[MaHuJa]

(1) There are so many friendlies in the SAG that the sonar waterfall is totally cluttered with their noise. How am I going to find the faint single NB line that hints a sub it on the prowl?

Scanning the entire area for that 50-line and praying that you find him in time...

Use a UUV, which will automatically pick up most any contact in the area. It's threshold for detection has, at some point, been comparable to a towed array.

There's one more thing you can try. First, get up, and either link up or use your radar to locate all surface targets in the area. Then, dive, and use active sonar. Any case of a active contact not also being a radar contact is very very probably a sub. Now you have a location, and you know where to look. (Or shoot).

(2) I have to get sufficiently out in front of the SAG that I can take out an enemy sub before he launches weapons. Given all the noise the SAG (prop and active sonar) is making, I figure they must be identifiable at 30nmi or so. The problem is how do I get out in front of them fast and not turn myself into a target? I am going to need to sprints at 20+ kts or better. During those sprints I will be noisy and blind. I am certain that coming out of one of those sprints I will hear a TIW. (Of course, that may be a good way of smoking out a sub; if I survive - sort of an inverse recon by fire.)

Drop to 4 knots and launch a UUV. (Does kiloes have to drop to 3? Not that they're likely to get this sort of mission anyway.)

Then increase your speed. If someone launches a torpedo (except in UUV baffles), you're warned immediately.

Also, you can go for a lower speed (e.g. water depths/cavitation/acceptable noise levels) decides for you) and instead spend less time in the drifting phase.

Also note that the TB-16 towed array can still listen well at ~18 knots. Both US subs carry them - with the seawolf it's the non-standard towed array. Same goes for 688i with the LWAMI mod, both are there without the mod.


(Another bad idea of many mission designers is to have those sags run 25knots+ and still use active sonar. Then again, EMCON is merely a toggle, and only recently was a way to still have them use radar found.)


(3) What if while sprinting in #2, the enemy maintains his stealth and simply lays in wait for the SAG? Or what if he makes his attack run from one of the flanks?

As somebody said already, simply avoiding the sub probably the smart thing for said enemy to do. What you can do about it? You just have to drift often enough to detect him with a sensor sweep. And again, pray, or use active sonar, or...

(4) Oh, one more little wrinkle in this particular scenario. There is one other LA class sub also providing escort ASW. How do I avoid finding and killing him by accident while not waiting for a full ID to shoot? I guess that may be the easiest to answer - if the first NB line is 50Hz shoot; if 60Hz it is my sister ship.

More tips - All subs have a 125, though there are some ships too, like the fishing boat. At least among the playables, 320 is nuke and 340 is diesel. But if you know that, he's usually either running, stupid, or too damn close.

(stupid = cavitating for no good reason, hallmark of ai subs in quick missions)