[itsjero]

I think i have commented on this, perhaps on another thread, and even though this post is roughly a year old ( since the last reply ) ill go ahead and add my .02 just in case the user is still wondering about anti aircraft solutions for the game itself.


The EPIC mod, which is a kick ass mod and pretty much the big mod most players user if they use mods, has this capability.


How to get the weapon itself ( a manpad pretty much ) its fairly easy but allows for your sub to get targeted and hit by any surface ship within firing range ( which is an extremely huge range.. sometimes the surface ships firing at you, and can hit you and damage you very effectively, are dots on the horizon, sometimes not even that. Since large surface ships of todays navy ( and im assuming if you play some of the older subs those surface ships can hit targets miles away, can do the same ).


Regardless, you have to surface in order to use this weapon. I really wish you could mod, or they could include a weapon that is either tube launched, or launched via the VLS system, that would launch an anti aircraft missile that would take care of the threat. Im sure nowdays, there most likely is a weapon that subs have, albeit used rarely if ever, that could attack any air vehicle. I think the biggest thing would be targeting/aquiring for the targeting computer, etc.


Anyways, if you have the EPIC mod installed, simply surface your sub, and then raise the ESM and Radar Masts. This will allow whatever triggers the mod has built in in order to aquire the target.


There is a bar in the upper left hand corner of the screen that shows how close you are to target, and more importantly, how visible you are to them. Once that bar gets totally full ( red in color ), you will be close enough for your sub and the manpad located in the sail, to aquire and launch a missile.


After the bar is red, it takes a bit of time, but not a ton. Maybe a minute or less depending on your speed and how long youve been on the surface. But again, if the bar is completely red, you are in the range of the target and the sub will automatically aquire and launch a surface to air missile. It will shoot out of your sail and there is no like animation or anything to show the missile until it fires.


Once it fires, it will automatically lock on to whatever helicopter or plane that is close enough, track and destroy the air asset. It will continue to do this as long as the bar is red and there are targets it can aquire and hit within its firing range ( which more or less is the red bar ).


I sort of play a mini game using this weapon. It doesnt have an ammo count, so ammo is unlimited ( i havent ever ran out of ammo of these anti aircraft missiles, and there is no way to load them at port with other ammo, nor does it get damage as far as i can tell. I might not work if you take damage in your sail or some other area of the sub, however thats never happened to me so i cant say if it takes damage and doesnt work in any scenario. ).


That said, ill sink all the targets i have around me, and if they battle group is big enough, they will have helicopters and planes working with the battle group to hunt you down. Once the surface group is all destroyed/burning/sinking or whatever, these air assets will continue to do what they do. Hunt you. Ive, before i had this mod and its capability for air defense, been chased around the map relentlessly and actually been damaged and sunk.. rarely but it happens to the best of us.


Ill surface, raise the esm and radar masts, and then try and locate the air assets by looking at the map and seeing where they are dropping sonarbuoys.


Once i sorta know where they are, by using cameras, launching a few missiles and then going to the aircrafts camera and looking for smoke trails, or using the sonarbuoy icons on the map, will drive my sub to where i think they are. Once im close enough, ill surface and raise the masts, and shoot down the helos and planes.


Usually there are 2 or 3 helos max, and a plane. I dont think ive ever seen 2 planes, but usually there is 3-4 air assets of combined helos and aircraft.


Once i down one, i can use its burning wreck as sort of a marker and look at the aircrafts camera to see where that smoke is, and then do this again. Rinse and Repeat. Its sort of a cool minigame, and one i enjoy because the air assets can be a real nuisance.


So, download and install the epic mod. Enjoy everything it brings to the game, as well as this nice little addition that evens the scales a little bit and gives you an out in terms of air assets that will hunt you and give no quarter.


So, sink all the ships you see and then go after the air. Or, if you got the guts, surface during an engagement if the air asset is close enough to you and dropping sonar buoys on you followed most likely by torpedos, and smoke those bogeys.


Fair Seas.