Games PC GUNSHIP User Manual

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Requirements and Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Recommended System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Playing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Uninstalling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

The Readme File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

The Main Menu

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Fly Now

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Training

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Custom Configuration

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Individual Missions

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Starting Single-Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Starting Multi-Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Loading Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Creating a New Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Starting a Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Reading Intelligence Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Reviewing the Preflight Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Assigning Pilots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Loading Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Mission Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

The Post-Flight Debriefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Changing Crew Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Flying the Next Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

The Cockpit MFD Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

AND Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

System Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Tactical Situation Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Radar Advance Warning System (RAWS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Fire Control Radar (FCR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Weapons Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Target Acquisition Designation Sight (TADS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Engine Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Map Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

In The Pilot’s Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Takeoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Aggressive Takeoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Adjusting Airspeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Liftoff and Low Altitude Hover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Liftoff and Hover at High Altitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Transition to Hover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Rapid Climb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Rapid Descent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Flying Backwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Flying Sideways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Engaging Ground Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Engaging Aerial Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Navigating Waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Speed Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Masking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Flying Ridges and Valleys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

The Communications Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Realistic Flight Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Copilot/Gunner (CP/G) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Communicating with the Pilot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Gunner’s and ORT Cockpits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Acquiring Targets with the FCR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Acquiring Targets with the TADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Engaging Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Basic Tactics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Two Pieces of Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Offensive Tactics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Defensive Tactics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Guide To Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

AH-64D Apache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

WAH-64D Apache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

UHT-2 Tiger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

Mi-28N Havoc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Helicopter Weapon Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

U.S. Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

British Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

German Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87

Russian Federation Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Appendix: Guide to Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Technical Support

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Grant of License

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Credits

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REQUIREMENTS AND INSTALLATION

Recommended System Requirements

Before you can install Gunship! and start playing, check this list to make sure that your computer has everything you need:

Operating System: Windows®95/98 Processor: Pentium

266MHz or higher Memory: 32MB RAM Hard Disk Space: 150MB Free CD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed Video: SVGA video card with 2MB video memory* Sound: Sound card* DirectX: DirectX version 7.0 (included) or higher Modem: 28.8kps (28,800 baud) for modem/Internet play

* These devices should be compatible with both Windows 95/98 and DirectX version

7.0 or higher.

If you think you have all of these, but still have a problem running the game, please contact Customer Support for assistance. (Details can be found on page 95.)

Installing

If you have all of the required equipment, then it’s time to install the game. To do so, follow these instructions:

• Turn on your computer (Windows 95/98 should load automatically).

• Open the CD-ROM drive, place the Gunship! CD in it, and close the drive.

• This is a Windows "AutoPlay" CD-ROM. That means that just putting the disk in the

drive for the first time starts up the installation program.

If Autoplay Doesn’t Work

If the Autoplay feature does not work when you put the CD in the drive, here’s how to start the installation program yourself:

• Double-click your "My Computer" desktop icon.

• In the window that opens, double-click your CD-ROM drive (it’s usually the D drive).

• In the list that appears, find a file named setup.exe and double-click it.

The installation program should begin.

• Click the Install button to continue. (If you change your mind at this point, close the window to Exit.)

• Follow the on-screen instructions to install the game. The installation program copies some files to your hard drive from the CD-ROM, then adds Gunship! to the programs in your Start menu.

• Gunship! requires DirectX 7.0 or higher in order to run. If you do not have this already installed on your computer, click Yes when asked if you would like to install it.

Playing

Once the automated installation and set-up are complete, the game is ready to play. To start:

• Make sure that the CD-ROM is in your drive.

• Now simply click on the Play Gunship! button when the title box appears. Alternatively (if the box doesn’t appear), you can click the Windows Start button, then choose Programs > MicroProse > Gunship! > Play Gunship! to run the game.

Uninstalling

If you decide to remove Gunship! from your computer, follow these easy instructions.

• Put the Gunship! CD-ROM in your drive.

• Now simply click on the Uninstall button when the title box appears.

• If you do not have the Gunship! CD handy, you can still uninstall the game. Here’s how:

• Click the Windows Start button.

• Select Settings, then Control Panel.

• In the Control Panel window, double-click on Add/Remove Programs.

• Select Gunship! from the list of programs and click the Add/Remove button.

• Follow the on-screen instructions to remove the game from your hard drive.

Note: The uninstall procedure won’t remove files you’ve created—such as Saved Game files. You can delete these leftover files manually.

THE README FILE

The Gunship! CD-ROM game has a ReadMe file, where you can view updated information about the game. To view this file, click the Windows Start button, the Programs menu, the MicroProse sub-menu, then Gunship!. Finally, click the ReadMe option. You can also get to the ReadMe file by double-clicking on it in the Gunship! folder on your hard drive.

THE MAIN MENU

When you first fire up the game, you see the Main menu screen. Everything begins and ends here, so let’s briefly run through the available options, then move on to the action.

Fly Now Jump right in and fly one of five action oriented missions with the

current difficulty settings.

Single Battle Fly an individual mission that is not part of a larger campaign. Play Campaign Fly and fight a number of missions for your chosen side as one part

of a large, ongoing, military campaign.

Configuration Modify the game difficulty settings and configure Gunship! to work

well with your computer’s hardware.

Training Fly training missions designed to help you learn the rudiments of

flying a combat helicopter.

One other thing you should know; there are a couple of useful features available on nearly every screen in the game:

• In most places, there is a Main button in the lower right corner of the screen. Click this button to return directly to the Main menu (the first one you see when you start up Gunship!).

• There’s also a Quit button in the lower left corner. Clicking Quit takes you out of the game completely.

Terms We Use

Just to avoid confusion, here are the meanings of a few common terms that we use throughout this manual:

Click Click the left mouse button once. Select Click the named option. Double Click Click the left mouse button twice in quick succession. Right Click Click the right mouse button once.

FLY NOW

The Fly Now option is for those folks who just want to jump right into a helicopter and fly. Select this option from the Main menu to start an action-oriented battle using the current difficulty settings.

After you click Fly Now, you go directly to the pre-flight briefing. You’ll be assigned at random to fly the AH-64D, the WAH-64, the Eurocopter Tiger, or the Mi-28. You can alter your flight path using the Mission Planning button and change your weapons loadout using the Arming button. (The details on how to do these things are in the Mission Planning and Loading Weapons portions of the Campaign section, respectively.) When you’ve configured your flight, click the Take Off button in the upper right corner.

TRAINING

For those of you whose attack helicopter skills are a little rusty, Gunship! provides training sessions to help you get back up to speed. Select Training from the Main menu to reach the Training Mission screen.

The training missions are designed to help you learn to fly and fight a helicopter from the pilot’s seat. The Gunship! Quick Start guide was written to compliment this training. It can be helpful to read the corresponding section while you’re flying each mission. Don’t worry about getting shot down; enemy fire doesn’t damage you during training.

Select a mission by clicking it, watch the training movies, read the basic briefing, then click the Take Off button to enter the mission and begin.

CUSTOM CONFIGURATION

The Configuration option on the Main menu lets you set up the game to work well with your computer’s hardware and adjust the overall difficulty of the game. There are three buttons along the lower edge of the Configuration screen, each of which illuminates when active.

Windowed/Full Screen

The first button, which is labelled Windowed, determines whether the game runs in a window or takes up the entire screen. When you click this button, the label changes to indicate the result of clicking the button again. That is, if the button "Windowed" is highlighted, you are currently in Windowed mode, and vice versa.

Battle Settings

The Battle Settings button calls up the Battle Settings screen, on which you control the difficulty and realism of the game. This rating affects the award, promotion, and experience points you receive for each campaign mission. The lower you set the difficulty rating, the more difficult it will be to earn promotions and medals. The options on this screen are:

Default Settings These three buttons let you quickly configure your difficulty to

one of three pre-designed modes of play.

Action sets all options to their easiest and least realistic modes. Average puts all the options in the middle.

Simulation uses the most difficult and realistic settings.

Flight Model This determines the realism of the physics of flight.

Easy greatly simplifies the flight mode and removes external influences such as wind and rain. The flight controls are simplified: Collective controls only altitude and is not affected by airspeed; the cyclic controls only airspeed and direction; and the pedals are completely disconnected from torque and remain fully functional at all airspeeds.

Enhanced attenuates the effects of outside influences, such as wind, without removing them altogether. The flight controls are realistically interconnected, but simplified. For example, changes in torque require co-ordinated pedal changes, but the effect is less pronounced than in real life.

Realistic mode has all outside influences fully functional and all controls fully cross connected. This setting most closely approaches real life flight.

Player Weapon Effects This setting controls the overall effectiveness of your weapons.

In addition to damage bonuses, this includes plusses to armour penetration, blast radius, and tracking ability. Note: This affects only your weapons; it has no effect on any other weapons in the game.

Exaggerated weapons are two to three times more deadly than normal.

Enhanced weapons are roughly 50% more effective than usual. This setting makes weapons like rockets and the cannon more effective against heavily armoured targets and reinforced bunkers.

Realistic weapons operate at their normal, real-world effectiveness. Soft weapons, such as anti-personnel rockets, will not be particularly effective against armour and reinforced bunkers.

View Mode Which viewpoint you begin each mission in is under your

control through this option.

Outside has you start in a viewpoint flying behind your helicopter.

Pilot Cockpit causes you to begin in the Pilot cockpit. Gunner Cockpit (no surprise) starts you in the Gunner cockpit.

Player Vulnerability This setting determines how much punishment your helicopter

can take before damage effects set in.

Invulnerable makes your helicopter completely invincible.

Resistant doubles the armour protection of your helicopter, letting it take roughly twice as much damage as usual.

Realistic sets your helicopter’s armour protection to real-world levels.

Ammunition This option controls whether your helicopter has realistically

limited amounts of ammunition.

Unlimited gives you unlimited weapons. Normal limits you to your helicopter’s realistic weapons load.

Enemy Skill The setting you choose for this option determines the overall

quality of your enemies (the strength of the artificial intelligence). There are four possibilities: Poor, Good, Veteran and Elite.

IHADSS All of the weapons your helicopter carries have limited zones

of fire, which are reflected on the IHADSS (Integrated Helmet And Display Sight System) display you see in the various cockpits. This setting determines just how firm the limits on those zones are.

Action loosens the weapon firing constraints on the IHADSS, making all weapons easier to use.

Realistic displays realistic weapon firing constraints on the IHADSS.

Game Settings

The Game Settings button switches you over to the Game Configuration screen, where you can adjust the game according to your computer’s hardware and your preferences.

Music Volume Sets the volume of the in-game music.

Master Sound Volume Controls the overall volume of all sounds in the game.

Sound Effects Volume Determines the volume of special sounds, such as weapons

fire and explosions.

3D Object Density This controls the number of three dimensional objects

displayed on the screen at any given time. The setting cycles between Software, Low, Medium, and High. Using the lower settings can result in the game running faster, though it might also reduce the graphic quality somewhat.

Graphics Mode Cycles through the available display drivers. The options are

Software (no 3D accelerator card), and Direct 3D HAL.

Screen Resolution Controls what screen resolution you use in the game. Choose

the resolution that works best for you.

In Game Language This option gives you control over what languages the units in

the game speak. Use the Local setting to have all in-game speech use your default language. For example, in the US or UK version of the game, everyone would speak English, while in the German version, all units would speak German. Actual allows the units to speak in their actual languages. Thus, German forces would speak German, Russian forces would speak Russian, and so on.

INDIVIDUAL MISSIONS

Flying a campaign is great, but sometimes you don’t want to commit yourself to a long term project—or maybe you’re playing with friends. In both cases, what you want is to fly a single battle, one mission. That’s what the Single Battle option on the Main menu is all about. This mode lets you fly a pre-generated, individual mission completely separate from any campaign.

Starting Single-player

A single-player individual mission is similar to a Fly Now mission, except that the battle is set up entirely according to the current difficulty settings. (Fly Now missions are always action oriented.) To begin a single-player stand-alone mission:

• Select Single Battle from the Main menu.

• Choose a mission from the Battle List. Scroll up and down as necessary, and then select the name of the mission you wish to fly.

• Click the Single Player button to indicate that this is a one player mission, not a multiplayer session.

• Click the Play button to move on to the Mission Briefing.

Once you have familiarised yourself with the contents of your briefing, you might want to alter the flight path for your flight or any of the other flights in your unit. To do so, click the Mission Planning button on the pre-flight briefing screen. This takes you to the Mission Planning screen. Please refer to Mission Planning in the Campaigns section for the details on how to use the Mission Planning screen.

After the briefing and any changes to the flight plan, you have the opportunity to fix your weapons load-out before lifting off (use the Arming button).

Starting Multi-player

Single Battle mode also lets you fly pre-generated individual missions with friends over a modem, serial, LAN (Local Area Network) or Internet connection. One player must serve as the game "host"—the computer that manages the overall battle. Other players then join the hosted game session. The battle conforms to the current difficulty settings on the host’s computer. To begin a multi-player, stand-alone mission:

• All players select Single Battle from the Main menu.

• Only the host selects a mission from the Battle List, then clicks the Host button. (Generally, the player with the fastest computer should act as host. If multiple people plan to join an Internet-based session, the player with the fastest Internet connection should act as host.)

• The host then selects a provider type, enters a name for the battle, and enters a player

name and a session name.

• The host can then click the Create button. This takes you to a chat screen. Once all of

the players have joined, click Launch to send everyone to the Ready Room.

• Players wishing to join the battle click the Multi-player button on the Single Battle

screen, then the Join button.

• Joiners then enter a player name for themselves and select a connection type.

• Joiners can then choose from a list of the battles available over the connection they

chose. Select one, then click the Join button. This takes each joiner to the Ready Room.

In the multi-player Ready Room, players select the helicopters they will fly in the battle. They can also chat with each other until the mission begins. All players can and should view the mission briefing and make sure the weapons load-out of their individual helicopter is as they want it (use the Arming button).

Important Notice Regarding Chat

Hasbro Interactive does not monitor, control, endorse, or accept responsibility for the content of text or voice chat messages transmitted through the use of this product. Use of the chat function is at your own risk. Users are strongly encouraged not to give out personal information through chat transmissions.

Kids, check with your parent or guardian before using the chat function or if you are concerned about any chat you receive.

The player in the first helicopter on each side is the Flight Leader. Leaders can change the flight plan for their side. To do so, click the Mission Planning button. This takes you to the Mission Planning screen. Please refer to Mission Planning in the Campaigns section for the details on how to use the Mission Planning screen.

• Joiners, when they’re ready to fly, must click the Take Off button. This locks out all

further changes and tells the host that that player is ready to go.

• The host, after all the players are locked in, should click the Take Off button to start

the mission.

Loading Weapons

You can gain access to your weapons load-out by clicking the Arming button on the pre-flight Briefing screen. At the Load-out screen, you can change what weaponry your helicopter carries. Note, however, that your helicopter is always loaded with the maximum amount of 30mm ammunition (for the cannon) that that type of helicopter can carry.

AH-64 Apache Uses High-Explosive, Dual Purpose (HEDP) rounds. These are

most useful against soft targets and moderately armoured vehicles. The Apache can carry 1,200 rounds in all settings.

Eurocopter Tiger Carries High-Explosive, Dual Purpose (HEDP) rounds. These are

most useful against soft targets and moderately armoured vehicles. The number of rounds this copter can carry is determined by the Weapon Effects setting. Realistic mode loads 450 rounds; Enhanced loads 900 rounds; Exaggerated loads 1,200 rounds.

Mi-28 Havoc Fires Armour Piercing, High-Explosive (APHE) rounds, best used

against soft targets and lightly armoured vehicles. The number of rounds is determined by the Weapon Effects setting. Realistic mode loads 250 rounds; Enhanced loads 500 rounds; Exaggerated loads 750 rounds.

First of all, use the Helicopter Select buttons (along the top of the Arming screen) to select which helicopter or helicopters your changes are to be applied to. Click the Select All button to make arming changes to all available helicopters.

The Configuration is a shortcut that lets you choose between three pre-defined weapons load-outs:

Std/Atk The Standard Attack load-out consists of anti-tank missiles on the

outer hardpoints and rockets on the inner hardpoints.

Anti-tank An Anti-tank configuration places anti-tank missiles on both the

inner and outer hardpoints. Note: This option is not available for the Mi-28N.

Reconnaissance This configuration trades off firepower to keep the helicopter

light, fast, and agile. Rockets are loaded on both the inner and outer hardpoints.

The AAM button adds air-to-air missiles to the selected helicopters.

The ATGM button (directly below the AAM button) cycles through the anti-tank missiles available for the nationality you are flying for. The possible load-outs are:

U.S. 8 Hellfire K (laser guided) missiles, or

8 Hellfire L (radar guided) missiles, or 4 Hellfire K and 4 Hellfire L missiles

UK 8 Hellfire K (laser guided) missiles, or

8 Hellfire L (radar guided) missiles, or 4 Hellfire K and 4 Hellfire L missiles

Germany 8 HOT 3 (wire guided) missiles, or

8 TRIGAT (infrared) missiles

Russia 16 AT-9 (laser guided) missiles, or

16 AT-16 (laser guided) missiles

Finally, the Rocket Selection buttons—A, B, and C—let you determine the type of rockets loaded at each of the three positions within the rocket pods.

• Selection A chooses the rocket type loaded in the outer ring of the rocket pod.

• Selection B chooses the rocket type loaded in the middle ring of the rocket pod.

• Selection C chooses the rockets loaded in the middle of the pod.

The available rocket types are:

HE The High Explosive warhead is best used against soft targets and

lightly armoured vehicles.

MPSM The Multi-Purpose Sub-Munition warhead carries a mix of nine

anti-personnel and anti-tank sub-munitions. This is effective against unarmoured vehicles up through moderately armoured vehicles, as well as structures and enemy troops.

FLECHETTE Flechette rockets carry 1,200 hardened steel flechettes (steel darts)

which are expelled like a shotgun blast on detonation. This is extremely effective against troops.

Creating a New Mission

Using the Gunship! Battle Builder, you can create your own, customised missions, add them to the Battle List, and play them—both as single-player battles and multi-player sessions. When you’re ready to begin designing your own missions:

• From the main menu, select Single Mission.

• Click on Battle Builder.

The Battle Builder presents you with a set of screens on which you choose settings according to your preferences. The buttons along the bottom of every screen allow you to jump in any order from one to another, changing settings at will. Whenever you are happy with all the settings on all the screens, click the Build button to have Gunship! generate the mission based on the selections you’ve made. The mission, once generated, is added to the Battle List. You return to the Single Battle screen, where you can immediately try out your new mission.

Setup

The first of the Battle Builder screens allows you to select where your battle will take place (a theatre map) and provide some of the basic parameters for the mission.

Theatre Map Use the buttons along the top of the screen to select which

campaign map you want to use. The options are North Poland, Central Poland, Slovakia, Belarus, and the Ukraine. Once you have chosen an area, select the specific location of your battle by clicking that location on the displayed map.

Nationality This determines which military force you’ll be flying for.

The options are US (the default), UK, German and Russian.

Weather You can choose the type of weather that will predominate during the

mission. Select from Clear, Partly Cloudy, Overcast, Rain, and Storm.

Time of Day This controls the time that the battle takes place. The options are

Dawn, Day, Sunset, Twilight, and Night.

Mission Name Enter the name by which you want your mission known. The name

you enter appears in the Battle List.

Enemy Nationality If you set your Nationality to Russian, you may choose to fight

against the U.S. Army, the British Army, or the German Army. If you chose any other Nationality, the only possible enemy in Gunship! is the Russian forces.

Place Units

The Place Units screen is the one you use to determine the locations of both sides’ forces on the map.

• First of all, use the Nationality button to switch to the side for which you want to place units.

• Next, use the side buttons to select a unit. The first click activates the button and makes the current platoon in that button active. Additional clicks cycle through the unit types available through that button. Each button represents a different type of units:

Helicopters cycles through the different helicopter platoons. Combat includes the various tank, armour, and infantry platoons. Miscellaneous gives you the various Headquarters, supply, and emplacement platoons. Air Defense is where you get air defense gun and missile platoons. Support lets you place artillery and close support aircraft units.

• Left click in your selected location on the map to place a platoon of the type you’ve chosen. Right click on a platoon to remove it.

Unit Orders

Once you’ve put some units into place, you can use this screen to give those units waypoints and orders. The Next and Previous buttons cycle through the platoons in the mission. Whatever unit is selected is the one you can give orders to and set waypoints for. Note: On this screen you can give orders to Helicopter units and Ground units, no others.

To set waypoints, click on the map at each point where you want to place a navigation waypoint for the selected unit. For each unit, you may assign up to six waypoints. (If you make a mistake, you can delete a waypoint by right-clicking on it.)

Once you’ve created the flight path, the unit has a route. Now, you can give the unit specific orders to follow at each waypoint along that route. You do this by configuring the waypoints. The buttons along the right side of the screen let you configure waypoints. First, select the waypoint you want to configure using the Waypoint Number button.

The two types of unit you can give orders to on this screen—Helicopter and Ground units—each has its own format for orders. Let’s take them one at a time.

Helicopters

Waypoint Type This button cycles through the available types of waypoints.

Each standard type has a default setting for all of the other entries. You can override these settings individually using the rest of the buttons.

Speed This setting and the next (Flight Profile) are interconnected.

With this, you control how quickly the pilot will fly to get to this waypoint. The actual speed varies, depending on the Flight Profile, because of the need to dodge terrain. There are three options:

Slow is 30 to 50 kts.

Tactical is 50 to 80 kts.

Sprint is maximum possible speed at all times.

Flight Profile This setting determines the altitude that the helicopter’s pilot

should strive to maintain between the previous waypoint and this one. There are three options:

Nap of the Earth orders the helicopter to maintain an altitude below 60ft; 30ft is optimum. The pilot has permission to reduce speed as necessary to maintain this altitude.

Contour tells the pilot to keep to an altitude below 100ft; 70ft is optimum.

Cruise orders the altitude kept between 100 and 150ft, and the pilot can and should rise to 200ft if no enemies are present.

Combat Mode This gives the helicopter its overall orders regarding its

combat mission between the previous waypoint and this one. The options are:

Search and Destroy orders are to open fire on and advance toward any enemy unit. The helicopter is to continue its mission once either all targets are destroyed or visual contact is lost.

Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) tells the helicopter to open fire on and advance toward enemy air defense sites.

Engage orders mean to open fire on any detected enemy only if doing so does not delay the mission for more than one minute. After one minute, the helicopter is to continue on its mission.

Bypass orders the helicopter to seek cover, avoid contact, and continue toward the waypoint.

Priority Target This determines what type of target the helicopter should attack

first, if there is a choice.

Ground Units

Waypoint Type This button cycles through the available types of waypoints.

Each standard type has a default setting for all of the other entries. You can override these settings individually using the rest of the buttons.

Formation Use this to set what formation the platoon will use while travelling

to the waypoint. The options are Line, Wedge, Vee, Echelon Right, Echelon Left, Column, Staggered Column, Extended Line, and Diamond.

Speed This setting controls how quickly the platoon moves to

the waypoint.

Slow is 5mph or 9kph.

Medium is 18mph or 30kph.

Fast is maximum possible speed.

Combat Mode This setting determines the action the unit should take when it sees

the enemy. The options are:

Assault orders the unit to open fire on and advance toward any enemy unit. The unit should then continue the mission once either all targets are destroyed or visual contact is lost.

Attack by Fire tells the unit to find a hull down position if one is nearby and engage the enemy. The unit should then continue the mission once either all targets are destroyed or visual contact is lost.

Engage orders the unit to open fire on any detected enemy while continuing to move to the waypoint.

Bypass tells the unit to seek cover, avoid contact, and continue toward the waypoint.

Orientation Orders the unit to face in a specific direction when it reaches the

waypoint. This is critical if enemy contact is expected.

Unit Timing

Unit Timing is the screen where you set delay times, assign call signs, and determine the target status of all the units in your battle.

Waypoint This button cycles through the waypoints you’ve set. Use this

to choose one, then you can assign a delay time to the selected waypoint.

Delay Time Using this, you can order a unit to pause for a set amount of time

when it reaches the selected waypoint. Each click adds 30 seconds to the delay time of the selected waypoint. Right-click to subtract 30 seconds.

Callsign This button lets you cycle through the possible call signs for each

type of unit. Choose one, and it will be used to identify the selected unit in all communications and identification in your mission.

Objective Status Use this to determine how the player must treat specific units in

order to achieve victory in the mission. That is, you are setting what someone playing your mission must do to win. Select each special or important unit in turn, and assign it one of the following roles:

Primary Target is a unit that must be destroyed for the other side to win.

Secondary Target is a unit that, if destroyed, gives bonus award points to the other side.

Protection is a friendly unit that must live through the battle for its side to win.

Objectives

Finally, you can set the objectives for the entire battle—the victory conditions. Use the Next and Previous buttons to toggle between the sides of the fight. You can set multiple objectives for any battle, but there is a limit of three objectives per side.

Objective Area Click on this repeatedly to cycle through the radius options: 1, 2,

and 3km radii. When you’ve chosen a size for the objective area, click on the map to place the centre of a circular area with the indicated radius. (If you make a mistake, you can right-click on the are to remove the objective.) To win the mission, a player must ensure that there are no enemy units remaining in the objective area at the end of the battle.

Define Sector After you click this, you "draw" a sector box on the map by clicking

to mark the upper left and lower right corners of a rectangular area. To win the mission, a player must ensure that there are no enemy units remaining in this rectangular defensive sector at the end of the battle.

Objective Line For this option, you click on the map to select the two end points of

the line. This creates an objective line. A player must reach this line with ground units by the end of the battle in order to win.

Defensive Line As above, for this option you click on the map to select the two end

points of the line. This sets a "rear area line" that the enemy must not be allowed to reach with ground units. A player must prevent the enemy from reaching this line in order to win.

CAMPAIGNS

There’s nothing wrong with Single Battles, but sometimes you want to sink your teeth into something more. For those times, Gunship! offers the Campaign mode, in which you take your place as part of a large, ongoing military situation. Through the course of the campaign, you’ll fly quite a number of missions, with varying objectives and different styles of action needed for success. To begin, select the Play Campaign option from the Main menu.

Starting a Campaign

When you select Play Campaign from the Main menu, you are presented with the Campaign Selection screen. Your first decision is to choose which unit you’ll be flying for; the buttons along the sides of the screen represent the available units. Your choice determines the type of helicopter you’ll be flying, what nationalities you’ll be flying for

and against, the available armament, and your forces’ starting positions. Your unit options include:

Russia 20th Guards Army

U.S. 1st Cavalry Division

1st Armour Division (US)

UK 1st Armour Division (UK)

Germany 5th Panzer Division

Once you’ve selected a unit, pertinent information about that unit appears in the Information Sidebar. The sidebar displays the unit’s patch and the following data:

• Unit Name is the full name of the selected unit.

• Mission is the next mission to be flown by this unit in the current campaign. If you are just starting a new campaign, the Mission number is 0 (zero).

• Win/Loss notes the ratio of wins to losses in the campaign to date. When you succeed on a mission, it counts as a win. Any time you fail and have to re-fly a mission, it counts as a loss.

• The Fatigue rating provides an overall estimate of the unit’s battle readiness.

• Status describes the deployment status of the unit. "Ready" indicates that the unit has not been deployed to a campaign. "In Progress" means that this unit has already started a campaign. Joining a unit with "In Progress" status places you in the middle of that saved campaign. "Complete" tells you that the campaign has been finished.

The buttons along the bottom of the screen provide access to the campaigns. If you select a unit with "Ready" status (a unit not currently involved in a campaign), you only have one valid option:

Start Campaign Click this to begin a campaign with you assigned to the

selected unit.

If the unit you select is currently involved in a campaign (its status is "In Progress" or "Complete"), there are two options:

Continue Campaign Click this to rejoin the saved campaign in progress, flying for the

unit you selected.

Reset Unit If you want to remove a unit from its current campaign so that

you can use that unit, click this button. Note: This option clears all the campaign data associated with the specified unit, irrevocably deleting the campaign in progress. All forces return to their starting positions, and the unit’s status reverts to "Ready."

Reading Intelligence Reports

Once you start a campaign, you’re taken to the Intelligence screen, and your campaign intelligence briefing begins running. You can watch it start to finish (a good idea), or you can jump to specific sections using the buttons on the right.

• The NATO Forces button provides whatever information is known about the positioning of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) forces. When you select this, the map shows the location of blue units and indicates the lines separating battlefield sectors. Note: Because the situation changes once the campaign is underway, this button is available only at the start of a campaign, not after you have begun the first mission.

• Likewise, the Russian Forces button provides any information known about Russian force locations, with the map similarly displaying red units and sector divisions. Note: Because the situation changes once the campaign is underway, this button is available only at the start of a campaign, not after you have begun the first mission.

• The Situation button details friendly and enemy movements. The description indicates which forces are moving, while the map uses red and blue arrows to graphically illustrate the progress of red and blue forces, respectively.

• The Sector Briefing button (the actual label changes based on your sector of operations) zooms the map in to display only the sector relevant to your actions. Force positions are displayed in greater detail, and a box highlights the Area of Operations (AOR) for your upcoming mission.

The Intelligence screen is the jumping-off point to all other pre-flight activities. Buttons along the bottom edge of the screen provide access to the Mission Briefing, Mission Planner, Arming screen, and Crew Assignments.

Reviewing the Pre-flight Briefing

After you’ve got the information you need from the Intelligence screen, you should proceed to your Mission Briefing (click the appropriate button near the bottom of the screen). The map zooms in to display only your Area of Operations (AOR), and your briefing begins automatically. Like the campaign intelligence briefing, you have the option of watching start to finish (a good idea) or jumping to specific sections using the buttons on the right. These five buttons provide information about your current assignment:

Mission The mission section of the briefing describes your objectives,

identifies your flight’s call sign for this mission, and details your flight plan on the map.

Operations This section lists any operational restrictions or warnings for your

AOR. You might, for example, be instructed to remain within a certain zone or warned of enemy surface-to-air defenses.

Friendly Forces This shows the last known positions of friendly forces operating

within your AOR.

Enemy Forces This displays the last known positions and headings of enemy

forces within your AOR.

Weather The weather section provides a forecast for the next 24 hours in

your AOR. Poor weather reduces visibility and degrades laser and IR performance. Note: As with all weather forecasts, there is some margin for error.

Assigning Pilots

By using the Crew Assign button, you can take control over the assignment of crews to helicopters for your mission. During a campaign, your unit has a limited number of flight crews. Each crew consists of a pilot and a CP/G (co-pilot/gunner), and every crewmember has varying skills and capabilities.

Flying is tough work to begin with, and flying combat sorties is doubly difficult. Action wears crews down, and they can become fatigued. Fatigued crew members are less effective, and their skills suffer temporary degradation. Flying increases crew fatigue, but when you allow them to skip a mission, a crew can rest and get over some or all of their fatigue.

You can modify the crew assignments for each mission. Your goal should be to ensure that the highest-skilled and best-rested crew is assigned to each task. This can be a balancing act. If a mission is particularly critical, you might wish to assign a higher-skilled crew, even though their fatigue rating is rising—as long as their skills haven’t suffered. Of course, this means the crew must rest even longer after the mission before they’ll be ready for combat again.

The Crew Assignment screen displays the available helicopters along the top and the available crews along the left side. Note: Only helicopters displayed in green can be assigned to the mission. Damaged aircraft are in red, and you cannot use those in this mission. The number of missions required to fix an aircraft is directly related to the severity of damage it sustained. Destroyed helicopters are dimmed out (and cannot be repaired). You have a limited number of replacement helicopters, so don’t waste them. If, during pre-flight, it turns out that there are fewer available aircraft than are required for the mission, the campaign is lost.

Select a helicopter, then click on the crew you want. This assigns that crew to the selected helicopter. If there was already a crew assigned to that helicopter, they are removed and the currently selected crew replace them. The centre display provides information about the selected crew:

Rank Indicates the current rank of the crew. Higher rank generally implies

higher experience and better skill.

Name Lists the names of the crew members. If you wish, you can edit

your crew’s names as you see fit, using the Personnel screen.

Position Notes whether each crew member is a Pilot or CP/G.

Fatigue Tracks each crew member’s present fatigue rating. This scale runs

from 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst fatigue. The higher this rating, the more skills suffer and the more rest the crew member needs to recover. As the fatigue rating rises, skill level temporarily decreases.

Skill Describes this crew member’s overall capability, this scale runs

from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, highest skill rating. Skill ratings decrease temporarily as a crew member’s fatigue rises. Resting the crew member reduces the fatigue and returns the skill rating to normal. As the crew survives missions during a campaign, skill increases, reflecting combat experience gained.

Awards Lists ribbons and medals awarded to this crew member. The small

number adjacent to each ribbon indicates how many times the crew member has received that particular award.

Note: Either the Company Commander’s crew or one of the two Platoon Leader crews must be assigned to each mission.

Loading Weapons

AH-64 Apache Uses High-Explosive, Dual Purpose (HEDP) rounds. These are most

useful against soft targets and moderately armoured vehicles. The Apache can carry 1,200 rounds in all settings.

Eurocopter Tiger Carries High-Explosive, Dual Purpose (HEDP) rounds. These are

Mi-28 Havoc Fires Armour Piercing, High-Explosive (APHE) rounds, best used

The Configuration is a shortcut that lets you choose between three pre-defined weapons load-outs:

Std/Atk The Standard Attack load-out consists of anti-tank missiles on the

outer hardpoints and rockets on the inner hardpoints.

Anti-tank An Anti-tank configuration places anti-tank missiles on both the

inner and outer hardpoints. Note: This option is not available for the Mi-28N.

Reconnaissance This configuration trades off firepower to keep the helicopter light,

fast, and agile. Rockets are loaded on both the inner and outer hardpoints.

The AAM button adds air-to-air missiles to the selected helicopters.

The ATGM button (directly below the AAM button) cycles through the anti-tank missiles available for the nationality you are flying for. The possible load-outs are:

U.S. 8 Hellfire K (laser guided) missiles, or

8 Hellfire L (radar guided) missiles, or

4 Hellfire K and 4 Hellfire L missiles

UK 8 Hellfire K (laser guided) missiles, or

8 Hellfire L (radar guided) missiles, or

4 Hellfire K and 4 Hellfire L missiles

Germany 8 HOT 3 (wire guided) missiles, or

8 TRIGAT (infrared) missiles

Russia 16 AT-9 (laser guided) missiles, or

16 AT-16 (laser guided) missiles

Finally, the Rocket Selection buttons—A, B, and C—let you determine the type of rockets loaded at each of the three positions within the rocket pods.

• Selection A chooses the rocket type loaded in the outer ring of the rocket pod.

• Selection B chooses the rocket type loaded in the middle ring of the rocket pod.

• Selection C chooses the rockets loaded in the middle of the pod.

The available rocket types are:

HE The High Explosive warhead is best used against soft targets and

lightly armoured vehicles.

MPSM The Multi-Purpose Sub-Munition warhead carries a mix of nine

anti-personnel and anti-tank sub-munitions. This is effective against unarmoured vehicles up through moderately armoured vehicles, as well as structures and enemy troops.

FLECHETTE Flechette rockets carry 1,200 hardened steel flechettes (steel darts)

which are expelled like a shotgun blast on detonation. This is extremely effective against troops.

Mission Planning

Click the Mission Planning button to call up the Mission Planning screen. Here, you can control your flight path and waypoint actions for the upcoming mission.

To begin creating your flight path, click on the map at each point where you want to place a navigation waypoint. You may assign up to six waypoints. (If you make a mistake and want to delete a waypoint, right-click on it.) Once you’ve created the flight path, the unit has a route. Now, you can give the unit specific orders to follow at each waypoint along that route. You do this by configuring the waypoints. The buttons along the right side of the screen let you configure waypoints.

First, select the waypoint you want to configure using the Waypoint Number button.

Waypoint Type This button cycles through the available types of waypoints. Each

standard type has a default setting for the Speed, Flight Profile, Formation, Combat Mode, and Priority Target for the selected flight. You can override these settings individually using the rest of the buttons. The default settings are:

Checkpoint (CP): Fly to this point and continue forward without stopping.

Assembly Area (AA): Fly to this waypoint, avoiding combat, then loiter for 5 to 10 minutes or until the leader issues the "Go" command.

Battle Position (BP): Fly slow NOE to this waypoint and assume a

firing position. Engage enemy forces for 5 to 10 minutes or until the leader issues the "Go" command.

Patrol Area (PA): Fly to this waypoint and patrol for 5 to 10 minutes or until the leader issues the "Go" command.

SAR Landing Zone: Attack helicopters treat this as a PA waypoint. Transport helicopters fly to this waypoint, avoiding combat, then search for friendly troops, land, and pick them up.

Landing Zone (LZ): Attack helicopters treat this as a PA waypoint. Transport helicopters fly to this waypoint, avoiding combat, then land and drop off troops.

Speed This setting and the next (Flight Profile) are interconnected.

With this, you control how quickly the pilot will fly to get to this waypoint. The actual speed varies, depending on the Flight Profile, because of the need to dodge terrain. There are three options:

Slow is 30 to 50 kts.

Tactical is 50 to 80 kts.

Sprint is maximum possible speed at all times.

Flight Profile This setting determines the altitude that the helicopter’s pilot

should strive to maintain between the previous waypoint and this one. There are three options:

Nap of the Earth orders the helicopter to maintain an altitude below 60ft; 30ft is optimum. The pilot has permission to reduce speed as necessary to maintain this altitude.

Contour tells the pilot to keep to an altitude below 100ft; 70ft is optimum.

Cruise orders the altitude kept between 100 and 150ft, and the pilot can and should rise to 200ft if no enemies are present.

Combat Mode This gives the helicopter its overall orders regarding its combat

mission between the previous waypoint and this one. The options are:

Search and Destroy orders are to open fire on and advance toward any enemy unit. The helicopter is to continue its mission once either all targets are destroyed or visual contact is lost.

Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) tells the helicopter to open fire on and advance toward enemy air defense sites.

Engage orders mean to open fire on any detected enemy only if doing so does not delay the mission for more than one minute. After one minute, the helicopter is to continue on its mission.

Bypass orders the helicopter to seek cover, avoid contact, and continue toward the waypoint.

Priority Target This determines what type of target the helicopter should attack

first, if there is a choice.

The Post-flight Debriefing

When your mission is over, win or lose, you’re led immediately to the Debriefing after you exit the cockpit. Three status buttons along the right side of the screen give you access to the detailed report on the results of your efforts.

• The top button provides an overall summary of your mission, including your success or failure and the ramifications thereof. The updated map shows you the new positions of the friendly and enemy forces within your AOR.

• The middle button provides casualty statistics for the overall mission.

• The bottom button provides details on your specific performance, indicating your kills and awards.

When you’re finished here, click any of the available buttons at the bottom of the screen to use one of the post-flight options, as described in the next two sections.

Changing Crew Assignments

One of the post-flight options on the Debriefing screen provides access to your flight crews. Click the Personnel button to move to the Personnel screen. This is where you manage the crews in your unit.

Every unit is assigned eight crews to fly six helicopters; the extra crews allow you to rest battle-weary team members. Use the buttons along the right and left sides of the screen to select an individual crew. Statistics for the selected pilot and CP/G appear in the centre display. These include rank, skill level, fatigue, and awards. The buttons along the top of the screen provide these functions:

Move Pilot Use this to swap pilots between two crews. Click Move Pilot, select

a pilot, and then click the pilot position in any other crew. If the move is valid, the two pilots (or the pilot and the empty position) will be swapped.

Move Gunner This button lets you move gunners in the same fashion as the

Move Pilot button lets you move pilots.

Promotion This button lets you promote crew members to higher rank. Each

crew member in the platoon has a starting rank and a maximum rank. In addition, every platoon has a limit on the number of crew members that can hold any particular rank. After a mission, you have a limited number of "promotion points" that you may use to promote team members as you see fit. To promote someone, select a crew, click the crew member of that crew you want to promote, then click Promotion. You’ll notice that as a crew member rises in rank, further promotions require more points. For example, promotion from Warrant Officer 1 to Warrant Officer 2 is "cheaper" than promoting a 1st Lieutenant to a Captain.

Medals The button that allows you to award medals to outstanding

members of your team is similar in function to the Promotion button. You have a limited number of "award points" that you may use to give medals to your crew members. Select a crew, click the member of that crew to whom you want to give a medal, and click Medal. You are presented with a list of available medals; pick one. (Note: Only crew members who flew in the mission just finished are eligible for awards.)

Rename This button lets you rename any crew member. Changing your

crew members’ names (giving them nicknames, if you prefer to think of it that way) often helps you remember who’s who, so that you can better manage their skills and assignments.

Flying the Next Mission

The Debriefing screen provides one of two options, depending on the outcome of the mission you just finished.

• If your mission was a success, you have access to the Next Mission button. Click this to move on to the briefings for the next mission in the campaign.

• If you failed the mission, you have the opportunity to Fly Again. Click this button to return to the briefings for the mission you just flew.

THE COCKPIT MFD DISPLAYS

The cockpit of a modern attack helicopter has changed drastically in the last decade. The analog dials and the banks of tape displays are mostly gone, and the few remaining non-digital instruments are relegated to the role of back-up instruments. In place of all this lost equipment is the Multi-Function Display—the MFD. This computer-like screen can not only show all of the information that was once shown by individual instruments, but also radar displays, maps, and views from the helicopter’s sensors. Where the cockpit was once crowded with dials, there is now room for ample window space. The new "glass cockpits" allow the crew much greater situational awareness, which makes it possible to engage targets faster.

There are two MFDs in most cockpits. You control what information each one displays by cycling through the possible options using [E] for the left MFD and [R] for the right MFD.

AND Display

The AND display is a small screen that constantly displays the helicopter’s grid location.

System Damage

This MFD display shows any damage taken by the helicopter during flight. It is broken into two areas. The top of the display is a top-down line drawing of the helicopter. The bottom contains 15 chip lights showing the status of the major systems. As systems are damaged or destroyed, the affected area will change colour from green to red. The corresponding chip lights will also change colour. Red coloured systems are damaged or destroyed.

The major systems are as follows:

Transmission The transmission transfers power from the engines to the rotor.

Damage causes the rotor to lose power, lowers its maximum torque, and can cause the engines to overheat and catch fire. (Transmission damage is ignored in Easy flight mode.)

Hydraulics A hydraulics failure results in slower response times and a stiffer

stick. (Hydraulics damage is ignored in Easy flight mode.)

Fuel A fuel hit results in a fuel leak that can shorten mission time.

Avionics An Avionics hit results in losing the radar and some fire control

equipment. You cannot fire missiles in LOBL FCR mode if you have avionics damage.

Rotor Rotor damage causes the rotor to lose power, lowers its maximum

torque, and can cause vibrations and eventual failure. (Rotor damage is ignored in Easy flight mode.)

Drive Train The drive train affects the tail rotor and its ability to offset the

main rotor torque. If damaged, it will require constant right pedal input to offset this torque. (Drive train damage is ignored in Easy flight mode.)

MFD This means that one or both MFDs are damaged. A damaged MFD

will go dark and display the word MALFUNCTION. Of course, if both MFDs are damaged, you can’t see the damage MFD.

PNVS This is the Pilot’s Night Vision System. If it’s damaged, IHADSS

mode, thermal mode, and zoom mode do not work in the Pilot’s Cockpit. The cannon is only able to fire fixed forward in LOS mode, but is not affected in TADS mode.

TADS If the Target Acquisition and Designation System is damaged,

IHADSS mode, thermal mode, and zoom mode do not work in the Gunner’s Cockpit or the ORT cockpit. Weapons cannot be placed in TADS mode. Additionally, the laser range finder and designator no longer function, preventing you from firing any laser guided missiles.

Weapons This reports damage to the fire control system in the helicopter.

Depending on the severity of the damage, the Air to Air Missiles, Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, or both can be unusable. If you try to use a damaged weapon, MALFUNCTION appears in your IHADSS display.

Gun The cannon is disabled. If you try to use a damaged weapon,

MALFUNCTION appears in your IHADSS display.

Weapon Stub This message results from damage to the weapon pylons on one Wings of the stub wings. A damaged wing can prevent you from firing

weapons mounted on that wing.

Jammer This shows a malfunction in the jamming system, the counter-

measures dispensers, or both. In addition, the RAWS MFD no longer functions.

Left Engine An engine hit causes one engine to malfunction and shut down.

A second hit can shut down the other engine. This results in immediate loss of power. You should use the power you have to exit the battle area and look for a good landing spot. While all of the helicopters can fly on one engine, they cannot operate in combat. You will have the ability to limp away. If both engines are hit, look for a spot to autorotate to.

Right Engine This is the same as Left Engine, but on the other side of

the helicopter.

Tactical Situation Map

This map is similar to the one on the Main Map screen, and you can zoom it from a 10x10 km view to a 5x5 km area. The map shows your aircraft and a small yellow number for each of your waypoints.

Radar Advance Warning System (RAWS)

This is the early warning and detection system used to detect enemy search and tracking radar and warn you about missile launches (incoming, that is) and the beginning of gun attacks. All threat symbols appear on the MFD at their relative bearing from your current heading. Once they’re identified, search radar strobes are replaced with the appropriate threat symbols on the indicator. You can set the RAWS for a 5 or 10km range.

• Your helicopter is shown as the crossed circle in the centre of the display.

• A helicopter with active radar or lasers shows as a small, sideways figure eight.

• Fixed wing aircraft appear as small chevrons.

• Surface to Air Missile radar systems are displayed as a letter S. By itself, an S indicates that the launcher is in search mode but has not acquired your helicopter. When the S is surrounded by a solid box, the launcher has started an active track of your helicopter. When the box is flashing, the launcher has fired a missile at you!

• Anti-Aircraft artillery is shown as a small tetrahedron with a stick gun. By itself, the symbol indicates that the gun is in search mode but has not acquired your helicopter. When the symbol is surrounded by a solid box, the gun has started an active track of your helicopter. When the box is flashing, the launcher has fired a missile at you!

• Threats that disappear from the environment are "ghosted" for a short time. The ghost symbol—a dashed outline of the appropriate target type—is used when a target has

been blocked by terrain, destroyed, or you otherwise lose your track on it.

When a target is locked on to you, the symbol flashes.

Fire Control Radar (FCR)

Two types of helicopter in Gunship! use millimetre-wave radar systems. (In Action mode, the FCR is combined with the RAWS on all aircraft.) The Longbow radar system combines air and ground radar into one package. It is available on the AH-64D and WAH-64D Apache. Only one in three Apaches will mount the radar. The Mi-28N Havoc also incorporates a Fire Control Radar system.

You can switch the FCR between 5 km and 10 km ranges. It displays all vehicles in line of sight. Hills and large buildings can block the radar, but trees and small buildings do not. Infantry never show up on radar. The FCR functions differently in the Action and Realistic modes of the IHADSS.

In Action mode, the FCR is combined with the RAWS on all aircraft. The radar sweeps a full 360 degrees around the helicopter and shows only living, enemy units. Surface to air missile (SAM) and air defense vehicle (ADV) units are displayed using the same symbols as on the RAWS. Other units are shown as follows:

• A small square for heavy armoured or tracked vehicles.

• A circle for lighter or wheeled vehicles.

In Realistic mode, the radar is only available on those helicopters which mount a radar system. The FCR shows all vehicles—friendly as well as enemy—and does not lose contact when a vehicle is destroyed. This means that you should take care in engaging a target on radar information alone. In addition, the realistic radar sweep is 360 degrees only for air targets; it is limited to the front 60 degrees for ground targets. The two radial lines on the display represent the ground search area.

Weapons Display

The weapons display maintains an inventory of the helicopter’s munitions.

Pilot Box The pilot box is the box in the upper left hand corner of the MFD.

It displays the vision system that the pilot is currently using, the weapon presently selected, and that weapon’s active mode of operation.

Gunner Box The gunner box is the box in the upper right hand corner of the

MFD. It displays the vision system that the gunner is currently using, the weapon presently selected, and that weapon’s active mode of operation.

Weapons The weapons display is in the centre of the screen. It shows the

current weapon loads on each hardpoint. As the weapons are fired, the circles dim dramatically.

Rocket Pods The rocket pods have two parts: the pod outline itself and the three

letters in the lower centre of the MFD. These letters represent the three sectors in which the rockets are located. If rockets are the selected weapon, the sector presently selected is highlighted. The number displayed inside the rocket pod outline is the number of rockets remaining for that sector.

Gun Ammo The counter for gun ammo is the centre box in the MFD. It shows

the rounds remaining for your cannon.

Chaff and Flare The chaff and flare counters are at the bottom of the MFD.

These show the countermeasures remaining in each launcher.

Target Acquisition Designation Sight (TADS)

This MFD is only available in the Pilot’s Cockpit and the outside views. The TADS MFD shows what the gunner is looking at or has locked on to. (Note: We recommend that you do not leave this MFD selected unless you have a fast machine with a 3D accelerator card.)

Engine Display

The engine display shows engine temperature, rotor speed, and collective level. All of the gauges have digital readouts below them.

Engine Torque The two torque gauges are the left-most set of vertical bars. The

Top Chevron shows maximum level of operation. The Inside Dot shows the ideal level of operation. Top Arrows represent the maximum level of operation with a damaged Transmission or Rotor. Bottom Arrows represent the maximum level of operation at startup.

Temperature Bars The temperature bars are the two right-most vertical bars on the

MFD. They represent the temperature of both engines measured in TGT (Turbine Gas Temperature). The Top Outside Arrows represent the maximum level of operation, while the Inside Dot shows the ideal level of operation.

RPM Bars These are the centre trio of bars. The two outside bars are the

Engine RPM readings (left and right), and the centre bar is the Rotor RPM reading. On the Engine RPM Bars, the two dots represent the normal operating range of the engine. On the Rotor RPM Bar, similar dots show the normal operating range of the rotor.

MAP SCREEN

You can open the Map screen any time you’re in the helicopter by pressing N. This is a full-screen map of the battlefield. (To return to the game, use the keyboard shortcut for any other cockpit or view.) On the Map screen, you can:

• Change waypoints and orders for all of your helicopter units. (This works as described

on page 17.) Use the Next and Previous buttons below the map to cycle through your helicopter units.

• Locate all friendly units in the battle. NATO units are always blue, while Russian

Federation units are always red. The map displays one icon for each ground platoon and one for each individual helicopter and jet. The icons are:

Attack Helicopter

Aircraft

Infantry Fighting Vehicle Platoon

Transport Helicopter

Main Battle Tank Platoon

Armoured Personnel Carrier Platoon

Armoured Reconnaissance Platoon

Scout or Armoured Car Platoon

Armoured Tank Destroyer Platoon

Air Defense Vehicle Platoon

Self Propelled Artillery Battery

Mortar Battery

Supply Transport Platoon

Tank Destroyer Platoon

Infantry Platoon

Surface to Air Missile Battery

Multiple Launch Rocket Battery

Headquarters Unit

Supply Installation

• Locate all enemy units which have been spotted. That is, only those units observed by forces on your side are shown. The map displays one icon for each ground platoon and one for each individual helicopter and jet. The icons are the same ones listed above.

• Call in artillery fire. Click the Support button, below the map. Your workspace changes into a list of artillery and support assets. Set your Target Reference Point (TRP) by clicking anywhere on the map. (To move the TRP, just click another location.) To call for artillery support once your TRP is set, select any of the support units with an "Available" rating.

IN THE PILOT’S SEAT

As pilot, you’re responsible for the safety of your crew and your helicopter. It’s your job to navigate into hostile territory, close on enemy forces, and provide a stable firing platform while the CP/G shoots enemies. After the battle, it’s your job to find your way home and safely land the helicopter. Ducking and weaving between trees and over hills at 50, 70, or even 100 knots while flying just 20 or 30ft above the ground, evading enemy fire, and navigating through hostile territory requires a steady hand and finely honed reflexes.

In the Pilot’s Cockpit, you have access to the MFDs, the helicopter flight controls, and a tailored version of the IHADSS—one that focuses on flying and navigation rather than weapons employment. Your first duty is to fly the helicopter, sometimes under the direction of the CP/G. Until you’ve got that well in hand, don’t worry about the weapons; your gunner will take care of them.

Takeoff

Getting a helicopter airborne without endangering your life, your crew’s life, or the lives of those around you is not a particularly easy task. It requires co-ordinated cyclic, collective, and pedal adjustments. In this exercise, we will rise into a hover and transition to forward flight.

First, note your current heading on the IHADSS. It is also helpful to identify some landmark, such as a tree or building, directly ahead of your helicopter. Increase the collective very slowly. This increases the angle of attack of the main rotor blades, thereby increasing the downward thrust they generate. As the thrust increases, the helicopter will rise.

Once the fuselage is off the ground, it will attempt to rotate and twist opposite the direction the rotor blades are moving. Consequently, as soon as the helicopter lifts off, you should immediately apply pedal opposite this rotation. Watch the heading scale on the IHADSS or a landmark to verify that you’ve stopped the rotation. If the nose begins to turn back in the other direction, you’ve applied too much pedal. Let up slightly until your heading remains constant. At the same time, the helicopter’s nose will try to dip. Immediately, but gently, pull the cyclic back to maintain a level attitude. The faster you increase the collective, the faster you will ascend—and the faster you must apply counter pedal and cyclic inputs.

Apply rudder and cyclic as necessary during the ascent to maintain current heading and a level pitch.

Let the helicopter climb to 50ft, then gently push the nose down by moving the cyclic forward. This tilts the plane of the rotor blades, directing some of the thrust backwards. The helicopter will begin to move forward. Since some of the thrust is directed backwards rather than downward, the helicopter will begin to descend slightly. Increase the collective (while applying corrective pedal and cyclic inputs) until the altitude holds steady.

Aggressive Takeoff

Combat situations might require a more expedient departure. Rapid takeoffs require substantially more co-ordination between the collective, cyclic, and rudder inputs. Begin by noting both your current heading (as indicated on the IHADSS) and the desired departure heading. Use this info to determine whether you should initially turn right or left to get to your departure heading.

Begin your takeoff by applying pedal to the direction you want to turn. That is, if you planned your initial turn to the left, apply a generous amount of left pedal. Next—quickly, but smoothly—increase collective to 70 percent or more (depending on the helicopter type and payload weight). The helicopter should leap off the ground and begin spinning toward the desired heading. As the nose swings to the departure course, reduce the pedal input (or apply opposite pedal, if necessary) to hold the nose on the desired heading.

Push the nose forward to build speed quickly during the ascent.

Meanwhile, let the nose dip slightly as the helicopter rises. If you dip the nose too much, you’ll accelerate quickly, but will also drop back to the ground and crash. If you don’t lower the nose enough, the helicopter will climb like a rocket, quickly reaching several hundred feet.

If you properly co-ordinate all these factors, the helicopter will leap off the ground, simultaneously spinning to the desired course and lunging forward. Adjust collective as necessary to maintain the desired altitude during departure.

Adjusting Airspeed

Altering your airspeed in a helicopter is more difficult than in a fixed-wing aircraft. In a helicopter, the collective doesn’t impact speed like the throttle does in a jet fighter. The collective alters the pitch of the rotor blades, thereby altering the amount of downward force being generated. To change the helicopter’s airspeed, you pitch its nose up and down to alter the direction of the rotor blades’ thrust. To accelerate, push the nose forward, directing the thrust backwards. To decelerate, pull the nose up, thereby directing the thrust forward.

Altering the direction of the thrust, however, reduces the amount of thrust pointing directly downward. Consequently, you need increased collective to maintain your altitude. Of course, increasing collective requires increased pedal input to counter the torque.

Pushing the nose forward builds forward airspeed but causes loss of altitude.

Level off and increase collective to maintain altitude and forward speed.

To increase speed, push the cyclic forward while simultaneously increasing collective and applying left pedal. If your altitude drops, add more collective. If your altitude increases, lessen the collective. If the nose yaws to either direction, apply pedal to the opposite direction. Likewise, to decrease speed, pull back on the cyclic and pitch the nose upwards. Again, adjust collective up or down as necessary to maintain altitude, along with any necessary pedal corrections.

The IHADSS navigation symbols change based on your airspeed. All modes show the current waypoint number, distance to that waypoint, TADS range readout, target designation, heading, and selected weapon, but information about the helicopter’s position and movement change according to its airspeed.

Below 7 knots, the IHADSS switches into Hover mode. In Hover mode, a position box represents the helicopter’s location when the hover began. If the helicopter drifts, the position box moves across the display. If you want to return to the original hover point, simply return the position box to the centre of the screen.

Hover mode

Next, from 7 to 60 knots forward airspeed, the IHADSS enters Transition mode. Note the velocity vector extending from the IHADSS gun cross. This line shows you the general direction of the aircraft’s motion. Any side slip causes the line to point to the left or right, and flying backwards causes the line to point down. The longer the line, the faster the helicopter is moving.

Transition mode

Finally, above 60 knots the IHADSS switches to Flight mode. This is very similar to Transition mode, minus the velocity vector line.

Flight mode

Liftoff and Low Altitude Hover

Hovering requires that the downward thrust generated by the rotor blades be equal to the weight of the helicopter (including the weight of fuel and weapons). Further, you must keep the fuselage level; pitching or banking the plane of the rotor blades redirects the downward thrust and moves the helicopter. Finally, you must maintain sufficient pedal input to prevent any yawing.

At low altitude, the rotor downwash essentially reflects off the ground, creating a "cushion of lift" beneath the helicopter. This cushion, called "ground effect", extends to approximately 50ft above the surface, depending on the type of terrain. Rough surfaces tend to reflect the downwash in random directions, degrading the cushion and reducing the height of the ground effect. It takes somewhat less torque to hover "in ground effect" (below 50ft or so) than it does at 100ft.

IHADSS Hover mode shows.

Begin your takeoff normally by slowly increasing collective until the helicopter begins to gently lift off the ground. Apply appropriate left pedal to halt yawing, and carefully keep the cyclic centred to prevent gaining any airspeed. Note the torque reading on the IHADSS; the torque required to hover within ground effect will be slightly less than the current reading.

Let the helicopter ascend straight up, being careful to maintain a level attitude and airspeed at zero. At about 40ft, lower the collective until the torque reading drops by 2 percent. Continue lowering the torque in 1 or 2 percent intervals until your climb stops. If the helicopter descends, you’ve lowered the torque too much and need to increase it slightly. When you’re sitting in a stable hover, you’ve taken advantage of ground effect.

Liftoff and Hover at High Altitude

The process for hovering out of ground effect is practically identical to hovering in ground effect, except that above 50ft or so you’ll need somewhat more torque to maintain the hover.

Begin the process by executing a smooth lift-off, applying just enough torque to begin an ascent. Since you’re currently in ground effect, it requires less torque to climb than when above ground effect. Maintain the current torque reading, applying pedal and cyclic as necessary to prevent any other movement. If you’ve applied the minimum collective required to climb within ground effect, the ascent should slow and ultimately stop as you climb above 50ft. Without any further control inputs, the helicopter should hover at this torque setting.

If the helicopter continues to climb, you’ve applied a little extra collective. Reduce the collective by 1 or 2 percent at a time until the ascent stops. If you reduce collective to the torque required for an in ground effect hover, the helicopter will continue to descend until about 50ft. It will then slow and eventually enter a hover somewhere within the ground effect cushion.

Transition to Hover

Slowing forward motion and entering a hover is a critical skill, useful during landings as well as when darting between hills on a battlefield. As you approach the desired hover point, pull the cyclic back to lift the nose forward. This redirects some of the rotor downwash forward, reducing your forward airspeed. Of course, this reduces lift, and the helicopter will begin to descend. Increase collective to maintain altitude. This has the added benefit of redirecting more thrust forward, thus decelerating the helicopter even more quickly.

Watch your forward airspeed closely. As it drops below 15 knots, lower the nose slightly. If you maintain the nose up attitude, the helicopter eventually slows down, then begins flying backwards. You must ease the cyclic forward as your speed approaches zero, so that the helicopter is level when you reach zero forward speed.

Keep in mind that you increased the collective earlier. As you lower the nose and direct more of the downwash straight down, the helicopter will begin to rise. As you lower the cyclic, ease the collective down to reduce torque and prevent a rapid climb. As your airspeed reaches zero, set the collective to provide the necessary thrust for an in ground effect or out of ground effect hover, as applicable.

If your initial airspeed is very high (80 knots or more) or you need to stop very quickly, it will be necessary to pull the nose well above the horizon. The higher you pull the nose, the more downwash you direct forward, and thus the quicker you slow the helicopter. Naturally, this requires substantially increased collective to maintain altitude. You must monitor your airspeed closely. Again, as airspeed drops to 15 knots, push the nose down by moving the cyclic forward. Reduce collective at the same time. As your airspeed reaches zero, move the helicopter into a level flight attitude and set the collective for the amount of torque required for a hover.

Rapid Climb

Generally speaking, at a constant torque setting you’ll maintain a constant height over rolling terrain, with the helicopter descending and ascending in synch with the ground. If you approach a steep vertical surface or find yourself about to collide with a ground object, however, you might need to climb—and in a hurry.

The vertical velocity indicator shows a rapid ascent.

A fixed-wing aircraft pilot initiates a climb by pulling back the stick. In a helicopter, pulling back the cyclic first slows the helicopter (since some of the downwash is being directed forward) and also causes it to descend (since not all the thrust is being directed downward). Slowing down in the face of an obstacle might be beneficial, but descending almost certainly will not be helpful.

You must increase the collective to make the helicopter climb. The faster you need to climb, the more torque you need to apply. As you approach an obstacle or steep vertical surface, do not pull back on the cyclic unless you want to slow down.

Rapid Descent

If you increase collective to rapidly increase altitude, it stands to reason that you would rapidly decrease collective to rapidly decrease altitude, right? Not necessarily. A rapid descent with little or no forward motion can lead to a disastrous condition called "settling with power." Basically, the helicopter is caught in a descent and even full torque might not break out of it. The helicopter can continue to sink until it crashes.

Reducing collective to reduce altitude works well only as long as you don’t need to drop too far, too fast. For a safer rapid descent, push the cyclic forward as well as reducing the collective. Pushing the nose down will build forward airspeed and prevent settling with power.

Flying Backwards

The helicopter has the almost unique ability to fly backwards. This can be very useful when manoeuvring into a firing position—or backing away from enemy forces. To make the helicopter back up, begin by pulling back on the collective. This raises the nose, directs some of the downwash forward, and slows the helicopter. Eventually, the helicopter will come to a complete stop, then begin moving backwards.

Flying backwards at 13 knots.

The more you pitch the helicopter up, the faster your backwards motion becomes. Keep in mind, though, that this reduces the amount of downwash being directed down, causing the helicopter to descend. If you need to back up in a hurry and pitch the nose very high, be sure to add collective in order to maintain your altitude.

Also, keep in mind that you can’t see out the back of the helicopter. You’re basically flying blind while moving backwards, and could collide with a building or a hill.

To stop the backwards motion, simply pull the nose down by pushing the cyclic forward. As the nose drops, the downwash will be directed backwards, thereby pushing the helicopter forward (and up). Your reverse speed will slow, the helicopter will stop, and it will then eventually begin to move forward again.

Flying Sideways

Flying sideways, or "slipping", is another unique helicopter ability. It is especially useful on the battlefield. Rising over a hill or building to engage enemy troops exposes you to return fire. The higher your altitude, the more likely you’ll be detected and fired upon. Using slipping, however, the helicopter can "slide" around an obstacle to obtain a clear view of the target while remaining at very low altitude.

To practice slipping, begin by entering a hover. Once you’re hovering, apply either left or right pedal to yaw the nose until you’re facing a large object, such as a building. Alternatively, you can monitor the heading reading on the IHADSS or use a distant hill for a landmark, but using a nearby building tends to work much better.

Very gently apply left cyclic. This will bank the helicopter to the left, direct the downwash to the right, and therefore push the helicopter left. The nose of the helicopter may yaw to the left as well, creating a slight turn—especially if you have any forward motion. In this case, apply opposite pedal (the right pedal in this case). Apply just enough pedal to stop the yawing. If you’ve done this correctly, the building should appear to slide to the right across your windscreen while your heading remains constant.

Note that the ball on the skid/slip indicator will move in conjunction with your slip; when this ball is centred, the helicopter is not slipping. The velocity vector (extending from the crosshairs) also points out the general direction in which the helicopter is moving.

The velocity vector and skid/slip indicator show this helicopter to be skidding forward and left.

To stop the sideways motion, apply right cyclic and bank the aircraft slightly to the right. This redirects the downwash to the left and slows the aircraft. It might be necessary to adjust your pedal inputs to maintain a constant heading. When the sideways motion stops, returning the helicopter to a level attitude will re-enter you in a hover. If you continue banking to the right, the helicopter will begin sliding to the right, and you might

need to apply left pedal to prevent the nose from yawing. Again, if this manoeuvre is performed correctly, the building should appear to slide to the left across the windscreen while the helicopter maintains a constant heading.

Engaging Ground Targets

The attack helicopter’s primary mission is to seek out and destroy ground targets. However, that’s not your worry. As pilot, you’re responsible for getting the aircraft to the battle, manoeuvring into firing position, and getting home again. The CP/G, your gunner, is responsible for finding targets and locking them up. During a fight, the CP/G could choose to engage targets well off to either side of the helicopter’s nose—and therefore well outside of a weapon’s firing envelope. You have to work closely with the CP/G to make sure that the helicopter is pointed at the right spot so that he can fire.

The Alternate Sensor Bearing indicates where the CP/G is looking.

The CP/G notifies you when he’s engaging (locking) a target and announces the type of target (air, ground, infantry, and so on). That’s your cue to turn the helicopter toward his target. Look at the compass at the top of the IHADSS display. Along the bottom edge, you’ll note a solid triangle called the Alternate Sensor Bearing (ASB). This marker indicates where the CP/G is looking. If the CP/G hasn’t chosen a target, the Alternate Sensor Bearing marker will cycle from side to side, indicating his search pattern. Once he’s locked a target, the marker will stay fixed. Simply turn the helicopter until the ASB marker is directly centred on your compass display.

For more information on working with the gunner and using your weapons from the Pilot’s Cockpit, please refer to the Gunship! Quick Start guide.

Engaging Aerial Targets

Although the attack helicopter’s primary mission is engaging enemy ground forces, most operators have adapted some form of air-to-air missile for helicopter use. Intended primarily for self defense, such systems are usually short-ranged, heat-seeking missiles.

Missile seeker tracking a target without a radar lock on.

When you press 8 to select your air-to-air missile, a circle appears on the forward view. (This is, of course, assuming you are armed with them; if not, go back to the Arming screen and add them to your load-out.) Inside this circle, a small diamond executes a search pattern. The diamond represents where the missile seeker is looking. You will initially hear a low-pitched "growl," indicating that the missile is not tracking a target.

Missile seeker tracking a target with a radar lock, but outside of launch parameters.

To engage aerial targets, turn the helicopter to bring a target within the circle. You can engage aerial targets with or without a radar lock. Once the missile’s seeker acquires the target, the diamond will track the target’s position and the "growl" will increase to a higher pitch. If the target moves outside of the missile’s firing envelope, the seeker diamond and the TD box (if you have a lock on) will become dashed. Turn the helicopter to bring the target back toward the centre of the circle. When the diamond and TD box turn solid, you may fire.

The solid TD box indicates the target is within firing parameters.

Navigating Waypoints

Most battles occur over unfamiliar terrain, often at night or in poor visibility. Navigating under such circumstances is hard enough—and then the enemy starts shooting at you. Once the CP/G has begun engaging targets, you’ll need to make frequent manoeuvres to bring your weapons to bear. All of this is very distracting, and it’s easy to become disoriented and lost.

The IHADSS shows distance and bearing to the current waypoint.

Fortunately, the helicopter’s onboard computers are keeping track of not only where you are but where you ought to be, as well. The pilot’s IHADSS display shows the current waypoint number and the range and bearing to it. The waypoint number and distance to the waypoint (in kilometres) appear in the lower left region of the IHADSS. The bearing to the waypoint is marked by the Command Heading indicator—the caret (^) just below the compass display. Simply turn the helicopter until the Command Heading indicator is centred on the compass, and you’ll be flying right toward the next waypoint—no matter how lost or off course you might have become.

Note that your waypoints are all set before the mission begins. You can alter them and your flight path using the Mission Planning button on the pre-flight Briefing screen.

Speed Control

During typical combat operations, attack helicopter pilots are expected to reach their targets within 30 seconds before or after the assigned time. Although the Apache, for example, is capable of flying in excess of 100 knots, such strict Time on Target (ToT) requirements rarely necessitate such speeds. During the opening minutes of the 1991 Gulf War, U.S. Army AH-64 Apaches penetrated Iraqi airspace and engaged various radar sites in preparation for massive fixed-wing air strikes. Taking these radar sites down would be crucial to the survival of Coalition aircraft heading into Iraq. The Apaches, however, did not charge into Iraqi territory at 90 knots. Instead, they moved slowly— as slowly as 25 knots by some accounts—to minimise their visibility to Iraqi forces.

A well-planned mission will time your waypoints and ToT such that breakneck, reckless speed is not required. Controlling your speed is critical to battlefield survival. On average, you should expect to fly at 60 knots or less through the majority of your flight. Slower targets are more difficult for the enemy to detect—plus, it’s easier to slow the helicopter and enter a hover (especially behind an obstacle) should you unexpectedly encounter enemy forces.

Masking

On the modern battlefield, you can encounter a variety of weapons platforms with optical, laser, thermal, and radar guidance systems. Despite the diversity, all of these systems share one common weakness; they can’t hit what they can’t see. Hills, rocks, mountains, ridges, and other mounds of dirt (as well as buildings) are extremely effective at blocking all types of electromagnetic energy. Trees, especially heavy foliage, are also effective at hiding objects, especially in the optical, laser, and thermal bandwidths.

Attack helicopters, whose very mission takes them into the heart of the battlefield, rely heavily on such terrain features to hide them from enemy air defenses. This tactic of hiding behind buildings, hills, and trees is called masking. Masking is a dual-edged sword, however. While it prevents the enemy from shooting at you, it also prevents you from shooting at them. Consequently, it is necessary to unmask, or move from behind the obstacle and obtain a clear line of sight to the enemy, in order to fire your weapons effectively.

Masked behind trees.

When you are transiting the battlefield, you should pay close attention to the terrain. Watch for terrain features or structures that can hide your helicopter from the enemy. When you’re ready to engage enemy forces, unmask slowly. You want to expose as little of your helicopter as is absolutely necessary. If masked behind a building, consider sliding right or left while maintaining the current altitude. Generally speaking, the higher you fly, the more likely it becomes that you’ll be spotted. Sliding out from behind the building usually presents less risk than rising above it. In the case of hills, cliffs, and other terrain features, sliding is still preferable, but might not always be an option. If you’re hovering behind a long ridgeline, your only option might be to slowly increase altitude until you’ve crested the ridge.

Unmasked above trees to fire.

Once you’re unmasked, the CP/G will have a clear line of sight to the target. He can lock targets using either the radar or the TADS. Keep in mind, though, that you’re exposed to return fire as well. This is where Lock On After Launch (LOAL) mode becomes effective. If, after you unmask, the CP/G fires weapons in LOAL mode, you can then re-mask the helicopter, wait for the missiles to close on the target area, then unmask again. With LOAL, the CP/G can re-lock the targets and guide the missiles home.

Flying Ridges and Valleys

When manoeuvring through valleys, always stay along the edge of the ridge, near the top. Avoid flying along the centre of the valley floor. Flying either behind the top edge of a ridge or along a valley floor provides an equal amount of protection; the helicopter is sufficiently masked in either case. However, if you unexpectedly encounter enemy forces moving up the same valley, it is much more advantageous to be near the edge of the valley. If you’re flying along the ridgeline, you can quickly move up and over the ridge, masking yourself along the opposite side. If, on the other hand, you’re caught in the middle of the valley—along its floor and besieged by anti-aircraft fire—you’re basically stuck out in the open, and your chances of escape are low.

The Communications Menu

The days when a solo warrior battled alone among the enemy hordes are gone. Today’s battlefield requires co-ordinated, carefully orchestrated manoeuvres by multiple participants. You might have as many as four groups, or flights, of helicopters in the air during a given mission. Although these other flights will have individual missions and flight paths, always remember the old adage, "No plan survives contact with the enemy". In other words, the battlefield is a fluid, rapidly changing environment. Plans made just two hours prior to the mission might be hopelessly outdated by the time the mission launches. It’s up to you to assess the ever-changing battle conditions during your flight and re-deploy the other helicopters (and yours!) as necessary.

Press t to call up the Communications menu. Using this, you can issue orders to your wingman and any other flights under your command. When it first opens, the Communications menu lists the available flights—one through four. Option 5 is All Helicopters, and 6 represents any support artillery or air support you have available. Select who you want to contact by pressing the number key (along the top row of the standard keyboard, not the numeric keypad) that corresponds to the option. This opens the Command menu for the unit. (If you make a mistake, you can use t to back out level by level.)

The options on the Command menu depend on what type of unit you selected. They can include the following:

Waypoint Number Use this to select any one of the unit’s waypoints. You can then

modify the unit’s orders for that waypoint.

Waypoint Type This button cycles through the available types of waypoints. Each

Checkpoint (CP): Fly to this point and continue forward without stopping.

Assembly Area (AA): Fly to this waypoint, avoiding combat, then loiter for 5 to 10 minutes or until the leader issues the "Go" command.

Battle Position (BP): Fly slow NOE to this waypoint and assume a firing position. Engage enemy forces for 5 to 10 minutes or until the leader issues the "Go" command.

Patrol Area (PA): Fly to this waypoint and patrol for 5 to 10 minutes or until the leader issues the "Go" command.

SAR Landing Zone: Attack helicopters treat this as a PA waypoint. Transport helicopters fly to this waypoint, avoiding combat, then search for friendly troops, land, and pick them up.

Landing Zone (LZ): Attack helicopters treat this as a PA waypoint. Transport helicopters fly to this waypoint, avoiding combat, then land and drop off troops.

Speed This setting and the next (Flight Profile) are interconnected. With

this, you control how quickly the pilot will fly to get to this waypoint. The actual speed varies, depending on the Flight Profile, because of the need to dodge terrain. There are three options:

Slow is 30 to 50kts.

Tactical is 50 to 80kts.

Sprint is maximum possible speed at all times.

Flight Profile This setting determines the altitude that the helicopter’s pilot should

strive to maintain between the previous waypoint and this one. There are three options: