no circumstances are you to let these aircraft fall to enemy fire. Without these aircraft, this mission will have to be canceled. The target for this phase of the campaign is the tactical nuclear weapons stockpile east of Kandalaksha. It is likely that Red Russian ground forces will move this stockpile north to the Murmansk area in the event of USMC landings or an attempt to retake the Kola by Blue Russian ground forces. We must destroy this stockpile before it is moved. A package of VFA-41 aircraft will forward to deploy to Vuojarvi road base near the Russian - Finnish border in order to mount an attack on the tactical nuclear weapons stockpile near Kandalaksha. To support your detachment, two C-130 will accompany you. You must reach Vuojarvi with no losses to the C-130s.

Mission:
VFA-41 Hornets will forward-deploy to Vuojarvi Road Base, escorting two USMC C-130 Hercules aircraft carrying the fuel and munitions required to activate the strip.
Under no circumstances are the C-130s to be lost—loss of either aircraft cancels the operation.

Threats:
- Red fighters not expected to cross the border.

Package:
- Dealer 1–3 (F/A-18C): Close escort for C-130s to Vuojarvi.
- USMC C-130s: High-priority transports; mission failure if destroyed.
C-130 flight profile reference: 1,000 ft AGL / 300 KTAS on ingress.

Waypoints:
1 – Form-up
2 – Norwegian border
3 – Rendezvous with C-130s (close within 2.5 nm to push their flight plan)
4 – Passing Ivalo
5 – Begin approach to road base
6 – Turn for final approach
7 – 20-mile final for lineup
8 – Vuojarvi Road Base

Weather:
- Conditions: Clear
- QNH: 29.85 inHg
- Winds (from):
- 26,000 ft: 24 kt from 240°
- 6,600 ft: 12 kt from 229°
- 1,600 ft: 12 kt from 223°
- 33 ft: 5 kt from 223°
- Turbulence: 0.4 kt

Notes:
- Stay reasonably close to the C-130s; do not outrun the package into unknown threats.
- PID all air contacts—Finnish or coalition flights may be present.


ROE: PID hostile contacts before engagement.

[Crash]

Mission Commander: Maniac
Back Up: Mr. Bean

[Lion]

notes from mission editor:
startup time pushed back to 6pm local due to no roadbase lighting or placeable external lights/NVG markers for twilight / night landings
fixed kneeboard runway heading due to mag var
* Mission will be considered successful if C-130s make it to waypoint 7 as on some tests, only 1 C-130 bothers to land as the landing AI logic takes over