DCS:A-10C Warthog - Sturmovik Campaign Mission 13: March to the North (Trimmed Walkthrough)

...OKAY, the thumbnail is NOT clickbait. At [09:42] I made the split-second decision to drop another sequence of flares. The missile dipped downwards for the flares and only just barely passed underneath my plane. An absolute butt-clenching moment in my years of playing DCS. But anyways, back to the usual show.
A company of marines pushes north towards Kobuleti to set up defensive positions. A Ka-27 scouts ahead of the convoy for potential threats. Once again, we are tasked with escort and protection, as there are still supposed resistance along the route. Two Molniya-class missile corvettes at Batumi harbour were sunk with force-correlated Mavericks, before going back to a long, boring patrol over the convoy.
Things took a turn when the recon Ka-27 was shot down just east of Chavka, and the mission became a Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR). After establishing radio contact and spotting the red marker smoke [08:30], I destroyed an approaching Humvee and barely made it out of the "Stinger Event". A swift retaliation with rockets, clean up of stragglers with a GBU-38, and we succeeded in keeping the pilots safe. Once they were picked up by the convoy we RTB'ed and completed the mission.
In hindsight, I should have noted the fact that the Ka-27 was shot down by a missile, an oversight that almost had me join the downed pilots on the ground. I had intended to go for a JDAM drop on the MANPADS, but was unable to climb in time to get above its ceiling. The urgency of the situation forced me into a risky rocket attack that thankfully paid off.
Some tips for this mission:
- Force Correlate to extend max engagement range when using AGM-65G/H/K:
1. Slave to SPI as with standard Maverick targeting
2. Press and hold Boat Switch Center for 1 second
3. TMS Up short to lock. Seeker crosshair should completely collapse and not shake
- Use TAD EXP1 modes to get better map references, as well as slewing TGP over a waypoint
- Markpoint Z (last weapon fired point) is always visible on TAD; hook to set SPI on it
- Keep your eyes out of the cockpit to spot marker smokes; or worse, missile launches
- Execute your egress/climb off the coast to stay safe; no MANPADS are swimming in the ocean
- Recommended flare programs:
= Pre-emptive: 3 releases of 2 flares, 0.5 second interval
= IR SAM Launch: 2 releases of 4 flares, 0.25 second interval
- Turn off the TACAN, else the beeping will be with you for the entire mission lol