COMMAND DECISION (2nd Edition) AIRCRAFT/ANTI-AIRCRAFT RULES AMENDMENTS Relevant CD2 rules sections shown in []. Aircraft -------- 1. [18.6] Air crew quality column shifts for Air-Air combat are per level - not per 2 levels. 2. Standard bombs dropped from Very Low altitude may harm the bombing aircraft. Roll D10 per bomb. 1-3 indicated a hit equal to Light AA fire (+1 damage). 3. [18.7] Most Air-Ground weapons fall forwards in an arc and must be released well before the target is overflown. The distance from the Release Point (RP) to the target is:- Strafing and AT fire 10" Level bombing 10" per altitude level Rockets 15" per altitude level However, the following weapons must be released directly over the target:- Bombs from dive-bombing attacks Napalm Retarded/Cluster Bombs Once the aircraft reaches the RP and drops its ordnance, AA fire directed at it will not affect the outcome of the ground attack. AA Fire ------- 4. [20.1] 20mm weapons are considered to be AA Autocannons. 5. [20.1] Light AA can engage targets at low altitude. 6. The ROF of AAA is reduced when firing at targets below medium altitude, depending on the speed of the target aircraft:- Altitude Aircraft Type V Low Low Jet-powered fixed wing -3 -2 Prop-driven fixed wing -2 -1 Helicopter -1* No Change * -3 if conducting pop-up attack from cover 7. [20.4] Use the following revised damage modifiers:- MG's -1 61 - 80mm +3 20 - 30mm 0 81 - 100mm +4 31 - 40mm +1 over 100mm +6 41 - 60mm +2 8. [20.4] Do not subtract the aircraft's Defence Value when calculating damage - use the Punishment Number instead. These values are given in COMBINED ARMS for modern aircraft. For WW2 aircraft use the following scheme based on size (number of engines) as a guide. Single engine 4 Note:- Twin engine 5 Add or subtract 1 Three engines 6 depending on strength Four engines 7 and armour protection 1950-75 ------- 9. [20.9] All SAM's have a minimum range equal to 3" per mile of maximum range. ROF is always 1 unless the system is able to guide more than one missile at a time. 10. There are 3 types of SAM :- Infra-Red Homing (IRH), Radar Guided (RAD) and Command Guided (CMD). The following special rules apply to each type:- IRH: Targets may not be engaged in their front facing. Helicopters may not be engaged at Very Low. RAD: Hit number is reduced by 1 for targets at Very Low. Hit number is doubled against helicopters, unless at Very Low. CMD: Hit number is doubled against helicopters, unless conducting pop-up attack. 1975-92 ------- 11. Retarded and cluster bombs may be dropped from Very Low without risk. 12. Air defence radar's now operate at Low altitude and provide +1 hit modifier. 13. Improved IR homing (IRH+) may engage targets from all angles. Hit number is doubled against helicopters except those at Very Low. 14. Some aircraft may carry counter-measures equipment. There are two types, IR counter-measures (IRCM, usually flares) and electronic counter-measures (ECM). IRCM are effective against all IR homing missiles and reduce hit number by 1. ECM may be effective against specific air defence (AD) radar's and/or RAD missiles - AD radar bonus is negated and RAD missile hit number is reduced by 1. The Referee must decide before the game what equipment is carried and if it is effective against which system. A counter-measures roll is required to operate the equipment successfully and gain the benefits described. This roll depends on troop (air crew) quality. Elite 9 Regular 6 Veteran 8 Trained 5 Experienced 7 Green 4 At the referees discretion, equipment known to be especially effective against a particular weapon reduces hit numbers by 2 (1 if the counter-measures roll fails). SAM System Characteristics -------------------------- SAM System Type Hit Range Effect Radar? Platform Redeye IRH 1 3 0 N SF Stinger IRH+ 2 4 +1 N SF Avenger IRH+ 2 4 +1 N VEH Chaparral IRH+ 2 6 +4 N VEH IHAWK RAD 3 24 KILL Y LCH Patriot RAD 3 28 KILL Y VEH Blowpipe CMD 1 3 +1 N SF Javelin CMD 2 4 +1 N SF Starstreak CMD 3 4 +1 Y VEH RBS-70 CMD 2 4 +2 N PED Mistral IRH+ 2 4 +1 N PED Rapier CMD 2 5 KILL Y LCH Crotale RAD 2 6 KILL Y VEH Roland RAD 2 6 KILL Y VEH ADATS CMD 2 8 KILL Y VEH SPADA RAD 2 15 KILL Y LCH SA-7 IRH 1 3 0 N SF SA-14 IRH+ 2 4 +1 N SF SA-4 RAD 2 40 KILL Y VEH SA-6 RAD 2 18 KILL Y VEH SA-8 RAD 2 8 +2 Y VEH SA-11 RAD 3 15 KILL Y VEH SA-9 IRH 2 5 +2 N VEH SA-13 IRH+ 3 8 +4 Y VEH Notes:- Range is in miles (1 mile = 35") KILL means any hit will bring down the target Platform types are, SF - Shoulder Fired PED - Pedestal Mounted VEH - Vehicle Mounted LCH - Dedicated Launcher Design Notes ------------ (keyed to corresponding rule numbers) 1. It is a matter of historical fact that air crew quality is THE most important factor determining success in air combat. 2. The importance of flying at Very Low is shown in rule 6. 3. This rule makes defending against air attack much more difficult. In general AA fire is, I believe, far more effective than it should be. 4. I think this omission was corrected in CPQ 9. 5. Some of the effects of this rule change are mitigated by rule 6. 6. This is VERY important. Normal rates of fire are based on a 5 minute fire phase but aircraft move so fast that they can fly across the whole table in seconds. Furthermore, the lower an aircraft is flying the shorter its exposure to AA defences. These are the reasons why strike aircraft fly as low and as fast as possible and why AA defence is based on small calibre, quick-firing cannons. CD2 rule 20.1 prohibits guns over 40mm from engaging aircraft below medium altitude but this is just a fudge. This new rule does the job properly and reduces AAA effectiveness to more realistic levels. 8. Aircraft defence values are clearly based on their capabilities in air-to-air combat and bare no relation to their ability to survive AA fire. 10 & 13. The distinction between the 3 types of SAM is important since it affects their performance in certain vital situations. 14. If you think this is unnecessary chrome talk to the Allied pilots from Desert Storm!