7 September 2025 - Kola Week 14 - Red Menace

[Lion]

SITUATION
Outstanding work in destroying the nuclear weapons storage facility. With the elimination of their nuclear weapons, the Red Russian leadership will no longer be able to hold the threat of nuclear escalation over NATO.

OBJECTIVE
With the Reds now aware of your strike on and destruction of their nuclear card, their forces are on the move. Satellite intelligence and intercepted communications have detected frenzied levels of activity. Now comes the daunting task of escorting the C-130 back to friendly territory, namely Banak airfield, and then returning to CVN-72 (one of the C-130 departed ahead of time under cover of inclement weather). The Russians will be awake and ready this time, so expect significant levels of resistance.
That being said, US Navy, Norwegian, and Finnish forces will be launching their own sorties to distract the Russians to make your trip home have odds in your favour. The skies will be busy with friendly aircraft, so watch your datalinks and NCTR readings before launching missiles.

Threats & Strategy:
- The Red Russians have lit up every radar they've got and have turned their airspace into a heavily fortified fortress. Your mission route will keep you out of their airspace and out of their SAM sites.
- MiG-29s and Su-27s aircraft have been spotted being armed and fuelled all across the Murmansk area airfields. Friendly CAP flights from Finland, Norway, and the carrier group are launching to the respective border areas to deter and defend against encroaching Russians
- Satellites and intercepted communications have indicated that the Reds have identified the airfield from where you launched to strike their nukes and are preparing a retaliatory short-range ballistic missile strike against it. Your flight will receive an advance early warning and launch warnings but it is highly recommended to depart the road base as soon as possible without any delays. Finland has reinforced the base with a small detachment of Russian-made BUK SAMs, however neither these nor the existing NASAMs were designed to intercept SRBMs.
- CENTCOM has managed to divert and setup a half-strength PATRIOT battery next to Ivalo airbase to provide enhanced protection along the mission route before entering Norwegian airspace.
- Norway has activated 3 HAWK full strength batteries in and around Kirkenes.
- Once any Dealer aircraft has come within 2 nm of Sodankyla airfield, the C-130 will push on its flight plan toward Banak. Otherwise it will be flying a 10nm by 5nm orbit southwest of Sodankyla.

Package:
- Dealer Flights (F/A-18C): Escort the C-130 back to Banak and recover aboard CVN-72.

Waypoints:
1 – Rally over Sodankyla airfield
2 – Passing Ivalo airfield
3 – Turn toward Banak airfield
4 - Navigational waypoint
5 - Banak airfield
6 - RTB

Weaponeering
No SAM threats expected as flight will be deep within friendly territory. 2-3 fuel tanks with rest of pylons set to AIM-120Cs and AIM-9Xs.

Support
- A NATO E-3 AWACS will be orbiting west of Ivalo as well as a US Navy E-2D will be airborne. Both of their frequencies will be the standard 266.00.
- No refueling tankers are available however refueling services will be present at Banak if needed for the last leg to CVN-72.
- Bullseye is Ivalo.

Weather
Startup time is 1735 local. Sundown is 20:36.
The forecast for the mission time is broken/overcast clouds in 3 layers, calm winds on the surface, temperature is 64.4F.
Mission route length is 310 nm.

[BammBamm]

Mission Commander: Rhino
Backup: Mr.Bean